Evening star., 1940-06-09
America Will Celebrate Flag Day This Week
While Question Lingers as to Betsy Ross Credit
Smithsonian Institution Expert Discusses Many Efforts Establish
Authenticity of Romantic Story Enroudng Repued Maker of
Nations First Embem--A E1ervS SchoolCh

first time it was displayed on m
of war
The first salute the flag receive
from foreign power was accordea
to the standard which floated from
the Ranger. This significant event
in the history Of the American flag
took place on February IA. 1778 in
Quiberon Bay 1t came from the
flagship of the French fleet and was
OF nine guns. The Ranger responded
with a salute of 13 guns. With the
consummation of that gesture the
American flag as we know 1t today
could consider itself fairly launched.
1t was said above that the United
States flag first was carried into
battle at Fort Stanwix That, ap-
parently, is the consensus, but it
by no means is all of the opinion
on the subject. A bronze tablet
in Rome, N. Y, marking the site
OF Fort StanwiX, renamed Fort
Schuyler. now Utica, bears this in
scription:
"A fort which never surrendered.
Defended August 6. 1777, by Col.
Peter Gansvoort and 1t. Marinus
Willett. Here the stars and stripes
was first unfurled"
However. at Coochs Bridge, near
Wilmington. Del. monument her
aids the following statement:
The stars and stripes was first
unfurled at Coochs Bridge on Sep
| tember 3. 1777. Erected by the
patriotic societies and citizens of
the State of Delaware, September
3, 1901"
1t is said that when Washington's
army defeated CORVALLIS on the
banks of the Assumpsic in 1777 it
also carried the new flag. There
is reason to believe that it was
carried at the disheartening field
OF Brandywine on September IL,
1777. while on October 4 it wit
messed the sanguinary action at
Germantown. 1t was carried at
Valley Forge, at Saratoga, at York
town and it floated triumphantly
when the British evacuated New
York in November, 1888.
Taken Around World.
The ship Columbia was the first
to take the stars and stripes around
the world. The vessel put out of
Salem on September 30, 1889, and
in August of the following year
returned to its home port. While
on this voyage a magnificent river
on the West Coast of the North
American continent was partly ex-
plored and Capt. Robert Gray
named it the Columbia, in honor
of his stout ship. 1t was Gray's
work, incidentally, which gave the
United States its first basis for a
claim to the Oregon territory, a
claim which was thrillingly sub
stantiated by the famous Lewis and
Clark expedition in 1905.
Revisions in the flag were made
from time to time. For a while
new stripes were added with the
addition of States, but it soon be-
came apparent that this was not
practical and the plan was de-
vised of placing a new star in the
field to designate each new State
admitted.
During the 10Th century spo-
radio efforts were made in the di-
rection of exercises to be held reg
ularly on June IA, the day on which
the Continental Congress adopted
the famous flag resolution. How
ever, nothing really was done until
in 1885 attention was directed to
the work of one B. j. Cigrand,
teacher in the schools of Fredonia,
Wis.
Mr. Cigrand was convinced that
the day should be recognized ap-
propriately in the schools and he
organized such exercises within his
own Jurisdiction. Under the i'm
petus Of Mr.. Cigrand's work there
was formed in 1894 group known
as the American Flag Day Asso-
citation, which undertook to bring
about observance of the day on a
national scale. Services at the Betsy
Ross house in Philadelphia In 1890.
four years previous, had helped stir
public sentiment.
The whole matter was brought
squarely to the fore on June IA.
1916. however, when President Will
son issued his Flag Day proclama-
ton, calling attention to the sig
nificance of the event and the value
Of public observance of the day.
This year tribute to the flag will
be linked with good citizenship ex-
ercises, and this year as never be-
fore American patriots will feelingly
reaffirm their devotion to the ideals
for which Old Glory has always
Stood
And that's important. even II the
Betsy Ross controversy ianti