The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-06-25
HISTORIC FLAGS IN
NATIONAL MUSEUM

E-tssEs tt
Washington. Special: One Of the
most conspicuous features of he his
torical exhibits in the United States ma
tional museum is the flag collection
collection which includes some 20 ex-
amples of the American flag and shows
its development in the different histor-
ical periods.
While there are no early colonial
flags, such as were used by the several
colonles before flag OF h United
states was established by congress on
June !, l777, a fine example Of the first
true United States ensign is shown.
Representative of the stars and stripes!
type, is a flag said to have flown on the
Bonhomme Richard, under command
of Admiral John Paul Jones. 1t came
into the possession of the Smithsonian
institution as a gift from Mrs. Harriet
r. Perry Stafford.
Another flag of the very highest his
toric value is the original Star
Spangled Banner" Of Keys anthem,
Ing the b~ombardment of September 10
IA, 1914, and which was presented to the
Smithsonian institution by Mr.. Ebe
Appleton. The Fort McHenry flag is
of the type having Is stars and stripes
adopted in 1854, upon the addition OF
iAO olalCS Ol cTIlOul anu heICucky.
This type went into effect in 1855 and
continued to be the standard until 1918
when ongres returned to the original
Ii stripes and made provision for the
addition of a star for each new state.
Several flags recall vividly the Mex
lean war of 1854. Among them is the
nag OF IL stripes, with an eagle in the
field, carried throughout the war by
the battalion of volunteers which en-
listed from Baltimore and Washington,
and hoisted in Victoria City, Mexico;
also the flag Of Mexico, hauled down at
this time. The flag of Company I.
Fourth regiment Of Indiana volunteers,
which presented by the commanding
officer, Capt. Robert Fravel, and car
rled in the Mexican war, is also to be
seen.
An Incident relating to our flag In
Mexico was recently brought out on
the occasion of the presentation of a
replica of the Star Spangled Banner
to the national society of the Sons OF
the American Revolution. General ST.
Bolivar Buckner stated that short
~ after the Mexican war it had been
ms privilege to lead a party Of Ameri-
can officers to the summit of Mount
Po~pocatapetl, where he planted his
country's flag. in imitation Of the early
Spaniards.
Recent researches on the history of
our flag indicate that the Stars and
StLipeS were not carried by troops in
battle until the period of the Mexican
war. Up to that time. although it was
used by the army as a garrison flag.
n flown on all war ships, only he
standard, bearing the coat of
arms of tie United States. and the
rreslmental colors We're carried by lane
forces.
Pertaining to the civil war are nine
Tags: The garrison flag of Fort Moult-
RE. ;. O.. lowered when the command
evacuated that fort to assemble at Fort
Sumter. December 26. 1860; the re-
mans OF the flag carried in the three
days fight at Salem Heights, Va,
May S-5. 1868, when three color SER
geants were killed. though the standard
never faltered or fell to the ground;
headquarters flag of Brevet Major Gen.
Babcock Hazen, comprising a
iha1rge whlte stas on a field half red and
plue, representative of the rank of
orlgsdier general; General Hazen's
garrison flag, hoisted at Fort MEAL
lister Ga, after the surrender of the
tort to the union army, December 10,
1864; the flag flown on the u. S. S.
kearsage when she defeated the Ala
deposited in the National muse
UNI by Lieutenant Herbert Winslow.
son of Rear Admiral Winslow, com
n Of the Kearsage, during this
acton; a S3-star flag. flown after the
capture of Richmond, April, 1865;
headquarters flag Of Major General 70.
.: G. Ord, received from his son,
Lieutenant James II. Ord: flag of the
FIRST Rifles, Pennsylvania volunteers,
FOUND In the capital az Richmond. in
1868; n the flag raised at New Or
leans, by its citizens, upon the occu-
patton of the city by the union forces,
under General B. f. Butler, May /.
1852.
The museum collection contains
Tags OF many sorts and types carried
IN the war with Spain, including sew
eral spanish standards, flag of truce
employed by Lieut.. F.. r. Brainard for
the release of two newspapern.en from
havana, Cuba, n later TO. the re-
tease OF Lieut.. Hobson and his sailors
after the destruction of the Merrimac;
and Commodore Schley's ~pennant.
Ilown from the u. S. S. Brooklyn, July
8, 1898.
A collection from the state DEPART
ment includes a series of 81 flags If
different nations.
lhe following miscellaneous flags prs
slso of interest: Flag owned bv
ADMIRAL Charles Wilkes, u. S. NJ: a
rag made of the first silk raised in the
Snlted States; the American colors
noWn at the north pole by Rear Admiral
Peary In 1909, also the flag of the
navy league; the flag carried by the
smithsonian African EXCEPTION under
Mle of Theodore Roosevelt in
l9o9-l0; and many other examples of
the national ensign which has flown in
SO many notable engagements.
S The E,t~~ Col TL..r.