Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-12
TATTERED SIGNAL
FLAGS ARE USED
Flash Messages at Reunions
as They Did During the
Civil War.
LIEUT.. GEORGE C. ROUND
is ACTIVE IN THE WORK
President of U. S. Veteran Signal
Corps Association Heads Com
memoration Movement.

are To-Day taHing place or equal honor
with the battle flags sacred with the aw-
full memories of that great contest.
Thanks to the untiring work of the United
States Veteran Signal Corps Association.
the service of the signal men is beginning
to be more and more appreciated.
Small in number. but untiring in ther
effort to place the signal corps of the
civil war firmly on the rolls of fame the
survivors of the adventurous band of
fiagmen have In the last few months
climbed to tremendous heights in the esti-
nation and admiration of the American
people by the manner in which they chose
to commemorate the spirit of friendship
which has grown between the two Sec
tons of the country since the close of the
war.
Flags Used This Year.
At Gettysburg and at Chattanooga the
tattered signal flags of priceless value
nave been used this year to wig-wag
verses of blessing and peace from noun
tain to mountain. The same flags whose
every dip meant some bloody, frightful
move of battle have this year been used
to speak the words of the Prince of
Peace.
most persistent member of the Veter-
an Signal Corps Association is Lieut.
George Carr Round, now of Manassas
Va. and recently elected president of the
organization. He is actively engaged in
perpetuating the memories of the signal
corps of war time. and what is pro-
nounced one of the most beautiful
achievements of Lieut.. Round and the as
sociation is the series of reunions occur
ring between the signal men of both
armies. This was a quiet feature of the
Gettysburg celebration of the fiftieth an
niversary of the battle and also at the
Chattanooga gathering of the G. A. r.
Flashed Peace Words.
On the last day of the Gettysburg
event Lieut. Round arranged an appropri-
ate ceremony for the close of that Won
derful week of reunion, and flashed
Peace good will to men, from Little
Round top, while an answer waved with
a fifty-year-old signal flag. came from a
neighboring height At Chattanooga. a
few weeks ago he re-esta blished a signal
station at the tip of Kenesaw mountain.
1t was from that station that Gen. Sher-
man famous message to Gen. Corse. at
Rome, Georgia. was sent: Hold the fort
I'm coming" Confederates occupied the
mountain first when Johnson's army was
retreating into Alabama before Sherman's
hosts. After the Federals captured the
mountain ii was used as one of the links
In the great chain of signal stations.
Lieut.. Round now owns the flag which
flashed the first relay of that famous
message. 1t has been until recently in
the custody of the state of PENNSYLVANIA
and curio seeker has stolen large
piece from it.
The old-time signal men are extremely
proud of their ceremonies at Chatta-
nooga.
Messages Sent Each Day.
On each day of the encampment a
significant message was flashed from
some point around which the wartime
memories cling with never dying tenac-
ity. The first of these messages, flag
ged at high noon by Lieut.. George Carr
Round. was on Lookout mountain, and
his assistant was Robert Nj. Green of
Orovlle. Cal. who was a flagman in
Lieut.. Rounds division on the dome of
the North Carolina state capitol i'm April.
1850. The message on the first day was
taken from the verse of George d.
Prentice:
Historic mount, baptized in fame and blood
Inv name Is as immortal as the rocks
mat crowned thy thunder-scarred but royal brow
On the second day Lieut.. Round and
Capt. b. L. Goulding, the latter an old
time member of the Confederate Signal
tanooga. 1t was one of the features of
the encampment, carrying with it the
fraternity which now marks the bond
between the once bitter fighters of the
Two armies. The two signal men ex-
changed Charles Wesley's verse, begin
ming:
Blow We the trumpet, blow:
The year of jubilee is come.
Banner Still Waves"
Upon the third day Capt Goulding
took his station on Cameron hill, with
white and red flag. and in the code of
half century ago he wigwagged:
Oh, say, does the star spangied banner still wave
Lieut.. Round. with his United States
signal veterans standing on the tin of
Lookout mountain, responded with wav-
ing flags:
The star spsngled banner in triumph doth wave
Ger the land of the free and the home Of the
brave.
Following this, the two famous signal
men opened twin stations on Cameron
Hill, within easy view of the city. and
upon the fourth day Lieut. Round called
with his flag ''223-143," which was war
time code for Confederate States" Capt.
Goulding responded with the code num-
beers for United States" Lieut.. Round
then flashed the inscription on the Ken
lucky monument at Chattanooga:
'As we are united in life and they are
united IN death, let one monument per-
petuate their deeds. and one people, for
getful of all asperities. forever hold in
grateful remembrance all the glories of
that terrible conflict which made all men
free and retained every star on the
national flag"
The Confederate veteran signal man
responded Amen and Amen"
Tattered Flags Give Blessing.
Upon the last day the tattered old flags
gave their blessing upon the veterans
gathered there at the encampment. some