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Rest in Peace: Howard M. Madaus (1943-2007)

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  • Rest in Peace: Howard M. Madaus (1943-2007)

    Friends,

    I am sad to report that our beloved Howard M. Madaus, the foremost aurthority on Civil War flags died of liver failure and Parkinson's Disease just before 9:00 PM on Saturday July 21 at his home in Cody, Wyoming. Pat and one of their daughters were at his side when he passed away. I worked with Howie at the Milwaukee Public Museum for several years during the 1980s. He was a history curator and I was the museum's registrar. We produced an exhibit together in 1985 on Milwaukee's own Company F of the 29th USCT at the Battle of the Crater. We used the two brigade flags of the black 4th Division of the 9th Corps for the exhibit, one being from the Museum's own collection and the other on loan from West Point. Working with Howie was a sheer pleasure, and I considered it an honor to learn from one of the brightest stars in the profession. I remember his Wisconsin license plate, "6th WIS" attached to his old blue Ford van in the staff parking lot at MPM. Howie was a great friend and colleague with a phenomenal memory and an outgoing jovial personality. He made our after hours staff social gatherings legendary.

    Howie was one of the world's best resources on practically anything involving the Civil War and historic weaponry, but his forte was flags. He authored the well known Flags of the Army of Tennessee and had been working on another book when his health began to fail some months ago. He was a great contributor to the History Channel's "Civil War Journal," "Tales of the Gun," "Real West," and other television and film projects. He was also instrumental in helping artists like Don Trioni create magnificently accurate scenes. Almost every one of Trioni's paintings that featured a flag had Howie's seal of approval. One of his most recent contributions was to Bob Mayberry's Flags of Texas for which Howie was an indespensible wealth of information. Many of those flags are now on exhibit at Ray Richie's Texas Civil War Museum in Fort Worth. I was visiting with Ray at his museum about three weeks ago when he told me of Howie's rapidly deterioriating condition.

    Howie was a scholar's scholar, but he was also perhaps the original "stitch-counting" reenactor. He had the distinction of having participated in the Civil War Centennial reenactments of 1961-1965. He was instrumental in helping several Civil War reenactment groups get started and sustain themselves, and helped many groups and individuals, myself included, maintain the highest standards of dress and equipment. He will be sorely missed by all of us whom he touched.

    I am sorry to go on and on about this man, but please understand, Howie was a fine example of material culture scholarship, friendliness and generosity. He was all of those things, and many other fine qualities too numerous to list here. Howie was also my friend. Pat, his widow asked me to pass this news on to those of you who knew and knew of Howie. Please keep Pat and their three daughters in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

    Thanks,
    Henry B. Crawford
    Co. F 29th USCT
    Henry B. Crawford
    Curator of History
    Museum of Texas Tech University

  • #2
    Re: Howard M. Madaus: Civil War flag expert and then some

    Comrade,

    Thank you for posting this sad news. I had the pleasure of meeting him once, and talking with him several times about esoterica regarding flags and all sorts of CW-related items. He was a wealth of information as well as advice, and I am greatful to have been fortunate to draw on some of it.

    My condolences to his family and all his friends.
    Tim Kindred
    Medical Mess
    Solar Star Lodge #14
    Bath, Maine

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Howard M. Madaus: Civil War flag expert and then some

      Howie Madaus I knew personally for years and he can be counted amongst the early pioneers in Civil War material culture. On the subject of Confederate flags he was the expert. Howie was working on a new book on the flags of the Army of Northern Virginia, but no longer--- As a freind and comrade Howie was the best there was, and now he is gone... but never forgetten.

      Tom Arliskas
      CSuniforms
      Tom Arliskas

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Howard M. Madaus: Civil War flag expert and then some

        Thank you for the notification.
        Howie was a very learned and unique individual. His scholarship was deep, and some of the best stories can never be told.
        At the 125th Gettysburg it was hot, literally. Yet Howie gathered wood in the 100 degree plus heat, wood he said was for his cooking fire, lots of wood. Seems the wood he was gathering was full of original minie balls. There had been a storm before the event, and the NPS thoughtfully donated wood for reenactor camp-fires not realizing many of the felled trees were survivors of the 1863 battle. Howie knew and gathered all he could in the scorching heat.
        Madaus luck?
        His mold is broken.:(
        Steve Sullivan

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Howard M. Madaus: Civil War flag expert and then some

          Hi gents,

          Thanks for sharing the news. Howie was instrumental in furthering the understanding of the uniforms of the Iron Brigade as well in his Appendix III titled "The Uniform of the Iron Brigade at Gettysburg" in Lance Herdegen's book In the Bloody Railroad Cut at Gettysburg . Also as stated his work on flags was top notch and along with Richard Zeitlin they wrote Flags of the Iron Brigade. Here is a Website Link of his excellent work.



          Howie was a great gent whom I had some good times with and I am sure many of the Ol' Sipley Mess boys can go on with some of his great stories.

          Howie will be missed and we will keep him and his family in our prayers.
          Last edited by TKlas; 07-23-2007, 07:46 AM. Reason: Spelling
          Tom Klas
          Hard Head Mess
          Citizens Guard

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Howard M. Madaus: Civil War flag expert and then some

            Im still stunned by the news of this, I had known Howie had been ill for some time, but didnt realise it was this bad. Howie is irreplacable, his work on Confederate flags is unrivaled and he was the man you went to if you had any questions. His work on the Battleflags of the Army of Tennessee is very good, but he had said that he had collected enough to make a new book that would have been three or four times as thick, plus as Tom already mentioned his work on the ANV.
            Howie also had done extensive research on CW era firearms and helped us a few years ago at Chickamauga when overhauled the Fuller Gun Collection. We have truely lost a treasure with his passing.

            For those who are unfamilar with his work, check www.confederateflags.org Howie was a major contributer to this site.



            Lee
            Last edited by LWhite64; 07-23-2007, 09:51 AM. Reason: adding more info.
            Lee White
            Researcher and Historian
            "Delenda Est Carthago"
            "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings, Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

            http://bullyforbragg.blogspot.com/

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Howard M. Madaus: Civil War flag expert and then some

              Hallo!

              Yes, thanks for the news..

              Howard and I go back over 30 years due to M1855 and his being my source for Troiani prints in the Way Back Daze.

              I was just thinking on him last week while watching a flag special on PPS, and that his illness had progressed.

              Sigh.

              Curt
              Curt Schmidt
              In gleichem Schritt und Tritt, Curt Schmidt

              -Hard and sharp as flint...secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.
              -Haplogroup R1b M343 (Subclade R1b1a2 M269)
              -Pointless Folksy Wisdom Mess, Oblio Lodge #1
              -Vastly Ignorant
              -Often incorrect, technically, historically, factually.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Rest in Peace: Howard M. Madaus (1943-2007)

                This is a late post, but I just now read his obituary in the Milwaukee Public Museum's newsletter and thought I would do a search to see if anyone had posted it. I was stunned to hear this. I had been corresponding with Howie earlier this year concerning an Army of Northern Virginia flag in our museum's collection. I had known Howie since about 1985 and had tried to keep in touch with him after he went to Wyoming and later Pennsylvania. I had no idea he was so ill.
                Scott Cross
                "Old and in the Way"

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