See You In The Field

 (c) 2013 by Frederick Walton, Historian of the 6th North Carolina State Troops Sailor's Creek Visitors Center My buddy, Richard Otero and I took a Sunday drive to the Sailor’s Creek Battlefield on April 7, 2013. It was one day past the 148th Anniversary of the battle and a good opportunity to see what the battlefield looked like at the time of year the battle was actually fought. I had been to Sailor’s Creek a couple times before, one being as a participant at the 130th anniversary reenactment in 1995. Confederate Troops at the 1995 130th Anniversary Reenactment The trip took us about two and a half hours from Wendell, N. C. The weather was sunny and pleasant with highs in the mid and upper 60’s. The drive through rural North Carolina and Virginia was pretty. The blue sky was filled with puffy white clouds and roadside fields tended to be that brilliant, early spring green. I thought we would be treated to more flowering shrubs and trees, but this was the first warm day after a wi

  Members of the Sixth North Carolina State Troops proudly display the authentic Battle flag they worked so hard to raise over $6,000 to conserve in honor of the men of North Carolina who fought under this banner Published: April 7, 2013 in the Raleigh News and Observer (section B, page 1) "Bloody 6th" Battle Flag at Home N. C. Regiment lost it in Virginia; Museum brings it home to Raleigh By Renee Elder — relder@newsobserver.com RALEIGH — A Confederate battle flag lost in the final months of the Civil War was handed over again Saturday – this time back into the collection of the N.C. Museum of History following a $6,500 restoration. The flag was carried by the 6th Regiment of North Carolina [State Troops] at the Battle of Sailor’s Creek in Virginia when it was captured by a Union soldier on April 6, 1865. Forty years later, the federal government returned the flag to North Carolina, but it remained hidden in storage because the torn and dirty fabric was not suitable for di

  Copyright (C) 2013 By Frederick Walton, Historian of the 6th North Carolina State Troops On Saturday April 6, 2013, the anniversary of the battle of Sailors creek, I presented the following program at the North Carolina Museum of History as the keynote speaker to dedicate a newly conserved battle flag that was captured at Sailor’s creek 148 years ago, Author presenting the keynote address at the North Carolin Museum of History on April 6, 2013 An Address for the Dedication of a Newly Conserved Battle Flag  The Confederate Battle Flag…    That familiar flag….  With a bright red field…., Crossed by the blue bars of the saint Andrews Cross…. Five pointed white stars represent the states of the Confederacy... We all recognize this flag. It is the thing that brought us together today. It is a flag that proudly symbolized the unity of Southern communities in the 1860’s, who were sending husbands and brothers and son’s off to fight for their vision of a new government… one that more closely