An 1864 hand-painted flag that was carried into battle by the 127th Regiment, 1 of 11 African-American regiments from Pennsylvania that fought for the Union during the Civil War, has sold at auction on June 13, 2019, for $196,800.

The flag was purchased by an institutional buyer bidding by phone, Dan Morphy, president of Morphy Auctions in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, confirmed.

Believed to be the only survivor from the original 11 flags hand-painted by David Bustill Bowser, son of a fugitive slave, its distinctive artwork features the image of a Black troop bidding farewell to Columbia, the Goddess of Liberty. Above the artwork a motto reads: “We Will Prove Ourselves Men.”

“It was such an honor to have been chosen to bring this precious Civil War artifact to the auction marketplace,” Morphy said. “Its historical importance cannot be overstated.”