| |||
In the parlor of the Sam Bell Maxey home and
Museum in Paris, Texas there is a large portrait of a
flag not commonly seen in the records of
Confederate banners. Dora Maxey Lightfoot,
daughter of the General, painted this picture
sometime after the war and presented it to her
father. There is no written accounts concerning the
painting or the subject of its beautiful "Stainless
Banner" (Second National). Word has been passed
down that it was the banner used by Maxey's troops while he was stationed in Indian Territory. It
would seem highly unlikely that such an effort would have been taken by the Maxey family to
portray a fictional banner that had no historical significance.
The flag features a reversed color - General Richard Taylor design
square battle flag in its union set in the white field of the Second
National Confederate Flag. Since many of the Trans-Mississippi
units adopted and used the Taylor designed flag, there seems no
reason why Maxey could not have applied it to the Second National
for his own purposes of identifying his troops and to give them a
unique rallying standard for battle and parade. After all, Generals
Beauregard, Johnston, Bragg, Hardee, Polk, and Taylor had done
it, why shouldn't he, being in charge of the Indian Territory.
Read more about Sam Bell Maxey in his biography.
©Ron Brothers, All Rights Reserved, 2000.
May 4, 2000
