LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Garbed in shades of red, white, and blue, members and guests of the Fellowship #236 Mason Lodge gathered before the Michigan Capitol to formally adopt a historic battle flag from Michigan’s collection of more than 240 historic battle flags, on the nation’s Flag Day. 

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This year, the post sponsored a battle flag of the Sixth Michigan Volunteer Cavalry Regiment with a $2,000 donation.  

Director of Capitol Tour, Education & Information Service, Matt VanAcker, who also serves as the Director & Head Curator of the Save the Flags project, presided over the ceremony and shared some of his reflections on the importance of Flag Day. 

“They are important to me and should be important to the people of the state of Michigan because they were important to the men who carried them into battle and fought and died beneath them,” he said, “Do we need a better reason to preserve them? Do we need a better reason to ensure that they are taken care of and that the memory of those brave men is also preserved?”

Mason Member and Flags Committee Chairman, David Norris, shared remarks on the Masonic Heritage during the Civil War. 

“When you leave our gathering today, I hope you leave with a sense of pride, knowing that of the 90,000 troops raised by then Governor Austin Blair,” he added, “Many of those men who went off to war were Master Masons.  Thousands were masters who took up these great banners of war, many masters of their lodge and past masters, and brothers, helped to form the units being raised since the urgent call from President Lincoln.” 

Representative David Martin (R-Davison), a U.S. Air Force veteran and Mason member, shared some remarks ahead of delivering a tribute. 

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“It is Flag Day and we do pledge allegiance to the flag, and to the republic for which it stands,” he said, “A republic is made up of citizens, citizens in the Greek word are co-rulers, co-sovereigns, so in other words we pledge allegiance to each other.” 

The tribute detailed the many accomplishments of those who fought beneath the banners of the 6th volunteer cavalry. 

“The regiment fought with distinction under [General] Custer at Gettysburg, when on July 3rd, 1863, they were ordered to charge the rebel calvary,” Representative Martin read, “As they formed, Custer road up and drawing his saber shouted ‘Come on you Wolverines.’ This desperate as well as brilliant charge helped turn the tide at Gettysburg.” 

According to the tribute, by the end of the war, the regiment had lost seven officers, 95 men killed in action, 18 men dead from wounds, and 266 dead from disease. 

“Of the command offices of the 6th Cavalry alone, were two master masons,” Norris said, “A lieutenant colonel from Corinthian Lodge #241 and a major from Evergreen Lodge #9 of St. Clare. Beyond that there was a Captain in Company A, a Captain in Company B, a First Lieutenant from Company C, a Captain from Company F, a Captain from Company G, and Captain from Company H; all Master Masons.” 

VanAcker further elaborated on why it was right to honor the sacrifices of those who fought and died on Flag Day. 

“It is all together fitting and proper that on flag day we should pay honor to the sanctity of the flag and to pay tribute to the Michigan soldiers, many of them very young men who fought and died beneath them,” VanAcker said in an email to Michan News Source, “These brave, proud men considered their battle flags to be their proudest possessions and they were lovingly returned to a grateful state to serve as a constant reminder of their service and sacrifice and as a memorial to their comrades who did not return.” 

Save the Flags Project, which has existed since 1990, but changed its storing practices significantly roughly three decades ago, eventually moving its collection to the Lansing Historical Museum.  This year marks the first time that the project has been able to do on site flag repair in the Heritage Hall wing of the Capitol.