American Historical Ephemera & Photography

10 1/4 x 14 1/4 in. silk flag with 48 stars configured in 8/8/8/8/8/8 staggered pattern (light scattered spotting). Handwritten inscription on stars: “Leo Cleary, Co A 304 BN Camp Colt Tank Corps, Gettysburg PA 7/18/18 for Edna.” Handwritten on the stripes are notations along with the names and hometowns of several men in Company A. Professionally mounted using stitch on board. 

The War Department established a military camp at Gettysburg in April 1917 to train soldiers in the use of armored tanks. Camp Colt, named for Samuel Colt inventor of the revolver bearing his name, existed less than one year and during that time was responsible for training more than 15,000 troops.

The commander of Camp Colt was captain Dwight D. Eisenhower who served from March to November 1918. Eisenhower had been identified as an officer with good organizational skills, and for that reason was assigned to command America’s first tank training center. He was instrumental in establishing a separate armored unit known as the Army Tank Corps and for his efforts was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. 

This flag has been exhibited at several museums and is documented in the book The Stars and Stripes: Fabric of the American Spirit, Richard Pierce, LLC, 2005 (page 67).