The First Florida Infantry Battle Flag
The “1st Florida Infantry Battalion” was mustered into the service of Florida’s state militia in March of 1861, at Chattahoochee Arsenal consisting of 9 companies and about 700 men with an insufficient number of uniforms and weapons. In June the Pensacola Guards joined the regiment as its tenth company. Their enlistment was for only twelve months as were all Florida regiments raised in early 1861. The regiment was sent to Pensacola in April of 1861 where the men were mustered into the Confederate States army thus becoming the 1st Florida Infantry Regiment. On October 9th, 1861, a detachment from the regiment participated in an unsuccessful attempt to capture Fort Pickens. In March of 1862, the regiment joined the Army of Tennessee on its journey west to Corinth Mississippi at which point the regiment’s time of enlistment came to an end. Only 328 of the approximately 600 remaining men were reenlisted. They were organized into four companies and placed under the command of Major McDonnell and became known as McDonell’s Florida Infantry Battalion, and on April 7th and 8th took part in the Battle of Shiloh where 16 men were killed and 57 wounded. In October of 1862, with only 167 men left fit for service, the 1st Battalion took part in the battle of Perryville where they suffered another 12 killed, 54 wounded, and 6 missing. In December, the depleted regiment was consolidated with Miller’s 3rd Florida Infantry thus becoming the 1st and 3rd Florida Infantry Regiment, which was organized with a total of 950 officers and men. The consolidated regiment then fought at Murfreesboro from December 31st – January 2nd where they suffered 138 killed, wounded, or missing. After spending the winter near Tullahoma Tennessee, the regiment was engaged in combat around Vicksburg in March of 1863 during the siege of that city. During the Battle of Chickamauga the 1st and 3rd lost 9 killed, 70 wounded, and 13 missing, while 18 of its men were recognized for conspicuous bravery. The regiment went on to fight at Chattanooga, the Atlanta Campaign, Resaca, the Battle of Marietta, and the Franklin-Nashville Campaign. After the retreat from Nashville, the 1st and 3rd regiment was sent to North Carolina where they fought at the Battle of Bentonville, on March 19th, 1865 which was to be their final battle. When General Johnston surrendered at Bennett Place on April 26th, 1865. the 1st and 3rd Florida, along with all other Florida units in the Army of Tennessee combined, had fewer than 200 men left fit for duty. The troops were paroled on May 1st, 1865.
The flag of the 1st Florida Infantry Regiment
The first regimental flag of the 1st Florida Infantry was patterned after the standard Confederate Battle Flag, being rectangular (rather than square) and trimmed with a wide white border. The Saltier contained twelve six-pointed stars arranged in four sets of three on the outer ends of each bar and no symbolism in the center. Twelve-star battle flags were commonly issued in the early years of the war, as the state of Kentucky was not yet recognized by the Confederacy. “1st Florida” appears in the top quadrant and is stitched in white letters, while the unit’s major battle honor “Shiloh” was placed in the lower quarter. Shortly after the unit was merged with the 3rd Florida, the flag ceased to be used in some time in early 1863. The flag is now in the custody of the Confederate Museum Collection.
This is a reproduction of the 1st Florida Infantry battle flag. The actual dimensions and materials are not the same as the original flag. The artwork is visible on both sides. The lettering reads correctly from one side only.
- One solid piece of printed, hemmed fabric
- Lightweight 100-denier polyester that will fly nicely in the slightest breeze.
- Bright colors
- 4 rows of stitching on the fly end to prevent premature fraying
- Reinforced header with brass grommets
- Flag size: 3′ x 5′
