At 4:20 a.m. April 12, 1861, Confederate forces fired the opening shts of the Civil War upon Fort Sumter S.C. Within days, a war meeting was held in the City of Manitowoc. At that meeting, many young men fromt he city volunteered their services to defend the honor of the county.
These men took the name of the Manitowoc County Guards and for the next four weeks drilled daily at Union Park. On June 17th, the ladied of Manitowoc presented the County Guards with a beautiful hand made flag. In her presentation, Mrs. G. B. Collins charged the County Guards to stand by the flag:
"You go bearing with you this flag, the gift of willing hearts. In the smoke and din of battle, stand by it, because it is the "Stars and Stripes," the flag our fathers fought under."
One week later, the Manitowoc County Guards reported to Camp Randall, Madison where they became Company A, 5th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment. With them came the flag. For the next year they faithfully carried the flag into each battle and skirmish.
On May 6, 1862, the flag was placed in the commanding officers baggage and sent forward. It was promptly captured by a Confederate raiding party. The flag remained in Confederate hands until June 27th, when it was recaptured by the 8th Pennsylvania Reserve. It took another fourteen years for the flag to find its way back to Manitowoc. This is the story of its incredible journey.