Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-06-22
THE FLAG IN BATTLE
WHEN OR WHERE 1T WAS FIRST
BORNE HISTORY RECORDS NOT.

It's Development From the First In |
animate Object Carried AlOft on
StaR-Dear to the Hearts of Fight |
ers In All Ages and Nations.
Where in the whole world is another
thing meaningless in itself that has sig |
nif1ed so much or served so greatly in
the dramas of national life as the flag?
asks the London Globe.
One tradition says the Saracens first
carried an orthodox standard into bat
tie and thus gave the idea, as they gave
so many others, TO the crusaders. But
obviously the flag is far older than this,
and it is interesting to note its develop
ment from the first inanimate object
borne aloft on a staff SO as to be gener-
ally visible down to the complicated
blazonry OF a royal banner in our own
ages. The Egyptians thus carried be-
fore their hosts the figure of a sacred
animal on a spear, and the Assyrlans,
as their carvings tell us, inspired the
hopes and conferred the attentions of
their soldiers in the same way. The
royal standard of the Persians for
many centuries was blacksmlths
apron, and it is said a local prince III
passing a hermitS cell on the way TO
battle one morning asked the inmate
for his blessing or something express
i've to put on that artlesS cognizance.
The hermit, possibly little touchy, as
even saints will be when disturbed at
breakfast time, threw the chieftain the
fat, round cake he was eating, which
was duly added TO the apron; hence the
Persian sun" The lion was an obvi-
Gus afterthought. The Turks used
horses tail, the rank of a pasha being
known by the number of tails he car
ried, and probably this suggested the
much bifurcated pennon of early west
ern chivalry familiar to every one who
has studied the BaveuX tapestry or ear
| ly Illuminated miSsals.
| In the middle ages, devoted to dis
play and military arrogance, the flag
stood in relationship to the great cap
tain's array as his personal armor
stood to himself; 1t insured recognition
| In the melee and supplied rnllying
point for the fighters such as nothing
! else could have done. This led to an
etiquette of flags which apportioned
shape and size to every rank of the
peerage, from the royal standard itself
down through varied array of ban
ners, gonfalons. pennonS, ensignS ana
other bits of red rag" and kept the
heralds' college busy. besides supply
ing the poets with admirable local col
orIng for their battle pieces Does not
Scott tell us in some famous lines:
] Han "
Lord Towards lion fell;
| But still Lord Marmion's falcon flew
with wavering flight. while fiercer grew
Around the battle yell
Here, 1t will be noted, the whole gist
and point of the fight centers in the
pennons of the leaders, and of the same
vital importance of the flag there are
tnnumerable instances in medi9val lit
erature. When the Douglas unfurled
his standard at Otterburn-a nag, by
the way. which Is still in eXistence-he
declared, and thought not without rea-
son. that the mere sight of that famous
cloth would put the English host to
rout And even in comparatively mod
ern and prosaic times the belief that O
dreaded captain was beneath certain
emblem has sufficed to turn the scales
of battle.
Thus in the French war of 1871 TIT
French Rear Admiral Sarcy when cruls
ing with six frigates in the bay or BAL
came in sight of five or our lndiamen
one of them the Woodford, Captain
Iennox. They were homeward bound
and all richly laden, and to all appear
ances they had no chance of escape
when Captain Lennox rescued them o.
| . t.1d nrpSpnC
of mind. He first of all hoisted In hi
own ship flag which the French adml
raj knew we'll, that of the British AdInl
| raj Rainier, blue, at the miz2en, ana
! made all the other ships in his compan
| hoist remnants and ensigns to CORE
| spond. But he did more. He detache
| two of the Indiamen to chase and rec
| onnoiter the enemy, and as these aC
| yanced toward the French reconnoitel
hing frigate, the Cybele, the latter, CON
/ pletely deceived, made all sail to 1ol
! her consorts. on which the French at
| miral. believing he was In the presenc
| of a powerful British squadron, MAD
off with his frigates under all sail, an
| Captain LennoX and his consorts con
| pIeted their voyage in safety.
The flag indeed preserved its gLamor
long after the time when 1t was II
| cynosure of conflict, the emblaZone
meteor of victory, as Milton calls
= Napoleon's officers, retreating frol
: Moscow, burned their standards and
the excess of their bitter affecto
mixed the ashes with wine and dram
them so. The same was done at Me
and Sedan, and even today there
, probably no soldier in the world WI
would not do little more for his colo
d than for anything else within his ma
tial horizon. The idea has penetrate
into all ranks of society. To nail one
colors to the mast is the last expressiC
of desperate resolve, just as to ha
them down indicates the abyss of b
initiation.