The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-05-26

expressed, tncy passed at par III sew
eral scaports Of Dixie "for at least a
MONTH" as Col. Capcrs carefully puts
it, "after they were issued" Several
large bills of exchange were bought
in London and Paris at par. But the
financial boom of the Confedcracv
didn't last long. When it came to be
August, '6l, the Canal and Citizens
banks in New Orleans were the only
oncs handling Confederate money at
par. On the 9th of August even thew
suspended specie payments, notifying
the Richmond authorities of their
intention two days in advance bv a
private cipher dispatch. Col. Capers
has the original Of this dispatch, in
pursuance of which the Government
made quite II saving speculation for
itself by buying up GALL the foreign
exchange it could lay its hands on in
New Orleans, Mobile, Savannah,
Charleston and Richmond during the
two days OF grace.
Col. CapCrS'S recollection of those
early days of the wan are II continuous
story of makcShiitS and CXpcdicntS.
The young Government lived from
hand to mouth. One Of the first naval
officers to report for duty vas Raphael
ScmmcS, afterwards commander of
the IiUbumU. lie was on hand before
they had u deck for him to stand on,
and worked for n short time in The
treasury department ut Montgomery.
a merchant vessel was soon bought
and ScmmcS, after inspecting her,
| returned to Montgomery and announce
cd to his iclIow-clcrk, Col. Capcrs:
"Shc is Il good craft, sir, a good
craft. When | have strengthened her
timbcrs and cut her down TO fighting
trim, my word for it,, she will do
brave work, SIR
She was accordingly altered and
armed and, with SCmm"s on her
quarterback, made goodhis prediction
to the dire oSt of such rs went down
to the >"a in ships under the Stars and
stripes in those days. The vessel was
he .SNmtor.
SENMuS WIiIrTLES o rs ,PERS
Bui Wncu She was read 10 sail and
IIcr register made out, il was discOv-
cred at The last moment that the
treasury department OfthC Confederate
states !tud no seal. There wasn't an
"ngravcr to bc found in Montgomery,
and ScmmCs was impatient To- get lis
papers and be Off. 50 he and Col.
Capcrs, aided by II handy Young army
surgeon, and at the expense of two or
three p~"nkniV"S, carved a rude seal
upon Il piece of lockwood, which met
the immediate need. ScmmrS got his
register, and the SUHLCy set sail under
the stars and Bars. There was quite a
time over the adoption of that flag. a
considerable number were in favor OF
sticking TO tho old flag, with slight
notifications, but Mr.. Miles, OF South
Carolina, chairman of the Congress
Sional flag committee, argued at length
III his report against this sentimental
idea, and added, by way way Of Il
climchcr, that LibCriamd the Sandwich
Islands had flags very similar TO ours,
ana the committee was not disposed,
therefore, if for no other reason, "to
keep, copy o" initiate il. They have
no inclination to borrow secondhand
what has already been pilicrcd or
appropriated by a free negro COM
munity and a race of savagcs."
The very first Confederate flag that
the sun ever saw, Col. Capcrs tcstiiics,
was hoistcd by Judge ClithcralI at
Montgomery. He was in the conf
dcncc of the flag committee, and az
soon as they told him the design
selected he got his lady friend, to-
gunner alu ililu ono maze. On the
day the committee was to report to
Congress he mounted the roof Of the
Capitol, fixed his flag TO the halyards
of the stan and waited.
The recommendation of the COM
miltcc was approved. He got his
signal from below, and in the twink
ling of IN eye the new ensign Of The
South was floating proudly in the
t1rpSsn. of tho rpntln NJnr.b ,,t,.l
The news spread quickly through the
city, and when Judge Clithcrall
shouted down from his lofty perch,
"Thrcc cheers for the Confederate flag
the crowd answered with a mighty
greeting that, it was thought at the
time, must have given an carachc to
the bronze statue on the dome Of the
far Northern Capitol.