The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-03-31
THE AMERICAN
SUBJECT
.0F A LECTURE
r. c. Ballard Thurston Ad-
dresses Students of High
School.
BRIEF HISTORY OF
THE FLAG rs GIVEN
Relates How Washington
Used Ribbons to Dis
tinguish Regiments.
BRIEF HISTORY OF
THE FLAG rs GIVEN

Speaking to the students of the
Pensacola High School yesterday aft
ernoon the Hon. R. C. Ballard Thurs
ton, past president general of the
Sons Of the American Revolution, de-
livered an interesting address upon
the Evolution Of the United States
Flag. Mr.. Ballard Thurston was in
troduced by MIR. Hobart Cross, secre-
tary of the Pensacola chapter of the
S. A. R., DR.. F. G. Renshaw, presi-
dent of the local organization, also
being present.
General Ballard Thurston IS spend
ing few days at the San Carlos ho-
tel en- route north, after some time
spent in South Florida. He viii be
rendered a dinner while here by the
Pensacola 8. A. r. DR.. Frank g.
Renshaw is president of the local as
ISOLATION, Mr.. Hobart Cross secretary
and Mr.. F. r. Bingham, treasurer
register. Other members are Mr.. R.
M. Cary, Judge A. G. Blount, Mr.. w.
A. Blount, Judge John G. Avery, Mr..
A. M. Avery, Mr.. George Wentworth
and Mr.. w. Fl. Milton.
He VIII go from here to New Or
leans to lecture at Tulane university
before the state historical society and
later at the Louisiana state univer-
sity at Baton Rouge.
In his address yesterday afternoon
before the high school students, Gem
eral Thurstun said IN part:
''When General Washington. after
his election as general and comman-
der-in-chief, reached Cambridge, on
July 3, IT'S, to take command, he
found the so-called army practically
without either colors or uniforms. In
fact, General Putnam, who command
ed the Connecticut troops, is said to
have worn the blue jeans, supported
by only one suspender, which he had
on when, hearing Of the battles OF
Lexington and Concord, he left his
pillow and started for Cambridge. So
General Washington assigned to the
various officers, as a distinction Of
rank, ribbons varying in color and
number, and these were worn by them
until something more elaborate and
formal were designed. There were
practically neither flags nor colors,
though some of the individual compa-
MES are supposed to have brought
with them those which they had pre-
viously used.
Washington had the entire army
to organize in all its minute details
and the question of colors, being OF
less Importance than many others
was not given serious consideration
at the start, but a little later he
urged the various colonels to provide
for their regiments colors Of such
design or designs as might appeal to
them. This was frequently done, anC
in many instances some design OF
thirteen units was used to represent
the revolving colonies.
'It was on June ID, 1777, that ou1
continental congress passed the fol
lowing act establishing the S sars anC
Stripes as the flag of our country:
Resolved, That the flag of the
United States be thirteen stripes, al
ternate red and white; that the unio1
be thirteen stars, white in a blu,
field, representing new constella
: tion.'
''You viii notice that this act doe
not define how many points the star
we're to have nor how they were t
be arranged.
"Our navy Immediately appropri
( ated the new flag; but as the Britisl
army and navy had used differen
, flags for many years, we thought W
should do likewise, and the oficis
correspondence between Gen. Wash
{ ington and the board Of war show
that It was over two years before the
? agreed upon design for the arm
3 to carry, sas variant from the marin
flag and over three years more be
fore the board OF war succeeded i
I obtaining the necessary materials an
having national colors made for on
:, army. The details of the DESIGN an
t only imperfectly described in this col
4 respondents, neither flag nor desig
rCont5uY1ad IN Pa0a Ts~o1