First National Color
7th Infantry Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers
Silk, 1861
On May 5, 1862, Sergeant James Onslow was wounded while carrying this storied flag into action at Williamsburg, Virginia. Struck two times in the span of a few minutes, he fell to the ground and his flag was picked up by Corporal David Mallory, who carried it for the rest of the battle. Onslow recovered in time for the August 1862 Second Battle of Bull Run, where he used the flag to urge his men to stand their ground during an attack on enemy lines sheltered in a railroad cut.
This and four other flags from the Civil War flags collection are on view, along with an assortment of Civil War era artifacts, in the 1st floor gallery.
Original source can be found here.
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