The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1916-06-29
Stars and Stripes in Battle.
From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The fact that some sixty-odd sizes
and shapes Of American flags were
found in use in the various govern
ment departments has actuated an
executive order, dated May 20, stand
ardizing the form and size of all our
national flags. The flags, and Union
Jacks, of all departments, with GER
tain exceptions in the army and navy,
must now conform to specifications.
Taking the hoist, or width, as 1; the
fly. or length, is 10; the hoist of the
union, 7-13; the fly of the union, .76,
and the width of each stripe, 1-13.
There are twelve prescribed sizes,
from 1.31 feet to 20 feet hoists, but
the 19-foot flag is to be the standard.
The American flag collections of the
United States National Museum show
the development of one flag in several
historical periods, its many changes,
and its gradual standardization.
1t is interesting to note that during
the Revolution the flag had thirteen
stars; in the War of 1912, fifteen; in
the Mexican War, twenty-nine; in the
Civil War ,thirty-fve; in the Spanish
American War, forty-fve, and today,
forty-eight. The American flag is
among the oldest of national flags,
being older than the present Union
Jack, the French tri-color, and the flag
Of Spain, and many years older than
the flags of Germany and Italy, some
of which, like those of other countries,
are personal flags, or those of reign
ing families.
There are no early Colonial flags,
such as were used by the Individual
colonies and militia regiments before
the flag of the United States was
established by Congress on June IA,
1777, now celebrated as Flag Day.
This act required "That the flag of
the United Ctates be thirteen stripes,
alternate red and white; that the
union be thirteen stars, white in a
blue field, representing a new con-
stellation," but did not define how
many points the stars should have,
how they should be arranged, nor
make provision for additional ones.
The navy Immediately adopted this
flag, hut the army was much slower
to act. Representative of the early
stars-and-stripes type, there is a
twelve-star flag said to have been used
by John Paul Jones during the War
of the Revolution. 1t measure 1012x
Ga feet, and was presented IL Lieu
tenant James Bayard Stafford. United
States Navy. on Dec. -, tISA, by the
Marine Committee Of the Continental
Congress, as a reward for meritorious
services during the RevoluticE, COM
ing later to the Smithonian Institute
as a gift from Mrs. Harriet Il. Perry
Stafford.
Another flag of the very highest
historic value is the original "Star
Srangled Banner" which flew over
Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the
bombardment on Sept. 13-14, 1914,
,pJ ,,-oe Tho ;.,r,;rn4;o,, f., Eo--;-
anthem. It now hangs in the rotdnda
of the new National Museum Building.
where the models in competition for
the Key Memorial are now or display.
This Fort McHenry flag is Of the ff-
teen starS-and-stripes type, adopted
by an act approved by President
Washington, Jan. -, 1874, which took
effect May !, 1875, after the admission
Of Vermont and Kentucky. 1t meas-
ures about 80 feet square, is much
battered and torn, with one star miss
ing, but this great historic souvenir
has lately been preserved By Quilting
it on heavy linen cloth. and remains
one of the country's most precious
relics. From 1895 this form continued
as the standard flag until President
Monroe's administration, when Con-
gross enacted that it should thereafter
be Of thirteen stripes, with the addi-
ton of q star for each new State,
commencing July 4, 1918.
1t seems that the army never car
lied the national flag in battle, though
we have record of its use as a garri-
son flag from about 1887 or 170S to
1884, until 1S4f. Bodies of troops
carried during this period, and before
it, what was known as national colors
or standards, of blue, with the arms