National Colors of the 1st O.V.L.A., Battery G

This silk Stars and Stripes guidon was taken into battle by Battery G of the 1st Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery. Its blue canton bears 34 stars in a configuration of 5-6-6-6-6-5 rows. 30 cm long streamers of red an white are attached by a straight pin to the top of the canton. Text on flag reads: Battery. G 1ST RGT. OVA; Battle of Shiloh; Battle of Stone River; Chickamauga; Chattanooga. The regiment was called upon April 21, 1861 in a letter to Colonel James Barnett from the Governor, William Dennison. Each Battery of the 1st has its own history and operated independently in battle. Their initial appointment was for three months, though most served an additional campaign for three to five years. Battery G was quickly appointed to another 3 year campaign at Camp Dennison near Cincinnati and mustered into service on December 17, 1861. Major engagements in which the battery took part include Shiloh, Stones River, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Franklin and Nashville. The battery was mustered out at Camp Cleveland on August 31, 1865. Ohio battle flags were on display at the Ohio Statehouse until the 1960s, when the state formed a committee to oversee the efforts to restore the fragile flags. Some of the battle flags were on display on the Plaza Level of the Ohio Historical Society from 1970 until 1989. For conservation reasons, the flags have been in storage since 1989. In the 1960s, the collection was photographed and commercial artist Robert Needham painted illustrations of many Civil War flags. Photographs of the flags and the paintings are now part of the society's archival collections