Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-10-15

Hall president of the Arkansas dlVlS-
hon Il. d. c., have recently mad 'he
inestimable privilege of having our
esteemed flags in my possession iohs
enough to examine them Thoroughly
and take their dimensions and make
>. emoranda of the inscriptions upon
a memoranda of the inscriptions upon
All of them belonged to Gen. Cle-
burne's division except the Thlruetn
Arkansas. ! will name them: FIRST
Sixth, Sixth and Seventh, Eighth ana
Nineteenth and two which are claim
ed to have belonged to the Thlrtleth
Arkansas and Keys Battery. One
Of them. which is claimed to have be-
honged to the Thirtieth Arkansas, has
not a mark on it to indictae to which
regiment it belonged OF this flag
will have something 10 say in anoth-
er article later.
To have our flags returned to us
Is highly appreciated favor, and
incerely wish every one who took any
part in having them restored to us
could realize what a consolation 1t
is to have them where we can see
them if we cannot handle them be-
cause of their worn condition.
To those who are deprived of the
Exquisite pleasure which has been
mine | will undertake the almost inn
POSSIBLE task of describing them. |
say almost impossible task be-
cause, however we'll / may succeed In
giving the most minute description,
thre will be an absence of the flag
las it appears now and when it SO
proudly and defantly waved above
our heads in the long ago. The time
and circumstances under which we
ent that you have to call Justify for
memory 20 come to your aid.
Particularly was this so in regard
to one flag that was returned to us.
1t is one, too, that having been seen
once. ought never to be forgotten,
1t is the flag of the Sixth Arkansas in
fantry-the first flag that ever floated
over the regiment after it was organ
lied in June. 1861. This flag has
caused a good deal of discussion OF
how and where It was captured OF
claimed to have been captured. be
cause the circumstances OF the cap
ture have never been given. 1t i
had never been returned to IS, a"d ar
opportunity given us to see it, It's
identity would have passed into ca
livion. Before | saw it | supposed il
was the battle flag which was carried
Ey the Sixth regiment from Shiloh
until just before the battle of Muir
freesboro, when the Sixth and Sew
enth were consolidated; and as thai
flag was not available, a joint flag
was given to them on which was in
scribed the Sixth and Seventh Arkan
sas regiments. The discarded flag
of the Sixth and of the Seventh as
we'll was sent to the rear with other
baggage sent Off then. and | supposed
had been found and claimed to have
been captured but when | saw the
flag memory went to work to draw it
rounded II. So thick Was this mist
that memory refused to obey my be
hests, and il only came to me by de
grees
spread it out and looked lore and
inquiringly al its tattered folds. but
memory still refused u unlock its
store of information. took its di
mensions and inscriptions and folded
it carefully and laid it away but mem
cry was not satisfied There was lurll
ing in its inmost chambers yecol
lection of that flag and is appearance
would not leave me. Il came to me il
the silent hours of the night; it was
with me in my waking thoughts. ;
faded picture on memory's page. lik
unto that of some dear friend. W.
We recognize the case, but the fea
lures are absent until. by turaing
one way and then another. ray c
light strikes il and every lineamen
of the loved ones face is brought on
fully, and We at once recoenize on
friend.
In my midnight thought abor
this flag my mind continually reverte
to the fact that the inscription .'Sixt
Arkansas Regiment VolunteSAs" VIZ
on a separate piece from the flag,
piece of white ribbon three inche
wide and two and half feet lon
There were two pieces of the same d
mensions and inscription and wei
placed exactly opposite each othe
Inscriptions were usually placed VI
on the flag itself. So firmly was
convinced that ribbon concealed SOM