Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-06-18
INTERESTING FLAGS
|NNA7|ONAL EXHIBIT
Smithsonian Institution Tells
of the Governments Nota-
BILE Collection.

collection of American hags In the Ma
donal Museum was made public today
in a statement by the Smithsonian In
Intuition, many of the flags written OF.
notably the real Star Spangled Ban
ner," which few over Fort McHenry
In Baltimore when the national an
them was written, being of historical
value, priceless in some cases Tor their
associations.
The flag collections in the museum.
the statement points out, ineiu9e so dae
Nelopment of the national emblem IN
Various historical periods, its changes
Ind its gradual Standardization
1t is Interesting to note, the state
ment continues, that during the revo-
tuition the flag had thirteen stars, IN
the war Of 1912. Is; in the Mexican war
20; in the civil war, 35: In the spanish
American war, As, and today, a. the
American flag is among the Oldest OF
national flags, being older tn4n III
present British union jack, the Frenoa
fricolor and the flag OF spain, anu
many years older than the hags OF
Eermany and Italy, some Of which, like
those OF other countries, are personal
faTs- or those of reigning families.
No Early Colonial Flags.
There are no early colonial flags. such
rs were used by the individual colonies
and militia regiments before the flag OF
the United States was established oy
Congress June IA. 1777. now celebrated as
Flag day. This act required That the
nag of the United States be thirteen
stripes. alternate red and white; that the
union be thirteen stars, white In oiue
field, representing new constellation.
but did not define how many points the
stars should have. how they should pc
arranged. nor make provision for addt-
tional ones.
The navy Immediately adopted this
flag, but the army was much slower to
act. Representative Of the early stars
stars and stripes type, there Is a twelve
star flag said to have been used by Jonn
Paul Jones during the war OF the revoiu-
tion- 1t measures 1o1z feet by 6A 1eet'
and was presented to Lieut.. James Bay
ard Stafford, U. s. Navy, December IL,
1854 by the marine committee Of the Con-
tinental Congress, as reward Tor merl-
torious services during the revolution,
coming later to the Smithsonian lnstitu-
ton as gift from Mrs. Harriet r. Perry
Stafford.
Another flag of the very highest his
toric value is the original Star Span
McHenry in Baltimore during the
bombardment. September 1914. 1914.
and was the inspiration for Keys
anthem. 1t now hangs in the rotunda
of the New National Museum building.
where the models in competition for
the Key memorial are now on display.
This Fort McHenry flag is of the IF
teen stars-and-stripes type. adopted
dent washington, January 10. 1894.
which took effect May 1. -1795, after
the admission of Vermont and Ken
aucky. 1t measures about thirty feet
square, is much battered and torn with
one star missing. but this great historic
Souvenir has lately been preserved by
quilting it on heavy linen cloth. and
remains one of the country's most pre-
cious relics. From 1875 this form con-
tinued as the standard flag until Presi-
dent Monroe's administration, when
Congress enacted that it should there
after be of thirteen stripes, with the
addition of a star for each new state,
commencing July 4. 1918.
Reriod Army Never Carried Flag.
1t seems that the army never carried
the national bag in battle. though we
have record of it's use as a garrison
nag from about 1887 to 1898, to 1894.
until 1886 Bodies OF troops carried
during this period, and before 1t. what
was known as national colors, or stand
ards, of blue. with the arms OF the
United States emblazoned thereon. COM
prising an eagle, surmounted by num-
Der of stars, and with the designation
Of the body of troops, as infantry. ar
tillery. etc. inscribed on scroll
In 1884 the artillery were given the
IlKnl Oh carrying tnc anu StiipCSs
as recorded by the War Department
regulations, the infantry and cavalry
still using the national arms, with an
added scroll in the eagles beak bear
. These flags remained the colors of the
infantry until 1871. and the cavalry
until as late as 1887. when they were
ordered to employ the Stars and
Stripes.
So many styles and forms of the Stars
and Stripes flag were in existence in
1887 that certain foreign governments
found it necessary to make inquiry of
this government just what the official
nag was. resulting in the publication
in 1859 OF a careful study of the sub
feet by him. who later became (Gen.)
Schuyler Hamilton.
However. it was not until 1912 that
very definite specifications were drawn
up. Under President Tafts admins
tration representatives of the various
government departments conferred on
proportions and other details of the
national flag, resulting in an executive
order. dated October 20, 1912. which
tended to standardize the Stars and
Stripes, and yet further specifications
were found necessary only recently
The history of our flag indicates
that the Stars and Stripes" was not
carried by troops in battle until the
period of the Mexican War, 1s4s-47
Several flags of this period are in the
museum collections. Among them is
q nag OF thirteen stripes and stars
carried throughout the war by the bat
TALON of volunteers which enlisted
from Maryland and the District of
Columbia. and the flag of Company l.,
4th Regiment of Indiana Infantry, of
thirteen stripes. with an eagle in the
field
Flags Pertaining to Civil War.
Ten flags of the collection pertain
TO the civil war: The garrison flag
of Fort Moultrie. S. c., lowered when
the command evacuated that fort to
assemble at Fort Sumter, December 2S,
1850: boat flag flown by Commander
Charles s. Boggs. U.SN. when he left
the gunboat Varuna. sunk in an en-
gagement between a Confederate fiotilla
and the Union feet under Admiral Far
ragut, below New Orleans, April "a,
1852: a signal nag of white cloth with
painted stars and stripes: headquar-
ters flag of Maj. Gen. BENJAMIN F.
Butler. U. s. Volunteers, flown at Fort
-ress Monroe. Va. in 1861; the nag
raised at New Orleans by it's citizens
upon the occupation of the city by the
Union forces under Mai. Gen. Butler.