The morning news., 1889-03-29
A SOUVENIR OF TIE WAR.
Colors of the Ram Savannah TO be Pre-
sented the Veterans Association.

Colors of the Ram Savannah to be Pre-
sented the Veterans Association.
Mr. John Halbert, who went out with the
First Georgia battalion and was afterward
transferred to the ram Savannah, the flag
ship OF the squadron used in the defense of
the city during the war, has received a SOU
venir Of the vessel which he will present to
the Confederate Veterans Association, of
which he is a member. 1t is the jack Of the
ram Savannah. The banner answered TO the
battle flag of the la d forces of the confed-
eracy. 1t is of bunting 9IS fee. long by
feet wide, and is in remarkably good
state of preservation.
Mr.. Halhert tells an interesting story of
how the flag was saved from capture and
preserved in E gland by his brother James
Halbert, printer, IL King street. Oldham,
| in Lancashire. from whom it was received
this week.
MIR. John Halbert says that when it was
decided to blow up the ram, Dec. 81, 1854
when Sherman's batteries opened on h-r
from gas house hill, the ram lying in the
old channel between Fig island light and
Screven's point, Quartermaster Capt. ia OBJ
Paul en- and his assistant, QuartermaSter
Buckle, distributed the vessels colorS among
the crew. Halbert got the jack from his
countryman Buckle. During tee day the ram
answered Shermal's guns from her rear
gun, a ritied cannon, but nearly all the
shots were short One of them, however
carried away portion OF house on the
northwest corner of Lincoln and Broughton
streets Sherman had no idea that the ram
would be destroyed. 1t had. however,
been saved only long enough to cover the
retreat of the land forces of the coHfed
eracy in their evacuation of the city. Al
ter nightfall Tom King, the boatswain's
mate, 81 ce deceased, touc ed Off the fu @
communicate e with the magazine, and the
crew took boats for ScreyeI'S ferry and
took up an eighteen mile march to The
railroad, where they went in open
cars to Charleston. When about
midnight, the magazine exploded with a
conclusion that made the earth tremble,
aud kindled up the heavens. Al Charleston
II tlbert was transferred to the gunboat
Pslmett> State and afterward t. th9 naval
reserve at Wilmington, N. c., where he was
captured at the close Of the war.
Il h Id my battle flag concealed in the
folds of my old army blanke5, and had the
blanket thrown aro md me-" he said, "and
10 MAKE me feel much more uneasy we
were marcned bet cen two platOo S of
colored troops. Had they known that was
wrapped in the confederats battle flag /
would not o ly have lost my souvenir of tie
war, but might not have escaped roug
trea met. After we were paroled | went
to P 4iladelphia and at the first opp lrtuulty
sent the flag to my brother James IN Llnca-
slire, England, VINO has taken care Of it for
me all this iime.n
Mr.. Halbert has principally lived in the
north since the war, but came south to do
fresco work on the Ponce de Leon Ia tel at
s.. Augustine, AMI for the past year has
been living with his family in this city,
which he helped to defe ID during the war.
Tne destruction of the ram Savan ah was
no less pal. full ing to the ladies of Sa-
vannah than it was 20 its b ave crew, the
ladies having raised the m)nsy by divid-
ual subscriptions to build her, aud it was
known as the ''ladles' gun boat" 1t was
built at the foot of tho Gordon wharves
under the supervision of the late Mr.. Alvin
N. Miller, who died last Sunday night