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 Thirteen
star flags have been made throughout our nation's
history and, contrary to popular belief, are one of the
most common star counts found on antique American flags.
Despite their relative abundance, some 13 star flags
fall into an elite group, in that they are practically
unique in their design and construction. This 13
star flag of the Civil War era belongs to this elite
group and, on all counts, is a masterpiece of early
American flag making. The cornflower blue canton
and deep red stripes of the flag are constructed of
blanket wool, while the stars and white stripes are made
of cotton. The design of this canton is known
among collectors as the "snowflake" pattern. A
scarce handful of small Civil War era printed parade
flags in the snowflake pattern have surfaced, but this
is the only flag of
pieced-and-sewn construction known in this extremely
rare pattern. A comparison of this
flag to the
snowflake parade flag is convincing evidence
that the maker of this flag patterned it after its small
printed counterpart. Of all American flags known,
only a precious few have stars with other than five
points. The six pointed stars of this flag further
elevates its visual impact and rarity.
Although the fly end of the flag appears to be scalloped
and seems rough-cut, it is as designed, and serves as a
good example of how different amounts of shrinkage in
different fabrics within a mixed-fabric flag can alter
its form.
Most of the flag is
treadle machine sewn, so the flag most likely dates to
1850 or later. The original owner of
the flag, Mr. Leverett Sexton of Middlesex County,
Connecticut, died in 1865, which means the
flag was most likely made in the fifteen years between
1850 and 1865. The flag's provenance and family
history is well documented for such an early
flag. The flag belonged to Leverett, who,
along with his brother Deming, manufactured iron cow
bells in their factory at Pine Brook in Middle Haddam
Parish. The flag is accompanied by a photograph of
Leverett and family papers that date back to the 18th
century, and the flag was purchased from Leverett's
descendents. All in all, the flag
survives as a gem among early American flags.
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Mr. Leverett Sexton of Pine Brook,
Middlesex County, Connecticut was the original
owner of this beautiful early American flag. |
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