Palmetto Guard Flag Embroidery Patch

This Palmetto Guard Flag embroidery patch measures 3 inches x 2 inches.

On April 14, 1861, Confederates troops occupied Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor after forcing Union troops to flee. Private John S. Byrd, Jr. of South Carolina’s Palmetto Guard hung this flag on the fort.

The flag’s design consists of a Palmetto tree which is still on South Carolina’s flag today. The tree is in reference to the first Fort Moultrie, located on Sullivan’s Island, built from Palmetto logs. In 1776, during the American Revolution, the Palmetto logs absorbed the Bristish cannonball shots and it is said the cannonballs actually bounced off. The Palmetto became a central part of South Carolina’s Great Seal.