The National tribune., 1910-09-15

and ] am sorry I havs had the thing
in my hand" 1t seems that Goodwill
changed his mind as to its being o. s.
property, for he sent II to his home in
Iowa City, Iowa, and few years later
gave IL to the Iowa Historical Society.
In the Memorial Hall of the State His
torical Society in Iowa City. Iowa. is
that same flag. 1 had access to the
Historical Rooms in 1880. and for sew
eral years later, and examined the flag.
On it was the inscription: This flag
was taken from the new State House,
Columbia. s. c.. Feb. 16, 1865, by Capt.
VIM. II. Goodwill, of Gen. Schofield's
staff" / called on Goodwill, and told
him of the circumstance of his taking
lit from Comrade Elder, and he replied:
Il do not say I pulled it down; l say
captured it there that date" l took
enough interest in this flag to learn its
history. 1t was told me by persons
who should know. It was made in CO.
lumbia. S c., by the wives of the men,
bers of the State Senate, and taken
with the Columbia delegation to Mont
gomery. Ala. and was raised over the
convention that passed the resolutions
of secession. Then it was taken-back
to Columbia. S. c., and used there as
their Confederate flag. At first sight in
the distance it would be taken for Old
Glory, and l believe it was so mistaken
at first Bull Run and other battles. and
the Confederates finally adopted anoth-
er design. as you have related.
Several times resolutions have been
introduced in the Iowa Legislature to
return the rebel flags. but so far they
have been defeated. This flag will no
doubt some dav be returned to the city
of Columbia, s. c.. as there seems to be
sickly sentiment about il and the
effort to wipe out all bitter feeling is
rampant, and orators are yelling them
I r.x.TVr l.. -
giving back these flags. The howl re-
minds me of rebel who came to my
office in Chicago in 1882, and begged
me to use my influence to see that the
flags were not returned, and gave his
reason for his position as this: you
- Yankees will gather up a carload
of old flags and send them down South,
and our people will say we Confederate
soldiers were -- lot Of towards to
let so many of our flags be taken" |
have not read nor heard of any shouts
of joy over the return of flags I wish
they were all down South, where they
belong, or burned up. l have not read
nor heard of any Confederate soldier
who had changed his political coat be-
| cause of the return of the dirty old
rags. Many people like to keep relics
of their dead friends. These Confeder-
ates who want to live over the war by
gazing on their rebel flags are to be
pitied, and when they insist on the re-
turn OF flags, on putting r. E. Lee and
jeff Davis in the Hall of Horrors, where
Adams fell dead, they only furnish the
text for the boys keeping up the old
story. why we whipped them back into
the Union and made labor respectable
by freeing their slaves.
The Confederacy really had no flag
Regiments carried their State flags and
regimental flags, and l well remember
the faU tha Tragcnpf r1o
r1ed at Shiloh (New Orleans regim ment).
They were new and beautiful but they
were not the flag that the rebels wor-
ship to-day by thousand miles.
In my three years and 10 months
service, all in the Goth Ohio beginning
at II years of age. 1 saw many rebel
flags, for belonged to q regiment that
was never ordered to take position
but they took it; never ordered to hold
position but they held it. Fort Dom
elson, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Atlanta,
march to the sea, Bentonville. march to
Richmond, Va, on the way to Wash
ington. d. c.. and marching up Penn
sylvania avenue. always on duty, never
missed a meal when I could get it, nor
battle my regiment was in, nor was
successful in making a hospital rec
ord. Being in the best of health, I
have no need of a pension. and I can
say never had 80 much fun or real
ooiiu ehJoyiueHt III my lie as had in
the army. Life on the farm had been
serious proposition for me all the
wears before I enlisted IN the army:
Dut then 1 was kept busy on duty or
having grand time 1 never expect to
have so much fun again.
Many of my comrades are dead on
the field of honor. 1 am so happy over
the fact that I was not a short-term
man, for all the short-term comrades
nave tale of woe and suffering Why,
even my prison experience in the Vicks-
burg Jail. under the CALLING fire of
our gunboat Essex, had its fun, and
when saw Grant bombarding that
stronghold and witnessed its surrender
ana $1,000 men marching out 1 was
happy.-David W. Wood, Co. G, goth