Company H of the 6th Louisiana Infantry Regiment Battle Flag

The 6th Louisiana Infantry was raised in June of 1861 and was comprised of 916 men mostly from Orleans Parish and became part of the Louisiana Tigers. The regiment was organized at Camp Moore just north of the Village of Tangipahoa near Kentwood, Louisiana. Camp Moore was a training facility and primary base of operations for east Louisiana and southwest Mississippi for the Confederate army. The 6th Louisiana went on to fight in the eastern theatre attached to the Army of Northern Virginia participating in several major battles including the Seven Days Battles, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredricksburg, Gettysburg, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Petersburg, and finally Appomattox Courthouse where they surrendered along with what was left of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. At the time of surrender, the 6th had only 52 men left fit for duty. During the course of the war, 1146 men served in the 6th Louisiana. 219 were killed in combat, 104 died from disease, 5 deaths occurred accidentally, 1 drowned, and 1 was executed while at least 232 deserted. Desertions were particularly problematic in three of the companies of the 6th Louisiana that were made up mostly of men born outside the United States.

The battle flag of Company H of the 6th Louisiana Infantry was that of an 11-star 1st National Stars and Bars with the phrase “Let Us Alone Trust In God” printed on the center white bar and “O R” appearing within the circle of stars inside the blue canton. Company H was known as the Orleans Rifles, hence the “O R”. The Orleans Rifles Company H battle flag eventually became the regimental flag for the 6th Louisiana Infantry. The original flag did survive the war and is now in the possession of The Confederate Memorial Hall Museum in New Orleans and is on public display there.

This is a reproduction of the 6th Louisiana Infantry Regiment flag and has a vintage/aged finish. The actual dimensions and materials are not exactly the same as the original flag. The artwork is visible on both sides. The lettering reads right on one side only.