Regimental Colors of the 10th O.V.C.

Blue silk flag served as the regimental colors of the 10th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. The flag was manufactured in the United States between 1861 and 1865. The United States arms is positioned in the center of the flag's front or obverse side. The arms consists of an embroidered, gold-colored bald eagle holding an olive branch in its right talon and a bundle of arrows in its left talon. The eagle holds in its beak a painted, gold-outlined scroll with the motto "E PLURIBUS UNUM" (Latin for "one out of many"). A shield with red and white stripes and a blue upper portion is positioned on the eagle's breast. Thirteen gold-painted stars outlined in red are arranged in two arcs above the arms. A gold-outlined banner below the arms features gold text that reads: "10th OHIO CAVALRY." The reverse side of the flag features gold text at its center that reads: "TUNNEL HILL / RESACCA / ATLANTA, MACON / WAYNESBORO / SAVANNAH." The text is framed by brown and green laurel. A gold star appears in each of the flag's four corners. 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