Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-05
THE STARS AND BARS
BATTLE FLAG OF THE CoNFED-
ERACY TO TO RETURNED.
One Of the First Emble1ns Of the Lost
Cause Captured at Beginning
of the Civil War.

One of the first confederate flags captured
at the beginning of the civil war is in the
possession of it's captor, Capt. Charles w.
Kicker of 1T 18th street northwest, this
city, and in few days the emblem Of 1.-The
lost cause will, 1t is said be turned over
to Gen. Herbert Camp of Confederate Vet
Grams of Baltimore The relic Is of the bat
tie flag design Of the confederacy. known as
the stars and bars" and has in alignment
in the red bars ten white stars.
The flag was captured by Capt. Kicker
while he was a private I'M the 9Th Massa-
chusetts regiment from a house over which
it was flying near Laurel Nd, in 1861. An
account Of its capture was related to
Star reporter by Capt Kicker, who is
gagged in the manufacture of big guns for
Uncle Sans navy in the gun factory at the
Washington navy yard.
Capt. Kicker said after the 9Th Massachu-
sets Regiment had BEEN mobbed in the
streets of Baltimore the regiment came to
Washington and for several days was quar-
tered in the Senate chamber. Gen. Benja-
min +. Butler, who was at Annapolis, or
dered the 9th to the Relay House to keep the
communications open between Washington
and the north battalion of the regiment
was sent to Baltimore to open communica-
tions The troops entered the city without
resistance, much to their. surprise, in view
of the recent attack made upon them.
said Capt. Kicker. 1T had been previous
ly arranged that if another attack was
made on the soldiers a rocket was to be
sent up from Federal hill to notify Gen.
Banks that we had been again assaulted,
and it was understood that upon seeing this
signal in the sky he was to shell the city.
After our battalion left Baltimore we pro-
ceeded to Laurel.
while strolling about with a comrade,
Nat. Story, just west of Laurel, we spied a
confederate flag floating from the top of a
building. 1 climbed to the roof of the
house and Selling the flag tore it from
the staff, halyards and all l passed the
captured colors to Story and babe him run
as fast as he could with them TO our camp.
l followed as soon as could descend from
the roof.
Confederates in Pursuit.
Some person evidently saw and gave
the alarm for in a few moments number
of men dashed out of the house on which
the flag had been flying and other nearby
dwellings, Some Of them were armed with
shotguns. and they opened fusillade on US
as we retreated rapidly toward camp.
"A buckshot penetrated Nat Story's arm,
but he still held on to the captured flag.
and we reached camp with It. There is a
big stain on the flag now, which was made
by the blood which flowed from his wounded
arm as he clutched the troSny and ran like
a deer. Col. Edward jones' afterward gov
ment, and he took possession of the flag
when we got to camp with 1t.
After the war Nat Story, believing 1 was
dead, wrote to Col. Jones for the captured
flag, and received it from him. Fourteen
years ago l went to Boston to attend the
encampment of the Grand Army of the Re-
public, and Nat Story and met again. He
expressed surprise that l was alive He in
vited me to his home, and there he showed
me the old confederate flag, which he had
preserved in moth balls. He offered to cut
the relic in half and give me one section to
keep a reminder of the stirring DAYS in
the sixties At my suggestion he agreed to
keep the flag intact.
when 1 again visited Boston on the
occasion of the recent G.. A. r. encamp-
ment / met Story again. and at nv re-
quest he surrendered the flag to me- I
have been urged to give the flag to the
National Museum, but have decided to
present 1T to the Maryland veterans of
the confederacy in order that the emblem
may go back to the state from which it
came, and where it will no doubt be treas
ured and highly priced"
Capt Kicker is now in correspondence
with the officers of Gen. Herbert Camr
of United Confederate Veterans and it is
probable before Christmas the starred
and barred banner of the south will be
taken to Baltimore and formally turned
over to the men who wore the gray wit
Lee, Jackson and Herbert. The flag meas.
ures about eight by twelve feet. and was
made, 1t is believed, by some of the
women OF Laurel and vicinity who were
ardent southern sympatliizerS
After serving as private in the old 9th
Massachusetts Regiment, Capt. Kicker
was made color sergeant of the 26th Mas
sachusetts. He was later an officer of the
"a Louisiana Regiment of white volun-
teers and captain of Troop d of the Texas
volunteer Cavalry. He was honorably
mentioned for leading the '.forlorn hope
in desperate charge on fort in the
Louisiana campaign, during which he
was overcome by the heat and woupdad
on the head by a fragment of a shell. He
is an honored member of the odd Guard"
OF TINS city and the Department of the
Potomac, G. A. r.