Custer's flag, Grant's sword among war relics in auction

DALLAS - Millions of dollars worth of Civil War artifacts will be up for auction this weekend in Gettysburg, Pa.

The victors will walk away with Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer's frayed battle flag and a diamond-adorned sword that was presented to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Each was estimated to bring a winning bid of about $2 million.

The two marquee items are among more than 750 that will be put up tomorrow and Monday at the site of the 1863 battle by Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas (http://www.ha.com/civilwar). Online and phone bidders will also participate.

The silk, swallow-tailed flag was made by Custer's wife, Elizabeth. The banner, which features crossed sabers, was at Custer's side at Appomattox Court House, Va., when Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered Confederate forces to Grant.

The flag was left at Custer's headquarters at Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota Territory, in 1876, when Custer and his men were wiped out at Little Big Horn by Lakota and Northern Cheyenne warriors.

Grant's sword was presented by citizens of Kentucky in 1864 to honor his promotion to general-in-chief of Union forces. The silver-and-gold sword contains a 28-diamond monogram and is covered with intricate designs, including engraved battle scenes on its 33-inch blade.

Civil War historian Gary Gallagher said whoever could afford to buy the items undoubtedly would have the resources to properly preserve them.

"If they take good care of it, it almost always comes back around again," said Gallagher, a professor at the University of Virginia.

The sword has belonged to the Donald Tharpe Collection of American History since 1989. It remained in Grant's family until the 1960s, when it was acquired by the collector Jay Altmeyer.

Custer's flag stayed within his family until 1956, when it was acquired by the historian Lawrence A. Frost, who kept it until 1990. Elizabeth Lawrence owned the flag until 2003, when it went to the collection of Thomas Minckler of New York City.

Other items in the wide-ranging auction include Confederate Col. John Thompson Brown's frock coat.