Company A, 2nd United States Sharpshooters - National Flag

This silk flag, smaller than most company flags, was made by women of Minneapolis and St. Paul for Company A. In the canton, the smaller stars are arranged to form one large star.

Due to the techniques sharpshooters used while engaged in battle, a flag would not be brought with the men into combat. This unit flag was used mainly for military parade and drill purposes.

Organized as the First Company of Minnesota Sharpshooters was raised in the summer and fall of 1861 by Francis Peterler, it later joined Colonel Berdan's Second Regiment of U.S. Sharpshooters. These select marksmen, known for wearing dark green uniforms, were involved in many battles of the Eastern Theater including Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Spotsylvania and Petersburg.