Linn County man recreates Iowa Civil War battle flag down to every last stitch

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - A Linn County man spent the last three weeks recreating an Iowa Civil War battle flag to bring to Prairie Grove, Arkansas, to re-create the 1862 battle next week.

Brandon Jolly re-creates civil war memorabilia including flags, uniforms, etc.; his latest was that of the 19th Iowa Company C flag.

“This is an exact facsimile of how the original was laid out,” said Jolly.

Jolly used a projector to get the proper size of each piece of fabric, making sure the stars were all in the exact right spot, and that the flag was the same size as the original.

“Part of what we do as living historians is re-create what the individual soldier and regiment as a whole would have looked like,” he said.

Reenacting and recreating history is something of a family affair for Jolly.

“My dad wanted to get involved in Civil War reenacting and thought that was cool, and I thought my dad was really cool,” he said.

However, the meaning grew deeper after fighting for the flag himself. He served in the 9th Army Psychological Operations Battalion and deployed to Iraq in 2007.

“In Iraq, I flew a lot of flags for my family members and gave them to family members in honor of them,” said Jolly.

For Jolly, the Civil War has a special meaning that goes beyond the Union and the Confederacy.

“Both sides are Americans,” he said.

It’s about remembering all those who have fought for the flag.

“The flag has changed a lot over the years as far as the number of stars and the stripes that are on it, but the soldiers that have fought under the flag haven’t changed in generations,” he said.

After the re-enactment next week, the flag will be on loan to the Washington County Military Museum.

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