The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-05
overruled by the higher pOwers-mnitary

overruled by the higher powers-military
and civil.
Capt Robert L. Rodgers. formerly OF
saudersville. but now of Atlanta, the his
torian of the United Confederate Veterans
of that city, contributes to the press an
in teresting article showing how the Con-
federate states organized the territory OF
Arizona. in which one John b. Baylor
of Virginia, was a prominent actor. Now
the official Confederate records show that
it was not until Jan. "a, 1865, that Baylor.
then in Richmond, Va. rendered his SER
vices 20 Secretary of War j. A. Seldom,
in somewhat lengthy epistle, in which
he says: Impressed with the Importance
OF pacing in the army. every man capa-
bic of bearing arms, and of recruiting our
forces from any source where recruits
can be had and believing 1t TO be the duty
o. those who advocated secession and
war. to prove their faith by their works.
l would most respectfully ask chat l may
be allowed to enter the Army of the Con-
federate States, with such rank as the
President may think proper 40 confer.
would prefer as the field for my opera
tons, Arizona and New Mexico, where
feel assured troops in considera bic num-
bers may be raised. In my opinion the
surest and speediest means for recruiting
in those territories would be to organize
a force in the spring and make a sudden
move upon Arizona, and occupy it," He
expected then to get Southern men from
the mines as recruits for the Confederate
army.
A Savannah reader Of these articles, and
one who takes a deep interest in promot-
ing historical research and accuracy
in Confederate and other war histories,
sends me a clipping from a newspaper
about the changes in the original Confed-
crate flag 1t is substantially correct, and
worthy of preservation in historical scrap
books. After the first battle, Bull Run
or Manassas, as some prefer to call it,
changes were made in flags. names and
uniforms. The Second Maine Infantry
went into battle wearing gray uniforms,
and. consequently, got badly mixed with
the Confederates, which resulted in the
immediate discarding of gray uniforms on
the part of Union troops. So, too, the
Confederate flag and "Old Glory" got mix
ed up and mistaken for each other. This
suggested state colors, but as few states
responded, Gen. Joseph Z. Johnston called
for designs for Confederate battlef1ag
One was chosen from Gen. Beauregard's
designs, which was changed only in shape
by Gen. Johnston BEND made square in
stead of oblong.
Lieutenant General w. L. Cabell of Tex
as commander of the United Confederate
Veterans of that region, then a major
and chief quartermaster, was put in
charge of the manufacture and distribu-
ton CT those flags to the various com
mands in the Army of the Potomac. And
here was another change that had to be
made. When Gen. George B. Mcclellan
organized the Union Army of the Poto-
mac, the Conft derates changed theirs to
Army of Northern Virginia Change is
written in order of nature and stamped
upon all earthly things. "Old Glory
passed through some changes before it
became the standard sheet" so eloquent
ly immortalzed by the poet Drake. as the
"Fleg of the free hearts hope and home,
BY angel hands to Valor given
The original Bars and Stripes flag was
adopted by the Provisional Confederate
Congress in session at Montgomery. Ala,
on March T. 1861, and at o'clock on that
afternoon 1t was given to the breeze above
the then Confederate Capitol in that city.
The next flag made of this design is claim
ed TO have been first fioated in the breeze
from the armory of The Floyd Rifles, at
Macon, Ca. under command of gallant
Capt. Thomas Hardeman. His noble
wife, full of patriotic zeal, sat up all
night and made the flag from a tele-
graphic report of its design sent from
Montgomery late the day before, and at
daylight the company turned out and
flung it to the breeze, giving it the usual
salute. Not long after the Rifles and
the Volunteers marched under this flag
on the soil of Virginia, as part Of the ia
nous Second Georgia battalion, comma nd
ed by Mai Thomas Hardeman, being the
first Southern troops to reach that state
and join the Virginians in defending their
homes and their firesdeS Georgia is
seldom far behind in coming forward in
any crisis Sidney Herbert.