Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-07-03

uoSo uiooPCd aioulu Glc ethll, 81
that at the distance intervening they
assembled the United States flag.
Just then gust o. wind caught the
flag on the front line and sent it
streaming out from it's staff, enabling
the Confederate leader to see at a
glance that it was EARLY and not
Patterson he discerned. 1t was the
difficulty observed at the first battle
of Manassas in Distinguishing be-
tween the Stars and Bars and Stripes
that brought about the adoption of
the Beauregard battle flag, flag
which endured to the end of a fatal
struggle, and has since been adopted
as the seal of the Lost Cause.
| NEW FLAG ADOPTED.
AS has been stated, the Stars and
Bars adopted March, 1861, at Mont
gomery, Ala, continued to be the
national flag until May 1, 1868, on
which day the Congress of the Con-
fcderate States of America, in ses-
sion at Richmond, Va, which had
become the Capital of the Southern
Confederacy, new flag was adopted,
the model of which was said to have
been the creation of two Mississip-
plans. The new national flag en-
acted on May 1, 1868, was a solid
field of white with the Beauregard
battle flag quartered in the upper
left hand corner as canton, the
width of the flag to be two-thirds Of
its length. The proportion the can
ton bore to the flag was as follows
The canton to be in width three
fifths of the width of the entire flag,
the width of white beneath the can
ton to be one third of the length Of
the white from the outer border Of
the canton to the end of the flag.
Actual test Of the flag indicated
fatal objections. When wrapped on
its staff few furls of the canton
disappeared from view, leaving in
sight only the white field. The SOL
diers ridiculed it as the "flag OF
truce" applying other cpithets, and
the new flag fell into disuse. 1t is
not likely that many of them were
ever made. There arc Confederate G
Veterans now living who never saw
or heard of the flag of 1865, known
jocnlarly as the flag of truce, So
called by the gallant boys who be-
lieved with all the zeal of their hearts
and the courage born of deep convic-
ton impressed upon their souls that
the white flag would be raised by
the other side to the contention.
BEAUREGARD BATTLE FLAG.
The national flag last authorized
by Congress in a bill enacted March
4, 1865, consisted of the flag with
the snow white field described in the
foregoing paragraph, being the same
in all particulars as the flag adopted
by the Confederate Congress, May /
1868, with an additional quartcring,
consisting Of vertical bar of red at
the end Of the flag, tho red bar to be
in width onc-half of that portion OF
the flag between the right-hand bor-
der Of the canton and the end of the
flag.
In addition to the Bcauregard
battle flag there were other battle
flags, which, while not sanctioned b,
the Confederate Congress, were used
on bloody battle fields with tho
authority of generals Of corps and
divisions. One of these battle flags
was that borne by the regiments ant
brigadcs Of Gen. Tat Cicburnc',
divisions. 1t consisted of field Of
blue, bordcrcd with white and q
silver moon quarterod in the very
centre Of the blue field. The Vcte
rams who fought under tho command
of Gen. Pat Clcburnc remember the
beautiful moon flag, which in camp
on the march, or in the tumult O.
battle, chcercd their hearts ant
aroused them to deeds of valor which
arc still going down the ages, ant
will always have place on the pager
OF history.
Were no mention made of tn,
"Bonnie Blue Flag that Bears a Sin
gle STAR" the creation of that beloved
minstrel Of tho South, Harry McCar
thy, the title of the flag describes i
exactly. 1t is field of solid blu,
with single large fivc-pointcd sta
quartered in the centre. 1t is sait
that Harry Mccarthy saw Texas sol
diers at New Orleans carrying tn
flag and conceived tho idea that j