The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-12-08
FIRST FLAG OF coNFEDunAcr.
Presented at washinGton ~ North
Carolina Veteran

O9rOitna veteran
Says tho Raleigh Times: At Wash
inston. d. C.. on the evening OF Novem-
Der I2th. Mrs Fannie Ransom VIII
uams. OF Newton. the president OF the
North Carolina division Of the United
Daughters of the Confcderacy. wiii
presented 20 the association on behalf
OF the venerable Captain ofssn X
Smith. now nearly ninsty years OF age.
and whose home is at Henderson.
large Confederate flag OF 1881. the ma
terlsl being SILK In other words, IL
was what IL known a. the nrst
flag Of the coprederscy." popularity
called then and now the Stars ana
Bars" The original design OF this
flag wes submitted by Captain Smith In
February. 1881. TO the Confederate Con-
gress then In session at MONTGOMERY,
Ala. IT having called for designs anu
accepting this one
A tine specimen OF one OF the nags
made in May. 1861, by ladies, out OF
their silk dresses. may be seen in the
Hall OF History in the Stats Museum.
in a case on the north side. This 10
known as the Bethel Flag" because II
is the one which the First Regiment
OF North Carolina Volunteer Infantry
carried at that battle. whore On June
a
was the frst Confederate colder kill
"a in regular engagement
Tho flag was presented By Mrs.
Williams. a daughter Of the late Gem
eraI Robert Ransom. to the United
Daughters OF the Confederscy of the
entire south. and was accepted by
Mrs. Alexander 3. White. CT Paris.
Tenn. the president general Of the
organization. Captain Smith was too
feeble TO be present on the occasion
he served during the war with Mexico.
in the North Carolina regiment. He
was with the regular army under Cor
onel Albert Sidney Johnson during the
campaign against the Mormons In Utah.
in 1853. and his connection with that
noted expedition, which marked some
200 miles out and In. was certainly
queer as to it's beginning. Captain
Harvey, OF the regular army. after
wards General Harvey. found Smith
and some young men from this part or
North Carolina hunting near St Louis.
and he saw Smith make q most re-
markable shot with a rifle. lucky
shot, for il killed "a small bird In q
tree much over a hundred yards
away. Harvey then and tlrere secured
the services OF Smith and his COM
panions as scouts and hunters for the
expedition. then being assembled, and
these men did their datys well.
II was great expedition ana Smith
enjoyed every moment OF IL When
the Civil War came along he became a
very ardent Confederate. and he served
right through the whole affair. When
the war with Spain started he had only
one regret. that he was too old to go,
for he had rendered his services. Ten
years ago he was present when the
pair Of Confederate cannon. secured
through the War Department by Col
onel Odds. from Fort Casweil. were
mounted on either side of the Con-
n-derate monument in tho Capitol
Square, and present that day also was
the venerable Alfred Moring. much
older than Captain Smith Mr.. Mornings
father had been a soldier IN the war
Of the Revolution. so that he was truly
son of the Revolution and one of
the very few men living in the United
States. II was very amusing to hear
Mr.. Moring address Captain Smith as
MY young friend" on that occasion.
and Colonel Odds very greatly enjoy
cd the whole affair.
Few men have so interesting and so
varied n history as Captain Smith, who
early in 1851 lived at I<oaisburg. IL
was from that piaoe that he sent the
design for the stars and Bars" and
on a tall Flagstaff in front OF the
courthouse there he hoisted the first
one of these fags displayed in North
Carolina, a lady of that place having
made it for him.-RaIeish Times.