Flags of the Union - An Illustrated History (Paperback)

For Civil War historians or flag enthusiasts, this book is a helpful guide to the history and development of flags in the United States, leading up to and during the Civil War. A companion work to The Flags of the Confederacy: An Illustrated History, this book features banners from the different armed forces and their divisions from fleets to cavalry units to infantry corps. Cannon begins by tracing the evolution of the standard "Stars and Stripes" and its growth over the first eight decades of independence. Following are descriptions of the various flags used uniformly throughout the United States. Then, going division by division, he presents the designs and historical background for each regiment's, fleet's, or unit's personal insignia. This book also shows the variety of uses for flags among the Union armies as well as specific messages for each flag. Camp markers, medical service colors, guide and signal flags, and many other auxiliary flags are shown. This is an enlightening book with a thorough examination of the flags that symbolize and tell the history of the Union and its armies during a tragic time in our nation's history.