2025 Save the Flags

Northwest Territory Saves Another Historic Battle Flag

By Bruce W. Miller

Every year the unit commanders of the North-South Skirmish Association’s Northwest Territory (NWT) identify a historically-based organization and donate $1,000 to that cause. Past donations have gone to the Gettysburg Foundation, Civil War Trust, American Civil War Museum at Tredegar, Ohio Historical Museum and Detroit’s Historic Fort Wayne where many Michigan regiments were mustered into service. For 2025, the NWT again selected the State of Michigan’s Save the Flags project.

Based on unit seniority, NWT commanders selected a flag of Battery C, 1st Michigan Light Artillery for adoption. Those adopted flags are honored in a special ceremony. The State Director of the Save the Flags project, Matt Van Acker, attended the regional skirmish at Laingsburg, Michigan on July 27, 2025. NWT Regional Commander Ed Walters was given a Legislative Tribute signed by both the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. In addition, a photograph of the adopted battle flag was presented to Battery C representative Ryan Burch. The NWT will again be added to the Roll of Honor plaque displayed in the flag exhibit area at the Michigan Historical Center at the capitol complex in Lansing. Previously, the NWT has adopted flags of the 4th, 5th, 19th and 24th Michigan Infantry regiments.

Save the Flags is Michigan’s project to preserve, research and display 240 battle flags carried by Michigan soldiers in the Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War I. One of the projects great successes has been its “adoption” program. For a donation of $1,000 individuals, families, organizations, schools and communities help with the preservation, research and display of the flags by “adopting” flags in the collection. To date, over 150 flags, mostly from the Civil War, have been adopted, providing the project with much needed funds. Adoptions also help preserve history by commemorating particular regiments and individuals. Adoptions are often made in the name of the original regiment which carried that flag into battle or adopted in the name of a veteran by his descendants.