Guidon of the 40th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, 1

This swallowtail guidon of the national colors was used by the 40th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The flag was manufactured in the United States between 1861 and 1863. There are 34 painted stars arranged in concentric circles with an additional star in each of the blue canton's four corners. The flag has thirteen alternating red and white stripes. It measures 65 by 85 cm. The 40th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio, and mustered into service on December 7, 1861. Major engagements in which the regiment took part include Middle Creek, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, the Atlanta Campaign, and Franklin. On December 10, 1864, after the battle of Franklin, the regiment was consolidated with the 51st Ohio Volunteer Infantry. 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