Evening journal., 1896-07-29
CAPTURED COL0RS.
CONFEDERATE sATTLErLAcs IN THE
WAR DEPARTMENT.

Them Could Tell Thrilling Stories n
They uaa tho Power Of Speech.
The fags taken from The southern troops
arc now rVposing In an attic in the top OF !
the war department, hut came FIRST 10 the |
care of the roycrnmcnt in 1867, when thcy
wore deposited ~ the old war department
on Seventeenth street They were then
about 500 in number 2aG being rernpturcd
Union standards. These flags wore obtaia.
ed from the commanding generals OF tho
United States armies and were catalogucd
aud identified whenever It was possible.
In1b74 8 part OF the flags were placed on
exhihition IN museum IA tho Windcr
building, but ia October, 1889 all Of the
nees wcro boxed up, aud By the direction
OF the secretary OF war they werc stored In
the basement OF the new war department.
Whey It was found, IN 1887, that the flags
were rapidly decayipg, they were taken up
into the attic whert they arc at present
The fact shat many OF the colors origi-
nally deposited are not now IN the care Of
the department. is easily explained BY the
fact that hngs have from tllne Go time beer
returned 80 their owners applications being
sonetines made for them BY governors Of
states or BIZ organizations Nineteen stand-
ards have been returned o. Union troops
l by orders OF secretaries OF war, anlong
those returned being one semi back by STAN
ton Prior 10 MAY. 1867, there were 81
1 Confederate flags returned, ten being taken
| from the war department by Stanton di-
rcctions and nine boinR taken ont by in
structons which came from him Indirect
ly. But since 1887 there have boon ne
flags, Union or Confederate, allowed to
pass out OF the custody Of the war depart
mont,
Some years ago an effort wns sct ON foot
by an officer of the wir department. TO re-
turn al colors 70 the regiments, north and
south, by whom they were originally borne,
but several individuals became discomfort
ed &c the suggestion, and nothing ever
oamc Of The movement AS q consequence
they have been little spoken of since and
the department is unwilling go make any
move In tho matter In fact, tho ordcrs
are that no one shall be allowed to inspect
the fagroom for the purpose OF making any
publication about its contents, this stop
being taken 60 prevent arousing any sec-
tional feeling in regard TO the matter As
u consequence no one is permitted o. even
examine the flags for any such purpose,
and the secretary OF war refuses permission
TO have the colors photographed
OF the flags returned 10 the Union rcgi-
mcnts which carried thcm there are over
90, Pennsylvania having received five for
her troops Massachusetts, getting thrcc,
Michigan two, New York three Ohio two,
New Jersey two, Illinois two and Vermont
and Connecticut one each
, OF tho flags returned at different time.
| by request to southern regiments There ar,
22, among thcm being tho Union Gag
81 | which wis taken at Newmarket Cross
roads by the Pennsylvania troops the Con
/ | fedoratcs having used it to deceive tho enc
r | my. A great many aags wero loaned oui
s | years ago by officers, ard as they wore ncv
d ! er returned the department is unable 60 ne
4 place thcIh.
or tho hags taken from the southern
n troops AID now in the attic OF the war DC
v partmont thcro are about $50 whose lis
c / tory can bo obtained, while the ngiIhcr O
n Union banners recapturcd and identified 5
"A o. The room in which thcy are kept IS
t marrow, light and dry oue and the color
. aro standing an about, resting against Oh
Z walls, some of thnn frlcd, whilc other
hang limp about tho sNif, ull OF them De
h ing torn, dusty, ragged aud iaded and Otter
/ spotted with blood.
Other standards which have lost thel
y staifs are rolled in,o bundles and rncAsc'
< away in holes IN "a ctsihoarl Whose door
VI Z
a packages Of diety bunting rpmind one of
q junkshop only thc realization Of what thc.
r | an neon comes 70 c-c go forcihiy that 10 !
h hard tO believe thnt mon once fought liN
mad 20 Dusats, TIM bit n cOlurd rag nov
lying in "a dusty hosp The bluos md red
are too dim 20 be pretty, the paintings or
e cracked and torn, thc stripes nre coming
apnrt, while thctiny bits OK siringy hulliol
= still glcam amid the taraished heap @
q former glory Tho wood used for She stan
Il is Of various kinds, while others nre piece
- of broken sticks aad broken scantlin
n bound together by strings ard ropes.
n Asno allowance has been given the de
a part gicnt with which % prescrrC tho liaEi
c they will liksly DqrnHin in the attic OF Oh
5 dspartmsnt indchntely. IN any move wer
Is made ~ return them To the H0uth, itwoui
e awaken she old opposition from man
Il northern soldiers who fought so fraYoly 3
l- capture these very oolors And n IL wsr
r. intended 60 place then on exhibition :
r, some pnblie museum, mos of the souther
n soldiers would object TO their flags b.u
10 placed on view rs trophies of ths copqnerec
Is SO the management Of the matter is nn 81
IL coedinely delicate One--one which the prci
O ont administration OF the dcpartncr
G. thinks can hest be arranged by letting th
a | flags rcst ia q place whore they viii pQt :
4 opon 70 Tie public, yet win be preserve
"a from decay.
Among the most iniersstng banner
shown ~ that captarcd ut Antictam froi
the Stonewall men. The c0iurs ri ti
s. Ninetconth Mississippi Mahone' sdiyisiai
~ | General Longstroct's corps, is unoth'
O. relic OF value. Others arc thc faEs take
's by the Union troops from tho Ninth vi
ic ginia ihfantrya at Gcttysburg this stasidnr
no being in the thiclSest of the fTht whcl
Pickett mado his famous charge ardticl
re- oral Armstcad fell. the banner cf the Ser
g cnth North Carolina regiment which w,
~ displayed and captured IN the same pert
D. the field during the fight az Gyttyshuri
re the flag of the Second Virginia inianir
known rs Stonewall's Old Brigade. take
l., at .Winchester by Massachusetts, troop
~ the colors OF the famous regiment fear
I'd for its savage bravery, the Louisiana 4
is gers; a flag taken az Malvern Hin q
at July /, 1862, by Pennsylvania voluntec
10 from "a North Carolina regiment tho igh
SIS ing being so desperate that the Conicde