Plymouth advertiser. [volume] (Plymouth, Ohio) 1853-1988, 1853-11-12
The Flag Of our Union.

One thing has been established by Cap
tain Schuyler Hamilton's recent investi-
getions respecting the national flag, name
", that it meant, and was intended to
mean, UNION! Itgrew out of the Union
Jack. Its star of stars symbolizes the
UNION Its thirteen stripes are the record
of The UNION. From the thousand flag
s,affs and mast-heads it is ever keeping
alive the spirit Of UNION. Capt. Hamil-
tons work enables US to compile its brief
history.
On the 17th of January, 1776, the cap
tain OF an English transport, then lying
in the port of Boston, wrote home to his
owners: 81 can see the rebels camp very
plain, whose colors, little while ago,
were entirely red but on the receipt of
the kings speech, (Which they burnt)
they hoisted the Union Flag. which is
here supposed to mean the union of the
provinces" The captain could not, prob.
ably discern the devices upon the flag,
but he noted the changes of color, from
royal red to union blue.
A variety of flags were used by the
continensals, in the early months of the
revolutionary struggle. At the taking of
Fort johnson, Sept. 18th, IT'S, a pecu-
liar flag was employed, which Holmes in
his Annals, refers to thus:-'' A flag be-
ing thought necessary for the purposes of
signals, Col. Moultrie, who was requested
by the Council of Safety to procure one,
had large blue flag made, with crescent
in one corner, to be in uniform with the
troops. This was the FIRST American flag
(adds Holmes) displayed in South Caro-.
lina." The crescent, be it observed, is
an emblem Of sovereignty. On the TWEEN
tieth Of October, in the same year. Col.
John Reed wrote this order to Col. GLOW.
T er and Stephen Maylan: %" Please to f1
upon some particular color for flag, ant
signal by which our vessels may know
one another. What do you think of :
flag with a white ground-a tree in the
} middle-the motto, appeal to Heaven
This is the flag of our floating batteries ;
February ninth, 1776, Col. Gadsder
proposed the following design for nava
flag A yellow field, with lively rep
resentation of rattlesnake in the middle
in the attitude of going to strike, and th
: words underneath. Don't tread on me -
Many other designs for flags were pro
t posed, and several, as we have Just oh
served. were in use.
II was not till June 18th, I777, tha
E Congress passed the resolution whicl
D gave to the infant nation National Flag
That resolution was in the followin
8 words:
t I" Resolued, That the flag of the thi
S teen United States, be thirteen stripes, a
j. ternate red and white !; that the Union |
Thirteen stars. white in blue field repr'
senting new constellation" This W,
\. the flag of the latter triumphs Of the re
Il olu,ion. 1t remained unaltered till ia
70 uary 18Th. 1884, when the admission
.. two new States, added two stars to t
!, I" constellation" and two stripes to t
a rainbow" This was the flag Of Is
of the flag of Lake Erie, New Orlear
r. and the Atlantic Ocean. In 1918,
in following resolutions were adopted
,,s Congress :"-That from and after the 4
m day Of July next, the flag Of the Unit
,le Sta es be thirteen horizontal stripes
=. ternase red and white that the Union
dv twenty stars, white in blue field; q
Il that on the admission of new State
- - TO the Union, one stsr be added to I
of union Of the flag." The flag viii
- - aoated over. the " Halls Of the Mon!es
= mas" had thirty stars in the Union. I
present flag has thirty.oue.