Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-12
Part Of Banner Of First Nebraska in Civil
War Returned to the State.
RECORD OF ITS TRAVELS ALONG WITH IT
Thompson of Merrick f. out as n
Candidate for Speaker of the
Next HOuse-Candidates File
Expense bills.
From a stan correspondent

N|Ns o Il 10 a llhhhutuN u Turn uuu
frayed maroon colored silk about three
Inches square, Enclosed in a handsome frame
about two feet square. The silken trophy
forms a center piece. and about It is printed
a detailed record OF the wanderings Of the
nag OF which IT formed a part, which record
Is the valuable part Of the memento. It
is sent from Payette, Idaho, by David w.
Smith, a lawyer Of that place, Who was a
first lieutenant in Company G, First Ne
braska, under Captain Tom Majors, whose
picture as he was In the time Of which
the historical sketch treats lie inclosed in
the frame with the piece Of flag. This is
simply a piece Of the old flag that is pre-
served among the war relics in the Office
OF the a~djutant general, but the accom-
panying printed history gives 1t value. The
sketch Is as follows:
This is a piece of the United States nag
carried by the First Nebraska infantry
volunteers during the rebellion, from Au-
gust s. 1861 1.-THE day the regiment left
Omaha for the SOUTH until after the battle
of Cape Girardeau, Mo, April 26, 1868, when
II was sent home because no longer ht for
service in the field.
The following Is a summary OF its marches
and battles, towit: Left Omaha August 9,
1851, on steamer West Wind, for st. Joseph,
Mo; thence by rail to Hannibal, Mo-;
by rail to Pilot Knob; thence, September
%, by rail via St. Louis and Jefferson City
10 Syracuse; thence, october q, marched
quincy and Bolivar, to Springfield to head
of Pap Price; countermarch November
for sedalla, and December 8 entered
cember II and - secuted eighteen miles to
~Brownsville: December IA TO q secuted to
1862, march for Jefferson City; thence by
rail to st. Louis; thence by steamer to
r. EoT Sat Henry ~ a Foat a poTsI.6 to Fort PpHe is
and 10; thence march to Fort Henry;
thence. March 4. by steamer John Rain up
Tennessee river to Crunt's landing and
midnight scout, March 10. to Adamsville
April s march to the front (battle of Shiloh
and in 1t all day the 9TH; 2sth to Both scout
Corinth, Miss. June 2 march via Purdy,
Bethel, Bolivar and Summerville for Mem
he FIRST troops after the city surrendered
July % embarked on the steamer Robert
Allen for Helena, Ark, arriving the 24th;
2Sth scout to Oldtown; September 3 and 4
scout by steamer thirty miles up river;
October 6 steamer Rocket takes regiments
up river to sulphur Springs. Mo-; October
Der 2 march through southeast Missouri
via Patterso-. Black River, Van Buren,,
Eleven Points, Alton and West Plains and
arrive at Salem, Ark, February 3, 1853
snow twelve inches deep, mems shoes worn
out and green hides issued to men to make
shoes for themselves for the march back.
February 8 begin return march via Thomas
Vile and EminenCe to Arcadia; 9th march
TO Iron Mountain; March s march for st.
Genevieve on the Mississippi river; thence
by steamer to Cape Girardeau; April 26 10
battle of Cape Girardeau. where the ram
rod from the rebel cannon was shot through
the flag and tore n great hole in IL.
1t was now. after having been carried
on filthy, crowded cars and steamers dur
ing nearly two years of exposure to sun,
rain. wind and dust, so much worm, frayed,
tattered and torn, as well as riddled by
bullets in former battles and skirmisbes,
that IL had to be replaced by a new one
and was sent home to the state capitol. "
had the h0nnF 10 GRTVE under this 0l6
flag as a member of Company G from Au-
gust s. 1861, and was one OF It's color guards
at the battle of Shiloh.
At the first reunion OF the regiment after
the war February 26, 1890, at Plattsmouth,
Neb., twenty,three years seven months and
mustered out, and twenty-siX years and
about ten months after the flag was sent
home), when the old banner was sent from
the state house at Lincoln to be seen and
greeted by the men, then boys, who had
carried and defended 1t. but who had not
enough to accept from a comrade this piece
which he found already almost detached
and urged me to take and keep. l did
take and keep 1t, although | confessed TO
him at the time that | felt guilty of a
great wrong done to my comrades and the
care by the goyernor.) Now, to better pre-
serve IL. together with a statement of its
travels taken from my own original journal
kept by me during each day Of the war, |
have written this account, caused II to be
put in type and the whole sealed under this
The regiment served out its three years,
re-enlisted in the spring OF 1854. and was
Dated Port Townsend, Wash. September
u, 1891. ID. w. SMITH.
Another wildcat in sight.
Frank Pravenek OF West Point sent Ia
Auditor Weston today a $500 insurance pol
icy issued by the Great Britain Insurance
company. Accompanying 1t was a letter
saying he had paid So premium thereon. but
had lately found out that the auditor had
compelled the agent at West Point to cease
doing business because the concern be.
longed to the wildcat list Deputy Babcoci
has prepared. This policy was ISSUED
through the Chicago ONCE OF the Company
and an investigation will be instituted e
discover whether or not the company hai
been trying to evade the payment Of license
fees by sending an agent from the district
cfice through the state.
Needs More Money.
Commissions Follmer went out to tn,
penitentiary this morning to examine tn,
condition OF that institution. The othel
members of the Board of Public Lands AM
Buildings were unable to accompany him
He says that Il will require $50. 900 more Il
place the institution in proper condition
At present the walls of the administrator
building are barely completed and all o
the interior work is yet to be done befor
Il can be occupied. The warden and tn
executive stan still occupy a little fran
shed outside the walls, and the records ar
not in a safe condition. The new cell hous
has proved more costly than was antici
pated, because of the great advance I
steel in the past eighteen months, but it /
well worth the money. thinks the commits
sioner. The pe~nitentiary was burned /
February. 1901, and the work Of replacing
is not more than half completed now. Tn
new legislature will be asked to appropriat
the needed money.
Thompson for Speaker.
W. T. Thompson of Merrick county is th
latest member of the house to be touted a
the next speaker. Thompson served foJ
years ago as chairman OF the committee o
appropriations and was an active debate
on the floor OF the house. He was not
candidate for reelection. Gawne bein
elected in his place, but this year he &
there by a good majority. Speaker Scar
has not yet signihed a desire, so far as
known here. to be reelected. Delos Del
CT la