A flag for the 79th PA VOL. INF. Co E. - Established officially on 11th November, 2023
Following the event at Tallassee this past November, the company undertook an effort to begin recreating the colors of our newly adopted namesake “The Lancaster Rifles” or The 79th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. As with many of the standards of the period, the original colors were constructed on silk and featured the state’s coat of arms.
The State’s Coat of Arms, consists of: a shield featuring a ship, plough, and sheaves of wheat; an eagle for the crest (which faces the staff on each side); two white horses as supporters on each side; and the motto "Virtue, Liberty and Independence." Below the crest are an olive branch and a cornstalk which are crossed.
For this project, it was decided that the best option would be to supplement a cotton blend with a tight weave in place of silk. This was decided given a number of challenges, from the use of silk of which very few of us have experience working with, to the cost of materials, and with great consideration for use in the field which will inevitably lead to wear and tear along the way.
Constructing the Colors:
Our second sergeant selflessly took on this task to the benefit of our company putting in hours of time for the basic layout of materials, which consisted of guidance from measurements of the standard found within documentation from the Pennsylvania State Archives who took possession of the original standard in 1985. From here, the 2nd sergeant began the task of sewing the flag, and creating the blank pictured above.
Having completed the construction of the blank standard, we then had the task of figuring out how to acquire the Coat of Arms. In all honesty, we are many things; however, artists would be the least accurate depiction of us. Therefore we needed to find a creative way to place the coat of arms onto the canton of the flag. When consulting the documentation, we found that the coat of arms was originally stenciled onto the originals and we considered ways in which we could do that. However, this was just not something that we were going to make happen, so instead, we sought a new approach to our problem, which led me to consider the application of a DTF transfer in order to give the same appearance of having been painted. I was able to secure a digital render of the coat of arms taken from a picture of the original flag. We then sent the image file off to be produced with a company I had located. The company literally printed and shipped the ordered transfers the following day. Most impressive was the quality and the fact that they followed my instructions for reversing the Eagle on each side to face in the correct direction. Once the transfers arrived, they were given to the second sergeant who was able to have them applied to the canton.
Following the application of the transfers, the Coat of Arms was set, which enabled the second sergeant to set about the painting of the stars. For this task, two coats of metallic gold paint made for fabric applications was utilized.
In addition to the two coats of paint applied, a sealant was applied to protect the paint. The stars measured 2 1/4 inch, given that the coat of arms was slightly larger than that of the original. Stars were applied by the use of a hand cut stencil and pre outlined markings.
The last item requiring painting were the letters, which were stenciled, having been carefully detailed from the original banner and then painted to match on our reproduction.
The semi-completed colors were presented to the company at the Tannehill State Park event on Saturday, 2nd March, 2024.
Carrying the Colors for the First Time:
The event required the company to source a suitable temporary pole for the colors by collecting dead fall on the grounds of the state park, which was no problem and resulted in the locating and usage of a sturdy piece of pine for this particular task.
The next steps with the colors will be the cutting of an official staff, to which they will be permanently tacked as were the original. Our company is also fortunate to have received the generous offer of an authentic Federal Eagle topper for the staff which we intend to utilize on the new staff once completed. Additionally, the staff will be broken down into two sections for the purposes of transportation much as is the colors of our Confederate designation. These items, along with a case for transporting the colors are all very nearly completed at this point.
Much appreciation is due to our company’s second sergeant who very much outdid himself with the recreation of this flag for our company. I could not be more proud of the finished product and what it will mean for our company and our efforts to continue promoting education from this period within our nation’s history in the years to come.
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