The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1909-05-14
ORIGIN OF THE STARS AND BARS
Johnston and Beauregard Ordered New
Battle Standard.

| The preparations now being made
throughout the South for the annual re-
union of confederate veterans at Mem
phis during June make of unusual interest
at the present time statement made a
number of years ago by Gen. w. l.. Ca
bell of Dallas, Tex, in regard to how
and where the stars and bars of the
confederacy were designed. Gen. Cabell
Is commander of the transmississippi de-
partment of the united confederate veter-
ans. He declares the following to be a
true history of the flag
When the confederate army, command
ed by Gen Beauregard, and the federal
army confronted each other at Manassas,
it was seen that the confederate flag and
the stars and stripes looked at a distance
so much alike that it was hard to dis
tinguish one from another. Gen. Beaure-
gard, after the battle of the 18th of July,
at Blackburn Ford, ordered that small
red badge should be worn on the left
shoulder by our troops, and, as | was
chief quartermaster, ordered me to pur-
chase a large quantity of red flannel and
to distribute it to each regiment. Dur
ing the battle of Bull Run it was plain
to be seen that a large number of fed
eral soldiers wore a similar red badge.
Gen. Johnston and Gen. Beauregard met
at Fairfax courthouse, in the latter part
of August or early September, and de-
termined to have a battle flag for every
regiment or detached command.
Gen Johnston's flag was in the shape
of an ellpse-a red flag with blue St.
Andrews cross and stars on the cross
(white) to represent the different south
ern states. (No white border of any
kind was attached to the cross.) Gen.
Beauregard's was a rectangle red, with
blue st. Andrews cross and white stars,
similar to Gen. Johnston's
"After we had discussed fully the two
styles, taking into consideration the cost
of material and the care of making the
same. it was decided the elliptical flag
would be harder to make; that it would
take more cloth and it could not be seen
so plainly at distance; that the rec
tangular flag drawn by and suggested by
Gen. Beauregard, should be adopted. Gen.
Johnston yielded at once.
'No one else was present but we three.
No one knew about this flag but we three
until an order was issued adopting the
Beauregard flag, as it was called, and di-
recting me, as chief quartermaster, to
have the flag made as soon as it could be
done. | Immediately issued an address to
the good women of the South to give me
their red and blue silk dresses and to send
them to Uapt. Colin McRae Selph, quar-
ter master at Richmond Va, Capt. Selph
is now living in New Orleans, where he
was assisted by two elegant young women,
the Misses Carey from Baltimore, and
Mrs. Henningsen of Savannah and Mrs.
Hopkins of Alabama.
"The Misses Carey made battle flags for
Gen Beauregard and Gen. Van Dorm and
| think, for Gen. ]. E. Johnston. They
made Gen. Beauregard's out of their own
silk dresses. This flag is now in Memo
rial hall, New Orleans, La, with a state
ment of that fact from Gen. Beauregard.
Gen Van Dorn's flag was made of heav-
Ter material, but very pretty.
"The statement going around that this
flag was first designed by federal prisoners
is false Gen. Beauregard's battle flag is
in Memorial hall at New Orleans, La The
Washington artillery battle flag can be
seen at the Washington artillery hail.
Ardmore, Okl., Letter to St. Louis Globe
Democrat.