The campaigns of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

are categorized in various ways. The

U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry The Institute of Heraldry, officially The Institute of Heraldry, Department of the Army, is an activity of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army solely responsible for furnishing heraldic services to President of the Unite ...

has identified 25 campaigns that are used for streamers, decorative devices attached to unit flags that denote participation in historic battles or campaigns. (An alternative campaign categorization is that of the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...

, charged with maintaining Civil War battlefields and other historic sites. This categorization is more detailed and inclusive than the Army heraldry version, particularly for actions outside the Eastern Theater and Western Theater; see :Campaigns of the American Civil War.) The Civil War campaign streamers are equally divided with blue and gray. Units that received campaign credit as a Confederate unit (only applicable to some current

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized militia force and a federal military reserve force of the United States Army. They are simultaneously part of two different organizations: the Army N ...

units from Southern states) use the same ribbon with the colors reversed. Blue refers to Federal service and gray to Confederate. Joined together they represent the unification of the country after the Civil War. The following inscriptions in yellow, shown in all capital letters, are authorized on the streamers:

References

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