Southern Museum to unveil rare Civil War regimental flag

KENNESAW, Ga. – The Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History on Monday will unveil and place on permanent display a rare regimental flag issued to the 65th Georgia Infantry during the Civil War.

The flag, which appeared at veterans gatherings during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, will be unveiled during a members-only ceremony Monday, July 23, at the Museum. Following the unveiling, the flag will be placed on permanent display in the Museum.

The flag was donated by Don Davis, Rhonda Davis Nesmith and Pete Davis; the banner had been in the Davis family for 145 years. Private John Davis, who served as the 65th Georgia Infantry Regiment’s color bearer, brought home the flag following the war. Private Davis is the great-great grandfather of the current generation of Davis’.

“This flag will not only be an important exhibit for the Museum, but it will serve as the centerpiece of an ongoing dialogue about the causes and outcomes of the Civil War,” said Dr. Richard Banz, executive director of the Southern Museum. “To fully understand the impact of the Civil War, it’s important to discuss all aspects of this battle flag and others like it – what it meant to the soldiers who fought in the War, what the flag symbolized after the War and what it came to represent to the next generations of Americans.”

The flag is the only known surviving example of an Army of Tennessee flag that has both the unit and state designations sewn onto both sides. Following its donation in February 2010, the Museum sent the flag to a West Virginia company that specializes in the restoration of historic artifacts.

The bloodstained flag is riddled with 41 bullet holes that it received during the Atlanta and Tennessee campaigns. By the War’s end, the flag saw action during a number of battles, including Resaca, New Hope Church/Dallas/Pickett’s Mill, Kennesaw Mountain, Peachtree Creek and Atlanta.

Museum admission is $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors, $5.50 for children ages 4-12 and free for children three and under. The museum is located at 2829 Cherokee Street in downtown Kennesaw.

For more information about the Great Locomotive Chase anniversary celebrations, visit southernmuseum.org/sesquicentennial/. For more information, call (770) 427-2117, visit southernmuseum.org or follow the museum at facebook.com/southernmuseum.