Flag Fragments
By John Sexton · Originally published June 2017 · pp. 36–37
Dear Mr. Sexton: I am a writer, collector and researcher of the Civil War period. In 2011 I purchased a framed consolidation of Confederate flag fragments that supposedly came from an old Atlanta museum. While corresponding with a flag researcher recently, he mentioned that my fragments appear to resemble the Charles Herbst scrapbook fragments. Charlie was a member of the Orphan Brigade’s 2nd Ky. Inf. and took his fragments to all Orphan Brigade reunions to share with fellow comrades. Charlie was a very popular fellow. Following the surrender of Fort Donelson, he served as the
Confederate Post Master while confined at Camp Morton. Everyone knew him. Following the War he lived, first in Atlanta working at the library, then Macon where he helped to organize its library in 1874. He was very active in returning Ky. dead and attended all the reunions of the Orphan Brigade. Through the correspondence with this flag researcher I came in contact with John Beckendorf of La Quinta, Calif. John is indeed a serious collector and owns the original Herbst scrapbook. He sent me photos of the flag fragments in the scrapbook. I found all the regiments in my framed display were in the original scrapbook except the 3rd Ga. Inf. Some fragments in my collection appear to have been cut from those in the scrapbook. The hand writing in my framed display and his scrapbook is also identical. The story doesn’t end here. Further research uncovered where the Herbst flag fragments in my collection originated. I purchased them from a Florida antiques dealer who brought them from John Elliot. John was the grandson of James H. Elliot, Sr., appraiser and owner of J.H. Elliot’s Antiques in a huge brick and oak building on Peachtree in Atlanta. (established in 1922), The building included a Civil War museum upstairs above the antique store. At one time, he had over 50 early rifles and over 100,000 dollars in Confederate money! The business was passed to the son and then the grandson, John Elliot. Ultimately, in 2005, most of the antiques and museum pieces were auctioned off at Slotins auction in Buford, Ga. The auction brought around $1.6M dollars. The flag fragments were one of the few remaining items held onto by John but were eventually sold to the antique dealer I purchased them from. I am curious as to what your thoughts are in relation to this information and what you might think the value of this rare framed collection of Confederate flag fragments in my collection is? William L. Caynor Sr. Mr. Caynor: What an interesting frame. I am quite familiar with Herbst and his scrapbook, and am also quite familiar with Elliot’s Atlanta Museum. For any native Atlantan who cared about history, the museum no doubt had been visited. I myself have been there many times and won’t forget the 75 mm WWI cannon sitting out front along with an original Japanese “Zero.” When the property was sold and the museum liquidated, I actually helped broker a fair amount of the artifacts and cataloged much of the remainder for the Slotin Auction in Buford, Ga., which did a marvelous job selling the numerous historic items. The framed flag fragments you have were displayed on a back wall opposite the front door of the museum as I recall, and I am not sure when they were privately sold, but these did not go into the Slotin Auction. The museum had many such treasures. In December 2015, the Herbst Flag Scrapbook was sold to a California historian, John Beckendorf, who has researched it extensively. The scrapbook has fragments of many flags with their histories, and with the exception of the 3rd Georgia fragment, the largest in your frame, fragments of the 8th Georgia, 4th Kentucky, 6th Kentucky and Gate City Guards (Atlanta) appear souvenired at the same time as other fragments in the scrapbook with same identifications in same hand.
This is a very interesting and historical frame. Typically, fragments of Confederate flags have sold in auction anywhere from $500 to one extreme of $15,000 for an identified star from a Louisiana flag. It is hard to guess what something will bring at auction. Two flag fragments from “Old Glory” with nice ink tags sold for over $50,000 each. Small fragments still come to auction and are offered by dealers most often in the $1,000 range. The large piece of the 3rd Georgia flag, however, is not just a fragment, but is a good portion of the flag. It may be more in line with the star from the Louisiana flag sold at $15,000. If this piece were in auction, I would guess that an $8,000-12,000 pre-sale estimate would be appropriate, and that it could fall in that range or, given the right bidders, could bring considerably more. John is an certified appraiser with International Society of Appraisers specializing in Civil War memorabilia. He authenticates and evaluates other rare and valuable historic items as well. His website is http://www. civilwardealer.com. He is coauthor of the book Confederate Bowie Knives (2012) by Jack Melton, Josh Phillips and John Sexton, that was published by Mowbray Publishing Inc. Send “Ask The Appraiser” questions and photographs to [email protected].
Fragment from the 8th Ga. Inf. battleflag.
Fragment from the 3rd Ga. Regt. C.S.A. battleflag.
The flag fragments in the frame belonged to the following Confederate units: • • • • • • • • • • •
4th Kentucky 1864 (blue) 39th Georgia Infantry (black) Kentucky flag 1862 “from the Ladies of Scott” County, KY 9th Georgia Infantry (Red and blue) 6th Kentucky Infantry, 1864 (red)/ Kentucky Historical Society Gate City Guards, 1861/ Atlanta History Center 4th Kentucky Infantry 1862-1863 (orange-red) 8th Georgia Infantry 1861-62 (red) 7th Georgia Infantry, Bartow’s Brigade 1st Battle Manassas 3rd Georgia Regiment Max Corput’s Battery / Van Den Corput’s Company, Georgia Light Artillery
Flag fragment of the 39th Ga. Infantry.
6th Kentucky Infantry flag fragment with the edge of a white star on the left side.
Flag fragment of the “9th Ga. Infantry Presented by Misses [sic] Hoge of Atlanta, Ga.”