34 Star Concentric Circle Flag-1861
On route to his inauguration in February of 1861, Abraham Lincoln stopped at Independence Hall to make a speech. Following the speech, he raised a new 34-star Flag, honoring the admission of Kansas to the Union. The 34-star Flag would not become official until July 4th. Although 11 states spent the next four years trying to leave the Union, no stars were removed from the Flag.
Following their call-up by President Lincoln, the members of the Massachusetts militia boarded a train for Washington D.C. In Baltimore, where they had to change trains, they were met by a mob of Confederate sympathizers. In the violence Private Luther Ladd was killed, becoming the first casualty of the war. Baltimore was a city divided. The evening of the riot Adeline Gosnell made a Flag with 34 stars in concentric circles. The Flag was flown from their house by her husband. The Gosnell Flag is now archived at the Maryland Statehouse.
On 2 July 1861, two days before the 34-star Flag became official, the Battle of Hoke’s Run was fought outside Martinsburg, West Virginia. The 11th Pennsylvania Regiment remained after the battle to protect the town. The ladies of Martinsburg created a Flag having 34 stars in two circles which they presented to the regiment in gratitude for their bravery and courage. The Flag is now on display at the Pennsylvania Capital.
The concentric circle design became popular during the Civil War and remained in common use throughout the turn of the century.
For more information on the 34 Star Concentric Circle Flag, please consult the following sources:
34 Star Parade Flag (1861) Printed on silk. Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC0176) https://www.flagcollection.com/itemdetails.php?CollectionItem_ID=2615
34 Star Medallion Flag (1861) Sewn Flag. Jeff R. Bridgman Antiques, Inc (34j-954) http://jeffbridgman.com/inventory/civil-war-34-stars-rendition-medallion-kansas-1861-o3600.html
Garrison, Bill “Martinsburg Flag” (2023) Flags of the World, 34 Star Flags, Retrieved 13 October 2024 from https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-1861.html#mart
Kimball, Charles "Luther C. Ladd, The First Victim of the War" (June 1, 1861) Harpers Weekly. p. 341 http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1861/june/first-death-civil-war.htm
Martinsburg Flag (1861) Homemade. Pennsylvania Civil War Flags; PA Capitol Preservation Committee http://www.pacivilwarflags.org/regiments/indivRegiment.cfm?group=1-50®=11th%20Infantry
National Parks Service. “Independence Hall and the American Civil War” Independence National Historic Site. Retrieved 6 October 2024 from https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/independencehall-civilwar.htm
Reckord, Milton. “Guide Book and Descriptive Manual of Battle Flags in Flag Room of State House” p. 21 (1965) Military Department, State of Maryland https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc5300/sc5339/000052/000000/000004/restricted/govpub/i/005423/html/34139-0022.html