The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1873-08-06
NO. g.

II, ITT6. In an agreement signed by
Paul Jones and the Captain Of hi:
Franc0-Amcrican squadron June
.11T6, it was expressly stipulated
that the squadron should fly the fac
Of the United States. So we NAV bC
sure the stars and stripes were down
in the Eight between the Richard and
Scraps as they had been in the fight
between the Ranger and Drake six
months earlier, as Jones himself sta
ted. The remarkable action between
the Bon Homme Richard and Sera-
pis, fought within sight of the shores
Of England, exercised as important
az influence upon our affairs in Eu-
rope as did the fight between the
| Kearsarge and Alabama in recent
times.
But the flag claims a higher signi.
fcanee, as there IS good reason for
believing, on the authority Of Mrs.
Patrick Hayes. the niece Of Mrs. Sa-
rah Austin, afterwards the wife OF
Com. John Barry, who had the story
from her aunt; it Is stated that the
patriotic ladies met at Philadelphia,
ia the old Swedes church, and under
the direction Of John Brown, Esq,
secretary of the new Board Of Marine,
formed or arranged flag. That flag
was presented to Captain Paul Jones
by Mrs Mary and Sarah Austin
(the latter the aunt Of Mrs Hayes
in behalf OF the patriotic ladies Of the
city. After its presentation Jones
was - enthusiastically delighted with
bis flag that be procured a small boat
and with it unfurled sailed up and
down the Schulkill to show to the
thousands on shore what the national
flag was 10 be. | have been unable
to ascertain the facts in the case, but
1t was well known that Paul Jones
commission to the Ranger, and the
resolution establishing the stars and
stripes as our national ensign, was in
cluded in the same series Of resolu-
tioas, and he left it on record that he
was the first TO hoist the new con-
stellatiOn over an American ship Of
war when be took command Of the
Ranger as be was the first 10 haze it
acknowledged BY salute from for
eign uation in February. lTTs, in
Quiberon bav, and that be wore the
the stars and stripes in the action be-
tween the Ranger and the Drake,
on May - following. Miss Stafford
is the patriotic elderly lady, whose
petition TO congress for a pen
tion on account of her fathers service
ninety-three years before, created q
sensation in 1872 The petition was
granted. Her house in Trenton Is a
museum Of revolutionary relics, and
her dOOr-plate Is ornamented with an
enameled portrait Of Washington.
Her faith in this flag is shown by the
fact that being unwilling TO entrust it
to any other hands than hers, she has
made the journey from Trenton to
Boston expressly TO enable me to ex-
hibit it to you, and viii return with
i. when this meeting is over
THE FLAG OF THE ENTERPRISE.
The next flag is that worn by the
( United States brig Enterprise in her
action with the British brig Boxer,
on September 4, 1918. II Is now
owned by Mr. H. G. Quincy Of Port
land, Maine. He truthfully remarks
in his letter which accompanied it,
that the flag which dying Burrows
requested might never be struck *
now almost struck TO decay, neglect
and old age, the devOwering teeth Of
time This flag, which was an old
one at the day of the engagement,
patched up only the day before the
action, as one of the officers Ofthe En-
terprise said, with a still older flag,
was given by one Of the officers to
Capr. Coolidge, who sent it TO the
old Portland Museum. When the
museum was broken up, and its con-
tents scattered and sold. Mr. Quincy
obtained possession Of the flag, and
has held it in his precious trust ever
since. He writes me loan YOU the
flag of the Enterprise with pleasure,
to exhibit with the other flags named
by you. 1t stands as high in the es-
timation of all Americans, especially
at Portland Bay, as either of the 9TH
ers." He says..that after the action
il bore the marks of ffty-nine shot
holes, probably chiefly from musket-
~. Can account was then given of
battle between the Enterprise and
the boxer.) The Enterprise sailed
from Portland on September 3, 1918,
and on the following day encounter
ed the Boxer. The Boxer had her
colors nailed 10 the mast Burrows
fell, but before lie died the sword of
the vanquished enemy was presented
to him. and he said Il am satisfied;
| die content Capt Blythe the
British captain also fell, and his re-
mains in company with Lieut.. Bur
rows were inferred side by side with
military hOnors. The body of Bur
rows was, at the funeral, covered
with the flag you see before YOU, and
the corpse of Blythe was covered in
like manner with the flag be did not
live to see lowered, and which is now
among the trophy flags preserved at
the naval academy at Annapolis.
THE ALAG OF FORT N'HESRY.
Last, but by no means least IN size,
and certainly not leastin interest from
the associations that cluster around
it is the flag Of Fort M'Henry, worn
during its bombardment by the Brit
ish. September Is and IA. lsl3,whOse
broad stripes and bright stars, seen
bv the dawn's early light. inspired
the words Of our naional song, The
Star Spangled Banner" After the
lapse of sixty years, its eolors, as
YOU see them, are so bright and IN
faded thatit would seem, ia the words
of another of our songs, as If "all of
its hues were born in heaven The
size of the garrison flags of our forts
at this time by army regulations are
thirty-six feet fly and twenty feet
hoist. The flag Of Fort M'Henry. as
YOU see it, is thirty-two feet long by
twentv-nine wide. Probably it was
originally thirty-six feet in length,
and its greater width is due TO Its