The Returned Battle Flags

In honor of their 40th annual reunion at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1905, the United Confederate Veterans were presented with their old Battle Flags, which had been captured by Federal forces and held since the War. The Cotton Belt Railroad, which probably provided excursion trains to the convention, presented each veteran with a souvenir booklet listing and illustrating a number of these tattered banners, many mere bullet-torn fragments. The booklets themselves have become rare and costly over the years and almost impossible to find, so we may be grateful to Rank and File Books for this excellent reprint, which is enhanced by an introductory essay by Richard Rollins, an expert on Confederate flags and the author of "The Damned Red Flags of the Rebellion", among other works. Highly recommended for all Civil War students, and especially flag enthusiasts of all persuasions. (The "score" rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)