2018 U.S. Flag Forever Stamps — Coils of 100, First-Class Postage

Issue facts

Issued: February 9, 2018
First Day City: Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Printed by: Ashton Potter & Banknote Corporation of America
Method: Offset
Format: Coils of 100 stamps

The Fort Sumter flag

The Civil War opened with a 34-hour stand-off at Fort Sumter, and the flag flying over it during that fight went on to rally the North for four years.

During the April 1861 bombardment the flagpole was shot down, and a single soldier went out under heavy fire to raise it again. When the fighting ended, the fort's commander insisted the flag come down to a 100-gun salute. The guns set off a stack of rifle cartridges by accident, killing two men and wounding five — the first casualties of the war, suffered while honoring the flag.

What happened to it

The battle-damaged flag was carried to New York City for a Union rally attended by more than 100,000 people, then toured cities across the North. In each town it was auctioned to raise money for the war, and each winner donated it back so it could be auctioned again in the next city.

It returned to Fort Sumter exactly four years after the surrender, as part of the celebration of Union victory. Present at the beginning and at the end — which is roughly what the flag did for morale in between.

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