6th Pennsylvania Regiment Union Cavalry Guidon

The 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry battle flag was a standard Union Cavalry Guidon which consisted of a swallowtail fly end and 34 stars arranged in a circular pattern on a blue field and 13 alternating red and white stripes. Company “I” of the regiment attached a letter “I” within the center of the star pattern and later printed the battle honors “Fredericksburg”, “Chancellorsville” and “Gettysburg” in gold lettering on the white stripes below the blue field of stars. Only these three battle honors appear on the flag, however, the 6th Pennsylvania saw far more action than just those three battles. The regiment was organized by Richard H. Rush in August and September of 1861 from companies raised in Philadelphia, Montgomery, and Berks counties. Following basic training, the unit was attached to the cavalry division of the Army on the Potomac. Upon the suggestion of General George McClellan, the men were armed with 9ft. Austrian lances rather than the standard Sharps carbine rifles, thus earning them the nickname “Rush’s Lancers”. In May of 1863, the regiment was rearmed with the standard Sharps rifles as was customary for Union cavalry units. Between October 1861 and August 1865, The 6th Pennsylvania participated in the Seven Days Battle, Antietam, Brandy Station, Bristoe Station, Cold Harbor, Trevillian Station, Siege of Petersburg, Five Forks, Sayler’s Creek as well as the three major campaigns listed as honors on the flag itself. After General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse in April of 1865 effectively ending the Civil War, the unit was ordered to Washington DC where it was combined with other Pennsylvania cavalry units to form the 2nd Pennsylvania Provisional Cavalry. A few short months later in August of 1865, the newly organized cavalry unit was sent to Louisville, Kentucky where the men were mustered out of the army.

This is a reproduction of the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment flag. The actual dimensions are not exactly the same as the original flag.