15th Alabama Infantry Company E 4×4 Battle Flag

Company E of the 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment Battle Flag

Company E also known as the “Beauregards” was one of eleven companies that comprised the 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment. The regiment was organized by its first regimental commander, Colonel James Cantey at Fort Mitchell in August of 1861 and consisted of around 900 men from Barbour, Dale, Henry, Macon, Pike, and Russell counties. The men of Company E were from Dale County. Attached to the Army of Northern Virginia under the command of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, the 15th Alabama participated in several major battles including The Valley Campaign, The Seven Days Battles, and several battles in Maryland and Northern Virginia including 2nd Manassas, Harpers Ferry, Antietam, and Fredricksburg. The 15th was then reassigned to James Longstreet’s corps in May of 1963 and subsequently fought during the Siege of Suffolk where they became part of the newly formed Alabama Brigade under General Evander Law in General Hood’s division. The 15th’s most notable action was on the second day at Gettysburg where they, along with the 4th and 47th Alabama and the 4th and 5th Texas Infantries assaulted Federal troops entrenched on Little Round Top. The 15th positioned itself attempting to find the Union flank which was held by Colonel Joshua Chamberlain’s 20th Maine Volunteers who had orders to protect the Union flank “at all costs down to the last man”. After at least six assaults over a 90-minute period against the 20th Maine’s position with both regiments suffering heavy losses, Chamberlain’s men ultimately held the position after being briefly dislodged and then counter-attacking with the famous bayonet charge that finally compelled the Confederate forces to withdraw from Little Round Top. In this one action, out of the 644 men of the 15th Alabama who were engaged, 72 were killed, 190 were wounded, and 81 were missing which amounts to a 53% casualty rate. After Gettysburg, General Longstreet’s corps along with the 15th Alabama joined General Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee where it saw action at the Battle of Chickamauga. After Chickamauga, Longstreet decided to return to Virginia where the 15th Alabama served out the remainder of the war and participated in many more engagements including The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Courthouse, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Darbytown,  and the Appomattox Campaign just to name a few. Of the 1958 men who served in the 15th Alabama Infantry throughout the course of the war, 261 were killed in action, approximately 416 died from disease, and 218 were captured, of which 46 died while being held, prisoner. 66 deserted and 61 were discharged or reassigned. When The 15th surrendered to Union forces at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9th,1865, there were only 17 officers and 170 enlisted men who were left fit for duty. The Company “E” flag was similar to the regimental flag in that it was a standard square battle flag, however, several battle honors appeared on the Company flag including “Cross Keys”, “2nd Manassas”, “Sharpsburg”, “Gettysburg”, “Fredricksburg”, “Cold Harbor”, and “Chickamauga” although they were involved in many more battles and skirmishes. “Co.E” also appeared in place of the center star on the saltier.

This is a reproduction of the 15th Alabama Infantry Company “E” flag. The actual dimensions may not exactly the same as the original flag. The artwork is visible on both sides. The lettering reads right on one side only. The colors on the reverse side are slightly lighter than on the front.

• One solid piece of printed, hemmed fabric
• Lightweight, 100-denier polyester that will fly nicely in the slightest breeze.
• Bright colors
• 4 rows of stitching on the fly end to prevent premature fraying
• Reinforced header with brass grommets
• Flag size: 4′ x 4′