Contemporary National Guard units that were a part of the Confederacy and waged war against the United States during the Civil War will have to relinquish their battle streamers from guidons this year, according to an internal Army memo reviewed by Military.com.
The move is consistent with recommendations from the congressionally mandated Naming Commission, a committee formed to examine the Pentagon's references honoring rebels who seceded from the United States, largely to preserve and expand slave labor.
At least 48 units from mostly southern National Guard units have been directed to remove Confederate battle streamers from their units' guidons, which serve as ceremonial flags often held by a soldier in a formation. Streamers hang on top of a unit's flag and are awarded for participating in wars or specific battles ranging from the colonial era to the Global War on Terrorism. In total, there are 491 streamers set to be removed.
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Units with the most Confederate combat decorations include the 116th Infantry Regiment and 183rd Cavalry Regiment of the Virginia National Guard, which made up part of the so-called Stonewall Brigade, a large military formation commanded by Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. Following battlefield success in the early days of the Civil War, most of Jackson's troops died throughout the conflict, with only about 200 of the…
