6th Mississippi Infantry flag

This flag, which has been stored in the candy jar since before it was sent to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in the early 1900's, was reputedly carried by the 6th Mississippi Infantry during the Battle of Shiloh. A label inside the jar with the flag states that seven color-bearers were killed or wounded while carrying this flag during the battle. The 6th Mississippi sustained horrific casualties during the first day’s fighting at Shiloh. According to General Cleburne’s report in the Official Records, the 6th suffered 300 casualties of the 425 men it carried into the battle, earning the unit the nickname of the “Bloody Sixth.”