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24th MICHIGAN IRON BRIGADE LT. COLONEL MARK FLANIGAN’S HARDEE HAT INSIGNIA WITH HIS LT. COLONEL AND BREVET BRIG. GENERAL SHOULDER STRAPS: WOUNDED AT GETTYSBURG

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“Lieutenant-Colonel Flanigan lost his leg in this battle. His conduct here, as everywhere in battle, was gallant and daring.” So wrote Colonel Henry Morrow of the 24^th Michigan in his official report, himself also wounded in action at Gettysburg. Flanigan would later be brevetted Colonel for his conduct at Fredericksburg and Brigadier General for Gettysburg. This insignia consists of Flanigan’s lieutenant colonel’s shoulder straps and his general’s shoulder straps, as well as his officer’s embroidered bullion hat insignia, both the front, regimentally marked infantry horn, and the side eagle, from his dress, or Hardee, Hat. The latter two pieces are especially appropriate given that the army dress hat- the Hardee hat- was the signature item of uniform for the Iron Brigade at Gettysburg and elsewhere.

Flanigan’s hat insignia are fully regulation and very high quality. Both have internal tinned iron stiffeners inside mounted with loops for attachment to the hat by pins, or cloth or leather wedges passed through the loops after they had been pushed through narrow slits in the hat. His 24^th Infantry regimental insignia is a horizontal oval 2-3/4” by 2” with the regulation infantry hunting horn embroidered in gold bullion thread on a black velvet ground with a jaceron wire edge. The regimental numeral “24” is embroidered in silver bullion in the central loop. The hunting horn is embroidered with a bugle cord and tassels, and the mouth of the horn, upper side seam and lower band are highlighted with light colored sequins. The back is covered with a black fabric. Both loops are in place as is one of the cotter pins used to fasten it. The condition is excellent. We see just tad of rubbing to the back.

The vertical oval side eagle measures 2” X 2-3/4” and was used to secure the turned-up brim of the hat at one side, is similarly constructed of gold and silver bullion embroidery on a black velvet ground with gilt jaceron wire edge and black cloth backing over a metal stiffener provided with two brass fastening loops. The colors are equally strong, with the design showing the arms of the U.S. with an eagle with upraised wings at center, flourishing a ribbon of bullion coils in its beak, with a single bit of white thread indicating its tongue, with thirteen silver thread stars overhead between its wings, an upper arc of gold bullion embroidery for the rays of the sun and silver bullion thread below that for the clouds. The eagle has a US shield on its chest, the vertical stripes delineated by vertical groups of simple and zigzag bullion, and with its claws clutching arrows and olive branch rendered in silver bullion thread at bottom. The condition is near excellent. We see just a narrow seam separation on the back between the backing cloth and upper edge, and that the fastening loops are bent down. The silver bullion thread used to delineate the bank of clouds below the sun’s rays show some gaps in their upper loops, but appear to be all there and are not pulling loose. The wings are very well defined and elegantly shaded by using bullion coils for the upper edges, closest to the eagle’s head, and light-colored sequins for the rest of the extended feathers of the wing with lines of gold coils.

The lieutenant colonel shoulder straps are excellent, 1-3/8” wide and 3-7/8” long. They use a single border of alternating dead and bright bullion with jaceron wire along the inner and outer edges. The bullion borders show bright as doe the silver oakleaves, all nicely set off by the black velvet ground. The backs are typically Civil War open construction with the blue wool base turned under but exposing the web backing. These are near excellent, showing just a few small moth bites on the turned under edge fabric on the backs and short bit of upturned jaceron wire at a corner of each.

The brigadier general’s straps are regulation, show single, wide bullion borders with jaceron wire edges along the interior and exterior, and measure 3-7/8” long and 1-1/2” wide. The black velvet ground is very good, showing one or two pinprick holes. The jaceron wire is bright. The raised gold bullion embroidered borders show some rubbing and oxidation toward gray along the top edges. The silver embroidered general’s stars show similar oxidation from wear, are complete and very good with no loose threads. The wool backs are closed, not uncommon on general’s straps, and show some minor wear along the edges and a few loose threads indicating wear on a uniform.

Flanigan was born in Ireland in 1825, emigrated with his parents to Canada in 1833, moved to the U.S. in 1841, and settled in Detroit in 1845. He married in 1847 and the couple had six children. He was a butcher before the war, in the 1850 and 1860 census, but took up other business after his military service, and held a number of civic offices starting just before the war, being elected Wayne County Sheriff on the Republican ticket in 1860. In 1862 he joined City Recorder H.A. Morrow in raising the 24^th Michigan, becoming the regiment’s Lieutenant Colonel and mustering in with them on Aug 15, 1862.

The regiment left the state on August 29, reached Washington September 3, and on October 8 joined the Iron Brigade, four regiments from Wisconsin and Indiana that had withstood heavy combat at Brawner’s Farm in the Second Bull Run Campaign, earned their nickname in the fighting at Turner’s Gap at South Mountain, and then experienced more heavy fighting at Antietam. The 24^th was in action with the brigade under Solomon Meredith at Fredericksburg in December, though not heavily engaged, holding the far left of the Union line, with the brigade as a whole losing 9 killed 40 wounded and 16 missing. During the Chancellorsville campaign they were part of Sedgwick’s diversionary thrust at Fredericksburg being in the forefront of the April 29 amphibious assault at Fitzhugh’s Crossing, along with the 6^th Wisconsin, piling into pontoon boats rowed across the river under fire to drive off Confederates holding the far bank and secure the crossing for Wadsworth’s division. They then took part in the march of the 1^st Corps on May 2 upriver to reinforce Hooker at Chancellorsville, and hold the right of his salient, with the regiment losing 24 in killed and wounded in the campaign, more than any other regiment in the brigade, which lost a total of 61. It likely earned them some respect, though some may go too far in suggesting it specifically led to them finally being issued the brigade’s trademark Hardee hats, which took place on May 27.

At Gettysburg the brigade was among the first Union infantry on the field. The 24^th found itself at the tail end of the brigade column and left of the battle line when the 6^th Wisconsin and brigade guard were drawn off toward the Seminary. The right of the brigade entered Herbst Woods and clashed with the left of Archer’s Tennessee brigade while in the more open ground to the 24^th is able to flank Archer’s line and drive it back across Willoughby Run in a charge made with some of the men only able to load their guns while in motion, the brigade taking scores of prisoners, including Archer himself. After reaching the crest of the far slope of the stream, the regiment halted, threw out skirmishers and then pulled back into the woods, under orders, taking the center left of the brigade line, and preparing to make a stand, still taking casualties from Confederate fire, including the regiment’s Adjutant, severely wounded in groin, and Flanigan with a wound that would take him out of action, cost him a leg, and lead to initial newspaper reports that he had died of his wound. (This seems to have taken place about the time Reynolds was hit.) The regiment’s monument at Gettysburg sums up the fighting as follows: "Went into action with 496 officers and men. Killed & mortally wounded: 89; Otherwise wounded: 218; Captured: 56; Total casualties: 363. Five color bearers were killed and all the color guard killed or wounded." This gave the regiment a loss of something over 73%.

Flanigan returned home to recover. Some sources record that he received resolutions of thanks from the Common Council of the city and a public reception. He was honorably discharged for his wounds on November 21, but officially appointed Provost Marshal for Michigan’s First District on November 25, an office that helped send more troops to the front and which he held to October 15, 1865. He was also breveted Colonel of Volunteers for Gallantry in Action at Fredericksburg and breveted Brigadier General of Volunteers for meritorious conduct in the campaign of Gettysburg and for services in that engagement, with both brevets dating to March 13, 1865.

His postwar life was a mix of private enterprise and public office, and apparently of prosperity and misfortune. He was appointed Assessor of Internal Revenue by Pres. Johnson in 1866, a post that became the Collector of Internal Revenue. He was also the proprietor of the Pioneer Cotton Mills according to an 1868 city directory, and a spring-bed manufacturer in 1870. He patented a combined cedar-block and cement pavement in 1871 and is listed as a paving contractor in 1877. At the same time he served as a member of the Board of Education and President of its Building Committee. After he died in Detroit on October 5, 1886, an obituary called him, “one of the oldest and most popular residents of Detroit.” Another noted, however: “He held many offices in this County and was at one time quite wealthy, but his money was lost by relatives.”

This is a very attractive set of officer’s bullion embroidered insignia that combines eye appeal with strong history in a notable Civil War regiment and brigade.  [sr][ph:L]

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