The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-09-26
our SACRED THER TEEN.
Soma Curious Historical Circum
stances Connected With the
Origin Of Our Flag.

1t was at Philadelphia that the
present flag of the Z: lied State Wa,
chiefly d. veloped. The first trace ol
it occurs il, u letter from a secre,
emissary in France, who visited
Philadelphia ia the latter part ot
1775. He reported to this govern.
melt:
tine Americans have given w
the Bri ish flag, and have taken
for their devices a rattie>nske with
thirteen ~raltles, and a mailed arm
holding thsrtt Ell arrows"
There We ZEE the first idea pecu-
liar to the American fl ug. 1t is the
use of tn It mum ''er thirteen, which
exercised so electro a power over the
public mind. first in America then
Il France. Thus, Congress III 1775,
ordered thirteen armed ships tn b
fitted, II for each co'ony; then the
r%uttlesnake was provided with titir-
teen raft es, and the talous of til.
eagle with thirteen arrows; and IL
naliy the flag bore thirteen stripes.
The English We're not slow to bur
lesqne the American preference for
this g II IN .gical Autnbtr, as
W tness the following nonsense:
Thirteen is a number pecuii .r;y
belonging I o the rebe s. A party oi
naval p:i,on..s say that the rations
among The rebels are thirteen dried
CLAIMS per day; that the tltuiar Lord
S iriing takes tnirte-n glasses OF
grOg every morn NJ; has thirteen
ram-pun he. on his nose, and that
he ALWAYS makes tirteen d tenpt> ue-
fore he can walk; that MI. Wash
ingtnn has i III titled terl-caC with
thirteen yellow rings around his
tai" etc.
the first use Of thirteen strip IS up
or an Amer c n amer was pot
ably upon Il stand .rd that still ex-
lists, belonging to thu Philadelphia
troop of light house. It is brought
out a d displayed every year at thu
'rO"ps' anniversary dinner. W en-
Gen WASHINGTON went from Pt,iii:4-
delphia in 177o, to take the COM
mand at Cambridge, he was escorted
as far as New York by this tro.p,
and must have seen the banner ey-
ely day.
The thirteen stripes appearel in
the corner of the lag where the
stars now are, while the middle por-
ton is occupied by varions embiem-
atical devices. which he d not be des-
cribed. The Interest of the flag cen
ters in III 'se thirteen stripes, which,
seen by Gen. Washington ami his
companions for severa! successive
days, may have suggested that con-
spicuous and significant feature Of
tho American flag which it now con- |
tains.
1t was DR.. Franklin, a Phi!adel- |
phian, who had the leading part in
the first Am r;can flag
which distinctly TO, etold the coming
nation. He was the chairman OF the |
appointed by Congress to
consider this subject. H was u are
hand at emb'enatic devices.
Af'er comforting with General
Washington at the camp at Cam
bridge, the committee ad pied a Very
and beautiful combination.
both of LOYALTY and d III
ance. The ground of the flag was the
strires, but in the corner
where the stars now are. they placed
the old union flag of England. Co.
yress ha not yet declared the colo
MES independent, and hence there
a peculiar appropriateness iii
this two-fud device.
The splendid Htw flag was hcisted
Y e headquarters at Cambridge.
January ?, 1875, much to the content
of the whale army; for besides
being a brilliant and beautiful flag.
he Significance of its paris must
lave struck eve'y heholder. 1t 30
lappened that the kings speech
cached Boston that day, containing
and in~olent language towards
he aggriev.d colonisis. The
flag was ~ by the
officers in Boston, and
hey regarded i: as a sign of submits
ion. an in expectation which much
unused the commanding general.
'Farcira1 emo gh," he wrote, tive 1
ave great JOY to them without know t
az or intending it, +
This continued to serve as the flag :
f the strugy ing states until Satur- {
ay, June II. l777, when congress
assed the following resolu ion: t
"RcsolreR, That the flag of the a
Unit d States be thirte4n t
al ornate red and white; tina. a
le union he thirteen stars, white in e
blue field, representing II rev con- v
,llatiOn.' "
General Wade Hampton lost a leg
Y a niue. He il still a fine horse n
ian. He was marshal at Lexington is
irginia. on the great OCCASION of G
st week, when a burst of music * y
ted his horse greatly and he began f,
plunge, and, "a ng, he fell back v
his launches. An account in The g,
edmond Dispatch says: "The o
seemed t. totter and was fl
'out to fall Il the stone pavement, al
It ere the cry of alarm hai been fl
tered by those who were standing T.,
ar 10y, the gallant horseman had Ut
|ghted on his one foot unhurt, still a
'lding to the rein Of the plugging 20
imaI, and though ready hands III
ire offered to assist him, saying H..
ietly, L can manage him. the vet m
IN cavalrymsn, standing on his do
Iy leg, vaulted into his Saddle and wi
Ia ncnno.rnAa1u q CnCV tir