The lifeblood and spirit of a Civil War regiment was its regimental standard. Not only was the flag the point upon which a regiment would rally in times of desperation, it also served as a visible sign of what was occurring on the turbulent, ever-changing battlefield. Most all the hopes, dreams, and fears of Civil War soldiers and a nation at war are encapsulated within their silken folds.

Pennsylvania's collection of state-issued battle flags serves as an invaluable window into the nature of Civil War battle, and the horrors of Civil War combat. Many of the colors were riddled with bullets and torn by shells. Blood stains and powder burns remain as sobering reminders of the grueling ordeal, and the sacrifices made by the 620,000 men who paid the ultimate price. These are just a few of their stories.
 

• 51st Regiment – Battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862
  
  
• 130th Infantry – Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia,
  December 13, 1862
   
• 7th Cavalry – Charge at Shelbyville, Tennessee, June 27, 1863
   
• 150th "Bucktail" Regiment, Battle of Gettysburg, July 1, 1863
   
• 143rd Infantry – Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863
   
• 79th Regiment – Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia
  September 19-20, 1863
  
  
• 73rd Infantry – Battle of Chattanooga, Tennessee, November 25, 1863
   
• 10th Infantry – Pennsylvania and the Spanish Line, July 31, 1898
   
• 1st PA Rifles' Flag Returned to the Commonwealth, April 3, 2003