Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-01
Colors Carried by Armies North and
South.
EVERY REGIMENT HAD IT'S own FLAG
Deeds of Heroism in Defense of the
National Emblem.
T II E DRIP HAN BRIG ABE

The custom in the Union army was to
have each regiment carry two flags, a regi-
mental, with the state coat of arms en-
blazoned upon a plain blue field, and ma
tional, the stars and stripes, with the name
and number Of the regiment. The regimen
tai flags of the Irish brigade (New York;,
for instance, were Of deep green, en-
blazoned with the harp, sunburst and
shamrock. All Irish regiments in the SER
vice carried such flags. How deeply Celtic
enthusiasm could be stirred by the banner
of green illustrated during the
pulse of Pickett at Gettysburg. Cowan's
first New York battery was ordered in to
relieve Cushing's about the time that
Armistead's men had reached the stone
wall. A simultaneous movement was made
by the Irish brigade from the left toward
the threatened point. One of Cowan's
drivers, an Irishman not especially brave,
hesitated about urging his team forward
where the missiles flew thick and fast.
Suddenly Erin'5 banner flashed from be-
hind ledge of rock and caught Pats eye.
Rising in his stirrups, he exclaimed
"Mither of Moses! the ovid flag" and
dashed and spurred his horses on with
display of zeal that his captain by dint of
the most profane appeals had never been
able to arouse.
On flags presented by municipalities
might frequently be found some special
coat of arms or motto. and in speaking of
our flag the men had in mind this gift
banner and not the government standard
that mad been intrusted to their keeping
with other state property. Our flag was
wrought by woman's fingers, laved with
roble tears, and in its folds fingered the
Signs of those who made country worth
fighting for
Southern Battle Flags
All that can be said of northern battle
foo a1-
same popular uprising sent out their SOL
diers, and the same noble impulse stirred
up their friends and kinsmen to present
the boys" with a banner from home,
something that would be owned and cher
lShed by the men fighting for and around
It. Each seeding state sent out troops on
It's own account. and with them as a SYM
Dol. its own colorS, usually the coat of
arms OF the state on plain field. Among
such were the famous palmetto of South
Caroilna, the pelican of Louisiana and
Ihe lone star or bonnie blue flag" of
Texas The flag OF the forty-seyenth
North Carolina bore the dates Nav 20
1TI3, and May 20 1861. communicating, the
revolt Of the colony against England. and
'he secession IF the state from the Union.
Favtrite companies were given banners
OF original devices, and no two would be
alike At Shiloh in 1852 the Crescent CITY
Regiment OF New Orleans carried a flag
CT dark gold color with a cross of reci,liar
shape in the corner. On the bars of The,
cross CLEANED a number of stars and this
device afterward became the battle en-
Hlem of the confedeiacy known as the
southern cross.
The "Stnrs and Bars"
The first official flag of the south was
the stars and bars" flag partly copied
from the Union banner and bearing such
a strong resemblance to it that they were
not distinguishable in the field. The fly
was divided into three broad stripes. the
center one white. the others red The cor
rer piece, or union, WAS blue with nine
stars arr anged in a circle and gave IN COM
blnation almost like the old one the co!ors
TED. white and blue. IN battle the oppos-
trg commands became hopelessIy entsn-
gied, ds in the first Bull Run and though
the results were bloody enough to suit the
occasion, the southerners thought the
slaughter was not well distributed, and be-
gan 10 introduce new colOrs as battle flags
leaving the stars and bars for civil and
Headquarters use \ flag known as bat
tie flag appeared in 1862, and the cross,
similar to that Of the crescent city flag of
1851. was its principal emblem. This flag
consisted { t red fly with two blue diago-
nal bars, having narrow, white borders
crossed in the center: the bars were white
stSrS numbered according to fancy Some
OF the Texans pinned their bars with a sim
gle star. The most famous flag song of
the war,
.Hurrah for the bonnie blue flag
nat bears single star,
was suggested by the flag of Texas. The
original Texas flag had been a blue fly,
with white star in the center. and when
the Texan troops took the cross emblem
theE retained the lone star
The cross made the confederate flag
cor spicuoGs in battle ard IT was retained
to the end, being twice modified. On the
battle flag of 1sti2 the crossed bars extend
ed from corner to corner, making an easy
target for Union guns, and that arrange
nent gave place III 1863 to one with white
fly having a reduced battle flag as cor
rer piece. But the white preponderated
in mass that the color became almost in
visible in strong breeze. and the flag
looked like a signal Of truce. To remove
this objection wide, vertical bar of red
was placed on the other edge of the fly
There was nc installing this symbol since
there was nothing like it known to our
service. and 1t satisfied the south, as the
features of the old flag stiil remained, the
stars and the red, white and bite
The flags of the forty-ninth Georgia and
the sixth Kentucky are types of the con-
federate battle flags of the east and the
west. as they were first designed. namely.
the mammoth blue cross with white stars
ana Borders on red ground.
The Famous Orphan Brirodc
The sixth Kentucky belonged to the re-
noWned Orphan Brigade of that state
name bestowed by General Breckinridge
after the battle of Murfreesboro'. Pre-
'-N''
ferred to as orphans, because they were
expa triated sons of Kentucky disfran-
chised and disowned by their native state
for Joining the confederacy. At Murfrees-
boro' they lost their leader, Colonel Han
son, the father Of the brigade who was
killed while leading them, under the fire
OF ffty-two Union cannon, a fire that not
only moved down ranks of men, but laid
the trees of the forest low as with the
shifting hand of a tornado. Thus they
became doubly orphaned. Professor
Smaller OF Harvard in his study of Man
and Nature in America" cites the men COM
posing this brigade as illustrating the high
est type of American manhood. Number
ing originally 5000. after three years of
service in the hardest fields Of the west,
the orphans entered upon the Atlanta
series of battles only LILO strong During
the 100 days of fighting in retreat under
Hood the ranks suffered 1.S6O wounded
and deaths. Less than fifty escaped I'M
hurt. and only 240 remained for duty The
remnant of the sixth, with it's flag and
colonel, were captured at Jonesboro' by
the tenth Michigan. 1t was saying in
the west that Hood abandoned Atlanta
because he had no more Kentuckians to
use as breastworks.
The Color Guards.
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