Photo Credit: Massachusetts State House Battle Flag Collection
Second Irish Color (Tiffany Flag or Irish Brigade Flag). Perhaps the most famous of the Flags carried by the Regiment, the Second Irish Color was the only one not presented to the Regiment by either the State of Massachusetts or the City of Boston. It instead came to the 28th from the hands of the first Commander of the Irish Brigade, Brigadier General Thomas Francis Meagher.
General Meagher, a famous Irishman before the Civil War – due his role in the failed Young Irelander uprising in 1848, his daring escape from exile in Van Dieman’s Land (Tasmania), and his public oratory on Irish causes in America – was the creator of the Irish Brigade, one of the first “ethnic” Brigades authorized by the Department of War. As originally envisioned, the Irish Brigade was to have four ethnic Irish Regiments – three from the State of New York and one from the State of Massachusetts.
In anticipation of this unit structure, General Meagher commissioned four Regimental Colors from Tiffany & Co., a luxury jewelry and specialty design house founded in 1837 in New York City. (During the Civil War, Tiffany & Co. supplied the US Army with swords, flags, and surgical instruments.) As the names of the three New York Regiments – the 63rd, 69th, and 88th NY Volunteers – were known, their Regimental flags bore their Regimental name and number. Knowing that Massachusetts was raising the fourth Regiment but not knowing what its designation would be, Meagher had the fourth flag simply embroidered with “4th Reg’t Irish Brigade.”
Using a non-specific Regimental name would prove to be a fortunate choice, as the 28th Massachusetts did not initially join the Irish Brigade as intended. Instead, the Regiment was dispatched to the Carolinas for much of 1862, and the 29th Massachusetts – a “New England Yankee” Regiment – replaced the 28th Massachusetts in the Irish Brigade. This Regiment, not being ethnically Irish, elected not to take an Irish Brigade color. (Endnote 1)
Finally, in November 1862, the 28th Massachusetts joined the Irish Brigade in camp near Falmouth, Virginia – across the Rappahannock from the town of Fredericksburg. General Meagher then presented the Regiment with the Green Tiffany flag as originally intended. (Endnote 2).
The Tiffany Flag in the Massachusetts Battle Flag collection is not the full original flag, being somewhat reduced over the years. The flag in the collection measures 40.5 by 47.5 inches and is missing its lower scroll (with the words in Gaelic: “Riamh nár dhruid ó sbairn lann” (Who never treated from the clash of spears). The original flag is estimated to be 72 by 72 inches – smaller than the 78 by 72 inches of Army Regulations. The flag itself was fully embroidered by hand. As a result, the lettering appears backwards on the reverse side. The flag also was bounded by a yellow silk fringe. (Endnote 3).
Not in the Massachusetts collection, reportedly the original flag staff was also from Tiffany & Co. and had the unique design of being hinged, with lower three feet being capable of being bent upwards which under normal use was covered by a plated metal sleeve. The staff had silver furnishings and was topped with a pike point. The flag was held to pike by 13 little eyelets six inches apart that fit over 13 corresponding screw-eyes in pole.
The Tiffany Flag was carried by the Regiment throughout 1863 and likely to the end of the war in 1865. It famously was at the center of the Irish Brigade’s fateful and futile assault on Maryes Heights during the Battle of Fredericksburg (December 13, 1862). (Endnote 4) There, the brave advance of the green flag was seen and noted upon by both Armies. The artist Don Troiani captured this well in his 1987 painting “Clear the Way” (pictured). The original 28th Massachusetts “4th Reg’t Irish Brigade” Tiffany Flag in the Massachusetts Battle Flag Collection was used as the model for the painting. This too was the flag carried by the Regiment in the Wheatfield at Gettysburg (July 2, 1863) and on the 1864 Overland Campaign.
The Tiffany flag was returned to the state of Massachusetts on 22 December 1925 and is in the State Battle Flag Collection.
The modern 28th Massachusetts,Company B, has had the Tiffany “4th Ref’t Irish Brigade” flag replicated in exact detail. Images of that flag, along with an explanation of the Irish imagery on the flag can be seen by clicking on the below image of the recreated Tiffany Flag.
Photo Credit: 28th Massachusetts Company B
ENDNOTES
- Research for this page uncovered reports that Meagher had prepared a Irish Brigade flag reading “29th Massachusetts” and that when it was refused, he simply had the “2” removed and gave it to the 9th Massachusetts, which was also an ethnic Irish Regiment. This does not bear out, as the 9th Massachusetts was formed six months before the 28th, and further, its green Regimental bore no resemblance to the Tiffany Colors of the Irish Brigade.
- The other Regiments of the Irish Brigade lacked their green Regimental Colors as the three New York Regiments had sent them back to New York for replacement following the Battle of Antietam, and the 116th Pennsylvania never had a Green Regimental. Interestingly, when the Regiment joined the Irish Brigade, per John Ryan, they were welcomed in/cheered as “the Fifth Irish Regiment” despite bearing a flag that said “4th.”
- It has been opined that the 2nd Irish/Tiffany Flag also had a saffron-bullion fringed banneroll (streamer) with the Regt’s name and number – “28th Regt Massachusetts” – embroidered upon it, as such were possessed by the three NY Regiments of the Irish Brigade, whose flags were created by Tiffany at the same time as the 28th’s Tiffany. There is no evidence to support this theory, so even if made, there is no evidence that said banneroll actually reached the 28th and was used. The inclusion of the banneroll in modern paintings may be due one created during the Centennial in the 1960s, but whose presence is not included in the Massachusetts State House Battle flag collection.
- That the 28th Massachusetts had the only green flag in the Irish Brigade during the Battle of Fredericksburg is reportedly the reason the 28th was placed in the center of the Brigade line for the fateful attack on Maryes Heights on December 13th, 1862.