Original Item. Only One Available. This is without a doubt one of the rarest flags we have had the privilege of offering! This 35-Star American Flag was manufactured during the 1863-1865 period. This Flag became the Official United States Flag on July 4th, 1863. A star was added for the admission of West Virginia (June 20th, 1863) and was to last for 2 years. The flag comes with a great deal of research information. It came with the story that it was used as the casket flag for a “James Gunn”, a soldier from a New York Infantry Regiment who was killed in action at Gettysburg. The flag comes with a small black “mourning armband” and a name tag with ribbon named “Vera Gunn”, purportedly the widow of James Gunn.

From the research provided, there was not a solid identification made on “James Gunn”, but the nametag is certainly of the period and may require some further research! The flag measures roughly 63 x 102”.

This extraordinary flag features a canton of three pieces of blue wool on which 35 stars have been hand applied, which display on both sides. Several of the stars have small issues like loss of material or partial loss of stitching, but all 35 stars are retained on the flag and display well from both sides. The flag has some moth holes as well as a 2-inch tear at the bottom on the canton where it meets the hoist. There is also a hand-sewn patch at the upper hoist corner. There is a 1 1/4” canvas on the hoist side with sewn patches at each end with a sewn hole for hanging the flag. The flag itself is made up of individually stitched stripes which retain most of their stitching. There is a large tear under one of the stars. There are some faint inscriptions on the header that we could not transcribe.

Please see photos for damage. The flag is in tremendous condition for its age and it has an undeniable eye appeal, and with the right mounting would be very impressive for display. Any U.S. flag from this period is incredibly sought-after due to their fragility and scarcity, and though there is not a positive identification on the soldier, this is still more than worth it as a display piece. Don’t miss out!