The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-12-09

new Yofk star
The Governors Island Museum.

N,
mack. the attendant, '.and with its
present staff. was carried at the head
Of the Second army corps. Army of the
Potomac, during the Wilderness, May,
5, 6, and q; the battle of the .Po,' May
10, and SpottsyNania, also. In its
present tattered condition it was borne
in battle for the last time during the
assault on the enemy's works at Spott-
sylvania, May IL. A few days after
ward a new flag was procured, and
this one was then presented by Gen.
Hancock to Gen. Mitchell, who was
with him in all those battles.''
Upon the opposite wall is another
flag with blue field, white clover leaf in
the centre. in which is a red figurehead.
This" said Mr.. MacCormack, ''was
the battle-flag of the Second army
corps. 1t was in use from May 10, 1864
until Nov. &c, 1864, and saw service at
Cold Harbor, in front of Petersburg, at
Reams' Station, and at Hatcher's run.
1t was presented by Gen. Hancock to
Col Isaac b. Parker. one of his aids"
Near this flag is guidon of battery
ID, of the 1st artillery. 1t is made of a,
strip of red and white silk joined, upon
which are the letters ~. s." with ID
underneath. 1t was carried in the prin-
cipal actions of the Army of the Poto-
mac in 1868 and 1864, and is the prop
erty of Capt. Thomas Ward, comman-
der of ID battery, quartered at the post.
Directly opposite is the standard of
the 163d Pennsylvania volunteers. Its
field Is blue, bearing the arms of Penn.
sylvania- This flag was taken by Gen.
Wise's brigade at New Market, in 1868,
but was recovered by Col. Loomis L.
Langdon at the fall of Richmond in
1865, when it was found in the capital.
As the writer stood and looked at
these silent witnesses of some of the
fercest battles ever fought, they
brought back vividly the scenes in
which they played such a conspicuous
part The headquarters flag was al
ways q welcome sight to soldiers, for it
gave assurance that the commander
was present; and when the Second
corps flag was in the field there was a
feeling of safety among the troops, for
they had faith in Hancock's ability to
As the writer looked at the stand up |
on which his hand rested he observed a
quaint old table, with carved, crooked |
legs. The top was square, except that |
the sides were cut in for several inches, |
forming a neat curve, so as to permit |
four men sitting around it to do so with |
great comfort 1t was covered with red |
cloth. Each corner, however, was |
bare, to rest cards upon, for it was evi- !
IDENTIFY a card-table. In front of each |
player there was an oval-shaped hollow
or bowl. for holding coins. This table
had evidently been used for poker-play-
ing, and the attendant was asked whose
table it was.
'.It was the property of Gen. Wash
ington," he said, land was presented
by him to Judge Berrian, of Rocky
Hill, N. j., where the general often
used it, we are informed, while on vis-
its during 1880 to 17S3-'
Upon this table appeared the name
of Washington, each letter representing
q neat scene from the life of the first
president. Upon the ''W'' appeared
the home of Washington at Mount Yer
not; likeness of Lafayette, in a stand
ing attitue, was on the letter "a" ''S'
represented Washington's headquarters
at Newburg: ..H'' the meeting of
Washington and Lafayette; Il" Wash
ington at Trenton; m" his headquar-
tiers at Trenton: &C. the capitol at
Washington; IT" the Washington
monument, completed as it was at one
time expected it would be; ''O," a bat
tie scene, an IN" the tomb ut Mount
Vernon All was executed with a pen
by Lieut. L. Edward Blake, who was
Il 4
In glass case is i copy of the orig
inal order posted on trees, fences, and
other places in Georgia, at the close of
fhe war, which read as follows:
HRADoUARrKRs MAcd& GA, May ., 1865.
Inpursuance of an oricr from the Secretary |
for the arrest of
EXTRA BILLY SMITH,
By command of Mai. Gen. Wilson.
E. B. BEAUMONT, Mai. and a. A. general. |
There is also an elaborate punch
bowl in the museum which was pre-
sented to the officers of the I'd cavalry |
by the citizens of St. Louis. 1t was
captured and taken south. When the
war ended it was recovered, and when
Gen. Fitz-Hugh Lee recently visited the
island he recognized it at once, and
smilingly said: "Yes, have drank of .
its contents
Beside these curiositieS are many rel | i
les from Jerusalem and from the battle |
fields of Waterloo, Mexico, and the
western plains.
Two land grants, one bearing the IL
signature of Edwin Randolph, 1877,
iad the other that of r. Henry, 1856. d
IRE contained in a glass case among II
'ther things On the top of the case is
! miniature bust of Gen. Grant
Among the portraits and pictures which
Ldorn the walls is an oil painting of
len. Hancock, executed Just after the
'attle of Gettysburg. He appears in
ull Major Generals uniform, and tho
'ortrait represents him with mustache
md chin whiskers, which were not un- T
ecoming to him. There is also a por- J
raft of Gen w. j. Worth, one of Gen. C.:
atkinson, another of Gen. Jacob Brown, | ,h
rho commanded at Plattsburg in 1912, tn
nd an unfinished picture of Gen. a
cott- Two original paintings, one %
epresenting the battle of Cherubusco "a
nd the other the fight at Molino del II
.ey, Mexico, both by one A. Tracy, are h
ung upon the west end of the room. n n
Leaving the museum and walking a n
hort distance to the south end of the N
flee of the ordinance department, the so
isftor rs shown Gen. Sheridan famous d
ar-horse, Winchester. Sheridan him ID
III subscribes to the following: thi
Winchester was of Black Hawk Iss
lood. and was foaled at or near Grand
apids, Mich, late in the fall of 1853, =
to the best of my infOrma-
ON. He was brought into the service
y an officer of the I'd Michigan cav
ry, to which regiment 1 was appoint
colonel on the 25th day of May, 1862.
lortly afterward, and while the regi- I
ent was stationed at the little town of ]
icnzi, in the state of Mississippi, he -
as presented to me by Capt. Campbell, ~
the name of the officers of the regi-
ent, and from that date until the close a.,
the war, he was ridden by me in o'
.arly every engagement in which 1 Le
ok part At the time he was given to y
g he was rising years old, so that
must have been in his twentieth year
len he died, on Oct. 2, 1878. He was
animal of great intelligence, and of
mense strength and endurance. He
ways held his head high, and by the III
ickness of his movements gave many III
rsons the idea that he was exceed ID.
sIy impetuous- This was not so. for
ould at any time control him by q