Iowa battle flags the subject of forum

Eighty battle flags Iowans brought back after the Civil War will be examined in a special forum today at the state historical building. A seminar on the restoration of the flags is part of “Iowa History Forum” day. Jerome Thompson of the State Historical Society of Iowa says about 20 people will gather in the lab where the flags are being restored. Some of the flags are riddled with bullet holes. Others have bloodstains. Thompson says they help tell the story of Iowans’ participation in the War Between the States.Thompson says the flags were used to mark a rallying-point for troops in battle, and the men who carried the flags were very vulnerable because they were not armed. Thompson says 175 Iowans will be at the state historical building today for the “Iowa History Forum” — attending workshops about the flags, family genealogy and the Underground Railroad.