Mrs. Wigfall Makes a Flag

His bride's wedding dress used for flag

From the Richmond Daily Dispatch December 31, 1861:

Singular State flag.

–The flag of the Texas camp, at Camp Wigfall, near Dumfries, Va., is made of the bridal dress of Mrs. Wigfall. Says the correspondent of the Austin Gazette:

It bears the emblem of the “Lone Star,” and this is of pure white silk, set in blue ground; the fold are purple and white. The hearts of all are riveted to it. It never will be given up. An old war-worn warrior approached it, and as his eyes gazed steadily upon the banner, he said: “That star was made of the bridal dress of the lady of our gallant colonel. She worked it with her fair hands, and gave it to us to carry through the battles of our country. How could we fall to protect. How could we fall to protect it with our lives? No, Sir! I never failed to meet the enemy when that star was our watchword, and now when our whole South is in danger, I feel that my poor life can be given up easily upon that flag as my shroud.” The old fellow with his grey heirs, still stands before my memory. Such is the feeling of every Texan.

Originally from South Carolina Louis Trezevant Wigfall was a flamboyant, fire-eating U.S. senator from Texas until March 1861. He had an unauthorized role during the April 1861 bombardment of Fort Sumter. He then took up arms for a brief period:

… Wigfall secured an appointment to full Colonel of the 1st Texas Infantry Regiment, and a rapid promotion thereafter to Brigadier General of the “Texas Brigade” in the Confederate Army. He took up residence near his encamped troops in a tavern at Dumfries, Virginia, during the winter of 1861–1862, where he would frequently call the men to arms at midnight, imagining a Federal invasion. His nervousness was blamed on his fondness for whiskey and hard cider. He appeared visibly drunk, on and off-duty, in the presence of his men on more than one occasion. He resigned his commission in February 1862 to take a seat in the Confederate Senate, and was replaced by John Bell Hood.

I wonder if that Dumfries tavern was hopping on New Year’s Eve 1861?

Texans along the Potomac - Winter 1861-62