06/17/2025
🇺🇸Reflecting on Flag Day with a Rare Piece of History 🇺🇸
Flag Day may have passed, but we’re still reflecting on the powerful stories woven into our nation’s flag. One such story lives on in the museum’s extremely rare 27-star National Flag—carried by the First Regiment Virginia Volunteers during the Mexican-American War (1846–1848).
The Mexican-American War was sparked by disputes over territorial boundaries following the U.S. annexation of Texas. From 1846 to 1848, the United States invaded Mexico and seized several major cities. After winning the war, the U.S. acquired nearly half of Mexico’s territory through the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, including parts of present-day Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada.
🇺🇸This nearly six-foot-long flag is one of ONLY TEN known surviving National Colors from that conflict. The Virginian soldiers were organized in Richmond in early 1847, traveled to Texas, and joined General Zachary Taylor’s army in Buena Vista. While they saw little direct combat, their garrison duties in Monterrey and Buena Vista were vital to American operations. After the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, they returned home aboard the U.S.S. Ohio, mustering out in August 1848.
🔬The photos show the flag before, during, and after expert conservation—a process that has ensured its preservation for future generations. Now beautifully framed, it’s ready for permanent display at the Museum of the Virginia National Guard’s future public facility.
We preserve this remarkable piece of American and Virginia National Guard history—and we look forward to sharing it with the public soon. For now, it’s viewable by special research appointments.
👀📸To view more photos of the conservation process, visit our online catalog: https://mvang.catalogaccess.com/objects/345
🤨❓🤨Trivia Time!
Do you know which present-day Virginia National Guard units carry the lineage of the First Regiment Virginia Volunteers? Stay tuned later this week for the answer!
