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Lot 2010
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Civil War Confederate Georgia Battle Flag
Civil War Confederate Georgia Battle Flag
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Due to the fragility /size of this piece, buyer Pick Up or Transport ONLY** This is a well provenanced presentation Reconstruction era Confederate battle flag for the reconstitution of the Washington Light Artillery Regiment in 1878. Measuring 42" on hoist x 54" with 3.5" of fringe on 3 sides. on fly including the 3 - 1/2" fringe. This flag was sold by the daughter of Lt. John Henry Neibling. At that time she (Mrs. Effie Neibling) prepared a sworn written statement stating it was given by his unit for his services and popularity in the unit after the surrender at Appomattox. In Ms. Neibling's 1932 affidavit, she states that this flag was made by the ladies of Augusta in the second year of the war. Noted Confederate flag expert, the late Howard Madaus, wrote a report on this flag in 1989 detailing the history and construction of this flag believing it was a wartime production. Mr. Madaus states in his letter that he felt this was originally a 2-sided flag with the reverse side, which is only partially intact now, was white silk with the presentation unit nickname or motto like other known early presentation flags. Also included is a more recent report prepared by military and flag historian, Gregory G. Biggs. His report is based on a newspaper article he discovered written in 1878 in an Augusta, Georgia, newspaper. This article discusses a very similar flag that was made and presented to the Washington Artillery after the war. The original owner (Ms. Effie Neibling) obviously disputes this, but the description and details of information in the Augusta, GA, newspaper are rather convincing. Even if this is not the original flag carried in battle by the Washington Artillery but one made shortly after the war for the remnants of the unit, it is indeed a significant and historic flag. The flag referenced in the newspaper article obviously was made for what was then the remnants of that unit who were all true confederate soldiers that had taken part in the Civil War, and the flag continued to be used by them for parades and display, etc., throughout the 19th century. Early surviving post-war Georgia military banners are extremely rare today (according to Biggs report) and only a couple are known to exist, making this an important, rare and historical artifact, regardless of whether this is the one Mrs. Neibling refers to in her affidavit or whether this is the one referred to in the Augusta newspaper. The extremely rare reversed colors are also a feature seldom seen and highly sought after. This flag was originally preserved by netting which was an early 19th century technique of conservation & preservation of such flags. The Washington Light Artillery of Augusta, GA saw its first service in Pensacola, FL late in 1861 and early 1862. This unit saw action under Cap. Isadore P. Girardey and unit was more commonly known as Girardey's Battery. This unit saw its first major action at the battle of Shiloh & later in other actions with the Army of Mississippi and the Army of Tennessee. There is a file of copied documents with this flag. PROVENANCE: Lt. John Neibling, 1865, Effie M. Neibling, Calvin Bulloch, 1932, George Gorman, Augusta Ga Newpaper 1904. CONDITION: Flag is sound and very good as restored. About 20% of the blue silk quadrants are missing as can be seen in photos. Red silk cross is mostly complete but with numerous repairs to silk as can be seen in photos. Bullion and sequined stars are intact, but four are missing their central red colored central sequin and one central red sequin is loose and the red color on retained sequins is worn but visible on others, the metallic bullion fringe is complete. The top brass loop of seven original attaching loops to hoist is missing. It was well known that the Georgian women made the flag from their fine dress material due to lack of funds. NOTE: This is not a standard shippable item and will require 3rd party shipping or pickup arrangements to be made. Condition: GOOD. Dimensions: FRAME: 46" X 58 - 1/2" X 2 - 1/4". Included with the flag is over 30 pages of provenance from as early as1932 and later with transfer of ownership and Historian review. Also, included a fresh 13 page report done in July 2023 for Donley Auctions from noted historian Gregory Biggs about the flag and his research that it may have been presented after the Civil War in the1878. This is truly a historic and important flag with it's roots in the Confederacy and a long trail of documented provenance.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Other, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

IMPORTANT SHIPPING INFORMATION:

1. PAY INVOICE TODAY - When invoice is paid in full, it will be passed to our Shipping Department. Cost for shipping is a separate transaction and will NOT be included in original invoice. Please allow up to 2-4 weeks for us to pack hundreds of items. Watch for a text/email from "SHIPPING SAINT" with next steps. Thank you in advance for your patience!

2. FIREARM BUYERS: WITHIN 2 DAYS OF AUCTION - A signed FFL License from your preferred local dealer MUST be provided regardless of the vintage. The FFL can be emailed to [email protected] and make sure the customers full name is included in the email.

California residents must also provide an FFL license for ammunition.

We cannot ship ammunition to Alaska or Hawaii.

Non-USA buyers are required to provide an FFL for an FFL dealer in the USA who will handle the export process.

3. PICKING UP - Please let us know within 24 hours if declining shipping or you may be charged for packing. Email us at [email protected] to confirm day and time for pickups. We are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. After hours or weekend pickups are by appointment only. We will work with you to arrange pick up times!

4. STORAGE FEES: Due to limited space, items must be picked up from the auction house within 5 days. Any items left for over 5 days, will incur a storage charge of $20 per day unless prior arrangements have been made. Items left after 30 days will be considered abandoned and sold to recover expenses.

5. U.S. SHIPPING OF STANDARD SIZED ITEMS - We will carefully, efficiently, and economically pack small/medium sized items. You will receive an invoice via text/email from SHIPPING SAINT (our shipping software) with shipping/handling costs which can be paid directly through the link.

6. U.S. SHIPPING OF OVERSIZED ITEMS - We do not pack large or items over 100lbs.

By request, we will send you a list of recommended transporters and/or crating companies. It is the sole responsibility of the buyer to arrange transportation.

7. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING - If a single item is valued over $2,499, we cannot ship internationally through USPS or FedEx. Any single item exceeding the value must ship through an international shipping broker. We will provide recommendations.



Email us at [email protected] or call the office at 815-923-7000 if you have any additional questions.

Thank you for your business!
Donley Auctions

by Donley Auction Services
September 24, 2023 10:00 AM CDT
8512 S. Union Rd.
Union, IL, US 60180

Donley Auction Services

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to 26% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $49 $5
$50 $199 $10
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $29,999 $1,000
$30,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000