Yup, I was, indeed, the yahoo who caused all of that confusion.

We followed the unit that captured the Iowa/Van Dorn flag (and which claimed the captured flag to have been the flag of the 40th MS) all through the battle, and it turned out that they were simply never near enough to the 43rd MS to have captured the flag.

The 40th MS, however, did cross paths with them.

I made the classic researcher's error of coming to the conclusion first (that the flag had to be that of the 43rd MS) and working backwards to make the "facts" fit the conclusion.

I was in error, and I profoundly apologize for that error. -- Jim H.