Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-06-25
Mistellanu.
Flags

heroic daring; IN some instances OF freedom,
The waving flag is said to have been in
-r. Iaccd by the Saracens, before which time
crsi,ns OF war were generally extended on
Sr.,.-uieces Of wood. The lig acquired its
rre-elt form in the sixth century in Spain.
The " cross of St. George 2" has been the
t,4,e both of5kings of Britain and the ma
-on from the time Of Edward Ill. Its use
W., for a whlle nearly superseded by the
roses" but revived upon the termination
Of the wars between the rival houses.
The eagle used in the French armies at
tbi. day as a regimental standard is wrought
from rure gold, ard valued intrinsically at
stout TWO thousand dollars each. The rib
Ion attached is of silk, five inches wide,
three feet long, and richly embroidered. 1t
was introduced into the French army by Ma
nIc,n -, but alter bis fall it was abandon
i8. and again adopted by Napoleon III
TINS standard was conspicuous feature in
the late war, and proved to be much COW
rtcd ur5ze among tle G-rman sOldIery, who,
il is cllImed, captured nearly two hundred
of them in the disastrous successive defeats
OF tie French.
In adJptIDg the eagle as a standard the
F.euca lave perpetuated the old Roman
spirit, which attached great alteration to
th. proud bird, and 50 closely allied the
el,c 10 the military destinies OF that nation.
Ecgardlng the crescent, employed as ma
tiJnal emblem, We have the following ac-
c,uit: =. As Is well known, the crescent, or,
Is 10 is usually designated, the crescent
mJutlnt. has long been j symbol of the
Turkish empire, which has thus been fe-
quln-ly styled the Empire of the Crescent.
inis symbol, however, did not originate with
the turks, tor long before the conquest of
Con-ttutlnop!e the crescent had been used
as om5icmtt.c of sovereignty, as may be
seen rom the still existing medals struck in
honor OF Augustus, Trajan, and others; and
wcare assured that it was the symbol OF
Btltntium. On the overthrow OF the en-
pre- Of NJ manned H., the Turks regarding
the crescent, which everywhere met theiI
eyes. as a good omen, adopted 1t as then
cllc! bearing The crescent is now useC
as an embem on the fl IS of Egypt, Tripoli
japan, Turkey, Arabia, Mecca, and Moru eco
The Russian and Austrian standards, ant
that OF Prussia, retain &he eagle as a symbo
o. sovereignty. The Russian double headed
eaglc IS the byzantine bird. The Prussiar
eagle is sngle-neaded. On each OF the stan
dards of Russia, Prussia, and Austria, the
eagle is black and displayed on yellow or
golden field. The Russian eagle holds
s.eptre in ITS right talon and globe in it
lett; the Austrian Gag ie is reversed in thi
particular.
The emblem Of the Mexican republic is ar
eagle and cactus, commemorative OF an Incl
dent in the early history of the Aztecs.
Several accounts lead to the belief that al
the battle Of Bunker Hill standards Of va
,tl,
From one statement we learn that " the
Americans displayed flag with the cross o
st. George, the ground being blue, and il
tie upper corner nearest the staff PIN
tr,r. Another writer says that Bunke
II II was fought under red flag, bearing thu
motto, " C1me, If you dare"
On the l4th Of June, III, Congress tool
action, VIZ: Res0ired, That the flag of tn
United States be thirteen stripes alternatel.
rtd aud h.te; that the union be thlrteen stars
pchde1q a b nc field, representing a nee0 c0nstet
Ia19u." 1t was also proposed to insert /
lyIt. about which the thirteen stars were
to ae grouped, as cmbodying the constel
lat o. Lyra," sIgnifylng harmony. But thl
suggestion was not carried out.
Inc bue field was taken from the Cove
n.uter banner in Scotland, likewise signifi
IL
U Colonies against oppression, and Incl
Gca,lliy involving vigilance, perseverance
a.d Justice. The stars were then disposed
in circle, symto izlng the perpetulty OF thu
Union, the circle belns the sign of eternity
Tae thirteen stripes showed with the star
the number Of the United Colonies, and de
noted the sub0rdinltlOn Of the States to anC
tLclr dependence upon the Union, as well a:
1 NhpN yllNla xHal
blending of the various flags used preViou
80 the war, viz, the red flags OF tile arm
aud white cJlors of the fl DatIng batteries
the germ Of cur navy. The red color also
which. VITA the Romans, was the emblem
Of defiance, denoted daring and the whit
purity.
Tie five pointed star from the heraldry 4
Holland, France, and Germany, was adopt
ed for tue f4s, but the designers OF the earl
coinage of tile United St3tts made use OF th
slx-p0intcd star, as found in English herald
language The size of the hlg OF the arm
Is SIX leet SIX inches in length, by four fee
four inches IN width, with seven red and 81
w lie stripes. The first seven stripes (fou
red ami three whlte) bound the square {
tie blue field or the stars, the stripes ez
terdrg from the xtrtmity of the field to tn
end of the fl z Ihe eighth stripe is white
extending partly at the base OF the field.
By the United Sta.co law OF January IL
1874. i5 was enacted :. that from and aite
the lst Of May, 1875, the flag OF the Unite
STATES shall be fifteen stripes, alternate re
aud whIte," aud "that the uuion be fltee
etars, white. in a lue field This was on
national hlg during the war of 1872.
On the 4th oil April, 1918, Congress altero
the haE by directing return TO the thlrtee
str'pes as follows:
,1e 1t ena ;;ei, etc, That from and alte
tho 18th day of July next the flag OF the Unit
ed States be thirteen horizontal stripes, a
teraate red AMI white; that the union b
twenty stars, white, ID blue field.
Aud he it further enacted, That on th
alm IS on Of Il new State into the Union, on
s'ar be aided to the union OF the flag; an
tina. such addition shall lake effect on I'll
4th OF July next succeeding such admission,
The return tJ the thirteen stripes was b
re-syn O. the anticipation that the aiddltIo
0L Il stIipe on the admission OF each Stat
would make the fla. too unwleldy- 1h
Old number OF stripes, also, perpetuated I'll
original number OF States OF the UnIor
While tue addition of stars showed the Un
lou III It's existing state.
The 20 istructinn of the first nation;
standard of the United States, as desigI
from which the - Stars and Stripes wer
aiterWard adopted, took place under til
personal direction of General Washington
aided by a committee OF Congress g at Tho
lzed to dcsign a sui able flag Tor the ration'
at Philadelphia, June, LIZ.
TINS took place 1t the resldence OF Mr.
Ross. a r,lat!ye of Colonel Ross, IN ARE
Street, between Second and Third, whel
Oeregal Washington and the committee cor
Ile,ei the cesign, and employed Mrs. ko'
to execute the work. The house is stl
Standing (No. 239,) Mrs. Ross was atterwa
Mrs. ClaypoIe. Her maiden name was Grl
CON-, and, accordiog to the fashion OF t.
times, she was called g Betsey."
BeJsey g iscom had, before the Revol
ton, acquired some krO Wedge of the " u