The Osceola times., 1877-07-14

Ross, an upholsterer of Philadelphia, is
claimed to have been the first maker of
the stars and stripes, and also its pardal
designer. In June, 1856, a committee
of congress, accompanied by Washington,
called upon her and eugr ged her to make
flag from rough drawing they brought
with them. She suggested some changes
in the design, especially that the stars
be made five-pointed instead of six
pointed, following the French form,
while adoption of the English practice
gave us the six-pointed star on our coin
age), and Washington himself drew the
new sketch in her back parlor. Mrs. Ross
afterward was appointed hag-maker to
the government, and she was succeeded
by relative, who continued in Office
till about thirty years ago. 1t is men
toned as a bit of gossip concerning
Washington and the flag, that not alone
were the stars and stripes on his coat-of-
arms, but the colors were all in his
christening robe, now in the possession
OF Mrs. Lewis, of Woodlawn, Va, which
is of white silk, lined with crimson silk,
and decorated with blue ribbons.
The banner did not come Immediately
into general use, for in the middle of
October, l776, Capt. Richards is found
asking the Philadelphia council what
colors should he used by the fleet. 1t
was probably flown at Trenton, for Peale's
picture shows it. and the artist COM
manded a company in that battle. 1t
was displayed at the first fourth of July
celebration in Philadelphia, 1777, and in
the February Of the following year it
was first saluted by foreign power.
Paul Jones, in the Ranger. conveying
some vessels into Quiberon and obtaining
a salute from the French admiral. Four
years later he hoisted it over the first
American ship of the line, the America
August 2, l777, the first land victory
was won under the stars and Stripes on
the occasion of the British attack on
Fort Schuyler, the flag being an extern.
porized one, made from the garrison s
shirts and from a blue cloak taken at
Peekskill. The homemade banner was
hoisted over five English colors captured
in sally. In January, 1881, Rathburne,
in Providence, with fifty men, swooped
on Nassau, n. p, took the fort, spiked
its guns and hoisted the American flag
for the first time over foreign fortress.
Five vessels disputed the homer of first
giving it to the winds in London. In
1892 the Columbia, Capt. Gray, of
Boston, carried it for the first time around
the world, and planted it on the Pacific
coast, at the mouth of the great river to
which he gave the name OF his vessel. The
Franklin, Salem vessel first displayed
it in Japanese waters in 1893. In 1894
congress added two stars and two stripes
to the flag (the change taking effect in
May, 1891 for Vermont and Kentucky,
the act being passed only after consider
able debate, its opponents believing that
the flag should be preserved in its origi-
nal form in perpetuity. The war OF
lSl2-l4 was fought under this banner.
In 1918, a bill reducing the stripes to
the original number of thirteen, and
directing the adoption OF stars equal to
the number of the states, a new star to be
added on the fourth of July next sue
ceeding the admission of each new state,
was passed and approved. This was the
design of Captain Samuel c. Reid, who
in 1914 defended so heroically the brig
General Armstrong against superior
British force in Fayal roads, thoug Oh his
suggestion that the stars be arranged in
enc large star was not formally adopted.
The stars in the unions of flags used by
the war department are generally thus
arranged: in the navy flags they are in
variably set in parallel lines. The blue
union used separately is the union jack.
The revenue flag, adopted in 1899, has
sixteen perpendicular stripes, alternately
red and white, with white union bear.
ing the national arms in dark blue. The
union used separately is the revenue
jack. The yacht flag is the same as the
national Aag, but on the blue union it
bears white foul-anchor in circle of
thirteen states.