"ACW Flag Finials and their types" Topic

Hi,
Further to my query re the right/wrong way to position the Standards I was wondering about the finials etc,when would the Eagle/Spearhead/Halberdy looking one be used,are the specific for a particular sort of unit ie Regulars/Volunteers etc ??
Any help gratefully received.
G

In the ACW, Federals carried the National colors with the Eagle and the Regimentals with a spear point. Confederates tended to use a wide variety, from Brass Crosses to a Tin Spear. But the vast majority of ANV units used the Spear point in some form. These could be a pre war US style or a State specific, or even homemade.

I have noticed in a number of prints by the celebrated military artist Don Troaini Union units having 2 spearpoint finials as well as what I can only describe as a Halberd like finial ??
G

I went through my files of Federal infantry colours and found 274 images that had identifiable finials. These can be broken down as follows:

Leaf spearhead (see below) – 124 (45%)
Small ball or cone – 55 (20%)
Spearhead – 43 (16%)
Spontoon (spearhead with crossbar) – 22 (8%)
Eagle – 13 (5%)
Halberd – 8 (3%)
Other – 9 (3%)

I found no obvious correlations between different types of units and different finials.

link

So was it left to the individual Regts,except in the US Regulars,to decide what form the Finials took.
I query what "small ball/cone" would look like ?
The Eagle is a lot less prominent than I expected.
I would be interested to know what the combinations of each within the Regt would have been,would we have seen units with both standards with Leaf Spearheads etc ?
G

Couple of thoughts:

It was probably up to whoever gave the regiment its colors (not, probably, the regiment itself) -- such as the state government, the city or county where the regiment was raised, some patriotic group, etc.

Some of the early regiments were essentially militia regiments, so would have had colors already, before being mustered into Federal service.

Don is right; a unit commander had very little control over the flags the unit was either issued or presented. A more detailed explanation of the way flags were obtained can be seen at the end of this TMP thread:

TMP link

I have not seen any research into whether or not a specific depot or manufacturer used any particular pattern of finial. The data base I posted does not differentiate between national or regimental colours. Thus a regiment could very well have both the national and regimental colours with either matching or different finials. I would think if you maintained the posted distribution for all your infantry flags you would be reasonably accurate.

Finding a good example on the internet of the ball/cone pattern took a bit of search but the link below illustrates a number of different finials.

In the middle left case can be seen five flags from the 10th New Hampshire Infantry. Starting on the left is a regimental colour with a halberd finial. Next is a flank marker with what I characterize as a cone finial. It has a small brass "acorn" atop a brass sleeve. Next to the right is a national colour topped with a leaf spearhead. Then is a second flank marker and following that a regimental colour also with a leaf spearhead finial.

Over to the right in the next case is yet another 10th NH flank marker, this time with a ball finial. Here instead of the small acorn or cone the brass sleeve is topped by a small ball.

Note that although in these examples the ball/cone finials are on flank markers the same design was also found on national and regimental colours.

The other flags in the case give a view of two leaf spearheads and one eagle finial from the 11th NH and two leaf spearhead finials from the 12th NH.

Some reserve must be used when examining these flags, and others on display. In many cases, the poles were replaced when the displays were created. In the case of Maine's flags, the only original poles on display are marked as such.

The reason for this is that, again in Maine's case, but also with others, the returned flags were folded up and stored away and the poles discarded or used for other purposes, etc. When the idea for a grand display was floated, new poles were needed for the flags.

Yes, I agree that the modern displays have to be used with caution. I should point out, however, that I only used the New Hampshire example as it could readily be referenced online in order to illustrate the different finials.

I still wili stand by the overwhelming use of "spear" finials. If the three "spear" patterns are aggregated (Leaf – 45%; Spearhead – 16%; Spontoon – 8%) that has 69% of the finials following into the Revised Regulations of the Army of the United States, 1861 call for a "spear" finial.

1428. Each regiment of Infantry shall have two silken colors. The first, or the national color, of stars and stripes, as described for the garrison flag; the number and name of the regiment to be embroidered with silver on the center stripe. The second, or regimental color, to be blue, with the arms of the United States embroidered in silk on the center. The name of the regiment in a scroll, underneath the eagle. The size of each color to be six feet six inches fly, and six feet deep on the pike. The length of the pike, including the spear and ferrule, to be nine feet ten inches. The fringe yellow; cords and tassels, blue and white silk intermixed.