St. Tammany farmer., 1903-05-02
CONFEDERATE FLAGS.

CONFEDERATE FLAGS.
Bill Arp Describes Them and Gives
Their History.
General Beauregard Designed the
"Battlehag' and 1t Became the
Distinctive Emblem of the
South-A War Tableau.
Somany young people who are thirst
ing for historical knowledge write to
me for help, that feel encouraged and
will answer their inquiries as far as
can. These young people in the coun-
try towns have schools to go to, but
they lack books-reading books, cyclo-
pedias, biographies, and if was as
rich as Carnegie, l would plant Ii
brary of such books in every commu-
nifty. / would have a million sets OF
some standard cyclopedia printed for
every school, even if they cost
S50,ooo,oo0. That would diffuse
knowledge among the young peo-
pie, and do more good than all
he is doing in the big cities.
But what we most need in the south are
historical books that will be stand
ard with us and relate the truth about
the south and secession and the con-
| federacy and slavery and the war and
! reconstruction. had a cyclopedia
that gave whole column of apology
for old John Brown and the pedigree OF
every northern race horse, and no men
| ton of John B. Gordon or Forrest or
any of our southern poets or authors or
orators. Iswapped it off at half price
for the International, by Dodd, Meade
& Co. The tributes in that work to Mr..
Davis and Lee and Jackson are all that
could be desired, and more than was
expected.
I wonder what has become OF that
great southern publishing house that
was projected in Atlanta some time
| ago. That is what we want and must
have to perpetuate southern history
and defend our fathers and grandfa-
| thers from SANDERS of northern foes.
In Missouri paper l saw where
Yankee troupe were playing "Uncle
Toms Cabin" And now fool fell
low from Wisconsin wants to get our
governors to appoint delegates to a
convention in Atlanta to determine
the race problem, and it is said that
that man Spooner is at the bottom OF
it to get up presidential boom for
himself. I suspected there was mig
ger in the woodpile, for these north
ern politicians never do anything from
patriotic, unselfish motives. Hanna's
scheme fell through and Spooner
thought he could patch it up. But the
south never was more aroused and
united on the negro question, and will
resent all interference, whether it
comes from Washington or Wisconsin,
| Wisconsin,! What impudence! Astate
whose foreign population is per cent
| of the whole, and of these there are ss,-
900 who can't speak English, and only
76Onegroes in the state, and three times
as many Indians. What does Wiscon-
sin know or care about our race prob.
| lem? In the last few days have re-
ceived three letters from young people
wanting to know something about the
confederate flags, what were the de-
signs and who designed them. I wish
that I could sketch them and paint
them in this letter, but all can do il
to describe them and give their his
tory.
No. 1, or the "stars and bars" was
adopted by the confederate congress
at Montgomery. Its stars were on
blue field, and its red and white bars
made it look somewhat like the stars
and stripes, and sometimes was mis-
taken for the United States flag, and sc
Gen. Beauregard designed No. 2, "the
battle f1ag," and Gen. Joe E. Johnston
adopted it, and it was never changed
It was blue cross, or, rather, an 4
studded with stars, and set on rec
field
No. 3. In May, 1863, the confederate
congress adopted national flag. Il
was miniature battle flag set on 9
white field that had a white border al
the side and at the bottom. But il
| proved to be mistake, for it had toe
much white. and afar off was installer
for flag of truce.
+ And so, on March, 1865, congress:
adopted No. 4 as the natioral flag. This
had the same battle flag on blue
field, but the white border was small
er, and a red one put on the ontside o1
that. This flag did not wave very long
only about a month, but, nevertheless
it remained as the national flag of the
confederate states.
But the dear old battle flag No.
was the fighting banner of every com
pany. Our wives and our daughter.
made them for the boys in gray, ant
many of them were smuggled bacl
home again after the surrender, ane
still kept as household treasures. Ou1
boys, the Rome light guards, had one
and one night the young people gave
tableaux performance in the city
hall to raise little money to put
some benches in the desecrater
churches, for all the pews had beer
taken out and converted into horse
troughs for the staff horses. One scene
in the tableaux represented battle
field where women were ministerins
to the wounded and the dying, ant
one dying soldier, the ensign, had this
old tattered and war-stained hae
grasped in his hand, just as he held il
when he fell. The Spanish command
ant of the post was there with his wife
and when he discovered the flag, got fu
riously mad. He jumped up on hi!
seat and yelled "Take dat ting away