33rd Alabama Infantry Battle Flag “Hardee-Style Banner” with Honors

The 33rd Alabama Infantry Regiment was organized in April 1862 with men from Butler, Coffee, Covington, Dale, and Montgomery counties. The regiment was first stationed at Fort McRee in Pensacola, Florida, which sat at the entrance of the Pensacola Bay. Shortly after being sent to Florida, the 33rd was assigned to the Army of Tennessee, where they participated in many major engagements of the western theatre, beginning with the Kentucky Campaign, including the battles of Munfordville and then Perryville, where they suffered an 82% casualty rate among the nearly 500 men engaged. The regiment went on to fight at Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and the Atlanta campaign, which included Ringgold Gap and Kennesaw Mountain, just to name a few. In late 1864, during the Battle of Franklin (part of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign), the 33rd was annihilated, losing two-thirds of its total strength. Just after the Battle of Perryville up to and including the Battle of Franklin, the 33rd was under the command of Major General Patrick Cleburne. Despite the horrible losses at Perryville and Franklin, the survivors held together until the final Carolina Campaign in 1865, where the last few members of the 33rd Alabama were brigaded with Joseph Johnston’s newly organized Army of the South, which consisted mostly of remnants and consolidated regiments. At the end of a 10-day furlough, in what would be their final action, the 33rd Alabama participated in the three-day Battle of Bentonville, on March 19th – 21st. However, the men of the 33rd did not arrive on the battlefield until the third day of action, at which point the battle was already lost. Then, on April 8, the remnant was consolidated with remnants of the 16th, 45th, and 17th Alabama Infantry Regiments. Eighteen days later, the freshly consolidated unit, along with the rest of General Johnston’s Army, surrendered to General Sherman at Bennett Place near Durham. Sherman issued ten days’ rations to each soldier and released them to return home.

The exact number of different regimental colors carried by the 33rd Alabama during the course of the war is unknown. Battle flags had to be replaced from time to time because they were captured, lost, or so badly damaged that they could no longer be used. According to statements by W. E. Preston, who served with Company B of the regiment, this particular version of the flag was issued at Dalton, Georgia, around March 1864. It is believed that this flag was captured by Captain John Harties Brown, of the 12th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, on November 30, 1864, at the Battle of Franklin. Brown received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery at the Battle of Franklin. The whereabouts and history of the flag for the next 76 years are unknown. It was reported to have been deposited in the United States War Department by Captain Brown. The “Register of Captured Flags, 1861-65” lists number “No. 245 Rebel Battle Flag captured by John H. Brown, Co. D, 12th Ky. Infantry.” However, on February 12, 1940, the flag was discovered at a public auction for the estate of Augustus H. Heath. The flag was clearly marked as being captured by Captain Brown at Franklin and presented to Mr. Heath. Because of the efforts of the Massachusetts Historical Society and the City of Melrose, the citizens of Melrose purchased the flag, returned it to Alabama, presenting it to the Governor during the American Legion National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts, on September 22, 1940. There are multiple possibilities that could explain Brown’s delivering the flag to both Washington and to A. H. Heath.

(1) Brown captured two flags, delivered one to Washington, and presented the other one to Mr. Heath.

(2) Brown requested the return or loan of the flag at a later date and then gave it to Mr. Heath.

(3) Brown captured one flag (the one listed as # 245), but somehow managed to acquire this flag, which he forwarded to Mr. Heath.

Reports on captured flags at the Battle of Franklin claim there were as many as 43, but only seven were registered by the War Department. General J. W. Reilly stated in his report that the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Division, 23rd Army Corps, captured 25 flags in all, with only nine being forwarded to the War Department. The stated reason was that “many were torn up and sent home by the privates, and some others were lost.” There were also reports that officers took flags from the captors. It is possible that Captain Brown procured the flag of the 33rd by taking it away from one of his subordinates. There is also evidence that a portion of the flag was cut up for souvenirs. In 1905, the U.S. War Department returned all captured Confederate flags to the respective states of origin, but flag No. 245 was not accounted for and has never been found. So, it is quite likely that Brown requested the return of the flag and that the flag of the 33rd Alabama Infantry is flag No. 245. After being presented to the Governor of Alabama in 1940, the flag was passed to the Alabama State Archives, where it was treated and restored. It is now on display in their museum.

This is a reproduction of the 33rd Alabama Infantry Regiment battle flag. It is made to look as much like the original flag as possible while in use during the Civil War. The actual dimensions and materials are not exactly the same as the original flag. The artwork is visible on both sides. The lettering reads correctly on only one side.