There at the museum, we found ourselves in the presence of all kinds of neat things. For instance, I completely geeked out over the tablecloth shirt worn by a Confederate soldier captured at Vicksburg and featured in Echoes of Glory, p. 155. See?
| Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh |
And there were flags! Flags under which women soldiers fought. Unfortunately, most of the pictures didn't come out because the banners are kept under a plastic cover, but this one was okay.
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| Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh |
This is the regimental flag of the 90th Illinois Infantry....well, sort of. This was their third one. The first one was taken to Andersonville in the flag bearer's shirt after he was captured. The second one was lost in the great Chicago fire of 1871. This third one that is on display was constructed based upon the memory of the surviving members of the regiment. So it is not the actual battle flag. But it's still pretty cool! And what makes it even cooler is that a woman soldier named Elizabeth Quinn-better known as Frances Hook-fought under this banner...well, the actual one that looked like this. I have written a couple of posts about her which you can read by clicking [HERE] and [HERE].
Some of my friends from the Chicago area, including Tom and Chris, portrayed members of the 90th Illinois Infantry in a St. Patrick's Day parade this year for which they made a replica of this flag. At the time, they did not did not know that there was a woman in the unit. When asked about my interest in the regiment, I told them, and they wanted to learn more because my friends are supportive and completely awesome. Here they are with their replica of a replica of the flag of the 90th Illinois Infantry, showing the other side than what is on display.
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| Courtesy Tom Travis |
Until next formation...rest.
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