The State of Wisconsin contributed fifty-three regiments of infantry, four regiments of cavalry, one regiment of heavy artillery, and thirteen batteries of light artillery to the Union effort in the Civil War. Each of these units carried flags during their service, generally one national color and one regimental color. The national color was a standard American flag while the regimental color, for Wisconsin at least, was usually blue with the national seal, state seal, state motto, or some combination therein on one or both sides. Some units carried additional flags, such as the Company C of the 8th Wisconsin's 'eagle' flag, the 17th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment's 'Irish' flag and the Iron Brigade's Tiffany banner. Artillery and cavalry units carried guidons, a smaller, horizontal V-shaped banner while some units also carried a 'marker' with a unit number that indicated their position in the line. These flags were of immense importance to the soldiers as morale boosters and rallying points in battle. Their significance has been documented in The Battle Flags and Wisconsin Troops in the Civil War and War with Spain by J. Stanley Dietz (1943) and The Flags of the Iron Brigade by Howard Michael Madaus and Richard H. Zeitlin.
Following the Civil War, the majority of Wisconsin's battle flags were housed in the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Memorial Hall, a room in the Capitol building in Madison. They rested there for decades, surviving a fire in 1904, being displayed on occasion, but for the most part staying furled on their staffs. In the 1980s, the G.A.R. Memorial Hall began seeking funds to conserve the flags. The Wisconsin State Legislature agreed to provide $10,000 in matching funds and many state businesses, veteran and fraternal organizations, and individuals donated funds to conserve specific flags. Intensive fundraising continued into the 1990s, with actual conservation work beginning in the early 1980s.
