Title:
Piece of the San Jacinto battle flag
Description:
Pieces of fabric from the San Jacinto battle flag, white / cream-colored.
Description:
Historical Note: The flag that these pieces belong to is believed to have been the only flag flown by Texans at the Battle of San Jacinto, April 21, 1836. The flag is believed to have been painted by artist James Henry Beard in late 1835 as a gift for the Newport Rifles, a 52-man company of Kentucky volunteers led by Captain Sidney Sherman. The night before the company left for Texas in December 1835, a ball was held to felicitate the men. A young woman at the ball presented one of her gloves to a soldier, James Sylvester. Sylvester is supposed to have tied the glove to the top of the staff that bore the flag. He is also believed to have led the charge at San Jacinto. The tattered silk flag was given to the State of Texas by descendents of Captain Sherman in 1896. The flag has had conservation work performed in 1932-1933 and 1989-1990. As of 1933, the flag hangs in the Texas House of Representatives chamber. The flag depicts the Goddess of Liberty wielding a sword on which rests a banner declaring Liberty or Death. The 1932-1933 restoration was conducted by Mrs. Katherine F. Richey of Mare Island, California who has made references to the original condition of the flag, which is said to have been precarious. The figure of the Goddess of Liberty was in countless little pieces, just scraps, which disintegrated upon touch. The battle of San Jacinto was the concluding military event of the Texas Revolution in 1836. Mexico would never regain the lost territory, in spite of sporadic incursions during the 1840s. The United States would go on to acquire not only the Republic of Texas in 1845 but Mexican lands to the west after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican War in 1848. The flag was presented by the ladies of Newport, Kentucky, to the Newport Rifles, a mounted company of 50 men raised, organized and equipped in Kentucky and brought to Texas by Captain Sidney Sherman to aid Texas in her war for independence.
Identifier:
ATF0085
Item identifier:
ATF0085
Collection:
Artifacts collection
Date of creation:
1836
Container information:
Artifact Box 0219
Geographic coverage:
Texas
Subject:
San Jacinto, Battle of, Tex., 1836
Subject:
History
Subject:
Texas, Revolution, 1835-1836
Type:
Image
Type:
Organizational Objects
Type:
Flag
Medium:
Cloth
Citation information:
ATF0085, Artifacts collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Copyright information:
This image is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States. The Item and its design depicted in this image may be protected by copyright, patents, trademarks, or other related rights. You are free to use this image in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Unless expressly stated otherwise, Texas State Library and Archives Commission makes no warranties about the Item and cannot guarantee the accuracy of this Rights Statement. You are responsible for your own use. Please contact the Texas State Library and Archives Commission for more information. You may need to obtain other permissions for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy or moral rights may limit how you may use the material.
Size or duration:
unable to measure due to nature of item