Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-07-17
FAMOUS FLAGS IN
NATIONAL MUSEUM
Collection of Some 20 EAamp-
les Show Development of Star
Spangled Banner.
SOME HISTORIC STANDARDS
Civil and Spanish War coIors That
Passed Through Battles
In Exhibit.


In Exhibit.
Washington. d. Cone Of the most
conspicuous features of the historical
exhibits in the United States National
Museum Is the flag collection which
includes twenty examples OF the Amer
lean flag and shows its development
In the different historical periods.
While there are no early colonial
flags. such as were used by the several
colonies before the flag Of the United
States was established by Congress
on June IA. 1777. 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. un-
der command Of Admiral John Paul
Jones. This flag measures ION by 6A
feet. On December Is. 1884. II was
presented to Lieut.. James Bayard
Stafford, U. 8. NJ, by the Marine Com
mittee Of the Continental Congress
as a reward for meritorious services
during the Revolution. 1t came into
the possession of the Smithsonian In
stitution as gift from Mrs. Harriet
r. Perry Stafford.
Another flag of the very highest his
toric value Is the original "Star-Span-
gled Banner" Of Keys anthem, which
waved over Fort McHenry during the
bombardment of September 1914. 1914,
and which was presented to the
Smithsonian Institution by Eben APP
pleton. The Fort McHenry flag Is OF
the type having fifteen stars and
stripes, adopted in 1854. upon the ad-
dition of the States Of Vermont and
Kentucky.
This type went into effect in 1885
and continued to be the standard I'M
til 1918, when Congress returned to
the original thirteen stripes and made
provisions for the addition of star
for each new State. The original
"Star-Spangled Banner" which Is very
large, measuring % feet by 80 feet, Is
being remounted on linen for preser-
walton and exhibition.
Several flags recall wildly the
Mexican War of 1846-47. Among them
is a flag Of thirteen stripes, with an
eagle in the field, carried throughout
the war by the battalion Of volunteers
which enlisted from Baltimore and
Washington, and hOisted in Victoria
City, Mexico; also the flag of Mexico,
hauled down at the same time. The
flag Company l. Fourth Regiment OF
Indiana Volunteers, which was presen-
ted by the commanding officer. Capt.
Robert Fravel, and carried In the Mex
lean War, Is also to be seen.
Pertaining to the Civil War are nine
flags, the garrison flag Of Fort Moul-
trie, S. c., lowered when the command
evacuated that fort to assemble at
Fort Sumter December 26, 1860; the
remains of the flag carried In the
three days fight at Salem Heights.
Va, May 49, 1863, when three color
Sergeants were killed. Another flown
by Maj. Gen. William Babcock Haz-
en-. comprising a large white star on
a field half red and blue. representa-
tive of the rank of Brigadier General;
Gen. Hazen's garrison flag hoisted at
Fort McAllister, Ga, after the surren-
der of the fort to the Union army De-
cember Is, 1864; the flag flown on the
u. 8. S. Kearsarge when she defeated
the Alabama, deposited In the Nation
al Musum by Lieut.. Herbert Winslow
son of Rear Admi al Winslow, COM
mander of the Kearsarge during this
action; a thirty -fve-star flag flown
after the capture of Richmond April
1865; headquarters flag of Maj. Gen.
T.. o. c. Ord; received from his son.
Lieut.. James T. Ord; flag of the First
Rifles, Pennsylvania Volunteers, found
in 1865. and the flag, raised at New
Orleans by its citizens upon the occu-
patton Of the city by the Union forces
under Gen. B. f. Butler May I, 1852.
The museum collection contains
flags of many sorts and types carried
In the war with Spain. including sew
eral Spanish standards. flag Of truce.
employed by F. r. Bratnard for the
release of two newspaper men from
Havana. Cuba, and later for the re-
lease of Lieut.. Hobson and his sailors
after the destruction Of the Merrimac;
and Commodore Schley's pennant,
flown from the u. s.. 8. Brooklyn July
8, 1898.
A collection from the State Depart
ment includes a series of sixty-seven
n a oe NJ diffarent natione