Company “K” of the 18th Mississippi Infantry Regiment Battle Flag

The 18th Mississippi Infantry Regiment was organized in Corinth Mississippi in June of 1861 and recruited from Yazoo, Coahoma, Madison, De Soto, and Hinds counties. Known as “Burt Rifles”, the men of Company “K” were organized from Hinds County and were named after Colonel Erasmus Burt who was the regimental commander of the 18th Mississippi. The Company “K” “Burt Rifles” flag was sewn by the ladies of Jackson Mississippi and presented to the men during a flag presentation ceremony held in front of the opera house that stood at the corner of Amite and State Streets in Jackson just before they marched to Virginia. Sadly, Colonel Burt became the first officer from Mississippi to be killed in battle when he was mortally wounded at Leesburg on October 21st.1861, and died five days later in the 7th Brigade Hospital. Lieutenant Colonel Thomas M. Griffin was promoted to Colonel thus replacing Colonel Burt as regiment commander. The 18th Mississippi went on to fight in many more major battles including Malvern Hill, Harper’s Ferry Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, and finally Appomattox Court House where the 18th Mississippi surrendered along with Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia with only 4 officers and 44 enlisted men still present and fit for duty. The Burt Rifles Battle Flag is now in the possession of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. It was restored in 2012 at great expense, funded by the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

This is a reproduction of the Burt Rifles Battle Flag and has a vintage, aged appearance. It is designed to look like the original preserved flag appears today (not as it would have appeared during the civil war). The actual dimensions are not exactly the same as the original flag. The artwork is visible on both sides, and the lettering reads correctly on one side only.

• One solid piece of printed, hemmed fabric
• Lightweight, 100-denier polyester that will fly nicely in the slightest breeze.
• Bright colors
• 4 rows of stitching on the fly end to prevent premature fraying
• Reinforced header with brass grommets
• Flag size: 3′ x 5