{{Infobox military unit , unit_name = Perote Guards
Company D, 1st Regiment Alabama Infantry , native_name = , image = The photographic history of the Civil War - thousands of scenes photographed 1861-65, with text by many special authorities (1911) (14739714476).jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = Perote Guards manning the Perote Sand Batteries at Mobile, Alabama, January 1861 , dates = 1859 to April 7, 1862 , disbanded = April 7, 1862 , country = {{flag, Confederate States of America, 1861 , countries = , allegiance = , branch = {{army, CSA , type =

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and m ...

, role = , size = , command_structure = {{flagicon image, Flag of Alabama (1861, obverse).svg 1st Regiment Alabama Infantry , garrison = , garrison_label = , nickname = , patron = , motto = , colors = , colors_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles =

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

, decorations = , battle_honours = , battle_honours_label = , flying_hours = , website = , current_commander = , commander1 = , commander1_label = , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , commander3_label = , commander4 = , commander4_label = , commander5 = , commander5_label = , commander6 = , commander6_label = , commander7 = , commander7_label = , commander8 = , commander8_label = , commander9 = , commander9_label = , notable_commanders = , identification_symbol = , identification_symbol_label = , identification_symbol_2 = , identification_symbol_2_label = , identification_symbol_3 = , identification_symbol_3_label = , identification_symbol_4 = , identification_symbol_4_label = , identification_symbol_5 = , identification_symbol_5_label = Perote Guards flag

The Perote Guards were organized in 1859 in Perote, presently in

Bullock County, Alabama Bullock County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,357. Union Springs was chosen as the county seat in 1867, and presently is the county's only incorporated city. The county was named for Conf ...

. The first Captain was

George William Dawson George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd President ...

. They were sent to

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principa ...

, where they became Company D of the 1st Alabama Infantry

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

. The 1st Alabama Infantry surrendered on April 7, 1862, at

Island No. 10 Island Number Ten was an island in the Mississippi River near Tiptonville, Tennessee and the site of a major eponymous battle in the American Civil War. In the mid-19th century the United States Government began to adopt a uniform numbering plan ...

History of the flag

The company's

uniforms A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, s ...

and flag were handmade by the ladies of Perote. The flag was presented to the Guards in September 1860 by Miss Crossley and received for the company by M. B. Locke on the steps of the Methodist Church. Upon receipt of a regimental flag, in the summer of 1861, the company flags were placed with the regimental quartermaster for safe keeping. Following the surrender of the 1st Alabama Infantry, the flag was seized from the company baggage by members of the 15th Wisconsin Infantry and eventually carried back to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. Dr. Thomas Owen, Director of the

Alabama Department of Archives and History The Alabama Department of Archives and History is the official repository of archival records for the U.S. state of Alabama. Under the direction of Thomas M. Owen its founder, the agency received state funding by an act of the Alabama Legisla ...

, learned of the flag's location and requested its return in the summer of 1903. Ruben G. Thwaites, Secretary of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, replied on June 19, 1903, that he felt the Society would be quite willing to return the flag. This, however, would require a resolution by the Wisconsin legislature which did not meet again until January 1905. On March 15, 1905, acting Governor of Alabama Russel M. Cunningham requested that the flag be returned. Joint Resolution Number 29-S of the Legislature of the State of Wisconsin, April 13, 1905, approved the return of the flag and it was finally received on August 5, 1905.

References

Information from Alabama State Archives website
* Curator's Object Files, Civil War Flags, Alabama Department of Archives and History. * Brewer, Willis. Alabama: Her Resources, War Records and Public Men, From 1540 to 1872. Montgomery, AL. 1872. * McMorries, Edward Young. History of the First Regiment Alabama Volunteer C.S.A.. Montgomery, AL, 1904. 1967. * Tancig, W. J. Confederate Military Land Units, 1861–1865. New York, Thomas Yoseloff, 1967.

External links

(accessed 11 October 2006) Bullock County, Alabama Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Alabama 1859 establishments in Alabama

History of the flag

See also

References

External links