10th Tennessee Infantry Regiment Battle Flag

The Tenth Tennessee Infantry Volunteers was one of only two Irish Catholic regiments in the CSA Army. They were known as the “Bloody Tenth” because of the extraordinarily intense fighting and heavy casualties they endured throughout the Civil war.

History of the Tenth Tennessee Battle Flag

The 10th Tennessee was organized at Fort Henry in May 1861 just a few weeks after Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumpter. The battle flag which was one of two flags carried by the 10th was a standard Confederate battle flag adorned with “10th Tenn” along with battle honors “Fort Donelson” “Chickamauga” “Missionary Ridge” and “Raymond”. The second flag was a green “Sons of Erin” flag which had originally belonged to Company D of the Tennessee State Militia. In July of 1861, the 10th Tennessee was reported as having 720 men. They fought at Fort Donelson in February of 1862 where they suffered heavy losses, which is where they first earned the nickname “Bloody Tenth”. Most of the men who were not killed were captured and sent to a Union prison camp. In September of 1862, they were released via prisoner exchange and reunited in October. After being reconstituted, the 10th Tennessee was deployed as sharpshooters at the battles of Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Atlanta where they suffered more heavy losses. At the end of the war, there were less than 100 men left out of the original 720, all of whom had been wounded several times.

This is a reproduction of the 10th Tennessee Infantry Regiment Flag. The actual dimensions are not exactly the same as the original flag. The artwork is visible on both sides of the flag. The lettering reads right on one side only. Made of printed 100 denier polyester which is a lightweight material that will fly nicely in the slightest breeze.