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  31 STARS IN A RARE PENTAGON MEDALLION, MADE FOR THE 1856 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF JOHN FRÉMONT & WILLIAM DAYTON, ONE-OF-A-KIND AMONG KNOWN EXAMPLES. FRÉMONT OPENED THE GATEWAY TO CALIFORNIA STATEHOOD AND WAS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY’S FIRST PRESIDENTIAL C

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 28.25" x 22.75"
Flag Size (H x L): 9" x 12.5" on an 18.5" staff
Description....:
31 STARS IN A RARE PENTAGON MEDALLION, MADE FOR THE 1856 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF JOHN FRÉMONT & WILLIAM DAYTON, ONE-OF-A-KIND AMONG KNOWN EXAMPLES. FRÉMONT OPENED THE GATEWAY TO CALIFORNIA STATEHOOD AND WAS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY’S FIRST PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE:

Rare and exceptional, 31 star American parade flag, made for the 1856 presidential campaign of John Frémont and William Dayton. Frémont holds the important distinction of being the nation’s first Republican presidential candidate. The Republican Party had been formed in that very same year and campaigned on an anti-slavery ticket. It was an outgrowth of the Whig party, the Liberty Party, and the “Free-Soilers”, which simultaneously evaporated, plus a portion of the American Party (the “Know-Nothings”) who more vigorously opposed slavery. Former members of all these groups united in a common goal to impede the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the spread of slavery. "Frémont & Freedom" was the campaign slogan.

Only two styles of Frémont flags are pictured in "Threads of History: Americana Recorded on Cloth, 1775 to the Present", by Herbert Ridgeway Collins, (1979, Smithsonian Press). This flag is not recorded and remains one-of-a-kind among known examples.

Besides the obvious importance of its ties to the very roots of the Republican Party, the flag is important for other reasons. Chief among these is its configuration of stars, which are arranged in what I call a pentagon medallion. Most medallion star designs that were made during and after the Civil War have a series of circular wreaths, but this pre-war variety does not. It has a star in each corner, and the typical large center star. The center star is surrounded by a perimeter of smaller stars, which is surrounded by a pentagon formation. Finally there is a single small star at the very bottom, outside the central design. Other star patterns are known that feature a pentagon formation with various stars outside the basic pattern. Their collective existence and commonalities prove beyond doubt that there was some purpose in the star arrangement, though the reason is not yet discovered. One might logically draw a parallel between a flag with this design and the Pentagon building, which headquarters the U.S. Department of Defense, that structure was not built until WWII (1943).

It is interesting to note that another series of designs is known that are very similar. These feature the profile of a shield instead of a pentagon and there are various versions of what I have termed a "shield medallion".

The flag is printed on fine cotton and the lettering is overprinted in black ink. The original, hand-made wooden staff survives along the hoist end, where the flag is tacked to it in three places. Note the additional length of white that is present beyond the fly end and below the last stripe. This meant that there was a lot more white space than usual present on the bolt of fabric that was used to print the flag. The fact that these white areas were not trimmed adds visual interest to the presentation of the flag. I know of other pre-Civil War parade flags that share this trait, which is less often seen on later examples.

Of further interest in the pre-war date itself, and the fact that John Frémont played an interesting role in the settling of California, which was the 31st state. California, entered the Union on September 9th, 1850, immediately following the Gold Rush. The 31 star flag was official from 1851-1858. Flags made prior to the Civil War are extremely rare, comprising less than one percent of 19th century flags that exist in the 21st century. This is partly because, prior to the Centennial, our flag was simply not used for most of the same purposes we employ it in today. Private individuals did not typically display the flag in their yards and on their porches. Parade flags did not often fly from carriages and horses. Places of business rarely hung flags in their windows. Use of the Stars and Stripes for these purposes began to rise swiftly during the patriotism that surrounded the Civil War, but civilian use of the flag was not widespread until 1876.

Even the military did not use the flag in a manner that most people might think. The primary purpose before the Civil War was to mark ships on the open seas. While the flag was used to mark some garrisons, the flags of ground troops were often limited to the flag of their own regiment and a Federal standard. Most people would be surprised to learn that U.S. land forces were not authorized to carry the Stars & Stripes until the late 1830's (artillery) and the early 1840's (Infantry), and even then did not often exercise the right, because it was neither required nor customary. It was not until the Civil War took place that most U.S. ground forces even bothered to carry the national flag.

John Charles Frémont was born in Savannah, GA on January 21st, 1813. The illegitimate son of a poor, French refugee and a prominent Virginia society woman, Frémont improved his social status by marrying Jessie Benton, daughter of Thomas Hart Benton, a leading Democrat and slave-owner. Nicknamed “The Pathfinder”, Frémont led expeditions in the west both prior to and during the Mexican War. He is credited as being the first Caucasian to view Lake Tahoe, and he made the determination that the Great Basin didn’t open to the sea. During the Mexican War, he led a unit into California to defeat General Pico. In doing so, Frémont’s men captured the Presidio and the surrounding area, and though Pico was in Los Angeles at the time, Pico realized that the war was effectively over and later surrendered.

Frémont proclaimed himself Military Governor of California in 1847, only to be brought up on charges of treason by a higher ranking Army officer, but pardoned by President Polk because of his contributions to the war. Frémont went on to become one of California’s first two senators, and he became rich in the Gold Rush. In 1856, Frémont’s popularity and hard stance on the abolition of slavery led him to become the youngest man to ever run for the White House, and the first to run on an anti-slavery ticket. He was defeated by James Buchanan because the slave states threatened to secede and the nation as a whole was not ready for the great separation that would follow.

Lincoln appointed Frémont major general in May of 1861 and placed him in charge of the Department of the West. He personally fronted a good deal of money for the war effort, but was removed from duty for insubordination due to his freewheeling approach to the seizure of secessionist property and the emancipation of slaves. Republican allies supporting Frémont caused Lincoln to reconsider and reappointed him in 1862 to the newly formed Mountain Department, but Frémont resigned a couple of months later because of further differences. He was generally unsuccessful as a military leader, suffering several major defeats. He did begin another presidential bid in 1864, siding with the Radical Republicans, but eventually he withdrew and supported Lincoln. Frémont became territorial governor of Arizona in the 1870’s and died in New York City in 1890.

William Lewis Dayton was born in Basking Ridge, New Jersey in 1807. Dayton was an attorney and Judge who became a United States Senator representing New Jersey, serving the Whig Party in Congress from 1841 – 1851. He returned to law before being selected as the first Republican vice presidential candidate in 1856. After defeat, he served as New Jersey’s Attorney General from 1857-1861. He was then appointed Minister to France, a post he served until his death in 1864.

Mounting: The gilded molding dates to the period between 1820 and 1840 and is an excellent example with beautiful patina. The flag has been hand-stitched to 100% cotton twill, black in color. The black fabric was washed to remove excess pigment. An acid-free agent was added to the wash to further set the pigment and the fabric was heat-treated for the same purpose. A shadow-box was created to accommodate the depth of the wooden staff and the front is U.V. protective acrylic.

Condition: There has been some leeching of the acidity within in the red, blue, and black ink into the surrounding white fabric. I have seen this same trait on another parade flag that I attribute to the same manufacturer (the name of which is unknown). In terms of value, this is a mute point. The flag is exceptionally bold and its rarity warrants practically any condition.
Collector Level: Flags for the truest Patriots. My best offerings
Flag Type: Parade flag
Star Count: 31
Earliest Date of Origin: 1856
Latest Date of Origin: 1856
State/Affiliation: California
War Association: 1777-1860 Pre-Civil War
Price: Please call (717) 676-0545 or (717) 502-1281
 

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