Battle of Antietam: Blood-stained Flag. 77-inches x 46-inches, cotton or wool flag with 34-stars in the canton, randomly arranged in a 6/5/6/5/6/6 row pattern. It is framed to an overall size of 85-inches x 53-inches under Plexiglas. It is 2-inches thick and weighs approximately 70 lbs. At the time of framing in 1966, the right edge (13-inches wide) was folded over and sewn in place. Accordingly, the full size of the flag was 90-inches x 46-inches before framing. According to family lore, after the Battle of Antietam, General McClellan and his troops were riding down the main street in Sharpsburg when McClellan directed that the flag be given to a local resident, Mr. Hoffmaster, saying "Here is something to remember us by". The flag remained in the Hoffmaster family for over 90 years. It was given to the consignor's father by the mid-wife [Miss Hoffmaster] who attended his birth on December 15,1916. The transfer of ownership from the last of the Hoffmaster's took place in the 1950s. It was loaned to the Sharpsburg Museum in 1962 for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam. The flag is sewn onto a burlap backing and sealed against moisture. It has seventeen bullet holes and considerable blood stains, concentrated along the canvas hoist. It is entirely hand-sewn. The colors are vibrant.