U.S.S. Lafayette Civil War Era Swatch From Original "Summer Cover" Flag, 1863 For Sale

U.S.S. Lafayette custom display with fabric swatch from undecorated white canvas flag, marked on the sleeve "La Fayette 1863 [summer cover].”

The Lafayette was an ironclad ship, originally crewed by navy personnel under army command. It was commissioned in 1863 as part of the Mississippi River Squadron to control western waterways, Vicksburg and the Gulf. It took 17 direct hits and survived. She continued to attack Confederate forts during the Red River operation. The summer heat restricted gun crew operations leading to the development of the sun cover in 1863 to cool the gun crews - this was a novel development to optimize gun operations.

The present fabric swatch measures approximately 1" x 1" and has been affixed to an 8 x 10 inch custom print. Provenance: From the archive of the Flag Heritage Foundation, Lexington, MA.