Gould Auctions - A Maine Antique Auction Company

On February 8th, 1864 the First Massachusetts Cavalry charged and captured a Confederate Artillery Camp near Jacksonville, FL*. Among the mounted troops of the 1st Mass. Cavalry was a battle hardened Corporal who hailed from Lowell, Mass. His name was Charles C. Atwood. In civilian life, Charles had been a commercial painter but at the late age of 28 he decided to serve his country in the most honorable of ways. He had mustered into the Civil War on April 16, 1861 as part Company H of the 6th Infantry but had, on October 23, 1861, joined Company "L" of the 1st Mass. Cavalry . It would be with this esteemed Civil War Cavalry that he would see his most serious combat and none more serious than the early morning hours of February 8, 1864.

According to an account published in Benjamin W. Crowninshield's book "A History of the First Regiment of Massachusetts Cavalry Volunteers" on Feb. 5, 1864, a battalion comprised of A, B, C (with a quondam of I, K, and L) embarked on the Steamer Charles Houghton and on the 6th started for Florid, arriving at Jacksonville at 4 p.m. on the 7th of Feb. While landing, the steamer General Hunter was fired on by the enemy's pickets. In a very short time, twenty mounted men were in pursuit and chased the pickets three miles, over a rotten plank road, capturing a signal station and several prisoners. With these trophies and sundry feathered rations, they returned to Jacksonville. Next afternoon the advance started inland in two columns, one marching on Camp Finnegan, the other passing it and capturing Confederate pickets giving an alarm. About 1 a.m. on Feb. 8, an artillery camp was run into and captured by a charge. Six Napoleon guns (cannons) and a large quaintly of stores and prisoners were the results here. After a short rest, the advance was resumed, and on reaching Baldwin, where the two columns united, another gun and other arms were captured. Companies A, Band C (quondam I,K and L) were with this column, while company M marched with the main column.

It was on the Jacksonville-Baldwin mission that Cpl. Charles Atwood recovered two captured battle flags that you may view below. Each flag bears a paper tag that is hand stitched onto the flag and is signed by Cpl. Atwood. The tags give information as to each flags origin and where they were captured. Please see the close-ups of the tags for that information. The first flag is a Florida Confederate Beauregard pattern Artillery Battle Flag measuring 35" by 37". The second is a Florida Regular Confederate "Guidon" in an unusual 11 Star "Outsider pattern measuring 24" by 15". The flags are both in UNTOUCHED, ORIGINAL condition and were found recently in a NH home along with Cpl. Atwood's G.A.R. Post 185 Lowell, Mass. silk "In Memoriam" 45 Star American Flag. Also found with the flags are G the Corporal's G.A.R. medals and also an 1861 6th Infantry Medal with his name inscribed on its reverse. This grouping is CORRECT in every way and has not seen the "light of day" for many, many years. It is an IMPORTANT historical find that has remained in the BEST original condition. The flags will be sold separately in the Antiques portion of our Saturday Sept. 23 auction.

*Many thanks to Historical Data Systems for many years of invaluable information at their Civil War Database. Also many thanks to the website "The First Regiment of Massachusetts Cavalry Volunteers in Florida" for supplying the information on the Jacksonville-Baldwin incident.

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