Saturday, March 14, 2009

Exploring PA's Civil War Flags: Part II

There are also Civil War flags in the rotunda of the PA capitol. Outside the main entrance is an equestrian statue of Gen. John Frederick Hartranft (1830 - 1889). Remembered as "Old Johnny" by the troops he commanded, Hartranft became the second of Pennsylvania's Civil War heroes to become governor after the war. This statue was dedicated in 1899 by his men.

To find the flags still in the capitol, walk in the main rotunda and
walk behind this statue at the front of the main staircase...


...To the side rear of the staircase, you will find two of these cases. There are about ten of these cases in the rotunda, all originally installed to house flags, but they now display other artifacts. The remainer of the flags are in a nearby facility as shown in part I of this post. There are about 25 flags in this particular case, each identified by the tags tied around the top of them.

Click to zoom in and read the text of the display.

Up the staircase is a statue of Civil War Governor Andrew G. Curtin, perhaps the most important of the Federal state executives. Curtin formed the vital Loyal War Governors' Conference of 1862 and helped establish the Gettysburg National Cemetery.

Across the street is the State Museum of Pennsylvania,
which devotes an entire gallery to the Civil War in Pennsylvania.


Included in the exhibit is a Gettysburg cannon and Peter Rothermel's famed panoramic
painting of Pickett's Charge. There is much more to explore here as well.

This only scratches the surface of Harrisburg's Civil War Heritage.


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