Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-11-08
Mistcllaneous &raain9.
FLAG OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
Oriqin of the Emblem and What 1t
Stands For.

Stands For.
The following address by Hon. r. I.
Joyner of Walhalla to the teachers and
patrons of the high school of his town
recently is reproduced from the keo-
wee Courier. becal Sc of its historic
value to hundreds of people who have
from time to time had occasion to in
quire into this very subject, with but
little satisfaction as to the amount OF
information they were able to gather:
Teachers, Pupils and Patrons of the
Walhalla High School, Ladies and
Gentlemen:
L esteem it both a privilege and an
honor to be present on this occasion OF
such historic interest. This spot Is
dear to me. On this site, from Sep
tember, 1879, to June, 1882, / spent
three of the happiest years of my life
as a student in Adger college. They
were years of hard work, and yet they
were happy. because l sought and loved
the life of a student.
a
here once more and take part in these
delightful exercises. 1t was timely and
well that an act of the general assem-
bly, of South Carolina was approved on
February 26th, 1910, providing That
the state flag should be displayed daily,
except in rainy weather, from a staff
upon the state house and every court
house. one building of the state univer-
sity, and of each state college, and up
on every public school building, ex-
cept when the school is closed during
vacation" We have met today to car
ry out this mandate and to raise aloft
over the building of the Walhalla High
school the Palmetto flag, or the flag OF
the Palmetto state, an emblem Of SOW
ereignty, with all that it signifies.
thought on this occasion a brief
history of our state flag and its signif-
icance would be appropriate. Hence l
have utilized the short time at my
command to put in written form, for
use and future reference, this sketch
of our state flag.
Our flag, like our state, was one
among the first on the American soil.
1t was originally designed by Col. VIM.
Moultrie, a Revolutionary soldier. He
was born in South Carolina in 1881,
and died at Charleston, September q,
1905. In 1775 he was the representa-
tive of st. Helena parish in the South
Carolina Provincial congress. and later
in the same year he was chosen as a
colonel of a South Carolina regiment.
For some time thereafter he was bus
lily engaged in providing for the defense
placed a battery at Haddrelrs Point,
and in March, 1776, began the erection
of rude fort of palmetto logs on Sui
livan's Island. This fort commanded
the entrance to the harbOr, and on June
9, 1916, was fiercely but unsuccessfully
attacked by a British fleet under COM
mand of Admiral Sir Peter Parker,
who was finally forced to withdraw.
Col. Moultrie had undertaken the de-
fense against the advice and wish of
his superior officer, Gen. Charles Lee.
of congress, and in his honor the fort
was named Fort Moultrie. In Septem-
Der, 1776, he was made a brigadier
general and was put in command OF
the department of Georgia and South
Carolina. After the war he was twice
Gn 1885 and 1890 elected governor of
South Carolina. While in command of
the military forces, Gen. Moultrie felt
the necessity of a flag for signals, and
casting about for a design, his eye fell
upon the blue Uniform OF the state
troops and the silver crescent on the
front of their caps. on September 13,
1775, a blue flag with a silver crescent
in the upper corner next the staff way
ed over Fort Jackson, on James Island.
the words, Liberty or
Death" were added This was the first
independence flag that flOated over
South Carolina soil. 1t was the same
flag that was rescued by Sergent Jas
per in the attack of June 2S, 1916. La
ter, by order of the general assembly,
this flag, with the addition of the sill
per palmetto tree in the center, was
adopted as the flag of the state. The
palmetto was added, not because it
grows and flOurishes on our coast, for
it grows elsewhere as well, but because
of the signal victories won in this his
toric palmetto fort. The fort was ap-
parently very slight in construction,
and the casual observer, unacquainted
with the nature of the palmetto log,
would never appreciate its powers of
resistance. The wood is extremely
porous, but its power to receive and
resist the impact of shot and shell is
tremendous. Besides, it is very dura-
BILE, and for this reason is preferred to
every other kind of wood for wharves.
This apparently crude fort of slight
construction withstOod the repeated at
tacks made upon it. On one occasion
Governor John Rutledge received an
order to have it evacuated at once, to
which he made his noted reply: Il will
sooner cut off my right hand than
write such an order"
Under the illustrious leadership of
Gen. Moultrie one of the worlds great
! attlcs was fought and won behind
these palmetto logs, and ever since the
palmetto has borne the place of honor
upon our flag, our state seal and the
insignia of various orders.
What a pity that this proud emblem
was ever degraded by being put on a
whisky bottle, but historic truth COM
pels us to record it. even though it be
with shame that we confess it. But
the wrong has been rightcd and the
injury repaired So far as state legisla-
ton can effect it. Never again should
we permit this historic emblem of such
mOmentOus worth to suffer stain or
degradation.
ON April II, 1910, the forty ninth
anniversary of the firing on Fort Sum-
ter, the ! attleship South Carolina"
one of the greatest fighting machines