CAPTURED CONFEDERATE NAVAL BATTLE FLAG, ATTRIBUTED AS BEING CAPTURED BY COMMANDER WILLIAM B. CUSHING

THE MOST FINELY PRESERVED CONFEDERATE FLAG THAT FLEISCHER’S AUCTIONS HAS HANDLED

Confederate States, circa 1862–1864. 13-star Confederate Naval Jack, wool bunting and cotton, entirely hand-sewn, with thirteen five-pointed cotton stars sewn through the field; canvas hoist with inserted rope, wooden toggle, and attachment loop. 97 1/2 in. fly x 67 1/2 in. hoist.

Provenance: Retained by Commander William B. Cushing; By descent to his daughter, Marie Louise Cushing; Sold from the estate of Marie Louise Cushing, Fredonia, New York, 1960; Acquired there, together with a second national flag. (Accompanied by a notarized affidavit and period newspaper clippings relating to the estate sale).

A striking and exceptionally well-preserved Confederate Naval battle flag, very likely captured by Commander William B. Cushing, the Union naval officer whose audacious destruction of the Confederate ironclad CSS Albemarle in 1864 secured his place among the most celebrated naval figures of the Civil War. Though the precise circumstances of this flag’s capture have not been conclusively established, its long-held association with the Cushing family, and its descent through the estate of his daughter Marie Louise Cushing, lend it considerable historical significance.

The flag is notable not only for its compelling provenance but also for its exceptional visual presence. The saturated red ground and deep blue saltire remain remarkably vivid, while the overall state of preservation is far superior to that seen in most surviving Confederate battle flags. Its thirteen cotton stars are carefully sewn through, and the flag retains its original 1 3/4-inch canvas hoist with inserted rope, a 3 1/2-inch wooden toggle, and a longer rope extension terminating in a loop for securing the flag in use.

The construction is of particular importance. Entirely hand-stitched and executed with evident care, the flag displays characteristics closely reminiscent of depot-made Southern military textiles. The wool bunting has been noted as consistent with fabric encountered in documented third-bunting-issue Army of Northern Virginia battle flags of the 1862–1863 period. In both workmanship and visual effect, it recalls some of the most admired Confederate martial flags produced for field and naval service.

Commander Cushing’s fame derived principally from his nighttime spar-torpedo attack on the CSS Albemarle, an exploit that made him a national celebrity in the autumn of 1864 and one of the Union Navy’s most romanticized wartime heroes. Greg Biggs, in notes concerning flags associated with Cushing during his lifetime, records multiple standards connected to him, further situating the present flag within a broader tradition of trophy-taking and wartime remembrance attached to his career.

This Naval Jack is accompanied by a textile analysis report by Fonda Thomsen, a leading textile specialist, supporting the flag’s authenticity and its history.

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