The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-12
PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC RELICS
Shameful Neglect by the Government Of Trophies
of VaIOr---Battle Flags Left to Rot.

invested with authority TO receive from
the army and navy all flags, standards
and colors captured from the enemy.
and under his direction TO be preserved
and displayed in such places as he may
deem proper. But little attention APP
pears 10 have been paid 10 the law gov
erning the preservation of such nation
al relics, but with carelessness and in
: difference and utter lack of patriotism,
many a flag and banner won on blood-T
/ fields, carrying with it daring intre-
| pedity, and in many instances the life
! blood of defender and capfor have
been cast aside 10 mould and rot with
D., dampness and neglect, with moth and
dust to complete the work.
On the continent such trophies are
viewed with "a different spirit and in
vested with dignity and sentiment well
calculated to develop in the masses the
highest enthusiasm. With what care
England, France, Germany and the
European nations generally guard and
jealousy preserve all such trophies, Ii
requires but a passing glance at the
malls and inches of their various mill
tary institutes, hospitals and palaces.
A few of the flags captured from the
British in the war of 1912 found their
way to the military academy, large
number We're destroyed when the war
department building was burned with
its records in 1914, but as regards the
flags taken in the war of the rebellion
the same neglect oveTwhelms the
greater number, which has been the
result of destroying many valuable and
historic relics.
From 1862 to the close of the war the
generals commanding armies OF the
United States sent to the war depart
ment flags that were captured in bat
tie or received on surrender. OF the
Il
posted with the department 23e were
United States flags originally captured
by the confederates and recaptured
from them, and 544 were confederte
flags taken by the United States forces
making a total of $50 in the custody OF
the war department.
When received they were deposited in
a vacant attic of a building on Seven
teenth street, Washington, then occu-
pied by clerks of the adjutant generals
office, and there remained until the
year 1867. During that year the super
intendent of the buildings then occu- |
pied by the war department had them
removed to his office, where few were
placed upon the walls and the remain
der laid upon shelves. In 1874 portion /
of the flags were removed and exhibited |
in the ordnance museum in Winder's |
building. IN October, 1882, all the flags |
were by direction of the secretary of /
war. boxed and stored in a room in the !
basement of the new state, war
and navy building, where they re-
manned until January, 1887. 1t was
while the flags had resting place IN
the sha bby house formerly occupied by
the clerks of the adjutant generals Of
flee that the writer had occasion TO
look over the mass of bunting there
collected The walls were covered with
tattered remnants of the flags. the
ceiling and windows were Enthusiastically
festooned, while hundreds were pigeon
holed and only saw the light OF day
when unrolled for the qualification of
some curious, weather-beaten veteran.
The front room contained the flags
captured from our army by the con-
federates, and were in every degree OF
condition from the battle tattered rem
nant the moth eaten and others IN
fairly good state of preservation. Most
of all these were recapfured at the. 1all
of Richmond, where they were FOUND
In the war office of that city. The
northern states were all represented by
stripes of bunting, on which were en-
blazoned the coat of arms belonging to
the respective states.
There was one pennant prominently
displayed, possessing more than usual
interest. 1t was General Sheridan
staff flag torn, bullet riddled, defaced
and discolored The flag was lost in
the Shenandoah valley when Phil
was temporarily absent in Washing
ton. Then followed the famous ride,
the change of the rout into an army
filed with confidence and enthusiasm.
and the result has been recorded on
the pages of history and emblazoned
in historic verses. Wrapped around
a staff in close proximity to Sheridan's
is the banner OF an Ohio regi-
ment, bearing upon its faded and dust
laden folds the records of 40 battles.
What a strange and varied experience
that expanse of bunting must have had
what scenes of daring. carnage and
horror had been enacted beneath its
rustling expanse. On the four remain
ing strips of what was once Berdan's
sharpshooters' distinguished flag are
inscribed the names of % notable en-
gagements the most important of the
war and the achievements of that
celebrated body of men, if collected in
one volume, would read like romance
Of old.
In another direction was a square of
white silk. heavily fringed with deep
gold bullion. The silk retained little of
its former luster or beauty, being
faded, widowed and torn. The fringe
was rusty and ragged and on the dingy
surface but two figures were left by
which it could be identified. 1t had
been the banner of the famous New
York Sixty-ninth, and had frequently
waved at the head of the steady ranks
If the Irish Legion, who followed the
gallant Corcoran through the fortunes
If many a holly contested field.
Here was the blood-stained guidon of
he Sixth regiment. Kentucky cavalry,
captured September q, 1863, by Major
General Wheeler, and beside a United
States flag of the Fifteenth Massa-
,husetts, captured by o. E. Nickerson.
private company D, Third Georgia
Va. The battle flags of the Fifth and
sixth Alabama regiments reposed
tide by side. with Florida and, in fact,
III of the states of the confederacy were
veil represented. In many instances
he confederate flags bore legands and I
levices. A white silk banner. torn and '
imp, that once had fioated in front
# an Alabama regiment, had traced on
he faded, worm-eaten surface: I'VE
light for our homes, our wives and our
1t is said that an enthusiast {
ic Albanian offered $500 for that |
,anner On all the confederate flags 9
n the four corners of the cross were J
,rnted in black and gold letters the
James of the battles through which
hey had been borne, and much more
ttention to details was manifested by (
he southerners than their opponents. {
The battle flag of the Eleventh Ala E
anna was about four feet square, red 5
round, with blue stripes about four t
inches wide running diagonally across s
from corner to corner. On these f
tripes were u white stars. 1t was f
ably torn and blood stained. 1t had v
cen captured by the Fifty-seventh v
lew York. Richardson's DIVISION t
corps, at the battle of s
M iafa mt | Z