Author: James Breig

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Bio
James Breig is a veteran author who specializes in history. His most recent book is “Star-Spangled Baseball: True Tales of Flags and Fields” about the links between the sport and flags. He is also the author of a nonfiction book about WWII, "Searching for Sgt. Bailey: Saluting an Ordinary Soldier of World War II" and co-author of "The Mystery of the Multiple Mothers," a novel. All three are available at www.amazon.com. His articles have appeared in newspapers and national magazines, including the Colonial Williamsburg Journal (search for them at www.history.org/journal) and History Magazine. He has won many national awards for his opinion writing, media columns and feature articles.
History Lessons

Black troops receive flags

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On March 5, 1864, eight months after Northern victories in Gettysburg and Vicksburg, members of the newly-formed Twentieth United States Colored Troops assembled in New York City for a send-off ceremony that featured flags and ovations from tens of thousands of white people. The New York Times described the ceremony as “a thousand men, with… continue

History Lessons

Bearing a flag into gunfire

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Whether it was in battles at Antietam or Vicksburg, Gettysburg or Shiloh, flag-bearers were a main target of enemy fire during the Civil War. Killing one of them spread confusion and panic in troops because they had lost their guide into battle – and their route to retreat. February, Black History Month, is good time… continue

History Lessons

Of football, flags and Fleming

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Do you think the National Anthem is difficult to sing? So does one of the greatest singers in the world. This year’s Super Bowl was one of the worst ever, but the performance of the anthem was one of the best ever, thanks to opera star Renee Fleming, who was the voice of choice in… continue

History Lessons

Flag of global games

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The start of the Winter Olympics reminds millions of people around the world that the games are draped in flags. Each nation marches into the stadium sporting its own standard, and the Olympics itself has a well-known banner. The Olympic flag is simple: five interlocked rings of different colors on a white background. “The five… continue

History Lessons

Belatedly, Old Glory rises

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In late January 1946, the people of Town Line, New York, raised an American flag to mark the end of the war. But they weren’t noting the conclusion of World War II six months earlier. They were observing the end of the Civil War in 1865. Located near Buffalo, Town Line assembled 113 of its… continue