Silk Hand-Painted Flag of the Fourth Regiment of the United States Colored Troops

In 1863, the “Colored Ladies of Baltimore” presented this hand-painted, hand-sewn silk flag to the Fourth Regiment of the U.S. Colored Troops. It is the only surviving flag used by the Fourth Regiment, and one of only twenty-five U.S. Colored Troops flags in existence.

Regiments carried both national and regimental flags into battle. Regimental flags helped them determine the movements of a specific regiment. The flag of the Fourth Regiment was originally 6.5 feet tall by 6 feet wide, but wear over time has significantly eroded its dimensions.

The flag was purchased in 2004 with the Middendorf Fund in honor of Mr. Philips Hathaway.