The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-07-18
MARYLAND HAS SEVERAL
HISTORICAL FLAGS
One Venerable Flag Was Carried by
John Paul Jones in Battle With
British EriGate.

Ever since the first flag was made
IN Philadelphia, in 1777. flags of re
noWn have been noated on the
breeze Some Of these have happily
been preserved 10 awaken feelings of
patriotism and devotion in the
hearts Of all who view them.
Chief of all the distinguished his
toric flags of our country now ip-eX=
istence is probably mat reverted and
tattered flag which is treasured by
the State eof Maryland. This flags
record is authentic. 1t was carried
as the regimental flag of the Third
Maryland Regiment under Col. John
+. Howard at the battle of COWpens,
5. c.. in January. IT'S, by William
Bachelor, color-bearer, who. when
wounded, was sent to his home in
Baltimore, taking the flag with him,
which he had carried, it is stated, at
the battles on Long Island and Har-
lem Heights, and the several subse-
quent enga gements in which the
Maryland regiments took part in
New York State.
The flag was treasured by the fam
lily after the death of Baanelor and
carried by his son William, of the
Twenty-seyenth Regiment, Maryland
militia, at the battle Of North Point.
Later the Younger Bachelor carried
the flag in paradeS and functions on
the Old Defenders Association TO
which society the flag was bequeath
ed and which presented it to the
State OF Maryland at Annapolis on
October 10, 1907.
Another venerable flag claims the
honor Of being the oldest American
flag in existence. This flag, it is
stated, was carried by John Paul
Jones on the Bonhomme Richard III
the famous battle with the British
frigate Scraps, on September 3,
1879. The flag has 3 stripes, alter
mating red and white, as now, with
IL fiYe-pointed stars. That the
stars on the flags field number only
II is due to the fact that Georgia
had not been admitted as one of the
13 States when the flag was made in
1777. in the shop of Mrs. Betsy Ross
(the old flag house. in Philadelphia,
by Misses Mary and Sarah Austin.
The story goes that in the engage
ment with the Scraps, when the mast
bearing this flag was shot away
Lieut.. James 3. Stafford jumped ov-
erboard. recovered it and nailed il
TO the foremost. There are bullet
holes in the old flag to prove the
story, as anyone can see who visits
the National Museum in Washington
where also are preserved the flag
owned by Admiral Charles Wilkes
said to have been made of the first
silk raised in the United States: 1.-THE
flag said TO have been flown at the
North Pole by Rear-Admiral Pear3
in 1909. and also the flag carried by
the Smithsonian African Expedition
under the command of former Presl
dent Theodore Roosevelt, in 19O9-10
Hanging from the walls of the Ma
tiOnal Museum is the most distin
guShed flags the Star-SpangleC
Banner which fioated over Fort Nc
Henry, Maryland during the British
attack, in September, 1914, and OF
seeing which during the battle Fran
els Scott Key (held on one of the
British ships wrote the famous sons
of that name. This flag was made
by MIS-. Mary Pickersgill and her as
sStants at what is known as the Bal
timore flag house, and measures =
/ by sc feet.
In the battle one of the stars wa
I shot away by the British. The ban
ner was preserved by Major Georg'
/ Armistead, the valiant commander o
Fort McHenry, and after his dealt
/ by his daughter, Mrs. Eben Apple
ton. who presented it TO the Nation
al Museum with the condition tina
the flag should never be removed 70
,.vbibitiOu elsewhere
Th" Youngest among distinguished
flags IS that which was made in tn
old flag house, Philadelphia, in 1915
Each of the stars in this notable fiai
was supplied by the Government o
one of the States of the Pnion. TIL
flag was unfurled at the official open
ing Of the Panama Canal in 1915
1t was released by President Wilson
who pressed an electric button send
ing it to the breeze At the sam
time The Star-Spangled Banner
was sung in almost every town an
city of the United States, sending
thrill OF patriotic impulse over tn
nation.