During the confusion of combat, flags
were important as rallying points

Why were flags so important in the Civil War?

Soldiers from both sides placed great importance on the flags of their regiments and would sacrifice their lives defending that flag so it couldn’t be captured by the enemy.

But, the devotion to a flag wasn't merely emotional. Regimental flags played a vital part in Civil War battles.

Union and Confederate armies tended to be organized as regiments from particular states. And, soldiers tended to feel their first loyalty toward their regiment.

Combatants strongly believed they represented their home state (or even their local region) and much of the morale of Civil War units was focused on that pride. And, the various state regiments tended to have their own distinctive flags to carry into battle.

Soldiers took a great deal of pride in those flags. The regimental battle flags were always treated with great reverence, and, at times, ceremonies would be held in which the flags were paraded in front of the men.

While these parade ground ceremonies tended to be symbolic – events designed to instill and reinforce morale – there also was a very practical purpose, which was making sure that every man could recognize the regimental flag.

Regimental flags were critical in Civil War battles as they marked the position of the regiment on the battlefield, which often could be a very confused place. In the noise and smoke of battle, regiments could become scattered and vocal commands, or even bugle calls, could not be heard. So a visual rallying point was essential and soldiers were trained to follow the flag.

Because the regimental flags had genuine strategic importance in battle, designated teams of soldiers, known as the color guard, carried the flag.

A typical regimental color guard would consist of two color bearers, one carrying the national flag (the U.S. flag or a Confederate flag) and one carrying the regimental flag. Often, two other soldiers were assigned to guard the color bearers.

Being a color bearer was considered a mark of great distinction and it required a soldier of extraordinary bravery. The job was to carry the flag where the regimental officers directed, while unarmed and under fire. Color bearers had to face the enemy and never break and run in retreat or the entire regiment might follow.

As the regimental flags were so conspicuous in battle, they often were used as a target for rifle and artillery fire. And, of course, the mortality rate of color bearers was high.

With the regimental flags generally in the middle of the fighting, there always was the possibility that a flag could be captured. To a Civil War soldier, the loss of a regimental flag was a colossal disgrace. The entire regiment would feel shamed if the flag was captured and carried away by the enemy. Conversely, to capture the battle flag of an opponent was considered a great triumph and captured flags were cherished as trophies.

Accounts of Civil War battles in newspapers at the time generally would mention if any enemy flags had been captured.

As the Civil War continued, regimental flags often became something of a scrapbook as the names of battles fought by the regiment would be stitched onto the flags. And, as flags became tattered in battle they took on new significance.

At the end of the Civil War, state governments put considerable effort into collecting battle flags and those collections were looked upon with great reverence in the late 19th century.