The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-10-30
RENFREW AND HIS FLAG.

During the past lew weeks 6eil-
Basil Duke and Gen John B. Castle
man have been overwhelmed with let
tiers from old confederates asking what
they knew of the story of Henry Gay
Renfrew, an ex-confederate WHO carried
away the last flag of the confederdcy
and escaped with it to the Navigator
islands Renfrew was supposed 10
have been member of the Second
Kentucky under Gen. Duke. A reporter
called on Gen. Duke to learn the tactS
in the case.
NO" said the general; "Renfrew's
name has slipped my memory. 1 thor
oughly believe the truth of the stoi y
The fact that his diary shows him TO
have been in both the Second and the
Fourth Kentucky is point that goes
far toward establishing the anthem
ITCHY of the tale. If it were simply
cooked-up yarn the author would never
have thought to put him in two regi-
ments.
.sThe matter of which flag he took
must be bit uncertain. Y oil knpW, we
old confederateS were so busy that we
could not worry much about the flags
I don't think I had a brigade flag. Ken
frew probably got his company flag, as
most of the companies had some en-
blem or pennon-
Il have talked to several Of my men
and they say that they remembe- Ron
frew perfectly. He came from some
where near Midway. From what they
tell me he was a gallant soldier"
The reporter then hunted up one OF
the men who was a private unGer Gen.
Duke.
ssRenfrew?'' exclaimed the old soldier.
s'Of course 1 remember Renfrew. He
was one of the finest fellows in the
army. When knew him he was about
% years old and in Bart Jenkins bTl-
gade- Renfrew, Bayless AMI MoSgrove
were mates. They were all college
gether in the company They messed
together all the time. Every one OF
them was a brave soldier. BaylesS now
lives in Cincinnati 1 know that Rem
frew was in that last march as one OF
President Jefferson Davis escort Most
of that last command surrendered at
Mount Sterling Some of them, how
ever, tried to work west to join Kirby
Smith. The command split and I lost
sight of Renfrew. Bayless of Cincin-
natl could tell all about him.
The story is to the effect that out IN
the far Navigator isles floats an old
confederate flag that has never been
surrendered. And now all over the
country old soldiers are rousing them
selves and overwhelming General Duke
with inquiries concerning the stow of
the young Kentuckian who bravely
bore that flag, then willingly expatri-
ated himself rather than surrender it.
Four years he followed it, and then, for
twenty-five more, it fioated proudly I'M
surrendered before his hut on a little
Pacific island
Now Private Henry Clay Renfrew. c.
s A, lies buried in a rocky headland
of that far isle. He lies so that, rising,
his face would look toward the east,
toward the land of his youth and love-
And over the grave of the dead soldier
| floats the tattered battle flag; the stars
| and bars for which he gave up home and
| friends and all that made life tOlerable-
| The native who befriended him takes
care of the grave
! Capt. Martin Schuyler, formerly cap
| tain in the Seventh Ohio cavalry, brought
| back the story from the Philippines. He
| told it to Captain T. f. Allen, also OF
/ the Seventh Ohio. Capt. Schuyler met
| the native and from him learned the
story of the flag. The native told him
| that many years ago an American, who
| said he had drifted along the western
! coast of South America, after passing
| through Mexico, settled in the Navi-
| gator Islands and lived alone, flying be-
fore his hut a Confederate battle flag
| which he said was carried by the cav
airy escort that travelled with Jefferson
| Davis in the last stages of his flight
| from Richmond before his capture by
| the Federals. The ex-soldier said thai
| he had escaped with the flag, which he
| loved too well to permit him to live
| again under the United States flag. The
| American refugee lived his isolated life
for years, dying three years ago and
leaving his flag to his native friend, witt
| the injunction that he never part witt
it
Capt Schuyler finally got the native:
| permission to examine the dead Ameri
| cans effects He found papers and
diaries indicating that the ex-Confed
| crate was Henry Clay Renfrew. a mem
Der of either the Second or Fourth Ken
lucky cavalry, or both. in the Confed
crate army. In some places he referred
to Col Basil Duke as the colonel anC
| Capt John B. CaStleman as his captain
| in others to Col. Henry Giltner ant
| Capt Bart Jenkins as his colonel ant
captain respectively. He wrote Q
| Bernard Bayless and Dallas Mosgrov'
as his chums In one Of the diaries Rem
| frew referred at length to the last day
| of the Confederacy. Then followed tn
statement that he was with the las
| body of organized Confederate soldier
that escorted Jefferson Davis, Gen
Duke commanding, and that whel
Dukes surrender was agreed upon tn
writer took the flag from the staff, con
cealed 1t about his body and escaped
with the intention of taking the flag t
some foreign land.