Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-07-25
The EIaos at Annapolis.

In speaking the Other DAY OIL the lilly
naval affair which this country had
with Korea in 1871. the Journal referred
to the captured battle-fiags as peihs
preserved at Annapolis along with the
flags captured by our sailors and ma
rines from England, France, Mexico
the Confederacy and Spain. a cor
respondent writes to us to know IL
mistake was not made when the Jour-
nal included France in this list. Ih1s
country never had war with France
says the correspondent. 'and can hard
ly have battle-fags of that country IN
the collection which you describe.
1t is true that this country never mad
war with France in any such sense
as il had war with England, Mexico
the Conf.deracy and Spain, and yet IL
had little unpleasantness with France
unon the high seas just as it did later
with the Rarbary powers on the Medi-
terranean and Korea in the far East,
and as a result of that unpleasantness
the battle-flags of the French frigate
Insurgente is in the collection at An
napolis Of which the Journal spoke. 1t
was CAPTURED by the American man-of-
war Constitution February O. 1899, af-
ter a fight of one hour in which the
French lrieate lost 90 men killed and Al
wounded, while on the Constitution
only three Americans We're wounded.
The captured Insurgente was taken
into the American naval service and
was lost at sea q year or two later.
The relations between the young
American republic and France, which
had been its loyal ally only Il few
at that time, as every reader of history
ought to know, and it is wonder that
a bloody war was averted. France
interferred t. no small extent with
American commerce and later paid the
country several millions in damages.
There were few naval engagements,
moreover, of which the captured flag at
Annapolis is a reminder to the present
generation.
| That big collection of captured flags
| is an inspiring one for any American
to inspect or read about. Among the
scores of English flags there are the
| flags and pcnnants of the Guerrero
and the Java captured by the famous
old Constitution, the flag of the Boxer
| which was lowered to the Enterprise
| off Portland harbor in 1913, the royal
| standard of England taken from the
Parliament House at Toronto when
| that city was captured by American
marines in 1913, the ensigns of the
| English fleet which surrendered to
Commodore Perry on Lake Erie. and
Perry's own flag with its motto Don't
give up the ship still clear and plain
| upon it. There are two flags of the
I,arbary powers captured on the Medi-
terranean in 1915. and some brightly
colOreG Mexican standards which our
marines captured at Monterey and
Tusran in 1916 and 1S47. There are the
captured flags of the Albemarle and
other Confederate vessels, and the
American flag which foated over the
Kearsarsc when it sank the Alabama
There are the beautiful Spanish en-
signs which flew over the handsome
| cruisers of Cervera'S Inflated squadron
before they were dipped in defeat at
Santiago. Here also, with the Korean
flags captured by our sailors in 1871, is
| the American flag which Commodore
| Pcary took with him to Japan on his
mission which opened that wonderful
empire To the world and its civilZa-
ton.
That Annapolis collection with its
emblems of war and of peace, it's re-
niindcrs of the gallant services rem
dcred their country by American
sailors for century and quarter, i.
one Of the pre- udest possessions of the
| American people