The U.S. National Flag of the 2nd Iowa Infantry

The United States National Flag of the 2nd Iowa Infantry.

Bloomfield, Iowa, ladies made this national flag for the 2nd Iowa Infantry shortly after hostilities began and the regiment carried it throughout the entire war.  Even after being shot, Medal of Honor recipient Voltaire Twombly continued to carry it during the crucial assault upon the outer works of Fort Donelson.  Two soldiers before him were shot carrying the colors, and Twombly himself was shot, but he persevered and planted this flag at the top of the Rebel parapet as his fellow soldiers streamed past him toward the fort.

SOURCE:  Interpretive sign (seen at right) next to the flag in the Iowa and the Civil War: Nothing But Victory exhibit at the State Historical Museum of Iowa, Des Moines Iowa, July 18, 2012.