05/25/2026
Today we honor all those service men and women who gave their lives for their country. aka Decoration Day, evolved from the post Civil War practice of decorating the graves of veterans with flowers.
From the Civil War Flag Collections of NJ: National Colors, Third New Jersey Militia, 1861
This historic flag was made by the “Patriotic Ladies of Trenton” and saw important service in the first year of the Civil War. After the firing on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, President Lincoln’s call for troop included a request for four militia regiments from New Jersey to serve for three months service. The 3rd Militia was raised in central Jersey, from Mercer, Middlesex, Hunterdon and Monmouth counties. It mustered in for duty on April 27, 1861 with 780 officers and men. Immediately prior to leaving for the front, the regiment was given this flag, presented by Frederick R. Wilkinson “on behalf of his wife,” in front of their home on East State Street in Trenton on May 1, 1861. On view in "The Civil War Flag Collection of NJ."