The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-04-16
BATTLE FLAGS OF
THE 18TH virginia b '.!|!||.||IA||..
What They Were, How They
Were and Where They
Il Are. IA

| +.
i went into the confed erate army on
the 18th Of April, 1851 as first lieutenant
OF the Monticello Guard Of Charlottc IS
vile, Company a, Nineteenth Virginia In In
fantry, and wast detailed as ad1utant u
the regiment, serving as such until com
missioncd as djutant IN the spring Of
1852. served as adjutant until the reor:-'
ganization OF the army in 1862 when on n
the Peninsula and afterwnrd went on the
staff Of General ]. Z. Kemper. After Berv-5
Ing on his staff until after the battle
Of Gettysburg, Colonel Henry Can't again
appointed me adjutant Of the Nineteenth
and 4 served through the war as such,
or rather until the battle OF Sailors Creek,
5ryl,en the remnant OF Pickett's Division
was captured. II mention this SO 1t ma
he understood why Il am in doubt with
regard to some of the facts concerning
| the battle flags and color bearers OF the
regiment when was away from y ne
Icommand. 46 ss ;ssS4 "a wi ia s;g
The first flag used by the Nineteenth
was the stars and bars, AZ whc ! thinK
was made from q United States flag
owned BY the Monticello Guards, but OF
flag, such as was used during the res
mainder OF the war, was presented: to the
regiment by General Beauregard, through
HIS adjutant general. Colonel Tom Jorr-
dan. afterwards prominent in the first
Cuban rebellion. This flag was used up
Ito the time Il went on General Kemperss
staff, and went through the battles OF
Williamsburg and Seven Pines. and most
robably in all tho battles Of the seven
days fighting around Richmond 4 flnd
that time has dimmcd my memory, lcr
|, i am not sure Of what I have Just said
a bout Its having been in the seven-day
fights, for remember sending one bat s.
tie flag to the clerk Of Albenlarle acoun-
ty for preservation, after 1t was so riddlcd
with shot as to be worthless. After the
war the flag sent back to the clerk was
found in trash pile"Su under the STAIR
way OF Albelnarle Courthouse, BY Ser
eeant James Perley, OF CompdnylA, Nine
tenth, and has been preserved by HIM
and appears In procession at nearly every
reunion OF the u. G. VI. carried proudly
by Corp" Perley, as his old comrades
scallshim. 81 can't recall when sent this
Itflag back, hut the next lag NE had was
|1eft at Pittsburg. Its loss was Of the
most tragic character AS the Nineteenth
neared the Stone Wall, the color-bearer
was shot dead. but before the flag touch
ed tho ground it was seized by one Of
| the color-guards and In a second or two
|'he fell dead. Again, the flags was caught
before 1t touched the ground, and again
| in few seconds the bearer was shot
so dead that lie fell with the staff under
| his body Private Ware, OF Company i,
Nineteenth ,(from Amherst county,. who
was about eight feet from the coors (on
It's left). finding that every man between
him and the colors had been shot, faced
to the right to get the colors, but as lln
stepped out his left leg was shattered by
n mimic ball, and no was unable to get
to them. Our men remained for some
time at the Stone Wall when tho order
was given to face back. Some time after
they fell back, and not a gun was being
fired a Yankee jumped over the wall and
pulled tho colors$ from under tho bodyfof
the dead man, waived 1t In the air and
went back over the wall. / have since
discovered that the man was from tho
Nineteenth Connecticut Regiment, and
capturing It.. ] havo forgotten the nqne
of one of the three men whofwern killed
With the colors, but one was I7o TX Points,
Of Company A. and the other, Lon Bow
ger. of Company Aor B. both Charlottes-,
Vile boys.
I. have written to Amherst to find
whether Private Ware is still living, and
for him to write out again, all the facts
here given. | got them from him some
years ago. but the letter was sent to the
town in Connecticut where the .'captor"'
Of the Nineteenth flag lives, so his neigh
bors could sec what a hero he was,
failed to keep q COPY OF his letter, i
fail to find a. Nineteenth Regiment flag
amongst the. flags returned by Congress-,
and the question arises, what became Of
the flag at Sailors Creek Doubtless tile
color-bearer took 1t from the staff and
wrapped It around his body. as was done
so often by those old heroes. orAlle may
have destroyed At. 4 II any veteran knows.
please lot him tell. a suppose tho Gettys-i
burg flag is In. The Capitol building Mt!
Hartford, Conn, saw some of them
about 1881 or 1889, but did not examine
them. 8.3sS
Yours respectfully, ,si
y asS 3 o. C,sWI1RTEN BAKER, t3
n 3Int 4, \, IN TfirV