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The
Flag Makers
Texas flags were usually handmade until after the Civil
War. Local women sewed flags for their communities using whatever
material was available. Silk was the most popular choice because
it held dye well and “flew” nicely once the flag was finished.
However, it was fragile, expensive and rarely available in
early Texas. During the Civil War, Union ships blockaded the
South, making it difficult for raw materials and finished
goods to reach southern ports. Many women converted silk dresses
into flags or used homespun cotton or wool. Each flag that
local women produced was a unique expression by its makers.
Once finished, sometimes a professional artist would paint
the flags with the name of the military unit, political symbols,
or slogans. Finally, the women ceremoniously presented the
flag to the company or regiment as it went off to war.
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Conservation
of Historic Flags
Historic
flags are integral to our history and must be passed on to
future generations. Few early Texas flags exist because they
were not systematically preserved. Banners were used on the
battlefield and absorbed the blood, sweat and smoke of war;
they did not always survive the rigors of capture. Furthermore,
poor storage conditions and well-intentioned but inappropriate
conservation techniques often damaged those that were saved. Modern flag conservators carefully document
stabilize and preserve historic flags. Conservation treatments
should always be reversible, with minimum intervention. Flags
are carefully photographed, vacuumed and cleaned. Shredded
fabric is stabilized to prevent further deterioration of the
fibers. Particles taken from the flag help tell us how, when
and where the flag was used. Detailed reports will inform
future conservators of exactly how the flag was treated. All
of the flags in this exhibit have been conserved so that they
will be available for exhibition and study for years to come.
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Republic
and Statehood 1836-61
In 1823, Stephen F. Austin received permission from
Mexico to bring three-hundred American families into the Mexican
province of Tejas. Early Texans or “Texians,” were at first
loyal citizens of Mexico and honored the Mexican flag as their
own. Ultimately, Texians became ensnared in Mexican political
conflicts, and in 1835 organized a provisional government,
drafted a Declaration of Independence, and recruited a volunteer
army. At the onset of the Texas Revolution, there was no official
Texian flag design. However, the lone star soon became a popular
symbol for Texians’ goal of independence from Mexico.
By 1839, the Republic of Texas adopted the Texian flag,
which is the lone star flag we know today. Its design was
a simplified version of the Stars and Stripes of the United
States. Indeed, in 1845 when Texas was admitted to the United
States as the twenty-eighth state, the Texian flag was replaced
by the Star and Stripes.
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The Civil War
1861-65
In 1861, Texas seceded from the United States. This action and the secession of the other
states of the Deep South ultimately lead to Civil War. Confederate
flags, many featuring a lone star symbol, replaced the Star
and Stripes in Texas.
Flags served a range of military functions.
They were often ceremoniously presented to regiments before
the soldiers went off to war. Flags established a regiment’s
identity and led troops during the heat of battle. Soldiers
would fight to the death to keep their banner from being captured,
since flags captured in battle became valued trophies of the
victor.
Texans often added their own motifs to the sanctioned
battle flags. A lone star is often seen on both the early
“Stars and Bars” battle flag and the later “St. Andrew’s Cross”
design. It was particularly important to many Texan soldiers
to have a tangible symbol of their state on their battle flags.
Although the old Texian flag rarely reappeared, the lone star
continued to symbolize Texas’ distinctive identity.
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Forging
a New Nation 1865-1898
After
the Civil War, the Stars and Stripes again became the official
flag of Texas. Yet Texans remained politically divided, and
not all welcomed its return. American flags were potent political
symbols for both Union sympathizers and former Confederates.
Unionists quickly restored the Stars and Stripes. The
Stiles family flag was one of the earliest post-Civil War
flags to fly in Austin. However, memories of the war were
fresh, and loyalty to the Confederate cause remained strong.
Families saved battle flags and newly formed veterans and
women’s associations endeavored to preserve the memory of
the Confederate cause. Among the first to carry the Stars
and Stripes after the Civil War were the African American
troops who guarded the Texas frontier. Known as “Buffalo Soldiers,”
they fought with great distinction and defended Texas against
Indian attack. The flags they used were U.S. Army regulation
colors, customized with the Infantry’s designation. It was
not until the Spanish American War in 1898 that all Americans
would go to war as a united nation under the Stars and Stripes.
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Texas on the
World Stage 1898-1945
The Spanish American War of 1898 helped reunite both
northerners and southerners in support of the Stars and Stripes.
Facing a common enemy, Americans were able to put aside their
regional and historical differences and rally to the nation’s
cause.
The Spanish American War was the last time
that flags were routinely carried by U.S. troops in battle.
By the time of the First World War, flags’ role in the military
was largely ceremonial. Lethal new weapons and trench warfare
made battlefield flag use impractical. U.S. Army Infantry
units were assigned numbers and lacked state designations.
Flags were mass-produced according to regulation standards.
Twentieth century Texans remained loyal to the Stars
and Stripes, but they still took great pride in their state.
Three years before the Texas centennial celebration in 1936,
there was an effort made to adopt an official state flag.
Citizens selected the Texian flag, rich in history,
but not a legal flag since the days of the Republic. Exactly
one hundred years after Texas independence, Texans were finally
able to celebrate their patriotism using both the flag of
the Lone Star State and the Stars and Stripes.
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