The Flag of Company A
Among the artifacts at the Manitowoc County Historical Society, there is one that continues to inspire visitors. It is a piece of fabric sewn into a flag and now proudly displayed at the Manitowoc County Historical Society. The Historical Society’s occupational monograph 64, 1988 series “The flag of Company A, Fifth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry” describes the story:
“On April 19 [1861], word reached Manitowoc that Southern forces had fired on Fort Sumter and President Lincoln had declared that military force had to be used to put down that rebellion and he called for volunteers to join the armed forces to fight for the Union.
The news spread quickly and people gathered on the street corners, in the stores, and saloons to discuss this tragic happening. … Within two days enough men had signed up to form a company of soldiers and they organized themselves into the “Manitowoc County Guards.” Later they were officially mustered into the service as “Company A of the 5th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment.”
The origin of the flag relies heavily on the women of Manitowoc County in 1861. With news of the start of the Civil War, women banded together and decided to create a flag for their boys to carry through their journey in the war. The flag, they hoped, would bring thoughts of home and positivity to the soldiers. When coming up with a design for the flag, the ladies wanted it to resemble that of the Union flag, but with a bit of Manitowoc personalization. That being said, the colors for the flag were decided to be red, white and blue. Realizing they did not have enough materials to make the flag they envisioned, the ladies traveled to Chicago. There, they obtained enough red and blue silk, but they could not locate white.
Then, a young woman came forward with white silk she had purchased for her wedding gown. In her donation, she requested her name be kept anonymous. The ladies then went to work on sewing the flag.
Having elected their officers, the Manitowoc County Guards established the North Side Park as their training grounds and proceeded with their daily routine to become soldiers. On June 17 as the Company marched toward its training site, a group of ladies - led by Mrs. Gideon Collins - joined them and upon arrival at the park they approached Captain Temple Clark to present the Company with a flag. It was graciously received by the Captain and his men and they promised to take it into every battle in which they should become engaged and never let it be disgraced even upon the threat of their lives. The flag had been made by ladies of the village and given to the soldiers in recognition of their courage and bravery as volunteers for the noble cause for which they had enlisted. … The ladies who had shopped for the material for the flag returned from Chicago without any white silk so in this dilemma one of them stepped forward and gave the cloth she had purchased for her wedding gown so the flag could be completed.
… The long expected call to report for duty came and the Company with the flag flying at its head marched through cheering crowds which lined the streets to the pier at the foot of Buffalo Street to make its way to Camp Randall in Madison. It was the 23rd of June, 1861, a day that would be forever remembered by this first group of volunteers that left Manitowoc for the Civil War. …
On July 23rd orders were received to bring the regiment to Washington D.C. …. Their last act was to haul down the flag and pack it into the Captain’s valise. This was to be the last time the flag would be displayed in connection with the Company.
… Following Williamsburg, Temple Clark left the Company and Lt. Horace Walker took his place. Walker decided that the Company had done enough to keep its promise and packed the flag into his valise and sent it to the rear along with his personal belongings. This would be the last time that any one of Company A would see the flag during the war and to them it was considered lost.
It would not be until 15 years later that news of the flag reached Manitowoc. A man by the name of William W. Waldo, who was a resident of Manitowoc, was in Philadelphia at the International Exposition of 1876 when he stumbled upon the "Wisconsin building." After going inside the Wisconsin building, he saw the flag. Since the flag had been missing for 15 years, Waldo must have been astonished to see the flag.
Waldo then escorted the flag back to Manitowoc. Along with it came a letter that explained what exactly had happened to the flag in those years.
In June 1862, the 8th Regiment Reserve Volunteer Corporation of Pennsylvania spotted the flag in Confederate hands. The Pennsylvania soldiers thought the flag to be of Confederate origin, so they devised a plan to confiscate it. Upon getting ahold of it and further research, they realized the true origins of the flag. From that day on, they kept the flag safe, with the intent of one day returning it to its rightful owners in Manitowoc. In 1876, that became a reality when the flag returned home.
The flag was presented to the Manitowoc County Historical Society in 1925.