Swartout, Malaney, & Chapman Flag Adoption Ceremony
On July 17, 2025, the Swartout, Malaney and Chapman families were honored at the Capitol for their adoption of four flags from the Michigan Capitol Battle Flag collection. These descendants of Michigan veterans adopted a flag of the Sixth Michigan Cavalry and the First Michigan Colored Infantry Regiment that were carried in the Civil War. They also adopted a flag carried by the 31st Michigan Infantry in the Spanish American War and a flag used during World War I by the 214th Field Signal Battalion, Company C. We would like to extend our gratitude to these three families and especially to Mr. Chris Swartout who coordinated and organized the adoptions and support.
North-South Skirmish Association, Northwest Territory - Flag Adoption
The North West Territory of the North South Skirmish Association adopted yet one more flag on Sunday, July 27, 2025 as a part of their shooting competition at the Lansing Muzzle Loaders Club in Laingsburg, Michigan. This association has now adopted five flags. This adoption honored the First Michigan Light Artillery Regiment. The regiment was composed of fourteen six-gun batteries. Each battery, consisted of 110 men and officers, six cannons and caissons--each pulled by a six-horse team--plus supply wagons and spare horses. Batteries were assigned to various armies, and each carried its own battle flag. Battery B under the command of Captain William Ross and Battery C eventually commanded by Captain George Robinson, formed in Grand Rapids, and were mustered in November 1861. Both batteries saw service with the western armies with Battery B’s first fight at Shiloh, Tennessee on April 6, 1862, and Battery C first engaging the enemy at Farmington, Mississippi on May 9, 1862. They fought with determination with General Sherman in his campaigns through North and South Carolina, seeing continuous service throughout the entire war, and finally mustering out in June of 1865.
We would like to thank all the members for their great support and especially Mr. Bruce Miller for coordinating the adoption and the ceremony.
Conservation Lab Update
It has been an exciting month in the conservation lab. The flag of the 15th Michigan Infantry (SC-50-90) was completed and returned to storage at the Michigan Historical Museum. Conservation on the flag and associated fragment took about fifty hours. After SC-50-90 was returned to flag storage, our conservation specialists were able to return to working on a flag of the Eighteenth Michigan Infantry (SC-74-90) in the viewing window in Heritage Hall. Currently, they are working to remove netting that was sewn on the flag in the 1960s. This netting has started to deteriorate and needs to be removed before it damages the flag further. SC-74-90 will be in the viewing window until September.
