Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-06-22

in the case of Potter ; but a good many
people would be glad to have reliable aSsur-
ance TO the contrary.
The History Of the National Flag.
At the breaking out II the Revolutionary
War, each colony clung tn its own cOlors
Massachusetts had her green pine on a white
ground, with motto, An Appeal to IIeay-
en- :" South Carolina. her hlne banner with
a white crescent in the upper eoracr near
the staff There was probably 10 ia: at all
carried by the patriots at Lexington, and it
Is doubtful il they displayed any at Bunker
Hill. Accounts then published are silent on
the subject, though it Is said some Of the
volunteers carried red blnnfs inscribed
Come, if you dare. When late 10 l777j
Congress prepared to crcst. navy,
nothing seems 10 have be,n done about
flag, and commanders OF yCs-cl- followed
their own devices. \ lavorite one was the
rattlesnake, with the motto Don't touch
me, other flags carrying mailed hand
elasping thirteen arrows. Indeed, the rat
les ke came near ofan election to the Amer
lean escuteheon IN place Of the immortal
ehieken-thiei, the eagle, one writer-per-
haps Ben Franklin-supPortius 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 because, while its rattles were
distinct, they were still firmly united and
steadily increased in number.
Late in l77115 Franklin and two other gen
tlemen, appointed to create national flag,
met at the camp at Cambridge and adopted
the King eolors (the rcd erosS Of ST. George
on white field and white cross Of 81. Ar
drew on a blue feld), with thirte. n stripes,
alternate red and white, being tie dl- al
ready adopted hy the East lndiI Company.
No record Is found OF Congress having taken
any part in this, nor is it known when the
new flag was adopted by law. The - grand
union" flag was hoisted at the camp at Cam
bridge, January ,. l77G; it also waved
above the Virginia Convention which deelar-
ed the colonies tree and Independent States.
Paul Jones claimed to have been the first
to hoist the flag of America over a regular
man-of-war, the Alfred. Some authorities
think that this was the new striped Tag
though Cooper believes that it wis tie pine
tree flag with a rattlesnake and mott. The
first naval victory under the stripes was won
by the Lexington, April l., l17G, when
after severe fight she captured British
vessel on the Virginia shore. In July, the
brig Andrea Dora obtained the first salute
for the flag at 81. Eustatia. The Dutch Gov-
ernor was afterwards removed for returning
her compliment In the Autumn, the Ee-
prisal, carrying Franklin tn Frame, frst
showed the flag to Europe.
After the Declaration of Indepe ndenee. it
was not possible for the Kings en.blems to
remain on the flag, and enSisnS of various
devices arc described as in use during the
land-battes, while the official banner con-
tinued to be the grand union flag" On
the l4th of June, l711, Congress voted that
the American flag should be thirteen stripeS,
alternate white and red; that the union he
thirteen stars, white, in blue held
representing new constellation. Tins
| flag however was not new ddg, Their
designed, but rather the formal adoption cl
one already in existence nearly Il twrlSy-
month There is as much perI,exiry Is 10
| the Oriyin of the stars a. there + cuucern-
| ing that of the striIeS. lt has been >ug-
gested that they were taken, a, well - tue
| stripes, from the Washington euat-ui-arin~.
on which thev appear in chiei, or trp'u the
constellation Lyra. which contains gust
thirteen stairs and is the symbol of harmony
and unity but Washington himself nakes
| 10 mention of the matter. Mrs E">s. an
upholsterer of Philadelphia. Is claimed 10
have been the first maker of the Stars ami
Stripes and al-o Its partial designer In
| June, l1I6, II committee ct Cungit--. ar-
companied by Washington. called upon her
and engaged her to make iag tom rough
drawing they brought with them She sug-
sested some changes in the design. e pCcldliy
| that the stars he made tVe-pOinted instead
| of six-pointed following the French form.
while adoption of the English prartIrc gave
| Us the >ix-pDinted star un our cuIndEe), and
| Washington himself drew the new sketch N
| her back Iarlor Mrs. Ross afterwards waS
| appointed Ing maker tO the Government.
The banner did not come immediately in
| to general use. for in the middle ut October,
l.16, Captain Richards i found asking the
| philadeIrhia council what culurS should he
| rsed hv The fleet IL was prnlably nnwn at
| Trantnn Gor p-,le'S picture shows it. and
| tho artist commanded 4 com1anv in that
battle. 1t wa, displayed at the tir>t Fourth
| of JuIv cclebratinn in Phihdclphia. l,-..
and in the February cl the following wear 1t
WAS first Saluted bv foreign
nower P,ul ,Ione~. in the Ranger.
r,nroving s,me vessel utn Qui-
b,rnn and ,htainiuS a salute frnM the
Fr,n,.b Admiral Fnur yrars later he hoist
oil II over the first American hin Of the
line ,meri,., Apru-t :. III. the frs
land yirt,rv WIS won under the S,iiS and
| Str;nes ON the occasion or the British attack
ON Fort S,.buyler. the tns beng An extern
porized one. made from the glrr,>,r~ shirts
Tins homemade hahher was h''-'y' ",I
Nv, mi T'n ,,,''. a,IrI tw" .,,rs and tno
STRINGS IN fbe tlnr lrhe change takiu, ,ic,t
in Nav. l79jl Tor Vermont and Kentucky.
the act being pissed only after o'n~ll'rahe
uooa,I' "S -.,;.,;,,.,I I'm,
Ti,o No. - ISIS.Il vas f,u,,bt urisr tbi.
- L., ISIS q, I,ill r,I,,.i,,, tho strir,s
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