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LONDON, Nov 22, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Four battle flags captured during the U.S. War of Independence by a British officer 225 years ago will return to New York to be auctioned by his descendants.
The regimental colors seized in 1779 and 1780 by Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton have been hanging in the Hampshire, England, home of Capt. Christopher Tarleton Fagan, the great-great-great-great nephew of Tarleton.
Expected to fetch between $4 million and $10 million at a New York Sotheby's auction next year, Fagan told The Telegraph he's sad to be parting with them.
"They are an important part of our family history and we have had them for 225 years," he said. "However, there comes a time when their value is such that one can no longer afford to insure them."
One flag was taken in a British victory in Connecticut, while the other three were seized in Virginia. All are in excellent condition, the report said.
Only about 30 U.S. revolutionary battle flags have survived, all of which, apart from the ones to be sold at Sotheby's, are in museums and in most cases only fragments remain.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2005 by United Press International
