Flag Rotation at the New Jersey State Museum

By Joseph Bordonaro · Originally published March 2018 · p. 40

This guidon was presented to the 2nd New Jersey Cavalry by the Ladies of Salem. Salem is a town in the southern part of NJ. (Photos by Joe Bordonaro)

When the boss wants your office, you move. What is true in private enterprise is equally true in state government. Hence, when New Jersey Governor Chris Christie decided to move his offices from the State Capitol Building to what had been the State Archives Building, the N.J. Civil War Flags Collection had to relocate to the nearby State Museum. This no doubt entailed a lot of work, but the end result turned out to be a win for the flag collection. In its new home it will be seen by all the visitors to the State Museum, a much larger group than the numbers of people who visited the smaller State Archives Building. Another plus is that, unlike the Archives Building, the Museum is open on the weekends. Now the flag collection can be seen by many people who work during the week, or by those who don’t want to drive into the state capital on busy week days. Parking is also much more available on the weekends. This fact was made apparent to those who attended the annual flag collection rotation when they found that they were able to park in a nearly empty government lot immediately adjacent to the Museum, at no cost. This convenience was especially appreciated by the attendees, as sub-freezing temperatures and a light fall of snow greeted them on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017, as they arrived for the unveiling of 2018’s grouping of flags on display. Those who braved the weather were treated to an excellent lecture on the five flags that were unveiled. Dr. David G. Martin, a noted historian, and author of several books relating to New Jersey’s role in the Civil War, was the presenter and shared many fascinating facts about the flags. Included in this year’s grouping are the national colors of the 40th Inf. Regt., NJ Vols., the national colors of 4th Inf. Reg., NJ Vols., the regimental color of the 2nd Inf. Regt., NJ Vols., a guidon of the 2nd Cav. Regt., NJ Vols., and a Confederate battle flag captured by the 7th Inf. Regt., NJ Vols., at the Battle of Chancellorsville, May 3, 1863. Also present at the unveiling was Nicholas P. Ciotola, Curator of Cultural History at the N.J. State Museum. Mr. Ciotola is responsible for the flag collection and has been instrumental in its preservation and display to the public for many years. He has done an outstanding job of moving the collection to its new home and the State of New Jersey should be commended for doing so much to create what is probably the premiere display of Civil War battle flags in the nation. Dr. Martin’s assiduous research was evident as he regaled the audience with the history of each of the five flags and told interesting anecdotes about each. He was assisted, in a small way, by this writer, who presented information about the 2nd NJ Cav.’s guidon. One of the most interesting stories that Dr. Martin related was how the 4th New Jersey’s flag was recovered at the end of the war. It had been captured by a 5th Texas soldier during the Battle of Gaines Mill in 1862 when the regiment was completely overrun by the climatic Confederate charge near the end of the battle. The 4th New Jersey’s commander never got the order to retreat and he and his men bravely held their place in line until overwhelming numbers of the Texans completely enveloped their front and both flanks. After its capture, the flag was displayed in a war trophy room in the Confederate capital in Richmond, Va. When that city was near capture itself, the flag, along with the other captured battle flags, was boxed up and sent south by train. The train was then captured in its turn by Federal troops. Included among these troops was the 9th NJ Regt., NJ Vols. Imagine their surprise when the first box opened on the captured train contained the now re-captured flags! And on the top of the pile in the box was the National Flag of the 4th NJ Inf. Regt! An especially poignant bit of information about the flag, and which speaks powerfully about the fierce pride that soldiers took in it, is the fact that a soldier from the 40th NJ, Private Frank E. Fesq, of Company A, was awarded a Medal of Honor for capturing the battle flag of the 18th NC Inf. during the final assault on the Confederate lines at Petersburg, Virginia, on April 2, 1865. Another telling fact is the information that was put on a brass plate that was affixed to the staff of the 2nd NJ Cav.’s guidon in the collection. The brass plate commemorates the death of color bearer Jesse Harrison, killed in action at Guntown, Mississippi. It is really quite moving to look at these flags and realize that soldiers literally died to defend them against capture, and likewise risked their lives to capture those of their enemy. While designed to denote the location of units on smoky and chaotic battlefields, these flags actually meant much, much more to the soldiers. Their preservation by the veterans after the war, and their continued preservation these many years later are proof that the old flags are still important to today’s citizens. For those who want to visit the collection, it is located in the N.J. State Museum. The museum is located at 205 West State Street, Trenton, NJ, and is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 am to 4:45 pm, except for state holidays. As a bonus for history lovers, if you visit the museum before Aug. 20, 3028, you will also be able to view an excellent exhibit on the flags and posters of World War I. Joe Bordonaro is a USAF veteran (1973-1977), Glassboro State College graduate (1980), Catholic school teacher (St. Joseph’s Pro-Cathedral, 1983-1988), and retired public school teacher (Mullica Township School, 1988-2009). He has been involved with Civil War reenacting/living history since 1999. Joe began submitting articles to the Civil War News in 2005 and has been covering events for the News on a regular basis since 2016. He has also recently begun to write book reviews for the News. Joe lives in Mount Laurel, NJ, and has been married to his wife Karen for 29 years. If you wish to contact Joe, you may send an email to [email protected].

Nicholas Ciotola stands by a reproduction of a New Jersey recruiting poster in the brand new display area created for the flag collection.