LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Confederate flag carried by Lynchburg soldiers during the Civil War is the last of its kind.
"The flag got captured about a week before the surrender. So the flag never made it to Appomattox and thus never made it back to Lynchburg," Kevin Shroyer, president of 11th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Co. G "Lynchburg Home Guard" Inc., said.
The flag is sitting in the basement of the American Civil War Museum in Richmond.
Shroyer and group members of Lynchburg's 11th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Co. G "Lynchburg Home Guard" Inc. said it's been a decades-long process to get the flag back to the Hill City.
The group paid $12,000 to have it conserved.
"I was under the impression, as of Dec.1, the flag would be hanging in the Lynchburg museum," Shroyer said.
Now some board members with the Lynchburg Museum are having second thoughts.
"Some people just expressed about what it is in considering that we're so close to Charlottesville. Considering that it's different than any other flag in the history of America," Ted Delaney, director of Lynchburg Museum, said.
"That's not what this flag is about. I'm sorry, but you ask for my opinion. That's my opinion. And I understand what some people's impression of the flag can be," Shroyer said.
The board is researching the flag's history and ties to Lynchburg. Leaders with the museum said before putting it on display they need the public's opinion.
"This is a time to speak up if you have strong feelings about it. Especially if you live in Lynchburg or in our area," Delaney said.
Shroyer tells 10 News the contract is to have the flag on display in Lynchburg for a year, before it permanently heads to the museum in Appomattox.
"My ultimate hope is that Lynchburg does the right thing for the right reasons. That flag is essential part of Lynchburg history," Shroyer said.
If you have opinions you want to share with the museum contact the director at ted.delaney@lynchburgva.gov.