The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-01-02
FLAGS os TIE CoNFEDERAeY.
Captured Now Neatly Stored
In Clean Room.

Since the wave of excitement viii IN
swept over the country when Cleveland
preached the subject of returning e
captured Gags Of the COnfederacv these
cetors have reposed in the top Of tie
war department.. Year by year they
have grown dustier, resting undlsturD-
ed. Recently one of the officials m
e~ugureted a t )rough cleaning up ,.
the garnet in which the flags were keTt.
The dirt of summers was swept out,
an now in clean and tidy array there
repCseS a group of hundreds OF ban
Iners, each furled around it's staff and
all resting against wniIeWasheu WaI.
of the tiny room at 1.-THE war department.
Against the sid of the wall nearest the
doc are many of ,thos once taken b.
the ConfedeTates but recaptured an.
Sent to the department. h great
ami comprises those which onCa
he'd the Confederates to battle and now
range along the length. OF tn
In this array there ale 160 flags, l.
having been captured from Alabama
regiments. 6 from Arkansas. I from
Florida, - from Georgia, , from Louis
lana. l from keriuckv. II from Missis-
1ppi, % from North Carolina, s from
South Carolina. 5 from Tennessee, 4
from Texas and "a from Virginia.
among Ihe most IdiIlOuS
ia Confederate battle flag Of the lot.
Georgia volunteers. which was cap
turd by Burnside's men from those OF
LOIsstreet at the attack on Fort Saun-
den Tenn. in November, 1868. Then
Their is the flag which was borne by
one # General Heth's regiments; the
Aag Of II of General Gordon's reg
mems: a amer taken from a Sout
Caro- ma regiment at the battle of An
tietal, in September. 1862: a flag cap
tureCat Malvern Hill in July. 1853, by
Pennglva1ia volunteers. This stand
ard vas taken after d most desDerat
eonhil, in which the CarOiInas 4 d
fort { the bodies of their dead and
tough like tigers from chino the hu
man nrricade.
Othe interesting relics are the fla
Of n, Sumter Flying artillery. which
was c1tured by Sheridan's force from
the St South Carolina infantry: tn
garrisC flag of the Citadel of Charles
ton. s.; garrison flag of Fort MouI-
trie. CtrlnstOn harbOr, and the flag OF
the % 'irginia brigade
The ally banner the whole histOr'
Of who capture is known IS hat one
borne + the 18th Virginia. which was
taken Z George j. Snapp, Company
E. i9st Pennsylvania volunteers
Sharp as on the skirmish line, and
sepiug nat the COnfederateS were raj
Bing ii force about their colOrs, r.
sprgn@ forward with a dismOunted
ea~vsIryTlan as a co1nTade. Doth eager
TO caatUre the banner of the enemy
The rebels shot the cavalryman dead
but ShaTD seized the cOlors just as theiI
bearer fed BET )re the onset of the
Federal force.
just what has become of the fl"-
taken l. Uncle Sam IN his VariOu
wars would be Interesting reading. @
those cartured during the Revolution
airy war here Is no, record. but a few
flags tain from the British in ISL:
We've g to the military academy =
West FGnt.
After Inc treaty of peace in 1S4S
Presidert Polk ordered that the flag
and coles taken from the enemy in tn
wal VII Mexico be deposited also al
West FONT
From the beginning to the end OF tn
civil VIZ the generals commanding the
Federal tOrces sent On to Washington
all cOk-S. flags and standards take
from tfa enemv. Among these Wor,
3S6 flag ~recaptured from the COnfed
crates nd 544 Confederate flags, max
ing 49, Tags III all. Many were re
turned TO the CIptors at their request.
but the great majority are now stored
In the war department. and further
gifts o. hem will not be made.-Wash-
ingtOn OSJ-