Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-13
ORIGIN OF UNITED STATES FLAG.
Reference to the Emblem Worn by
Paul Jones' Ranger

In an article discussing the origin of the
United States flag Pay Director Joseph
Foster, L. S. N, retired makes the follow
ing timely references to incidents in the
career of Commodore John Paul Jones,
whose remains are soon to be brought to
this country from their long-neglected
grave in Paris:
April 3D. ITS, 127 years ago, the British
ship-ofwar Drake, after a hard-fought
battle of one hour and four minutes, sur
rendered to the Continental ship-of-w war
Ranger, Capt. John Paul Jones-a vessel
built on the Piscataqua river, differed and
manned in a large part by men born on
its banks, and flying American flag
made and presented by Portsmouth women.
Elijah Hall of Portsmouth, n. H., second
lieutenant of the Ranger. states as re-
lated in Buells Paul Jones that: On
Thursday, November 20. ISL the full sig
nilicance of Yorktown having become
known, there was a day of thanksgiving
people of Portsmouth met in the town hall,
where Governor Langdon made "a brief
congratulatory address,
Paul Jones then spoke in part as fol-
lows: Let me say that this occasion fills
my memory with food of thoughts, every
one of which dates from this most patri-
otto of cities. = When | came here
more than four years ago to take your
little Ranger to Europe, | was unknown
to you personally; but flag was made for
that ship by the dainty hands of Ports
mouths daughters of a pattern new to
the world. That flag the Ranger carried
across the sea and showed it alike to our
French friends and English enemies Our
French friends saluted it with the cannon
of their grand fleet. Our English enemies
twice lowered their naughty emblem to it.
And even now it is still flying somewhere
at the bottom of the North sea. over the
battered wreck of the good old ship that
sunk dsdaining to strike it.
The story of that flag made by the
daughters of Portsmouth has been written
in letters of blood and fame that can
never be rubbed out so long as liberty
shall be the watchword of brave men and
virtuous women
I'm summing up the foregoing evidence
the 'copious record of Lieut. Elijah Hall
OF Portsmouth, second lieutenant of the
Ranger under Paul Jones, whose full
knowledge is self-evident and who is rep
resented by Buell. to give Paul Jones' own
words In this matter-although this rec
ord has not been seen by the writer and
its present whereabouts is unknown-is
considered prima facie evidence-and must
be accepted or disapproved.
1T is deemed certain, then, that a ma
tional flag of the present design-the stars
and stripes-Was made By the women of
Portsmouth and presented to Paul Jones
in the summer or autumn of 1777 that it
received the French salute on the Ranger
| and the British surrender of the Drake
and Scraps, and sunk flying on the Ron
j
says with terse eloquence: No one was
now left aboard the Richard but our dead.
To them l gave the good old ship for their
coffin, and In her they found a sublime
sepulcher. She rolled heavily in the long
swell. her gun deck awash to the port stills,
settled slowly by the head, and sank peace
fully in about forty fathoms. The ensign
gaff. shot away in the action, had been
fshed and put in place soon after firing
ceased and our torn and tattered flag was
left flying when we abandoned her. AS
she plunged down by the head at the last
her taffrail momentarily rose in the air;
so the very last vestige mortal eyes ever
saw of the Bon Homme Richard was the
defiant waving of her unconquered and I'M
stricken flag as she went down. And, as
l had given them the good old ship for
their sepulcher, l now beaueathed to my
immortal dead the flag they had so desper-
ately defended for their winding sheet.
And Portsmouth challenges the world
to equal the glorious record of this Ports
mouth flag