First Michigan Engineers and Mechanics (Regimental) Civil War Battle Flag by Seeking Michigan
This regiment was mustered in at Marshall in October 1861. Made up primarily of engineers and mechanics, the regiment did not function as a unit but was broken into four detachments assigned to divisions of the Army of the Ohio. Before the troops left for war they probably received this flag at a review attended by ten thousand people and Governor Austin Blair.
Sponsor a Michigan Civil War battle flag and preserve it online
at SeekingMichigan.org for a lifetime. A $250 sponsorship of a flag
comes with permanent donor recognition on the specific flag webpage.
Each donor will also receive a 24x36 archival color print of their flag
and have ownership in providing continuing online access of the Civil
War battle flags to the public. Funds will also support additional
projects regarding Michigan’s
role in the Civil War.
Visitors to the State
Capitol fondly remember its rotunda ringed with battle flags. The flags
now show the ravages not only of battle, but also of storage under less
than ideal conditions. Now, new storage at
the Michigan Historical Museum permits the flags of this 230-flag
collection (160 from the Civil War) to lay flat, supported by archival
fabric, in a room where the temperature and humidity are controlled.
(The Capitol now features reproductions of the original flags in its
rotunda cases.)
The Michigan Capitol Committee, the Save the Flags program and
the Michigan Historical Museum to save the delicate flags. Conservation
work, made possible through funds raised by Save the Flags, will help
preserve the actual physical flags throughout the coming years.
