Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1877-07-14
OUR FLAG.



National Emblem.
At the breaking out of the rev0lu-
tionary waf each colony clung to It's own
color; Massachusetts, to her green pine
on a white ground, with the motto, IAN
| Appleal to Heaven, which motto was on
Putnan's red flag, displayed on Prospect
Hill in July, with the Connecticut state
motto beside it; 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 battIemcnts 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 "waying streamers" and it is
said some of the volunteers carried a red
banner inscribed "Come if you dare"
When late in ITS congress prepared to
create a navy nothing seems TO have
been done about flag, and commanders
of vessels followed their own devices. A
fayorite one was the rattlesnake, with
the motto: "Don'J touch me" other
| flag, carrying a mailed hand clasping
thirteen arrows. Indeed the rattlesnake
came near of an election to the Amer-
can escutcheon in place of the immortal
/ ,4I I,.lra of an
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
increased in number Let us consider
what fourth of July would have been
with orators condemned to apOstrophize
the rattlesnake amid the whizzing of
Catherine wheels,
Late in 1775 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
Of st. George on a white field and white
| Gose of St Andrey on a blun faId\ with
4,irtrru strjnes. alternate rod anI T,f;,a
beinr the fac already adopted by the
Fast India 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 origin of the
stripes is not satisfactorily explained. 1t
has been held that the new flag may have
been SUGGESTED to Washington by the
hammer Of the PHILADELPHIA Light Horse,
which escorted him hither on his way to
Cambridge. That banner bore a canton
of thirteen stripes blue and silver; also
that WASHINGTON took the idea from his
own coat.ot-arms, as shown in Brighton
church. or from the East India company's
aac aforementioned, or from the tri.color
of the Netherlands The grand union y
A,o was hoistad at the campat Cambridge
lam. ,. 177G; it also waved abov. the Nir
cinia convention which declared the colo
MES tree ana inoePehaehV states
Paul Jones claims to have been The
first to hoist the Ilag OF America over
regular manot-war, the Alfred, thougl
John Adams, of course, disputed this
, claiming the honor for a Massachusett
, man. Mr. Woodman thinks that proba
, bly, this flag of Paul Jones was the new
/, striped flag, though Cooper leans to th
, belief that it was the pine-tree flag will
a rattlesnake and motto. The first nava
,, victory under the stripes was certainl,
won ky Barney, in the Lexington, Apri
H., l776. when after a severe fight h
captured British vessel off the Virgins
shore. In July the brig Andreas Dori
obtained the first salute for the flag a
, St. Eustatia The Dutch governor wa
> alterward removed for returning he
compliment. In the autumn the Repri
sal, carrying Franklin to France, frs
showed the flag in Europe. A record q
: the time speaks OF the capture of a
/ American priyateer soon after the loss O
, New York which only carried lively
, stripes.
&c ;,doro,dono,
Al'ti e'io "CS'"'"r'o" ,roro " totom Jnw
.T miTts ~ WY ~ !, n,as not ,o.sihIe for h;
'''i p"'l'.o, .ls,o;,, ~ rd,,o =, tho aac or
eIl'oleil's :" '.;''a'' ," "" ,n doser;ha w.,
euSisns v, l,n;n ,n;r ;rD", ,bo lnnd LnttIos mb;,
as III nSc u'Lls i ,"e ,nuoI lax" "T', to ho th
e ol5claL"a'he, ; @" 'o'Tt'"",U ~ as On ~ tbo A. A.
gTana % I9,D" Nv ro maS +or ,'' cont,rv Ur % or, m
0L o"ne, - ,'"t"J "'o'J t tbat tbo Nmcrcs sy
Sua' S iI Io,lit' o ,VG " trtea" str;ros & oI,nrr
nay snI"aU I nnd I' ,,h;to |'.'t that tbo nnion %
aIe M @ ieu ,r "uu Why nLito w "' himo y foIJ =,
InrleeG s."tS mm''c onnstolot;or ,m 'Go ' Tb h
PreSei,'l.,s d" "v" ." not oor9''io' mou aar tho
,"s, noTInv' lnt 'rothor %%' r' tSo nrmoI odontio
uC'Isaeu oS p"t r"'n,' ex;stonno exi ,o , neorIv
ol li,. Que ",lraLy an.Iy Thora ri , ~ nv nmcb no
.IeitV Ti, ,',,oto" az ~ tbo nr;o;n Of ,be starr
P.'A.'3 a. ,noorm;rm =" v tbot nr ,Lo stripe
T,'"iu L. - oo ooro.'i,in .'pmoStod thot tLay we,
,lm T., u"' ~ "'' moll I"aS oo tSo str;nos from n
,aNe; M a. we,a oot %a &C snr nrs am wbicb tbe
NaSnlus'o 'oh ,G'vot, f., ,,'1 ,n "" oonsteilotio
appear ~ E'le, VI ,,';m ;ms, t"t ,hirtoan sto
lytS Whlcn CoI'I'ns Jusy ..'' J wa" ,n;t
ana Is S, the Sylnp'i Llt ~ .I''nonl ""u Hm,s
but Washington hlmSelI makes max no nsi nleI