The Osceola times., 1877-07-14
OUR FLAG.
uissOry of the star Spanuie. Hammer =
How u Came tW be Adopted ~ tho
National Emblem.

History Of the star spanuIe. Hammer
How u Came t~ be Adopted ~ tho
National Emblem.
At the breaking out OF the revolu.
tionary war each colony clung to its own
color; Massachu setts to her green pine
on white ground, with the motto, "An
Appleal to Heaven" which motto was on
Putnam's red flag, displayed on Prospect
Hill in july, with the Connecticut state
motto beside 1t; South Carolina to her
blue banner with white crescent in the
upper corner near the staff, which the
heroic Jasper recovered and planted on
the battlements Of the fort on Sullivan's
island during the furious bombardment
by the British fleet of Sir Peter Parker.
There was probably no flag at all carried
by the patriots at Lexington, and it is
doubtful If they displayed any at Bunker
Hill. Accounts then published are silent
on the subject, and no flags are shown in
contemporary prints, though poet
speaks Of "waving streamers," and it is
said some of the volunteers carried red
banner inscribed "Come il you dare"
When late in 1775 congress prepared to
create navy nothing seems to have
been done about flag, and commanders
of vessels followed their own devices. A
favorite one was the rattlesnake, with
the motto: "Don't touch me-" other
flags carrying a mailed hand clasping
thirteen arrows. Indeed, the rattlesnake
came near of an election to the Ameri-
can escutcheon in place OF the immortal
cticken.thief, the eagle, one writer-per-
haps Ben supporting the
choice because the snake was purely
American and an emblem of wisdom and
vigilance, because it never attacked first
nor surrendered, being attacked, and be-
cause, while its rattles were distinct,
they were still firmly united and steadily
in number. Let us consider
whapa fourth of July would have been
with orators condemned to apostrophize
the rattlesnake amid the whizzing OF
Catherine wheels.
Late in 1875 Franklin and two other
gentlemen appointed to create a national
flag met at the camp at Cambridge and
adopted the kings colors (the red cress
Df st. George on white field and white |
,ross of st. Andrew on blue field), with |
thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, |
being the flag already adopted by the
East India company. No record is found |
IT congress having taken any part in this,
Tor is it known when the new flag was
ldopted by law. The origin of the
tripes is not satisfactorily explained. 1t
las been held that the new flag may have
,een suggested to Washington by the |
,anner Of the Philadelphia Light Horse,
which escorted him hither on his way to
That banner bore canton
{ thirteen stripes. blue and silver; also
hat Washington took the idea from his
wn ceat-of-arms, as shown in Brighton
hurch, or from the East India company's
ag aforementioned, or from the tricolor
{ the Netherlands. The "grand union"
az was hosted at the camp at Cambridge
an. 2, 1776; it also waved above the Vir-
inia convention which declared the colo.
les free and independent states.
Paul Jones claims to have been the
rst to hoist the flag OF America over
'gular man'of-war, the Alfred, though
ohm Adams, of course, disputed this,
|aiming the honor for Massachusetts,
ian. Mr.. Woodman thinks that proba-
ly this flag of Paul Jones was the new
triped flag, though Cooper leans to the
elief that 1t was the pine-tree flag with
rattlesnake and motto. The first naval
ictory uLder the stripes was certainly
ron by Barney, in the Lexington, April
4. l776, when after a severe fight he
aptured British vessel off the Virginia
hore. In July the brig Andreas Doria
obtained the first salute for the flag at ,
It. Eustatia. The Dutch governor was
'tterward removed for returning her
compliment. In the autumn the Repri-
val, carrying Franklin to France, first
showed the flag in Europe. A record of
Ihe time speaks OF the capture of an
a american privateer soon after the loss of
New York which only carried twelve
stripes.
After the declaration of Independence,
when the kings arms were taken down
ana burned, it was not possible for his
emolems To remain long on the flag, and
ensigns Of various devices are described
as In use during the land battles, while
tue omcisl banner continued to be the
grand union flag" 1t was on the l4th
y, oune, iIII, more than a century ago,
snat congress voted that the American
nag should be thirteen stripes, altern-
ate az red and white that the union be
.nlrteen stars, white in blue field, re.
pesenting new constellation" This !.
dsg, however, Was not new flag then
oeslgned, but rather the formal ador
OF one already in exisence nesrNs
)txclve'month. There H. mncb n.r
Ssexlty - TO the origin st.rt
mere u concerning 4 "s-;,..
IL has han 3pPcs.