These pages are an electronic rendering of the book "Battle Flag Day", which was printed in 1896 by The State Printing Office in Iowa. The book was recently discovered by chance in an antique store by a member of the Legislative staff, and it was decided to share this unique piece of history with others through the modern technology provided in the Internet. Former Governor Frank Jackson, proclaimed August 10, 1894 "Battle Flag Day", for the purpose of paying tribute to the flags and banners carried by Iowa regiments in the Civil War, as well as to the thousands of soldiers who fought in those battles. These 138 torn and scarred flags, stored in an old armory building, were being destroyed by time. It was decided to preserve these remnants of history in hermetically sealed display cases in the Capitol Building. Businesses closed, special train fares and hotel room rates for the trip to Des Moines were arranged, and all Civil War veterans were summoned to come and take part in the procession transferring the flags up the hill from the armory to the Capitol Building. The wording, grammar, and punctuation of the original document has not been altered in order to preserve the authenticity of the emotion and patriotism expressed. For the same reason, some of the speeches may cite figures that appear to disagree with the figures used by other speakers, but these were not changed. All graphics are originals from the book. Many thanks to the League of Women Voters of Iowa and Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, Iowa, for their assistance.
Report of the Battle Flag Committee
List and Description of Iowa Battle Flags
Last update: Sun Dec 24 00:57:33 CST 1995