U.S. ARMY, MEXICAN WAR, CAMPAIGN STREAMER, CHURUBUSCO, 1847

Description

U.S. ARMY, MEXICAN WAR, CAMPAIGN STREAMER, CHURUBUSCO, 1847
The Army adorns its flag with a separate Streamer for each important action in all wars in which it participated.  The Army currently allows 190 Streamers. This Campaign Streamer is regulation size at 2-3/4 inch x 4 feet long. This Streamer has a grommet at the hoist end (left side) to protect the material and provide a device to attach the Streamer to the ring holder and then to the top of the flagpole which is held in place by the top ornament (spear, eagle, etc)
Churubusco, 20 August 1847
General Santa Anna promptly made another stand on Churubusco where he suffered a disastrous defeat in which his total losses for the day-killed, wounded, and especially deserters-were probably as high as 10,000. Scott estimated the Mexican losses at 4,297 killed and wounded, and he took 2,637 prisoners. Of 8,497 Americans engaged in the almost continuous battles of Contreras and Churubusco, 131 were killed, 865 wounded, and about 40 missing.
Scott proposed an armistice to discuss peace terms. Santa Anna quickly agreed; but after two weeks of fruitless negotiations it became apparent that the Mexicans were using the armistice merely for a breathing spell. On 6 September Scott broke off discussions and prepared to assault the capital. To do so, it was necessary to take the citadel of Chapultepec, a massive stone fortress on top of a hill about a mile outside the city proper. Defending Mexico City were from 18,000 to 20,000 troops, and the Mexicans were confident of victory, since it was known that Scott had barely 8,000 men and was far from his base of supply.
The campaign streamers attached to the Army Flag staff denote campaigns fought by the Army throughout our nation’s history. Each streamer (2 ¾ inches wide and 4 feet long) is embroidered with the designation of a campaign and the year(s) in which it occurred. The colors derive from the campaign ribbon authorized for service in that particular war.
The concept of campaign streamers came to prominence in the Civil War when Army organizations embroidered the names of battles on their organizational colors. This was discontinued in 1890, when units were authorized to place silver bands, engraved with the names of battles, around the staffs of their organizational colors. When AEF units in World War I were unable to obtain silver bands, General Pershing authorized the use of small ribbons bearing the names of the World War I operations. In 1921 all color-bearing Army organizations were authorized to use the large campaign streamers currently displayed.
"The Army Flag and Its Streamers" was originally prepared in August 1964 by the Office of the Chief of Military History, in cooperation with the Office of the Chief of Information, and the U.S. Army Exhibit Unit, to provide general summaries of each of the campaigns displayed on the Army flag. It was subsequently updated by the Center of Military History to add the campaigns from Vietnam. This study covered named campaigns only and did not include the campaigns that were sometimes awarded to individual units for war service in engagements outside the limitations of the named campaigns (i.e., Virginia 1863). It only addressed those campaigns authorized for display on the Army flag.