Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-08-08
THE STARS AND STRIPES
Historical Facts About the Worlds
Greatest Flag.

Greatest Flag.
for the British empire-the Union Jack
| Is but a combination of the flags OF
England, Ireland and Scotland-Ad-
miral Sir Charles Dundas, according
to London dispatches, said "the ideal
national flags are the French Tricolor
and the Stars and Stripes"
This tribute by an Englishman to the
American flag is the occasion for Is
suance by the National Geographic
society Of the following bulletin, based
on a communication to the society
from Commander Byron McCandless,
U. S. NJ, concerning the origin Of the
Stars and Stripes:
In the embryonic days Of the repub-
lie, when the Thirteen Original States
were still feeble British colonies border
ing the western shores Of the Atlantic,
there were almost as many varieties Of
banners borne by the Revolutionary
forces as there are today races fused
into one liberty-loving American peo-
pie.
"Disinclined to sever all ties with
England yet bitterly resentful Of the
treatment accorded them and unyield-
ing in their determination to resent
further oppression, when it became
necessary to adopt an ensign for their
newly created navy, in the autum Of
1775, the revolving colonies chose a
flag that reflected their feeling Of
unity with the Mother country, but at
the same time expressed their firm
joint purpose to demand and obtain
justice and liberty.
"One Of the colonial ships the Lady
Washington, was captured on Decem-
ber Z by H. M. S. Fowey, and her
colors, still in the Admiralty office
in London, are described as bearing a
pale-green pine tree on field Of white
bunting, with the motto, An Appeal to
Heaven This flag was flown by all
the ships under Washington's COM
mand at this time, the design having
been suggested by the commander-in-
chiefs military secretary, Colonel JOS
eph Reed, who wrote, on October 20,
l1775, that he wished to fix upon some
particular color for a flag and a signal
by which our vessels may know one
another
prior to the receipt of the news OF
the capture Of the British brig. Nancy,
| (November 29) by one Of General
Washington's ships under command of
John Manley, the Continental con-
gress had appointed Esek Hopkins
commander-in- chief of the navy built
by congress as distinguished from the
soldier-manned fleet under General
Washington. Immediately following
his appointment Commodore Hopkins
(the first and only commander-in-
chief the navy ever had) set sail from
Rhode Island in that colony's armed
vessel Katy and arrived in, the Dela=
ware River on December 8, ITS. The
same day the commodore assumed the
formal command of the little squadron
which the congress had placed under
him.
"The manner in which that COM
mand was assumed is Of signal i'm
portance, in that the ceremony marked
the hosting of the first truly American
flag. And the distinction Of having re-
leased the banner to the breeze be-
longs to that daring spirit, John Paul
Jones, one of the chief among heroes
in the hearts Of American naval Off
GERS and seamen.
This was the flag which afterward
figured so extensively in the literature
of the day as the congress colors, rom
the fact that it first floated over the
navy controlled by congress. Also
known as the Grand Union flag and the
first Navy Ensign, it was the colonial
standard from that day until 1t was
superseded by the Stars and Stripes,
in 1777. 1t consisted of thirteen colo
nies, with union bearing the crosses
of st. George and st. Andrew COM
bined (the national flag of Great Brit
ain) and signifying the Mother Coun-
| try.
THE Gadsden flag (of yellow silk
and bearing a coiled rattlesnake with
the motto Don't Tread on MeD, used
on the Alfred as the flag Of the COM
modore commanding the fleet, was
presented February s, 1776, to the
South Carolina provincial Congress by
Col. Christopher Gadsden, delegate
from South Carolina to the Continental
body and one of the committee OF
three appointed on October Is, 1775'
to report on the fitting out of two arm
ed vessels. When that report was
made. two weeks later, Colonel Gads-
den was one of committee Of seven
appointed to fit out four armed ves-
sells.
The jack displayed on the Alfred
on this occasion was a small, nearly
square flag Of thirteen alternate red
and white stripes, bearing crawling
rattlesnake with the legend Don't
Tread on Me- beneath It,,
although displayed on the Con-
tinental Army's first birthday, neither
the Grand Union Flag nor the Stars
and Stripes, adopted by congress a
year and a half later, was carried in
the field by the land forces during the
Revolutionary war. The army carried
only the colors of the states to which
the troops belonged and not the nat
ional flag.
1T was nearly one year after the
representatives of the United States
of America, in general congress as
sembled, had pledged their lives, their
fortunes, and their sacred honor for
the support of the Declaration of in
dependence that the crosses of st.
George and st. Andrew, emblematic
of the Mother Country, which had
formed the union of the Continental
Union flag, were discarded and re-
placed by a union composed of white
stars in a blue field, representing
nev constellation