The Gracious Support of the Hoeflingers

Save the Flags would like to thank Dave and Jan Hoeflinger for their recent visit to the archival storage space and also for their donation of a historic book to the Save the Flags Library. The book, “Gettysburg, How the Battle Was Fought” by Captain James T. Long, was published as a Gettysburg battle memorial in 1891, and included a wonderful map of the battlefield (photos below). 

This is the second time the Hoeflingers have stepped forward with a donation — they also previously donated a historic GAR Foster Post flag in 2011. The Charles T. Foster Post #42 was organized on February 2, 1882, with 46 charter members and was named to honor Charles T. Foster, the first man from the Capital city to volunteer to fight in the union army and the first man from Lansing to die, while carrying the colors of the Third Michigan Infantry. 

The Hoeflingers are descendants of James Hamilton who was the last Post Commander, the last surviving member of the Post, and the last Lansing area Civil War veteran. He served in the Lansing-based Company G of the Twelfth Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment from July 18, 1864, to June 1, 1865 and died December 23, 1941.  The Post flag was handed down through the family and the generations and eventually to David and Jan Hoeflinger who very graciously donated it to the Michigan Capitol Battle flag collection.

(left) Dave and Jan Hoeflinger with the national presentation flag of the 12th Michigan Infantry Regiment. (center) The members of the Charles T. Foster Post of Lansing with the flag the Hoeflingers donated on the wall to the right. (right) The Charles Foster Post flag.