The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-09-17
A TOO NUMEROUS BANNER.
FoRr MCllENRy, Nh, August II
[ From our Army and Navy Edition.

From our Army and Navy Edition.
To the Editor Of The Sunday Herdit:
SIR: There can be no stronger evidence
of the materiastic tendency of tho age wo live In
than the delight with which modern criticism as
sails OF the most cherished ideals and sacred
traditions OF song and story. Most reluctantly have
we givon them up as ono after another they have
vanished Into the realms of fable before the light Of
modern historic research. rocahOnas tho incidents
OF whose romantic history have given inspiration TO
generations of poets and paipters Pocahonas whose
form and features, immOrtazed by art, were thought
worthy OF a place on the walls OF our National CAPT
tol AMI on tho viguettes of our groenbacks; Poca-
hontas, from whom some of our ue-bloOded +. +.
W were proud to boast descent tho ethereal, SDi
tue, the aesthetic syphlds of tho picture under he
dome Pocahontas - the historical icOnOclast has
shocked us by saying was nothing more than dirty
little squaw, squat and sluad, whose charms were
as cheap and morals as loose her rament scant
and her time badly spent In such questionable COM
pany as that Of "a man named Smith ~ aud his not
very reputable followers. Jeanne dare, 1t has
been shown, was mora of humbug than heroine.
Tho story of william Toll Is considered only good
enough TO toll to the Marines and Young America of
our day dscredts tho history of George Washington
and his little hatchet
These thoughts have been suggested by para
graph which appeared IN recent number August
81 of the army and NdUu journal. 1t IL to the
effect that the veriabie nag, the original stan Span
gled Banner, which iloated over Fort Mcllenry
during the bomhardmant of 1914, and which inspired
william s. Key to write our national anthem, was
In tho possession of Mrs. Margaret SandersOn at the
time of her recent death in New York. by her also
1t had been made when young girl In Baltimore.
and 1t had been preserved by her ever snro, - hav
Ing been presented tn her after the bombarimont
priceless gift.n
Now, by strange coincidence 1t so happened that
| about four years ago another lady died In New
| York, II Mrs deoreiana Appleton, Of whom also we
We're told that the "veritablo lagn which
had 'hoated, +" 'insplrci. q" etc., In her pos
session at tho time of her death THIS lady, IL was
| stated, had Inherited 1t from hor father, Major
Armistead, the commander of the fort during the
| b0mbarlmont
| few years previous tn Mrs. Appleton's death a
paragraph Went tho Grounds Of the papers ~ that
| the same "verltable flag ~ which had inspired Key,
| etc. had recently been sent to tho Navy Yard at
Charleston for repairs, from where or by whom not
| stately that originally 1t was thirty-sx feet by
twenty -four feet but from usage IL had lost -four
feet OF Its length that it had fifteen stars, oil
which had been shot away, and fifteen stripes, upon
| one of which was written the name of Col. George
| Armlsead, etc. , etc.
| Some OF your older readers may remainder having
seen still another 'veritahe nag - on exhibition In
| Barnum's Museum whan many years ago tho genial
| Snowman hold forth at tho corner Of broadway and
| Ann street, New York. How we'll does the writer
remember tle mingled feeIings Of awe, wonder,
| reverence, and patriotic enthusiasm which thrilled
his youthful heart and swellsd his youthful bosom Al
lie divided his attention Detwe0n tho banner Of glri
GUS memory, ''all tattcred and torn, - and joyce
Heth the venerable nurse of the immortal Washing
| ton. Tho 'wooily horse - the " Feee mermaid =
| and ''the beautiful horse and rider with the hinge
serpent colled around them ~ were for awhile en-
tirely forgotten.
II Is not the purpose of the writer to doubt tht
authentlcyOf any all OF these I" yertable flags,
or to question the yeracy of their The fac
that thore many original Star spangled Banner
In existence may be sspable Of explanation. How d'
we know bat shat moro than one may have waved
from the Flagstaff of tho Fort during the lombard
ment 1t perfectly reasonable 10 suppose that wha
| with
1.-THE rockets red glare, the bombs bursting Ia air,
many flags We're shot down. torn, disfgured
and fast each descended II became necessary
to replace It by another, 1t doubtless eagerly
seized by some of the patriot heroes present, who
| subsequently,