Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1906-08-09
FIRST FOREIGN SALUTE
OF AMERICAN FLAG

SpOildcill Oh d1lOtnc1 page oil this is
sue as to when and where the
American flag was first saluted by
a foreign government, is one which
has been the subject of considerable
controversy; although the actual
facts of the case are, and for some
time have been, well known to
careful students of American his
tory. 1t is popularity supposed that
the first salute was given to the
American warship Ranger when
she was under command of Paul
Jones, and that the event occurred
in 1878. On the other hand, it
has long been known to students
OF history that two years earlier
salute was given to the American
flag by the governor of one of the
Dutch West India islands. The con-
fusion has arisen from the fact that
prior to the adoption of the stars
and stripes as the national emblem.
the colonies had adopted another
flag, which was sa1uted in 1875:
while Paul Jones is quite correct in
stating that the first foreign salute
to the stars and stripes was given
to the little war vessel Ranger
while she was under his own COM
fnaf1d.
The necessity for the adoption of
a Common national flag does not
seem to have impressed itself upon
the American colonies until toward
the close of the year 1875, when
committee consisting of DR.. Frank
lin, Mr.. Lynch, and Mr.. Harrison
was appointed to consider this SUBJ
jet. They met at the camp of
the Colonials at Cambridge, and
proposed the adoption of a flag
which should retain in the corner
the Kings colors, or Union Jack,
consisting of the combined crosses
of St. Andrew and ST. George,
thereby representing the still rec
ognized sovereignty of England;
but that the field of the flag should
consist of thirteen stripes alter
nate red and while, which should
be emblematic of the union of the
thirteen colonies against the tyran-
ny and oppression of the King.
The ne " flag was adopted, and
it was first hoisted on January 2,
1876, the event taking place at the
Continental camp at Cambridge.
This flag is known as the CONT
mental Union flag.
TnA fret ueccA1 70 ,A%eiua
lutte for the Continental flag from a
foreign power was the little brig
Andrea Doria,' commanded by
Captain Robinson. This vessel was
purchased prior to the adoption of
the new national emblem, and she
had seen active service under
Nicholas Biddle. In September,
1876, she sailed from Philadelphia
for the island of ST. Eustatius, to
take aboard a cargo of arms. On
her arrival at that port on Novem-
Der 10, 1875, she saluted the Dutch
flag, and her salute was returned
by the governor, De CRAFT, with
thirteen guns, corresponding to the
thirteen states. The gallant gov
ernor bid fair to pay dearly for his
Greathead who commanded the
British island of st. Kits, hearing
that certain North American YES
sci had been supplied at ST. Eusta-
titus and had saluted the Dutch fort
of Orange, and that the fort had re-
piled, demonstrated against this in
suit to his Britannia Majesty.
Proofs of this salutation were sent
to Sif Knight York, English Am
bassador to the Dutch Republic, and
he laid them before the high and
mighty States General, and de-
manded a foi NAL disavowal of the
salute and the discharge and recall
of De 9feaff. The governor was
cited to appear before the States
General, but he delayed doing SO,
and when he eventually reached
Holland in 1878, France had ack-
nowledged the independence of the
American colonies, and other ma
lions soon followed. The offense
of De Graaff was no longer a soli-
tary one, and the complaint against
him was lost sight of and forgotten.
In I77o a pamphlet was publish
ed in Concord, NJ. H., entitled
The Stars and Stripesl the Flag of
the United States of America
When, Where, and by Whom was
it First Saluted," in which the
writer proves the fact of the salute
in the West Indies, and speaks of it
as salute of the stars and
stripes" This, as we have shown
above. was an error. the stars not