The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-10-26
HENRY C.. RENFREW
AND HIS FLAG

During the past few weeks General
Basil Duke and General John b. Cas-
tleman have been overwhelmed with
letters from old Confederates asking
what they knew Of the story of Henry
Clay Renfrew, an ex-Confederate who
carried away the last flag of the Con
federacy and escaped with it to the
Navigator Islands. Renfrew was sup
posed to have been a member of the
Second Kentucky under General Duke.
A reporter called on General Duke to
learn the facts in the case.
No. said the general; 'Renfrew's
name has slipped my memory. L thor
oughly believe the truth of the story.
The fact that his diary shows him to
have been in both the Second and
Fourth Kentucky is a point that goes
far toward establishing the authen-
ITCHY of the tale. If it were simply a
cooked-up yarn the author would new
err have thought to put him in two
regiments.
1.-THE matter of which flag he took
must be q bit uncertain. You know,
we old Confederates We're so busy that
i we could not worry much about the
flags l don't think 1 had a brigade
! flag. RenfreW probably got his COM
pany flag, as most of the companies
had some emblem or pennon.
II have talked with several of my
men and they say that they remember
Renfrew perfectly. He came from
somewhere near Midway. From what
they tell me he was a gallant soldier
| The reporter then hunted up one of
the men who was private under Gen
eral Duke.
"Renfrcw?" exclaimed the old sol
der. "Of course [ remember Renfrew.
He was one of the finest fellows in the
army When I knew him he was about
twenty-three years old and in Bart
! Jenkins brigade. Renfrew, Bayless
and MoSgroVe were mates. They We're
all college graduates, and naturally
drifted together in the company. They
| messed together all the time. Every
one of them was brave soldier. Bay
less now lives in Cincinnati. L know
that Renfrew was in that march as
one of Pres. Jefferson Davis escort.
Most of that last command surrender
ed at Mount Sterling. Some of them,
| however, tried to work west to join
Kirby Smith The command split and
lost sight of Renfrew Bayless of
Cincinnati could tell all about him.
The story is to the effect that out
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 story of
the young Kentuckian who bravely
bore that flag, then willingly IeXpatri
ated himself rather than surrender it.
Four years he followed it, and then,
for twenty-five more, it proudly toated
unsurrendered before his hut on lit
tie Pacific island.
Now Private Henry Clay Renfrew, c.
S. A, lies buried in rocky headland
of that far isle. He lies so that, rising
his face would look to the east, to-
ward the land of his youth and his
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 be-
friended him takes care of the grave.
Capt. Martin Schuyler, formerly cap
tain in the Seventh Ohio Cavalry,
brought back the story from the Phil
ippfnes He told it to Capt. T. F. Al
len, also of the Seventh Ohio. Captain
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 MeXi-
co, settled in the Navigator Islands
and lived alone, flying before his hut a
Confederate battlefag which he said
vas carried by the cavalry escort that
travelled with Jefferson Davis in the
last stages of his flight from Rich
mond. before his capture fy the Fed
erals. The ex-soldier said that 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 an Isolated life
for years, dying three years ago and
leaving his flag to his native friend,
with the injunction that he never part
with it.
Captain Schuyler finally got the ma
tive's permission to examine the dead
Americans effects. He found papers
and diaries indicating that the ex-
Confederate was Henry Clay Renfrew
a member of either the Second or
Fourth Kentucky Cavalry. or both in
the Confederate army. In some places
he referred to Col Basil Duke as the
colonel, ard Capt. John b. Castleman
as his captain; in others to Col. Henry