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Sultanate of Sulu, Moro Provence, Battle Flag, 1899, Captured by Captain Lucien G. Berry, US Vols....
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Sold on Nov 13, 2023 for:
$8,437.50
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Description
Sultanate of Sulu, Moro Provence, Battle Flag, 1899, Captured by Captain Lucien G. Berry, US Vols. This 18.75" X 24.5", hand sewn, cotton flag, decorated with local weapons and symbols, is typical of the flags used in the Philippine Islands by the Moro insurrection.The average American has perhaps little knowledge of the Spanish American War, and even less about the bloody insurrection which continued in the Philippines for years after that conflict ended. The Philippines were ceded to the United States as part of the War's settlement, and scattered resistance continued to the American occupation for several years. By 1902, President Roosevelt declared the rebellion largely subdued, but the inhabitants of Moro province would not yield. Their resistance continued for over a decade until reforms initiated by military governor John J. Pershing largely succeeded in pacifying the region.
The insurrectionist were fighting for independence, initially from the Kingdom of Spain and then ultimately from the United States of America. All Moro flags were vernacular. As they were made locally, they were generally field expedients and betray the great haste in which most were made. Ironically, the flag, which was popularized in 1899, drew its influence from the Stars & Stripes, putting a white star for each island in a blue canton. Represented islands include Kalimantan, Sabah, Palawan, Basilan and Sulu, all of which had been part of the historic Sultanate of Sulu, which sought to retain its independence.
This flag was captured in the Philippines on December 19th, 1899 and returned to the United States alongside other war trophies and souvenirs, by Captain Lucien G. Berry (1863-1937), the Adjutant of United States Volunteers, then serving in the Philippines. He was an artillery officer who had a long career, retiring as a Brigadier General. Berry's descendants kept the collection until it was sold at auction in 2009.
Despite how much is known about the flag, it still remains something of a mystery. It had a typewritten note attached to it detailing its capture, "Philippine [sic] Insurrection Flag Captured at San Pedro Masantry on day General Lawton Was Killed." Oddly, no such location is known to exist in the modern Philippines. Whether it is a typographical error or an arcane reference to an old name is unknown.
Very few flags from this important if little-known episode in American history seem to have survived. Indeed we are aware of no other Moro flag appearing at auction.
Condition: Soiling and thread bare.
Provenance:
Acquired at auction from Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas Texas, December 2009. From the Zaricor Flag Collection.
View all of [The Zaricor Flag Collection ]
Auction Info
2023 November 13 - 14 Americana & Political Signature Auction Signature® Auction #6276 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
November, 2023
13th-14th
Monday-Tuesday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 8
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 425
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