I can very well understand why SSA is upset. Everything she told you is the truth. I was contacted by another Culpepper Battery researcher in 2007 who like myself had a great great grandfather and other kin who served in Culpeppers company. My grandfather died at Ship Island prison three months before Blakeley but his Kirby first cousin was killed with Josh Moses and buried in the same grave in Mobile. Anyway, I was told by this fellow researcher that a person discovered a Red Palmetto Flag that was captured at Blakeley and was listed on the Iowa website. I called the director of Iowa museum at that time and they did not know about the possible Citadel connection or the importance of a Red Palmetto Flag to South Carolina or The Citadel. I explained to him the possibilities.
So as you see this was virgin territory of this breaking discovery. The flags were posted on the web the week SSA discovered it.
As a knowledgeable researcher dedicated historian SSA found the connection with Mobile and South Carolina which was Culpeppers Battery. She found my friends web page information about Culpeppers Battery and contacted him and he contacted me.. Culpeppers Battery was the only company there at the Battle of Blakeley. I contacted SSA about her discovery at that time.
Previous to this discovery I had been researching my GG Grandfathers brother who was S S Kirby a 1860 graduate of The Citadel who was killed commanding the battery of cannons overlooking the causeway at Rivers Bridge in defense against Shermans troops advancement across the Saulkahatchie Swamp. I had made several post on the SC in the Civil War Message Board and Mr Kullberg contacted me because of his interest in Citadel War between the States history. I passed to him my research of S S Kirby and the class of 1860 and we continue to this day uncovering documents that Citadel faculty of today does not want to hear about or recognize.
I ask SSA if she minded if I give this information to my friend Kullberg as I knew he would be very interested and would have the path to get things done. She ok'ed this but ask me to leave her name out it because of people trying to contact her from working on message boards which primarly are only a interest to men. So we kept her name quiet and then one day I asked her this could get big do you still want to remain anonymous. She said with apprehension no. I told Mr Kullberg that at that time and I believe when he wrote the story that he was still protecting her identity because it was not necessary to reveal at that time. I myself wish he would have use "Friends of Citadel History" instead of Alumni as Alumni discovered nothing. I know he was not trying to deprive anyone of credit he is very honorable person but again this started out being SSA's discovery. I was on early
e-mail's when this broke with alumni but then all of a sudden I was not on the e-mails other than Mr Kullbergs. All of these other alumni forgot the roots of the discovery and wanted to run with the ball be their own Citadel hero and leave us out.
Oh well their loss. I kept in touch with my friend Mr Kullberg on updates.
Now if this had been your discovery instead of Ms SSA how would you feel.

This is to the flag expert on the board. Knowing history how can you discount anything. Have you seen documentation
of a frigate being in that river with a Red Palmetto Flag? I doubt it so how can you being a expert discount a theory. Knowing you will want to chop my theory to pieces I will give it to you.

We know a Red Palmetto Flag flew over the battery of Cadets. This flag might have already been made for another purpose and rushed down to the battery when it was known the cadets were in preparation of the battery. The flag was not documented by the Commanded of the Star of the West Battery in orders. This red flag like the sucession flag showed the angery of SC people with the federal goverment by the color red. This meant something to them powerful for Stephens to use that flag. The flag is illustrated in Harpers weekly in a engraving several weeks after the shots were fired. The artist probably was sent by Harpers Weekly went down to the battery still being manned at that time by the Cadets and they demostrated what they did. being so proud. This engraving was published in a a New York newspaper only seventeen days after January 9 firing.
The Red Flag was even put in the engraving that is a minor detail that was not overlooked so I believe that drawing is not representative by someones imagination but was actually drawn on site with cadets reinacting the firing. That engraving of the battery is the biggest piece of Citadel factual history ever and can you believe I had to call down to the school and e-mail them the file of the Harpers paper, they were unaware of it. This engraving done in January 1861 and in The library of Congress should be on the walls of the Citadel Museum. This will prove to some of the faculty who disbelieved us and said the Red Palmetto Flag was probably mistaken and it was actually the Sucession Flag. Eat crow now faculty member. You know who you are.

2nd In a letter I found in Sumter County Arch. Mrs Octiavia Moses writing her family history in 1910 tells of her son Harby who was in the battery during the firing, her other son Perry a Citadel grad who was in Culpeppers Battery as a Lt. Also, her oldest son Jousha Moses who was kicked out of the Citadel in 1858 and was suppose to graduate with the class of 1860 was also a lt. in Culpeppers Battery plus other sons. Also J E Dove a 1862 Citadel grad was in citadel Battery and joined later with Culpepper.
These are connections to the flag that flew over the battery on January 9th. all of the above men including Culpepper were in Charleston with other companies at this time. This was prior to Culpepper raisng his own battery.
The Moses family was a Jewish family from Sumter SC One of these young men might have had a eye for the value of this flag and got it for souvenir. Possibly Capt Culpepper who was also a 1853 Citadel grad might have collected it by way of the Moses brothers.

Third the flag gargot or cresent as it is called is opposite the direction of the SC Palmetto Flag that was designed shortly after the firing on the Star of the West. This dates the flag to me because I do not think the family who made the Red Palmetto flag would have continued making Red palmetto flags with the cresent opposite of the newly adopted SC Flag. They would have changed that detail. The Red Palmetto flag in Iowa is in excellent condition. Obviously, this flag did not fly over the Battery in Blakley or any other place other than a few times at Morris Island. It would not have been in this condition as a regiment flag or a battery flag for four years of war. Also do you think this flag flew on a ship for four years or even a trip from Charleston to Mobile ha ha! Also, show me another Red Palmetto Flag from the war.

Finally, I believe this flag was collected by one of the boys in Culpeppers Battery. The company was in Mobile area from July 1864 until the battle. It is not known why Capt Culpepper was not at the Battle and Lt. Josuha Moses was in the leadership position. Capt Culpepper is listed as being captured. So, maybe as Capt he was living in a house in downtown Mobile instead of camp or he could have been sick. Being Capt. he probably felt he should be with his men went off to prison with his company.
I feel like from the condition of the flag it was sacared to these boys and was carried with them in a personel trunk. Maybe Capt Culpeppers. When the Yankees marched them off to prison and ransacked their camp the flag was discovered and horse traded. Our hero Prvt Willard Baker of Iowa who saved the flag was also a collector of flags as he brought back two, probably horse traded for the flag and never knew about the small battery of SC men at Blakeley.
You fellas need to thank SSA for her discovery and recognizing the flag.