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The chief quartermaster of the corps and the chief of artillery had each his appropriate flag, as designated in the color-plate, but the arrangement of the colors in the flag of the chief quartermasters differed in different corps.
This scheme of Hooker's, for distinguishing corps, division, and brigade headquarters remained unchanged till the end of the war.
The brigades took turns in having the lead — or, as military men say, the right--of the division, and regiments had the right of brigades by turns.
There goes army headquarters yonder — the commanding general, with his numerous staff — making for the head of the column.
His flag is the simple star-spangled banner.
The stars and stripes were a common flag for army headquarters.
It was General Meade's headquarters flag till Grant came to the Army of the Potomac, who also used it for that purpose.
This made it necessary for Meade to change, which he did, finally adopting a lilac-colored swallow-tail flag, about the size of the corps headquarters flags, having in the field a wreath enclosing an eagle, in gold.
You can easily count the regiments in column by their United States colors.
A few of them, you will notice, have a battle-flag, bearing the names of the engagements in which they have participated.
Some regiments used the national colors for a battle-flag, some the state colors.
I think the volunteers did not adopt the idea early in the war. Originally battles were only inscribed on flags by authority of the secretary of war, that is, in the regular army.
But the volunteers seemed to be a law unto themselves, and, while many flags in existence to-day bear names of battles inscribed by order of the commanding general, there are some with inscriptions of battles which the troops were hardly in hearing of. The Rebel battle-flag was a blue spangled saltier in a red field, and originated with General Joe Johnston after the first Bull Run.
You will have little difficulty in deciding where a regiment
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