35-STAR CIVIL WAR GUIDON United States, 1863-1865 silk, hand-sewn, 39"x 25 ½ in. Provenance Massachusetts Museum; Amoskeag Auction Of New Hampshire 2004; The Union Drummer Boy of Gettysburg.

Thirty-Five-Star Union Military Guidon
United States, circa 1863–1865
Silk, hand-sewn
25½ inches high × 39 inches wide
Provenance
An unidentified Massachusetts museum, reportedly deaccessioned, according to the 2017 auction catalogue
John Ockerbloom Collection
Amoskeag Auctions, New Hampshire, 2004
The Union Drummer Boy, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Private collection, consignor to the 2017 Alexander sale
Alexander Historical Auctions, December 20, 2017, lot 909
Acquired from Alexander Historical Auctions, Private Collection.

This silk swallowtail guidon embodies the Union’s national identity during the final years of the American Civil War. Its thirty-five stars acknowledge the admission of West Virginia, while its thirteen alternating red and white stripes preserve the memory of the original colonies. The deeply forked fly, circular star arrangement, and compact proportions place it within a documented tradition of nineteenth-century American military flags.

West Virginia entered the Union on June 20, 1863, following the separation of its predominantly Union-supporting western counties from Virginia. Under the federal flag legislation governing the addition of new stars, its star officially appeared on July 4, 1863. The thirty-five-star flag remained the official national design until July 3, 1865. Nevada had entered the Union on October 31, 1864, but its thirty-sixth star became official the following July. The conventional dating of this guidon to circa 1863–1865 reflects that interval, although star count alone cannot establish its precise manufacturing date or duration of service.

The full complement of stars carried particular meaning during the Civil War. The Union government did not recognize Confederate secession and therefore retained the stars representing the Southern states. A thirty-five-star national flag expressed the continued existence of an undivided republic, enlarged by West Virginia’s admission even as the conflict over its future continued.

Military Form and the Circular Stars

The guidon’s swallowtail silhouette identifies its relationship to military standards used for unit identification and organization. General Order No. 4, issued on January 18, 1862, prescribed the Stars and Stripes pattern for guidons. Surviving silk examples in the New York State Military Museum document its use by cavalry regiments, artillery batteries, and infantry formations.

Within the blue canton, the stars form two concentric circles accompanied by individual corner stars. This arrangement creates a strong visual rhythm suited to the guidon’s compact field. It also connects the flag to surviving military examples with closely related designs. The Michigan State Capitol’s thirty-five-star silk guidon associated with the 5th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry, accession 93.88.2, has twelve stars in the inner circle, nineteen in the outer circle, and one in each corner. That institutional example provides a valuable comparison for the present flag’s composition, without implying a connection to the Michigan regiment.

Silk was used for documented service guidons as well as ceremonial military textiles. Its presence here should therefore be understood within the flag’s military construction rather than taken as proof of presentation or ceremonial use. The surviving textile retains a visually coherent swallowtail outline and a legible star arrangement, allowing its original design to remain readily understood.

The John Ockerbloom Collection

The flag’s recorded collecting history includes John Ockerbloom, an experienced collector of Civil War arms, uniforms, and personal objects. A contemporary account of his 2004 collection sale described more than thirty years of collecting, with a particular emphasis on Northern infantry and cavalry material dating from 1860 to 1865. Auctioneer Jason Devine emphasized Ockerbloom’s selectivity, attention to condition, and interest in authentic objects. His 544-lot collection, offered without reserves, realized more than $800,000.

Ockerbloom’s interests extended to historical research and publication. Bibliographic records credit him and Richard G. Adams with the Portsmouth Athenaeum exhibition catalogue “To Restore Our Glorious Union”: Portsmouth and the Civil War, circa 2000. His published work also includes contributions to Military Images and Military Collector and Historian. These activities give context to his collecting interests.

Provenance and Publication History

According to Alexander Historical Auctions’ 2017 catalogue, the guidon entered Ockerbloom’s collection following its deaccession from a Massachusetts museum. The flag subsequently appeared in the Ockerbloom collection sale at Amoskeag Auctions in New Hampshire in 2004, passed through The Union Drummer Boy of Gettysburg, and entered a private collection before its appearance at Alexander Historical Auctions. The present owner acquired it from Alexander.

The guidon was illustrated in the August 31, 2004 Antiques and The Arts Weekly article reporting on the Amoskeag sale. That contemporary publication provides an early visual record of the flag within its collecting history. It was again illustrated in Alexander Historical Auctions’ December 20, 2017 catalogue as lot 909. The latter entry recorded restoration to three stars in the upper-right portion of the canton and mounting on a wool-bunting support.

Its significance rests in the combination of Civil War dating, recognizable military form, circular star composition, and documented collecting history. The surviving evidence supports its interpretation as a Union military guidon of the thirty-five-star period. Its original unit, battlefield service, and earliest museum history remain subjects for further research.

composition, and documented collecting history. The surviving evidence supports its interpretation as a Union military guidon of the thirty-five-star period. Its original unit, battlefield service, and earliest museum history remain subjects for further research.

Recorded Provenance

An unidentified Massachusetts museum, reportedly deaccessioned, according to the 2017 auction catalogue
John Ockerbloom Collection
Amoskeag Auctions, New Hampshire, 2004
The Union Drummer Boy, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Private collection, consignor to the 2017 Alexander sale
Alexander Historical Auctions, December 20, 2017, lot 909
Acquired from Alexander Historical Auctions by the present owner.

Published References

“Ockerbloom Civil War Collection Soars At Amoskeag Auction.” Antiques and The Arts Weekly, August 31, 2004, illustrated. https://antiquesandthearts.com/ockerbloom-civil-war-collection-soars-at-amoskeag-auction

Alexander Historical Auctions. Fall Auction 2017 Part II, December 20, 2017, lot 909, “Union 35-Star Cavalry Guidon,” illustrated.

Collector’s Note

The appeal of this thirty-five-star guidon lies in its combination of historical meaning and visual presence. The deeply cut swallowtail, concentric circles of stars, and compact scale create a striking composition that can be appreciated both as a military artifact and as an example of American textile design.

For collectors, the John Ockerbloom provenance adds a meaningful chapter to its history. Its illustration in Antiques and The Arts Weekly in 2004 and subsequent illustrated appearance at Alexander Historical Auctions in 2017 provide published records through which the flag can be traced. These references strengthen its documentation without establishing an association with a particular regiment or battle.

At H&S Fine Art & Antiques, we value this guidon for the way it brings national history into an intimate, visually compelling object. Its thirty-five stars express the Union’s insistence on national continuity during a period of profound division.