The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1906-12-20
MIR. Harrison's Book.
The Stars and Stripes and Other
American Flags, Including their
Origin and History.

Reference has already been made
in these columns to the very interest
ing and informing volume entitled as
above by Peleg ID. Harrison of Man
chester, n. H. Little, Brown & Co.,
publishers, 254 Washington street,
Boston, Mass. All pages. s 70.
Decorated cloth. Price $500. The
work is u carefully considered, COM
prehensive history of the origin and
history OF our rationale flags, the result
Ofmany years Ofpainstaking research
by the author who undertook it more
for the love of it than from q pecu-
mary point Of view. AS the publish
ers' advertisement states it "this
book not only brings together vast
amount of invaluable information,
but it will make a strong appeal
to patriots, inasmuch as it instils
veneratiOn for the symbol for which
so many have dared and died"
There are s coored illustrations, 4
of these being Confederate flags.
Devoting considerable space to the
origin OF the flags OF the Confederacy,
there is much matter of peculiarly
local interest.
Capt. Orren Randolph Smith, (nOw
a citizen of this town. has the dis
tinction of having devised the flag
that was adopted for the first ma
tional flag OF the Confederacy. This
honor, however, is also claimed by
Mr. Nicola Marschall Of Louisville,
KY. The claim of the North Caro-
lima man seems to be established by
documentary evidence, though. We
quote the following:
There are two claimants for the hon
or ofdeyising the design that wasadopted
for the first national flag of the Confed-
eracy, Mr.. Orren Randolph Smith of
Henderson, \. G. and Mr.. Nicola Marsch-
all, of Louisville, Ky. Mr.
Smith says he was an original secessiOnist
and before the Observation-Disclosures in
the newspapers asking designs for a Con-
federate flag, he had an emblem for the
COnfederacy in mind He devised q model,
purchased bunting of John Barrow, had
a flag about II by Is inches made by
Mrs. German Watson, nee Miss Catherine
Rebecca Murphy, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Joseph Murphy, who was then u
widow. Her sister Miss Sarah Ann
Murphy, who was for the Union re-
fused to assist in making a pattern for q
Confederate flag, but while Mr. Smith
and Mrs. Watson were engaged upon it
she entertained them by singing and
playing Dixie and other Southern songs
on the piano. Soon after the war Miss
Sarah married Lieutenant james A.
Miller, OF the Union army, and both are
dead number of years
''Mr Smith states that he sent his
model by mail to Montgomery, but to
whom it was addressed he does not say,
and some time afterit was announced in
the newspapers that the Confederate
Congress had adopted his design In
fortunately, as he states, these newspa-
pers were destroyed during the war, and
he cannot remember their titles.
Without waiting to hear whether or
not his design had been accepted, he had
Mrs. Watson make n flag of ladies dress
goods bought from John Barrow, 8 by
II feet, in accordance with his design,
and raised it in Louisburg, it being the
first Confederate flag to float in North
Carolina. An account of this flag is
given further on.
ut was a compliment indeed to have
Congress adopt the design for Confed-
crate flag that came from the Good Old
g,
and neither did she pass an ordinance OF
secession until two and half months az
forwards
We quote again from Mr.. Harri-
sons very illuminating work, max
ing reference also to Capt. Smith
The first Confederate flag that fioated
in North Carolina was raised in Louis
burg by Orren Randolph Smith, in March,
1861. Mr.. Smith states that the ma
terial for this flag, good dress stuff, that
floated lightly in the breeze, was bought
from John Barrow, and he engaged Mrs
German Watson to make flag 8 2
feet of the Stars and Bars pattern. In
her affidavit Mrs. Winborne says that
the material was brought to her on Sat
urday, the 10th of March, 1861, by Mr..
Smith, and we sewed ard worked on the
flag as hard as we could, but did not get
it finished by Saturday night, so we
completed it on Sunday, and early on
Monday morning, March 18th, Mr. Smith
raised this flag, it being the first Confed-
crate flag ever displayed in North Caro-
lima"
''Over the flag Mr.. Smith had floating
in the breeze a long blue streamer, like
an admiral's pennant, on his ship when
homeward bound, and on this pennant
were nine white stars. He said that
though North Carolina was still in the
Union. she was homeward bound and
this was the first significant straw that
showed which way the wind was blow
ing. The raising of the Confederate flag
created great excitment, as it was some
two months before North Carolina with
drew from the Union.
Mr. Joseph John Allen, half-brother
OF Mr.. Smith, and then boy of fourteen
years, says that the 100-foot flag staff
from which this flag foated was COM
posed of two poplar poles cut on his
fathers plantation by Bill Allen, color
ed, slave of his father, and still neigh
Dor, who hauled them to Louisburg
where they were splieed together by iron
bands made in a blacksmith shop at the
mill owned by Mr. Smith. The flag staff
was planted by Mr., Smith on what is
now known as Hicks Corner, where, it
remained until Sherman's army passed
through the town, sawed it down and
erected it directly across the street on
Court House square. The Stars and
tinued to fly until the close of the Recon-
struction period
1t is gratifying to know that this
uuiquc hoIh, iah, iuh anu III poi eit.i
in matter and treatment OF the SUBJ
iect is meeting with such warm re-
ception. Miss Jessica Smith, who
has the agencyfor its sale in this ter
ritory, is succeeding beyond her ex-
pectation, and those who do not pos
sess copy of the alag Book" can
not attribute the blame to her.
State librarian Miles o. Sheriff.
writes:
1havepurchased, for the State library,
from Miss Jessica R. Smith of Henderson,
II. c., a copy of a book, The Stars and
Stripes, and Other American Flags This
is book of 419 pages by Peleg d. Har-
rison. This book not only gives an ac-
count Of the Stars and Stripes, but also
.theStars and Bars; and will FIJI the place