Approximately 90,000 Michigan soldiers fought in the American Civil War and almost 15,000 made the ultimate sacrifice. The bullet torn, blood-stained battle flags that these men carried and died beneath were their proudest possessions—they stood for the Union, for their loved ones back home, and also as the rallying point in combat.

The Michigan Capitol Battle Flag collection—housed in a special archival unit at the Michigan History Center in Lansing—includes 240 battle flags carried by Michigan soldiers in the Civil War, the Spanish American War, and World War I. Matt VanAcker, the Director for the Michigan Capitol Tour Service in Lansing, will discuss the collection. His talk will include flag terminology, the importance of flags in battle, some specific regimental histories in connection with the flags including those near northern Berrien County, and the history of the collection including current conservation efforts.

No RSVP is required for this free program.