The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-08-03
"OLD GLORY"
q. S. Emblem is Oldest of AL World
Flags.

found in use in the various govern
ment departments in Washington has
called forth an executive order 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 l.,
the fly, or length, is 1.9, the hoist of
the union 7-13, the fly of the union
rs and the width of each stripe 1-13.
There are twelve prescribed sizes,
but the 19-foot flag is to be the
standard.
Increase of Stars.
e The American flag collections of
the United States national museum
include some examples of our flag
indicative of it's development in sew
eral historical periods, it's many
changes, and it's gradual standardiza-
tion
1t is interesting to note that dur
ing the Revolution the flag had thir-
teen stars; in the War of 1912 ff-
teen; in the Mexican war twenty
nine; in the Civil war thirty-fve; in
the Spanish-American war forty-five,
and today forty-eight.
The United States flag is among
the oldest of national flags, being
older than the present British union
jack, the French tricolor, 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 reigning families.
How "Old Glory Started.
There are no early colonial flags,
Fsuch as were used by the individual
colonies and militia regiments before
the flag of the United States was es-
tablished by congress on June IA,
1777, now celebrated as Flag Day.
This act required:
'"That the flag of the United
States be thirteen stripes, alternate
red and white; that the Union be
thirteen stars, white in blue field,
representing a new constellation"
But the act did not define how
many points the stars should have,
how they should be arranged, nor
make provisions for additional ones.
The navy Immediately adopted this
flag, but the army was much slower
to act
John Paul Jones Original.
Representative of the early stars
and stripes type, there is a twelve
star flag said to have been used by
John Paul Jones in the War of the
Revolution. 1t measures 10 1-2 feet
by IA feet and was presented to
Lieutenant James Bayard Stafford,
United States navy, on December 13,
1884, by the marine committee of
the continental congress as a reward
for meritorious services in the Revo-
luton, coming later to the Smithson-
ian institution as gift from Mrs.
Harriet R. Perry Stafford.
Another flag of the highest historic
value is the original ''Star-Spangled
Banner" which flew over Fort Nc
Henry in Baltimore during the bom-
bardment on September 1914, and
was the inspiration for Keys anthem.
It now hangs in the rotunda of the
new national museum building,
where the models in competition for
the Key memorial are now on dis
play.
Is Stars and Stripes.
This Fort McHenry flag is of the
fifteen stars and stripes type, adopt
ed by an act approved by President
Washington on January 13, 1894,
which took effect on May 1, 1895,
after the admission of Vermont and
Kentucky.
It measures about 80 feet square,
is much battered and torn, and has
one star missing. This great historic
souvenir has lately been preserved
by quilting it On heavy linen cloth.
It remains one of the country's most
precious relics.
From 1875 this form continued as
the standard flag until President
Monroe's administration, when con-
gress enacted that it should there
after be of thirteen stripes, with the
addition of a star for each new State,
beginning on July 4, 1918.
First in Battle in 1916.
It seems that the army never car
ried the national flag in battle in
1S46, though we have record of its
use as garrison flag from about
1887 to 1884. Before 1884
hodies of troons carried what was