The Columbus journal., 1904-03-16
The First "oId Glory"

The First "oId Glory"
The following clipping is from my
scrapb0ok of 1898. says a New York
Sun correspondent:
''Old Glory" the first flag to be
known by that term, is on public ex-
hibitiOn at the rooms Of the Essex
Institute. Salem. ii being the old ban
ner which Capt William Driver hoist
ed over the capital at Nashville.
Tenn, after the city had been cap
tured by the Federal troops in 1862.
Capt Driver was living In Nashville
when the Rebellion broke out and i'm
mediately after the beginning OF the
war took this nag. which was present
ed to him by the American residents
in foreign parts. and sewed it In Q
Quilt. which he put ON his he'd until
the city was taken by the Union
troops when he hOisted it over the
capitol. and where he spoke with
pride of it rs old Glory" After
ward the nag WAS carried by the
Eighth Ohio regiment. and. after the
war came into the possession OF the
late X. A. Mckensie of this city. A
few months ago the Y. NJ &. A. re-
quested the loan of the dag for ex-
hibition At Nashville. but ii was con.
sidered too precious to be taken from
the Essex Institute building. The llag
is 35xI9 feet.-BOstOn Transcript.
Capt. Driver was an old sailor. In
my young manhood, while resident
of Nashville. I knew and revered him
for his sterling character.
r. T. SPlLLERS.
old Glory" was nickname applied
to Sir Francis Burdett at the time
Of his fight for the freedom Of public
speech in England. about 1910. 1t
has also been applied to the Union
Jack But the above is the earliest
record We have seen of its application
to the Stars and Stripes.
Would Know Who Saved His Life.
J.L. Caldwell. who aspires to be
| United States Senator from West vir-
| sinia. and may land on the guberna-
toriaI ticket. being in Washington this
week, cut the trail of Col. o. A. James.
| pension agent in Detroit. Both came
! to the capital on business more or
less political. but happened. in the
course of their meeting. to hit upon an
/ incident of the battle of Weldon Rail-
road. Each fought there. Mr.. Cald-
| well i'm an Ohio regiment and Col.
James in q Michigan regiment.
There was a lively little hand-tO-
hand encounter at Weldon Railroad,
where bayonet thrusts and clubbed
muskets sent many q brave lad to his
| reward. Mr. Caldwell saw one of the
murderOus blades coming his way,
backed by q muscular soldier in gray.
At that very moment the butt of q
Michigan infantryman's musket de-
scended. The soldier In gray fell to
the bloody earth.
1T was the work of fraction of q
second" said Mr.. Caldwell. Il never
had q closer call in my life. But in
the thick of the fray I did not learn
| the name of my preserver. and never
|
Col. James has promised to inquire
far and wide, and. if possible, inform
Mr. Caldwell who the soldier was that
rescued him.-WashingtOn Post.
Confederate Flag in Maine Capitol.
There was q touching incident in
connection with the visit to Augusta
last week of Lieut.. John w. Gulick
of the Artillery Corps. stationed at
Fort Williams. Lieut.. Gulick read .
! paper before the school of instruction.
and while looking over the capitol
came across the case in the private
once of Adj-Gen. Richards. which con-
tanned q dozen or more tattered and
faded battle hass of Confederate regi-
ments. captured by Maine troops dur
ing the civil war. Lieut.. Gulick is .
North Carolina boy and one of the hags
upon which his eyes fell was that of
the Seventh North Carolina Regiment,
under which his father had fought
and suffered wounds in the cause of
the South. The nag in question fell
into the hands of the Fifth Maine Vol.
unteers through the fortunes of war
at RappahannOck Standardization
Journal.
| Controversy Over FLAGS.
Gen. J. Madison Drake. widely
known rs the commander of the Vet
eran Zouaves of Elizabeth, N. J., has
in his possession q nag which was
carried by Company C of the Third
New Jersey Volunteers. and which is
said to have been the first Union nag
unfurled in Virginia after the break.
ing out of the civil war. This nag
has been offered by Gen. Drake to the
State of New Jersey. and Gov. Muir.
ply has agreed to accept 1t on behalf
of the State. A protest. however. has
been made by Aaron Wilkes Post,
No. e3. G. A. r., of Trenton. which
asserts that it has q flag that was
the first to be taken across the Ions
Bridge, that it was carried by Com.
pany A Of the Third New Jersey. and
that it only is entitled to the honor.
Enlisted at Age of 60.