Alabama Division Saving a Piece of History

February 6, 2008
$6,000 will save a piece of historyBy Kenneth Mullinaxkmullinax@gannett.com

Most of the 90 Confederate battle flags among the Civil War era collection housed at the Alabama Department of Archives and History are tattered from battle.
Nearly all of the flags were carried by Confederate troops in Civil War battles that included Gettysburg, Shiloh, Atlanta, and Vicksburg, said Bob Bradley, chief curator at the state archives.
"Many of these flags are in need of repair because of bullet holes, burn marks from cannon shot, the blood of the men who carried them, and over 140 years' worth of age and handling," Bradley said.
Fourteen of the flags have been restored. Bradley offered his thanks for a $6,000 donation made Monday by the Alabama Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. It means one more flag can be restored and put on public display.
"If it wasn't for the generosity of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, we wouldn't have any flags for the public to see," Bradley said.


For full story see:
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080205/NEWS01/802050326