The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-08-11

way, to what awaited US in the years
just ahead. On the way between the
camps and the campus ran Cow
Castle branch in which the water was
about two feet deep. When we reach
ed it every fellow wanted to take to
the footway, but not on your sweet
life! Col. Hagood had seen after that
before and had placed guards on the
footWay and every man-officers and
men-had to keep his proper place
and march steadily and in good order
right through the water just as tho
it was not there / said this was a
mild initiation and it was, for it was
the 31st day of the balmy month of |
May, and afterwards | have marched
through creeks up in Virginia in bit
ter freezing weather, and the water
was deeper than that in Cow-Castle |
branch. But let's get back to the
flag. The one presented to US that
day-31st May '61-was what was
called the "Stars and Bars" and
which had been adopted by the pro-
visional congress at Montgomery onl
the 4th of March, 1861, as suitable
flag for the Confederate States and
was described in the resolution adopt
ing it as follows: sThe flag of the
Confederate State of America shall
consist of a red field with a white
space extending horizontally through
the center and equal in width to one
third of the flag. The red space
above and below to be the same width
as the white. The union blue, extend
ing down through the white space
and stopping at the lower red space.
In the center of the union a circle of
white stars corresponding in number
with the states in the Confederacy.
The union square; the stars five
pointed. The length of the flag one
and half times the width" This was
the flag officially adopted by the
Confederate congress, bpt it was not
the first flag of the newborn nation.
The first that was made famous in
song and in story, was the Bonnie
Blue Flag" This was salnted by the
fconvention which adopted the ordi-
nance of secession of the state of
Mississippi, and is described in the
archives of that state as "a flag Of
white ground, magnolia tree in the
center; blue field in the upper left
hand corner, with a white star in the
center, finished with red border and
red fringe at the extremity of the
flag" Harry Mccarthy, the Irish
comedian, wrote the song Bonnie
Blue Flag" the night it was unfurled
in the convention, and sang it for the
i first time in the Spengler theater in
Jackson, Miss, on the 10th of Janu-
airy, 1861. The song was very pop
lular and was sung and played all over
the South during the war. wish I
could hear some good band play it
now as used to hear it played by
the band of our regiment when we
were the 18th Regt. s.. G. v. There
were many popular songs in those
days. We had songs patriotic, songs
pathetic, songs comic and songs SEN
timental. I love those old songs yet,
and it seems to me that they reached
deeper and got nearer to the heart
and soul than the songs and airs we
hear in these latter days. I would
just love to hear some bird throated
girl sing and play "Lorena" or
"Juanita" like used to hear Miss j.
B. sing and play it in the days now
long agone, when little Don Cupid
was fitting between US! MRS. Izlar
will please skip that last sentence.)
/ Well, let me get back to the track,
for like Flanagan, was off again
and now am on again. We had an
other fiag-the battle fag-which was
universally used by the army in ac-
tion. That needs no description here
as everybody is familiar with it, as
it is seen at every reunion of Con-
lfederate Veterans and the Sons and
Daughters of the Confederacy and is
seen on their stationery. Now this
AuIuUCT Has ICdIuCd AidAit eaAi0
will close it with this tribute to by
the flag by John Dimitry:
l"Not long unfurled was known,
j For Fate was against me;
4 But flashed over a Pure Cause,
And, on Land and Sea,
4 So fired the hearts of men unto Hero
i ism
That the World honors me.
Within my Folds, the Dead who died
under them
Lie nobly shrouded;
And my battered colors,
Crowded with thousand shining Vic
tories,
Have become, for the people who
i loved me,
A Glorified Memory"
/ Laurie T. Izlar.
Horse, cow and poultry feed, corn,
oats, hay and sweet feed. Ocala
i Seed Store. Stiff