The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-02-20

gentleman who had his flag de- sign approved by Congress on April 4th, 1918.
 Congress decided that Sam had the right idea. Thirteen stripes, alternately red and white, with a blue union containing a white star for every State, was what Captain Sam thought would look best at the masthead of our gall lant fighting ships and in the van of our marching columns. Con- gross voted resolution of thanks, along with the formal approval.
 Reid was the son of a British naval officer who fell in love with a Yankee girl and resigned his commission in the Royal Navy at her request. The elder Reid came ashore, set up housekeeping, and learned to talk United States. When young Sam came of age, the old man put him in the U. s. Navy, thereby working a dirty trick On his native England. Sam uel Chester Reid became such g. good sailor that they made him a captain and gave him frigate, the U. S. s. General Armstrong. :. Came the War of 1872, and Cap tain Reid went OH the prowl for prizes and enemy ships. He buckled into them wherever he found 'em, and they usually knew they'd been in a fight after he got through. The young Norwich lad was soon making a name for himself on the high seas and the word went out from Lloyd's of London that his scalp might bring a fancy price, if delivered with enough of the face left on to make identification easy. But that didn't scare Sam. He just bore on harder. Everywhere a Britisher sailed Sam was sniffing around begging for a fair wind.
 On September 26th. 1914, Cap tain Reid sailed the General Armstrong to Fayal, Azore Is- lan1s, and engaged three British ships, the CarnatiOn, Plantagenet and Rota. These vessels were bringing infantry endorsements to the British command at New Orleans but they figured Reid's ship was a likely chunk of cold meat so they fingered to polish him off. Captain Sam fought for "A hours and his decks were slip pery- with blood when he beached the General Armstrong, sent his men ashore, and touched off the magazine. The British Lion had a knot in his tail right.
 After sending a few stray shots toward Reid's beached Yankees, the English commander took in- ventory and found that his three ships were in such bad order that further sailing was impossible. Patching up took so long that Andy Jackson fought the Battle of New Orleans and won along be- fore those redcoats got headed west again.
 Norwich is mighty proud of Captain Samuel Chester Reid, and she should be. Not many men can claim as gallant a record. Certainly only 3 few men ever have the honor of having a de- stroyer named for them. There was one named for Sam. We've seen her, and she was gallant vessel.
 But Norwich is almost as full of points of historic interest as South Britain. There's Washington Street, Lafayette Street Colt Lane, Mediterranean Lane, Mcclellan avenue, and Huntington Lane. What we like best about Norwich is the record of the 1st Connecti- cut Volunteers. Governor Wn. A. Buckingham, Norwich man, got the 1st to Washington on May 18th, 1861 and the outfit was so well-equipped that the govern ment borrowed its transport. Gen. eral Scott said, Thank God, we have one regiment ready to take the field. Colonel Tyler is pre- pared not only for battle but for a campaign" <. We wonder, are the National Guard outfits soon to move from Connecticut as we'll equipped as Colonel Tyler's First Connecticut? We doubt it.