In the fall of 1900 there occurred a pleasing event in which it was one of those incidents that made friends of old-time enemies.Judge D. F. Pugh prepared a bill, and procured its passage, authorizing the Governor of Ohio to return the Confederate flags and banners. The act is as follows.
Whereas, The animosities of the Civil War are forgotten by the people of this nation, sectionalism is dead, and fraternity and good will prevail everywhere; therefore;
Be it resolved, That the Governor of Ohio be, and is hereby, authorized and empowered to withdraw from the relic room of the Capitol building, from time to time, the Confederate flags and banners there stored, and return the same, or cause them to be returned to the survivors of the military organizations of the late Confederate army from whom they were respectively taken and captured.
The reunion of the 46th Ohio was held in the town hall of Worthington, near Columbus, at which time the tattered battle flag of the 30th Louisiana was put into the keeping of those who had fought for it. The story is told by the New Orleans Picayune as follows:
With other battle-marred and bullet-pierced relics of the Confederacy reposing in Memorial Hall, there was deposited last evening the battle flag of the 30th Louisiana Regiment. This sacred memento of the fighting days of 61-65 was for thirty six years in the possession of its captors, the 46th Ohio Volunteers, who recently sent a gracious invitation to the Boys in Gray of the 30th Louisiana to send a delegation to Columbus, Ohio, for the purpose of being guests of the 46th Ohio and at the same time receiving their old flag, as a token of the esteem, unity, and harmony which now prevail over all parts of the United States.
The Louisiana veterans sent their delegates to Columbus, and the flag was returned to them and brought back to this city. The cherished colors were formally presented to the Army of Tennessee for deposition in Memorial Hall.
Secretary Brown read the minutes of the meeting of the 30th Louisiana survivors held September 14, 1900.
At that meeting the invitation of the 46th Ohio was read and accepted, and a committee was appointed to act in all matters pertaining to the proposed trip to Ohio.J. H. Brown, Judge J. U. Landry, and Harrison were appointed to receive the flag.
Mr. Brown then read the report of the flag committee, giving the particulars of the trip and of the reception, paying special tribute to such gallant Ohioans as Judge D.F. Pugh, Governor Nash, and Dr. Thos. P. Shields. The committee was enthusiastic about Ohio and her generous, hospitable people.
The meeting adjourned to Memorial Hall, where the Army of Tennessee was in session. Business was suspended as the survivors of the brave old 30th Louisiana entered the hall with martial tread and erect bearing, headed by Major Trepagnier and Private John M. Coos, bearing the flag.In giving a lengthy account of the engagement wherein the flag was lost by the 30th Louisiana, Major Trepagnier says:
The position of the enemy's line was occupied by the 46th Ohio Regiment, one of the best veteran commands in the Federal army, all being armed with murderous Spencer six-shooting rifles. They wisely reserved their fire until we were close to their line, when they poured such a terrific and destructive fire at short range into our line that our men were actually moved down without being able to do much injury to them, they being concealed from view by the thick underbrush in front of their works. In a short time the 30th Louisiana was fearfully cut up by this hailstorm of lead. Our gallant field officers, Lieut. Col. Thomas Shields and Maj. Charles J. Bell, had fallen, both shot dead; 14 line officers out of 20 present had also fallen, either killed or wounded. The color bearer and all the color guards were shot down; only 6 members of the color company and only 3 members of the company on the left of the colors were uninjured. All of the officers of these two companies were either killed or wounded; and when the brigade was ordered to retire from the field, the 30th Louisiana could muster only 6 officers and about 60 men.This flag, whose staff had been shattered by bullets, had changed hands as often as its defenders had fallen, until there was no one left around to protect it, and it remained on the bloody ground, close to the enemy's works, surrounded by the bodies of its defenders, and this became a prize in the hands of the 46th Ohio Regiment.
We feel keenly the loss of our colors, and our only consolation lies in the fact that they fell without dishonor. We also derive great satisfaction from the spontaneous action of the members of the 46th Ohio in their anxiety to return us our flag as a testimonial to the soldierly conduct of its defenders. These brave and chivalrous soldiers of the 46th Ohio Regiment many years ago desired to return this flag, and were prevented from doing so only because they could not legally obtain possession of it.