The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-06-15
THE STARS AND BARS
Story Of How Confederate
Flag Was Selected.
Oren Randolph Smith, Of Louisburg, Designed
1t. The Confederate Battle Flag and
The Southern Cross.

Early in 1861, while the seat of the
Confederate government was Montgom-
cry, Ala, there appeared in the papers
an advertisement for designs for flags
that one might be selected by the COM
mittee for the flag of the Confederate
State of America.
Samples came from all parts OF the
country, through the mails. on horse
back and on foot, and were of every con-
ceivable shape and variety. From the
number received every company of the
Confederacy might have fought under
different flag Some of the flags had
States to support their claims, South
Carolina to a man voted that her own
Palmetto Tree" should be 1.-The flag"
and Fort Sumpter in February, 1861, did
surrender under the "the Palmetto"
Texas wished the whole Confederacy to
adopt 1.-The Bonny Blue flag that bears
but a single star"
But the committee selected as the
model a little flag about foot long,
made of bunting and sent from the
Good Old North State" This flag was
made of three bars-two red and one
white. representing State, church and
white stars. The blue field was the
Constitution, and the seven stars, all or
the same size. the States that seceeded,
showing that each State had equal rights
without regard to size, or population.
The stars were in a circle standing for
eternity and "you protect and I'll defend
you" With this flag went the suggestion
that star should be added for each
State that joined the Confederacy.
This was the original "Secesh" flag
and the man who designed it was Orren
Randolph Smith, of Louisburg, North
Carolina who in '46 instead Of going to
school one day threw his books in a
corner of the fence. and ran away and
enlisted in the North Carolina volunteers
and was with Taylor all through the
Mexican War. In 81 he went with Albert
Sidney Johnson to Utah, so he was no
novice in the art of making war" and
knew the needs of flag that had deep
meanings for people to "die for"
AS soon as he heard that the commit
tee of the Southern States had accepted
his model Saturday. April 10th, 1861,
he bought the materials and with the
assistance of Miss Katherine Rebecca
Murphy the flag was made Though it
took nearly all of the next day, Sunday,
to do IT'D and while they sewed on the
flag Miss Sally Anne Murphy played
Dixie" and other Southern songs. Early
on Monday morning, April the 18th, 1861,
this flag was sent aloft and was the first
Confederate flag that ever floated to the
breeze in North Carolina. The Ordinance
of Secession was not signed in this State
until May 20, 1861.
After the second battle OF Manassas
it was found that it was difficult to dis
tinguish the Stars and Bars" from the
STARS and Stripes" SO a new flag was
adopted. This was a white flag with
red field, with cross gules bearing eleven
stars. The cross gules were, blue
cross upon a white one, the blue cross
bearing the stars. This flag was only
used short time, for at little distance
it looked too much like flag of truce,
so broad bar of red was placed on the
end but this became ragged and worn
and was not satisfactory and the Con-
federate States adopted the Confederate
Battle Flag" as the flag.
The Romans and Carthagenians used
the red flag as their battle flag and it
has since been the "battle flag of all
nations" When used by the Confeder-
acy it bore the cross guIes, bearing the
eleven stars. one for each State and was
known as the Southern Cross"
Such pitiful tales were told of the ac-
cidents that occurred from the confusion
of flags, one was of a boy-Willie Pierce
who was just old enough to be muster
ed in and early in '62, while in some
night skirmsh with his mates of the
"Old Dominion Guards" (of Portsmouth,
Va their flag was mistaken for the
''Stars and Stripes and he was shot and
killed by men of his own regiment.
Gen. William r. Cox. a genuine 'Tar
Heel fired the last round and lowered
the last Confederate flag at Appomattox
that foated over "the Lost Cause" This
flag was "the Battle Flag" or 'the
Southern Cross" and bore "elven stars"
Please, some one who can. write the
whole history of the Confederate Flags"
preferably some one who, with Gen. Tom
Smith, of Suffolk, can say las he did on
Memorial Day. Comrades, the grandest
words a man can say are these: 4 fol-
lowed Lee" And let the Crosses of
Honor given to these followers of Lee
not bear thirteen stars" for the ''origi-
nal thirteen States" bat eleven stars"
for the eleven Confederate States of
America
JESSICA RANDOLPH SMITH.
Henderson, N. c.. June ii, 1902.