- This event has passed.
Colors of the Blue: Flags of the Union Army
February 18, 2023 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center have the opportunity to see and learn about a selection of the Union army’s flags, with “Colors of the Blue: Flags of the Union Army Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the Group Lobby.
Throughout the day, Dr. Lawrence Keener-Farley, retired Director of Education at the National Civil War Museum and a Gettysburg National Military Park volunteer historian, presents brief talks on the flags.
Reproductions of the most common flags of the Union Army infantry, cavalry and artillery units, and the flags designating corps, division, and brigade commanders are on display. Artifacts from the July 4, 1866, “Return of the Colors” are on display. The “Return of the Colors” ceremony was held when the Pennsylvania units returned their flags to the state in a ceremony at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. A souvenir flag carried by war orphans who marched in the historic parade (perhaps the only surviving example) and a bronze version of a gold medal presented to Maj. Gen. George Meade are some of the artifacts from this event that are on display.
The exhibit and talks are presented by the Civil War Dance Foundation (CWDF) free of charge as part of its educational outreach programming.