You completely missed what I said so let me try again:

1) I did not ever say the Rucker flag in the Alabama collections was not a brigade flag. In fact I said it was one of the very few flags that had been detailed as such that were outside of those created in 1864 for the Army of Tennessee. These special flags are very rare by comparison to issued battle flags and I will stand by that statement.

2) Yeah - I do know what brigade flags are and the fact that you have owned more flags than I have had hot meals does not impress me. I know several private flag owners that I would not consider flag historians - and neither would they by the way! That's where guys like Howie, Ken and I come in.

I have been to far more archives and repositories over the last 20 years looking at flag history than you ever have and I base what I know on what I have read and seen from existing flags. We do know that Rucker's Brigade, as part of Forrest's Corps, were completely equipped with Mobile Depot battle flags based on the number listed on the Sarah Belknap invoive of July, 1864. We also know that some of Forrests's units lost Mobile Depot flags in the fighting around Nashville. We know as well that prior to these flags being issued that Forrest's Corps used First Nationals and some Second National flags. The 18th Mississippi Cavalry Battalion lost one at Brice's Crossroads in June, 1864, for example, and I have a picture of that for the 7th Tennessee Cavalry - who also got a Mobile Depot flag!

3) We have absolutely no proof whatsoever what flag was taken with Rucker at Nashville - NONE! We do know that the Yankees were often quite clueless as to what CS brigade flags were based on just the examples I have written here already. SO based on that I will continue to maintain that the flag taken with Rucker was probably the regimental Mobile Depot flag of the regiment he was with until such time as that flag either shows up or a vivid written description of it from the capture shows up.

And if it turns out to be a different flag then I was wrong and will be most happy to admit it.

Greg Biggs