The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-06

What shall be done with the captured
Confederate flags is a question which
statesmen in Congress have begun to con-
slider of late. The order approved by
President Cleveland eleven years ago to
restore the flags to the states represented
by the regiments from which
they had been captured raised
such storm of opposition
and fierce denuuciation that he counter
manded it on the ground that the subject
was one with which Congress only could
deal. But times have changed, and most
of the men dncluding Senator Foraker.
then Governor of Ohio. whose opposition
was so bitter and vehement in 1887 are now
in favor of the restoration.
Unlike similar trophies captured from
the British in the war of 1S12-14 and from
| the Mexicans in the war of 1S46-47. the Con-
| federate flags with few exceptions, and
those only for time subsequent to the
war; have never been arranged and dis
played to the public view. For years they
were stored in boxes in a subceliar of the
war department building, where they were
rapidly falling 10 pieces from dampness
| an decay. In 1887 they were removed to
the attie in which they are now kept, I'M
der lock and key, together with siXty-one
| flags and colors of union regiments re-
captured from the Confederates during
the war.
In 1865 the number of captured flags,
standards and colors in possession of the
war department was 5A. OF these only
10 remain that can be identilied-pathetic
relics and reminders OF the Lost Cause"
All the rest, with the exception of twen-
ty-two whose history has been traced
with some certainty, have mysteriously
disappeared or fallen 10 pieces from decay
during the third of a century since they
were placed in the custody of the war de-
| partment. In the collection of 40 flags
! which can be identified every one of the
| seeding states is represented, tOgther
| with Kntucky and Missouri which did not
! secede, and the so-called Confederate
! states government-the last mentioned by
three garrison flags, which respectfully
| foated over Fort Moultrie the citadel of
| Charleston and "Secessionville,' James
| Island, Charleston harbor, and were cap
| tured in February 1865.
| OF the thirteen Alabama flags I'm the col
| lection, one-the battlehag of the Thirty
| eighth Alabama-was captured at the bat
! tie of Missionary Ridge Nov. %, 1868, by
| the Second Ohio Infantry, commanded by
| Col Arson G. McCoOk, now of New York
| Col McCook is also credited with the cap
| ture of the battlefag of the Thirteth
! Arkansas at Murfreesboro in February
1863. The Thirty-eighth Alabama seems to
! have been in the thick of every battle in
| which it was engaged, and to have been
! somewhat unfortunate In the battle of
| Rosaca, May 15 1854, it lost a second bat
| tletag, which was captured by Capt Box
| of Company D. Twenty-seventh Indiana
| Volunteers. The state of Arkansas is rep
resented in the collection by six flags, and
| Florida by seven. Among the latter are
! two battlefiags which once belonged to
the Eighth Florida Infantry. one of which
was captured by Sergt. Thomas Koran OF
! the Seventy-second New York Volunteer
| Infantry.
There are twenty-five flags of Georgia
regiments, batteries and other organiza-
tons in the collection. One Of these-the
flag of Col Ramseys First Georgia Regl-
ment-was captured as early as July 49,
! 1851 at the battle of Cheat River, w Va
by Capt. Blake of the Ninth Indiana Vol
| unteers. The flag of the Second Georgia
| Battery, which was captured by Patrick
! McCran of the Third Maryland Volunteers
| is one of the most interesting in the col
| lection There are no fewer than twenty
! eight bullet holes through the flag itself
and three through the staff Another in
teresting trophy consist of the colors of
| the Benjamin Infantry" which was or
| gained in Clayton county, Georgia, April
IA, 1861 the day after the fall OF Fort
| Sumter. The colors bear the inscription
| Strike for Your Affairs and Your Fire
! sides.
Kentucky Is represented by a single flag,
| that of the Sixth Infantry Volunteers,
| which. together with the colonel of the reg
inent, was captured at the battle of Jones'
! boro Sept /, 1864 The six Louisiana flags
| in the collection were all taken amid the
smoke OF battle. That of the Eighth Vol
unteer Infantry was captured in a hand
| to-hand fight in the trenches" at Kappa
| hammock Station, Va, Nov. 2, 1868, by
| Sergt. Roberts, of the Sixth Maine Nolun-
| teer Infantry. The battle-fiag of the Thr-
| teenth Louisiana was taken in one of the
battles Of the Wilderness, May y, 1864 by
| Sergt. William Jones, Company \, Seven
! ty-third New York Volunteers, and Corpl
! John l.. Reynolds, Company f, Fourth
Excelsior Regiment, Birney's division Sec
! ond Army Corps, Sergt Jones was after
ward killed presumably in the same bat
| tie.
Mississippi contributed twelve flags and
! colors to the collection. The legend attach
! ed to No. 40 of the collection reads as fol-
! lows: Confederate battle flag of the Sec
! ond Mississippi, captured with the entire
| regiment of the Sixth Wisconsin Volun-
| teers and was kept two days by Sergt
! Evans while a prisoner in the hands of the
! enemy" Missouri is represented by a SIN
! Gle flag, that of the Tenth Battery. which
! was captured with its Bearer" al Column
bus, Ca. April 16, 1853, by Private Kinney.
! Fourth Iowa Cavalry, who had a strug-
| sic with tie bearer for its possession"
! North Carolina regiments suffered heavily.
! not only in losses Of officers and men in
! battle, but IN flags and colors-twenty-ni
] in all One of these, that OF the Thirty
! ninth North Carolina Infantry was found
dby men of the Third division Sixteenth
! army corps, after the capture Of Spanish
| Fort. Alabama, April q. 1865" Another tina t
! of the Forty-siXth North Carolina Volun-
| teers twas picked up on the picket line by
! Lieut. Brant, First New Jersey Volun-
! teers. " The collection contains three battle
| flags Of the Twenty-eighth North Carolina
| one captured May Y, 1861; one in an en-
| gagement near Malvern Hin, July 2s. 1864
! by Private Samuel Malleck, Ninth New
! York Cavalry, andao third, the date Of cap
| ture Of which is not noted.
The battle flag Of the Twenty-second
| North Carolina, which was captured by
! Private Michael McDonough Fortysecond
New York Volunteers is thus inscribed:
Seven Pines Mechanicsville. Cold Har-