The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-09-14
MARSHALL HOUSE
FLAG ANDITS MAKER.
Was the Model of Many Fash
Toned by the Same Hands.
MRS. LIBBY ANN pADGETT
slLcas, Two OF Her Flags Made His
tory-The Marshall House Flag is
Now Precious Trophy in the
Cap,io! Building at Albany.

ALEXANDRIA, VA. Sept. 12.-There
vas lain in the old Southern Methodist
nuGaing g.ouno this afternoon another
remnant of the brave-Mrs. Libby Ann
padgett. the widow of John w Padgett,
ST., the old saii-naker Of years agone.
Mrs. Padcett was a dear, good old soult
who did what she could and said '.if
1ite be a burden bear it: IL life be duty
dare it., and after nearly four score
years. most Of them years full of
usefulness beyond her own threshold.
she has gone to the long home. loved and
esteemed by all who knew her.
Mrs. Padgett fashioned the first Con-
fedeTatc flags made here and this now
recal!3 considerable that interests be-
cause OF the frequent reunions Of old
sodiers who are fast passing from earth
fy view. When q description of the flag
adopted at Montgomery reached Alex
andria. Mrs. Padgett began to fashion
ono. 1t was back in February. 1861, and
being especially handy. with needle and
thread and her husband a sai.maker
and flag maker for custom extending far
out and away from Alexandria her
handiwork and taste was appreciated
from the start. and she was kept busy
fsshiont2g flags until the Yankees came
and put an enc 10 it.
Two OF her last flags gave much re-
known. In April she made a twenty-five
foot flag 10 go on the Marshall House,
and a day or two before that flag caused
the Jackson Ellsworth tragedy, another
nag OF hers was sent out into Fairfax
where, I think. it was displayed from a
great pole on Munson's Hill.
Her son. John. Jr., now and for many
years superintendent of the Alexandria
and Washington Ferry. says that his
father made most Of the flags lereabouts
and many not made in the navy yards
in Washington and Baltimore during the
mites. whilst the Jackson flag brought ,
demand from far down the State. even
Richmond. for it was so widely adver-
Used at the time.
These Padgett flags. like the Bra dley
and Green furniture and Nighengile tops
were peculiarly Alexandra products, and
the lately deceased had all that she could
do to prepare the bunting, fashion the
flags and to haste or direct the bastinS
FOR machines We're not used for this kind
OF work IN those days-no sir. There
was an old man named TTarde. who lived
lcng in he old Braddock House here who
in 81 made machine for punching bull
lets cut by sheets of lead, making, per-
haps. thousand bullets by the process
in the time required to mould half
dozen then. and he was laughed at, and
but for Mr.. Lincoln having a talk with
Warde and adopting his machine. the
Yankees could hardly have had half
enough bullets to begin the war with.
The flags were sewn by hand entirely
and Mr.. fadgett says he sewed the head
Of the Jackson fag--he being an ap-
prentice in the shop-just across from
where hteterr-y slip still is.
MARSHALL HOUSE FLAG.
From what ] could learn from Mr..
Patigett to-day the Marshall House flag
wss not that made at the Y. NJ. c. a.
rooms, as most supposed. but larger
r. g-twenty-tlVe feat by about fourteen
made CT the very best bunting then pro-
durable. L. had three stripes of same
size. two red stripes with white stripe
in the centre. and in the field of blue
were twelve white stars in 2 circle with
q thirteenth, larger in size, in the centre.
II vas call Va" Star. because of sew
eral reasons-perha ps. because Of some
fear that the State would not join the
South unless more and more urged to
do SO.
This flag was raised on the Marshall
House Saturday afternoon. April 18th.
over a month before the ratification by
the peonle of the ordinance OF secession.
This rag-"a precious trophv'-hangs
in the magnificent capitol building Of
New York State at Albany, and the
small shotgun used by jackson and the
cruel. murderous-iookine wearon used by
Sergeant Browncl Cor BrownwelD are to
bee. seen in large glass case labelled
civil War and Confederate Relics. in
the National Museum over IN Washing
ton.
rags here had been stolen by strang-
ers by night and there was both news
paper and individual threats to take the
Epc down: and Jackson, who was captain
q. n Fairfax artillery co-rnanv. brought
10 the hotel small h0witZer-called the
.toon t.ilier't-and had it up stairs in
the laundry outside of MS room. md
charged with a big charge of powder.
sIugs and scrap iron for a moments
notice.
THE JACKSON TRAGEDY.
As the Federal troops We're expected
nightly a day or two before the tragedy.
jackson was. by friends. prevailed upon
to take the howitzer down and to use
the gun if necessary-it was a loan, for
he had no gun. The Brownell piece with
its rnurderous sword bayouet is what
was used to shoot Jackson and 50 pinion
his PROSTATE body to the floor. An Alex
andrian, at Albany, once shown the old
flag. said: Yes, j know all about 1t. I
have seen it before. I saw it put up and
] am even related to people who had
hand in it to an extent. Was told perhaps
some day it would be returned He
quickly said with tears glstening in his
eyes and with a smile on his face: TT
want it. ] know of no one who would
have it, or where we would put it If it
were returned.
Mr.. Ben. Lambert said to me this
morning: The night before the tragedy
anc before we left town for Manassas.
] was with those who with band sere-
nade6 the Cazenones (see old file Of Times
about 1888 for full story Of thisl and vas
with Jim Jackson when he made this
remark: The man that pulls down that
Tag which have up over my house must
die. and will not live after him. -
Jackson also SAID: The man or body
of men VIE llanl down that flag will have
to walk over my dead body, and I think
the blood Of Us al will be tracked down
into the street" aud so it was.
James w Jackson was raw-bonod.
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