The following article was written by Amy Meyer, the Executive Director of the Manitowoc County Historical Society.
Among the artifacts at the Manitowoc County Historical Society, one continues to inspire visitors. It is a piece of fabric sewn into a flag and now proudly displayed at the Manitowoc County Historical Society. The Historical Society’s occupational monograph 64, 1988 series “The Flag of Company A, Fifth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry” describes the story.
On April 19 [1861], word reached Manitowoc that Southern forces had fired on Fort Sumter and President Lincoln had declared that military force had to be used to put down that rebellion and he called for volunteers to join the armed forces to fight for the Union.
The news spread quickly and people gathered on the street corners, in the stores, and saloons to discuss this tragic happening . . . Within two days enough men had signed up to form a company of soldiers and they organized themselves into the “Manitowoc County Guards.” Later, they were officially mustered into the service as “Company A of the 5th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment.”
The 1861 origin of the flag relies heavily on the women of Manitowoc County. With news of the start of the Civil War, women banded together and decided to create a flag for their boys to carry through their journey in the war. The flag, they hoped, would bring thoughts of home and positivity to the soldiers. When coming up with a design for the flag, the ladies wanted it to resemble that of the Union flag, but with a bit of Manitowoc personalization. That being said, the colors for the flag were decided to be red, white, and blue. Realizing they did not have enough materials to make the flag they envisioned, the women traveled to Chicago. There, they obtained enough red and blue silk, but they could not locate white.
Then, a young woman came forward with white silk she had purchased for her wedding gown. In her donation, she requested her name be kept anonymous. The ladies then went to work on sewing the flag.
Having elected their officers, the Manitowoc County Guards established the North Side Park as their training grounds and proceeded with their daily routine to become soldiers. On June 17, as the Company marched toward its training site, a group of ladies—led by Mrs. Gideon Collins—joined them and upon arrival at the park they approached Captain Temple Clark to present the Company with a flag. It was graciously received by the Captain and his men and they promised to take it into every battle in which they should become engaged and never let it be disgraced, even upon the threat of their lives.
The long expected call to report for duty came and the Company with the flag flying at its head marched through cheering crowds which lined the streets to the pier at the foot of Buffalo Street where the transport to Camp Randall in Madison awaited. It was June 23, 1861—a day that would be forever remembered by this first group of volunteers that left Manitowoc for the Civil War.
Following Williamsburg, Temple Clark left the Company and Lt. Horace Walker took his place. Walker decided that the Company had done enough to keep its promise and packed the flag into his valise and sent it to the rear along with his personal belongings. This would be the last time that any one of Company A would see the flag during the war and to them it was considered lost.
It would not be until 15 years later that news of the flag reached Manitowoc. A man by the name of William W. Waldo, who was a resident of Manitowoc, was in Philadelphia at the International Exposition of 1876 when he stumbled upon the “Wisconsin building.” After going inside the Wisconsin building, he saw the flag. Since the flag had been missing for 15 years, Waldo must have been astonished to see it.
Waldo then escorted the flag back to Manitowoc. Along with it came a letter that explained what exactly had happened to the flag in those years.
In June 1862, the 8th Regiment Reserve Volunteer Corporation of Pennsylvania spotted the flag in Confederate hands. The Pennsylvania soldiers thought the flag to be of Confederate origin, so they devised a plan to confiscate it. Upon getting ahold of it and after further research, they realized the true origins of the flag. From that day on, they kept the flag safe, with the intent of one day returning it to its rightful owners in Manitowoc. In 1876, that became a reality when the flag returned home.
After the Civil War era flag that was given to the Manitowoc County Volunteers came back home after quite the journey, James Anderson and other survivors of the company retained it in their possession until 1925. With just a few men left from the 5th Wisconsin, Company A, the flag was restored and gifted to the Manitowoc County Historical Society—where it remains as a symbol of our community to this day.
Join us on Thursday, March 27, at 6 PM as we reenact the ceremony that took place at Manitowoc Public Library (then located at Chicago and North 8th Streets) for the Presentation of the Flag of Co. A, Fifth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry to the Manitowoc County Historical Society on March 23, 1925. The Flag of Company A: A 100th Anniversary Reenactment will take place at the Library’s current location—707 Quay Street—in the First Floor’s Atrium Space, situated near the Service Desk, situated by the Main Entrance. We hope that you will join us as we celebrate this momentous occurrence in our local history!