Secession” Confederate flag remnant captured by a member of the 1st Rhode Island Infantry. The swatch was placed in an envelope and sent to G.W. Cushing, the editor of the Providence Daily Journal. This envelope was also inscribed, “Contains piece of secession flag taken by 1st RI Regiment.” A postmark indicates that the flag remnant was mailed to Providence in the summer of 1861 from Washington, D.C., which may indicate that the flag was associated with the Battle of Bull Run.

The 1st Rhode Island Infantry Regiment was originally called the 1st Rhode Island Detached Militia. It was organized in Rhode Island in April 1861, and was attached to Ambrose Burnside's Brigade in Irvin McDowell's Army of Northeastern Virginia in the defenses of Washington. The regiment advanced on Manassas, Virginia on July 16–21, seeing action at Bull Run on July 21. It left Washington, D.C. for home on July 25 and mustered out on August 2, 1861. During its service, the regiment lost a total of 25 men. Both the envelope and the flag fragment are in excellent condition.




[Civil War, Union, Confederate]