The National tribune., 1903-08-06
RICHMOND UNDER THE FLAG.
Lieut.. DePey ster the First to Hoist the Star
Spangled Banner Over the Rebel Capital.

Spangled Banner over the Rebel Capital.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: The fol
lowing article written by Edward Els
worth, and appearing in the POughkeepsie
Eagle, does gross injustice to the memory
of Il gallant comrade:
THE question, who first raised the
United States Flag over Richmond, in Ap.
ri, 1860: Is not Il very important one, III
view of the peaceful occupation of that
city, but its continued agitation suggest
that it ought to he answered. The facts
are undoubtedly correctly stated by Col
kreutZer. commanding the 9Sth \. Y, in
his interesting history of that reg me t.
''COl. kreutZer says that his regim9 nj
belonged to Deven's Division. and was tn
first regiment which entered the city OF
Richmond after its evacuation by the Con
federate troops on the Sd of April, 1876
To quote his own language:
Arriving opposite the front entrance
Cf the City Hall, we halted. Across the
street the Capitol grounds were filled with
goods taken from the burned district, and
the portico and steps of the edifice were
densely packed with the home'ess tenant-
extremely old, extremely young, sick, and
nfirm.
"'Adj't Oakley, followed by a Color
Sergeant, pressed his way through the
crowd, and. ascending the building, first
waved our reg.meltal Flag from the roof
of the Capitol of the Southern Confed-
eracy. Leaving the Sergeant with the
Flag. Oakley descended. An hour after
Serg't Hardy was relieved by Lieut. J. L.
De Peyster, of Weitzel's staff; and De
Peyster. assisted by Capt. Langdon, Welt
zel's Chief of Artillery, hoisted over the
building a storm flag which had waved
over the st. Charles Hotel in New Or
leans during Gen. Buffers administration.
''De Peyster was honored by Gov. Fen
ton with a Brevet Lieutenant ColOnelcy.
but no member of the 9Sth ever received
from any one thank or the merest rec
ognition for the service. When De Pey-
ster raised his CARR son flag over the Cap
itol of Virginia he displaced the si!ken
colOrs of the 9Sth. He may parade his
honors and vaunt over his services among
his princely friends and relatives. but in
this particular an unpretending Adjutant
and plain Sergeant in the 9Sth were an
hour ahead of him on the ca .endar of time
if not on that of history.
Il have no further comment to make on
this statement, except that it tallies with
the claim made by the family of Adj't
Oakley"
Elsworth's story, given above, is so en-
tirey at variance with the facts. that /
am constrained to state them in defense of
a dead cOmrade, whom last saw IL years
ago, that being the only time l ever met
him since we were mustered out in Aug
ust, 1865. Evidently Mr.. Ellsworth is not
n cOmrade, and his closing paragraph
shows some personal animus.
In the Summer of 1864, Lieut.. ]. L. De
Peyster, of the 18th N. Y. II. A, reported
to Brighten. Geo. f. Shepley, Military
ginia and North Carolina, at Norfolk, for
duty as an additional Abide Camp, which
position he held until May, 1865. About
Feb. l, 1865, Gen. Shepley was ordered to
report to Gen. Godfrey Weitzel, command
ing the Twenty-fifth Corps. Army of the
James, as Chief of Staff, at Varna Land
ing, in front of Richmond.
AS Chief OF Staff for WeitZel and Mill
tary Governor of Richmond. Gen. Shepley
should be authority far beyond Mr. Els.
worth, or even Col. Kreutzer, whom he
quotes.
The following is an address. in part,
which was delivered by Gen. Shepley be-
fore literary club in Portland, Me-, and
afterward published in the Atlantic
Monthly. 1880:
"Our horses were by this time saddled
and ready, and we were impatiently await
ing the daylight to cross the enemy's lines
While we were all exchanging cOngratu-
latiOns. a young Aid-de- Camp on my staff
tnoC WeitZel -, Lieut. lie register, came TO
me and said: General, do you remember
a promise made to me few months ago,
when we left Norfolk for the Army of the
JamesY l said, Yes, De Peyster; 1 prom
ised if you would bring with you, and take
care of my old flag that had floated over
the City Hall in New Orleans, you should
raise it over Richmond
"'Will you let ME do it? he eagerly
asked. l answered, Yes; go and get it,
and if you will. carry it to Richmond
"He ran quickly for it, strapped it to the
pommel of his saddle, and did raise it over
RichmOnd-the first Union Flag that had
waved over the city since the secession of
Virginia. This flag l afterward gave to
Gen. Weitzel, and he presented it to the
Historical Society of Ohio. 1t was the
garrison flag of the 18th Me-"
In addition. / will say that I was
there, and had personal knowledge of the
facts. l saw Lieut.. De Peyster raise the
flag, and no Capt. I,angdon was with him;
no one but a man attached to the Capitol
service, who guided him to the roof.-A.
MCKINNEY. Troop M, Goth N. Y. Cav:
Orderly and Clerk to Gen. Shepley, 415
Broadway, N. Y.