Letter from Mary S. Archer to Adjutant General J.J. Dickison, transferring Florida Civil War battle flags, 1878

Flags

Military occupation

Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877)

Hiding places

Confederate States of America. Army

Letter from Mary Simpson Brown Archer to Adjutant General John Jackson Dickison, transferring the battle flags of Florida's Confederate regiments. Archer had safeguarded the flags at the request of her brother-in-law Hugh Archer since 1865 to avoid having them confiscated by Union authorities when they occupied Florida after the Civil War. Hugh Archer was Adjutant General at the time. Mary had them hidden at her home in Belair just south of Tallahassee, and returned them after the end of Reconstruction.

Archer, Mary Simpson Brown, 1821-1894

State Archives of Florida, Collection N2017-8

1878-12-04

letters (correspondence)

eng-US

Text

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Late 19th-Century Florida (1877-1900)

Leon County (Fla.)

Tallahassee (Fla.)

Belair (Fla.)

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Military And Veterans

Archer, Hugh, 1796-1858

Lamar, Thompson Bird, 1828-1864

Lamar, Sarah Burch Bailey, 1830-1909

McCook, Edwin Stanton, 1837-1873

Tallahassee Dec 4th 1878 Gen Dickinson [Dickison] Dr Sir I have in my possession all the Battle Flags of the State of Florida, which I have held as a sacred trust, to be returned to the state so soon as I thought it safe to do so. And now I think the time has come when I can give them up with safety by sending them to you as Adjutant General of the State, and one who defended our state so nobly and bravely. These flags were given me by my brother in-

law, Hugh Archer (who was then Adjutant General of Florida) in May 1865. It was at the time when Gen McCook took possession of this part of Florida. Hugh, knowing that they would be captured, brought them to me for safe keeping. I was then residing in Belair and I, for fear of their being found, as we all supposed the enemy would search all the houses in their search, had them put in a safe place by ripping off the ceiling of my room and had them put in between the wall - and it securely nailed up. And I have waited,

from time to time, to return them to the state but have never thought (until now) it safe to do so. There are all the flags in the bundle, just as it was given to me (with the coarse Osnaburgs wrapping, which in those days was considered very valuable, made at the Factory of General Bailey) except one of the 5th Florida regiment. My brother Hugh just before his death requested me to give it to Mrs. Sarah Lamar, widow of Col. T.B. Lamar [Thompson B. Lamar], who commanded that regiment, which I accordingly did. He thought that the time

would never come when our state would be in the hands of good, honest men. And now, sir, I return them to the state in your safe keeping, feeling it an honor to have had them in my charge so long.