Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-06-25

! HISTORIC FLAGS IN
i NATIONAL MUSEUM

I* HISTORIC FLAGS IN ;
NATIONAL MUSEUM !
Washington. Special: One Of ~.
most conspicuous features of the his
~torical exhibits in the United States no
tional museum is the flag collectio.
! collection which includes some 20 a,
amples of the American flag and show.
its development in the different histors
ical periods.
While there are no early colonia,
flags, such as We're used by he several
| colonies before the flag Of the Unitad
| States was established by congress ON
June L, 1777, a fine example of the first
true United States ensign is shown.
| Representative of the stars and stripes
type, is q. flag said to have flown on the
| Bonhomme Richard, under command
Of Admiral John Pau Jones. It 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,
which waved over Fort McHenry dur,
IA, 1914, and which was presented to the
Smithsonian institution by Mr.. Eben
Appleton. The Fort McHenry flag is
of the type having is stars n stripes
adopted in 1854, upon he addition Of
the states of Vermont and Kentucky.
This type went into effect IN l7S5 and
continued to be the standard until 1918
when congress returned to the original
13 stripes and made provision for the
addition of a star for each new state.
Several flags recall vividly the Mex
lean war of 1S46-47. Among them is the
flag of IS stripes. with an eagle in the
field, carried throughout the war by
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 1,
Fourth regiment Of Indiana volunteers,
which presented by the commanding
ried 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.
mon Bolivar Buckner stated that short
ly after the Mexican war it had been
his privilege to lead a party of Ameri-
can officers to the summit of Mount
~Popocatapetl, 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
Stripes" 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,
and flow IN all war ships, only the
arms of tie United States. and the
reginental colors were carried by LAND
forces.
Pertaining to the civil wal are nine
fiags: The garrison flag of Fort Moult-
RE. S. c.. lowered when the command
evacuated that fort to assemble at Fort
Sumter. December rs, 1860; the re-
mains of the flag carried in the three
days fight at Salem Heights. Va,
May 3-5, 1868. when three color SER
geants We're killed, though the standard
never faltered or fell to the ground;
HEADQUARTERS flag of Brevet Major Gen.
William Babcock Hazen, comprising a
large white sta. on a field half red and
blue, representative of the rank of
briga.dier general; General Hazen's
garrison flag, hoisted at Fort Meal
lister. Ga, after the surrender of the
tort to the union army, December Is,
1864; the flag Town on the u. S. S.
kearsage when she defeated the Ala
bama, deposited in the National muse
UNI by Lieutenant Herbert Winslow,
son of Rear Admiral Winslow. COM
mander of the kearsage. during this
action; a 35-star flag. flown after the
capture of Richmond. April, 1855;
h~eadquarters flag of Major General e.
y: ;. Ord. received from his son,
Lieutenant James 7. Ord; flag of the
Flrst Rifles, Pennsylvania volunteers,
Ieund in the capital at Richmond, in
1919; and the flag raised at New Or
leans, by it's citizens. upon the occu-
patlon OF the city by the union forces.
1862. ""s -
The museum collection contains
rags OF many sorts and types carried
IN Ihe wal with Spain, including sew
eral Spanish standards, flag of truce
employed by Lieut.. T. r. Brainard for
me release of two newspapermen from
havana, Cuba, and later for the re-
lease OF Lieut.. Hobson and his sailors
aller tie destruction of the Merrimac;
ana Commodore Schley's pennant.
Howl from the u. S. S. BROOKLYN. July
8, 1898. 'ui'
A collection from the state depart
ment includes a series of 81 flags Of
olIferent nations.
The following miscellaneous flags are
also OF interest: Flag owned by
Adm1ral Charles Wilkes, U. s., N: a
nag mad of the first silk raised in the
United States; the American colors
noWn at the north pole by Rear Admiral
Feary in 1909; also the flag Of the
e eVy league; the flag carried by the
Smithsonian African EXCEPTION under
Ine command of Theodore Roosevelt in
l9O9-10; n many other examples of
the national ensign which has flown in
so many notable engagements.
The False Cod rb.;f.