A Confederate Battle Flag in Minnesota

On July 3, 1863, on the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Private Marshall Sherman of St. Paul stole something from the Confederate enemy that they wanted back, badly—the battle flag of the 28th Virginia Infantry Regiment.

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Editor: Britt Aamodt

Producer: Britt Aamodt

Editorial support: Emily Krumberger

Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood

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Transcript

Welcome to MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds.

By the last day of Gettysburg, Private Marshall Sherman was hungry, dog tired and fighting mad. The Union Army brass seemed to have a knack for sending his unit, the First Minnesota Infantry Regiment, to the most hopeless spot on the battlefield. Not that any location was a party, but the day before, July 2, 1863, they'd had to plug a weak spot in the Union line, where they were desperately outnumbered. They held out, even though they lost a majority of their men. So with just 47 members remaining, you'd think Sherman and his unit would get a pass. But the very next day, July 3, they were in the thick of it again. And that's when the private from St Paul, Minnesota, did something more than survive the inferno. He seized the battle flag of the 28th Virginia Infantry. He pointed his bayonet at the Confederate color bearer and said, “Throw down that flag, or I'll run you through.” This same Confederate flag now resides not in Virginia, but in Minnesota, at the state historical society.

MN90 is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, made possible by funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Online at MN90.org.