1st National Style Cavalry Battle Flag

James Ewell Brown Stuart known as JEB Stuart was the most well-known, daring, and successful cavalry officer on either side of the Civil War. Known for his brilliant and daring tactics, Stuart provided the South with a much-needed morale boost on more than one occasion with his accomplishments of routing Union Troops while being outnumbered and making news across the country. This 1st National patterned flag was likely carried by one of the Virginia regiments in Stuart’s Cavalry Brigade because of the “Liberty or Death” motto which was particularly popular among Virginians as Patrick Henry was also a Virginian who made the same demand in 1775 in the lead-up to the Revolutionary War. Many in the South considered the Civil War to be the second Revolutionary War in which their ancestors fought and died. So “Liberty or Death” was very much on the minds of Confederates during the Civil War. This flag was captured by the 5th Michigan Cavalry which was a regiment of Custer’s Cavalry Brigade while Stuart’s Cavalry was acting as rear guard protecting Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia as they retreated from Gettysburg. The original flag is currently exhibited at the Liberty Heritage Society Museum.

This is a reproduction of the Liberty or Death battle flag from Stuart’s Cavalry. It has an aged, antiqued finish and is meant to resemble the flag as it appears today. Not as it would have looked during the Civil War. The actual dimensions are not exactly the same as the original flag. Made of printed 100 denier polyester which is a light material that will fly easily in a light breeze. The artwork is visible on both sides of the flag. The lettering reads right on one side only.