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The 11th Indiana Infantry Regiment was organized at Indianapolis
on April 25, 1861, for a three month term of service, then
reorganized and mustered-in for the three years' service on
August 31, 1861, with Col. Lewis Wallace as its commander.
In the early days of the war many regiments assumed identities to
distinguish them from others being organized. The 11th was
recognized as a Zouave regiment similar to famous regiments of
the same name that fought in the French armies. Zouaves wore
distinctly colorful uniforms that clearly set them apart from
their counterparts.
At the war's start, Lew Wallace was appointed by Governor Oliver
P. Morton as the Adjutant General of Indiana. The son of
a former Indiana governor, Wallace was a gifted Hoosier. He was a
lawyer, veteran and statesman. All of this long before he
would be known as the author of Ben Hur. He resigned his post to
command the 11th Indiana Infantry Regiment that was one
of the first six regiments raised by the state for the war.
On May 8, 1861, two stands of colors were given to the Zouaves
during a memorable ceremony. They were the gifts of the
ladies of Indianapolis and Terre Haute. With much cheering and
singing of patriotic songs, the banners were given to Colonel
Wallace by a Mrs. Cady who had embroidered the eagle on the
Regimental colors. After graciously accepting the flags and
expressing his gratitude to the ladies, Colonel Wallace turned
and dramatically presented the colors to this regiment.
"Boys, then, will you ever desert the banners that have been
presented to us today?" he asked. The Zouaves splendidly clad
responded with a deafening, "Never! Never!" In one of the most
dramatic scenes ever witnessed on the Statehouse Square, the
Colonel ordered his men to their knees to swear they would never
desert the flag of their country or their regimental colors.
Five years later, Major General of the Union Army, Col. Wallace
had the honor and responsibility of presenting the Civil War
Battle Flags of Indiana's regiments to the State of Indiana for
safekeeping. His words on that occasion to Governor Morton
were: "...I have the honor to give you back their flags, with the
request that measures be taken by the next General Assembly to
preserve them immemorially. ...Put them away tenderly."
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