Rare New York City-Issued Battle Colors Receipt – 1st New York Marine Artillery, Dated New Bern, North Carolina, May 20, 1863 

Description

Rare New York City-Issued Battle Colors Receipt – 1st New York Marine Artillery,

Dated New Bern, North Carolina, May 20, 1863 

 

A scarce and highly evocative wartime document acknowledging receipt of a “Stand of Colors” furnished by the Committee on National Affairs of the New York City Common Council—an official civic body deeply involved in equipping and supporting New York regiments early in the war. The colors were shipped via Adams Express, a primary wartime carrier for military goods, underscoring the formal and logistical chain behind the issuance. 

 

The document is signed at New Bern, North Carolina, a key Union-occupied coastal base following Burnside’s 1862 expedition. By May 1863, New Bern functioned as a critical staging and supply hub for operations along the North Carolina coast, making it entirely consistent as the point of receipt for newly issued regimental colors. 

 

The unit referenced—the 1st New York Marine Artillery—was part of the somewhat unique class of New York “Marine” or “Naval” artillery units raised for service with coastal expeditions and amphibious operations. These troops were often attached to or operated in conjunction with the U.S. Navy, manning boat howitzers and light artillery in littoral campaigns. Their service was closely tied to operations in the Department of North Carolina and the broader Atlantic seaboard war effort. 

 

Colonel Wm. H. Brown (as signed) appears here as the receiving officer, formally acknowledging the delivery of the regiment’s colors—an object of profound symbolic and practical importance. Regimental colors were not merely decorative; they served as rallying points in battle, embodiments of unit identity, and markers of honor. That this receipt survives provides a rare administrative link in the life cycle of a Civil War battle flag—from civic presentation in New York City to field service in the occupied South. 

 

Documents directly tied to the issuance and transfer of regimental colors are notably scarce, particularly those connecting municipal sponsorship, express shipment, and field receipt in an active theater of war. The Marine Artillery association further enhances desirability, as these units represent a specialized and less commonly encountered branch of New York’s wartime forces. 

 

A concise, well-preserved example that bridges home-front patriotism and front-line service, with strong New York and coastal operations association. 

 

Transcription: 

“Received from the Committee on National Affairs of the Common Council of the City of New York, the Stand of Colors for the 1st Regiment, N.Y.S. Volunteers, Marine Artillery, forwarded to me per Adam’s Express, by said Committee. 

Dated New Bern, North Carolina 

May 20th 1863. 

Wm H. Brown, Colonel, 

——— Regt. N.Y.S. Vol.” 

 

Inventory Number: DOC 421