.:• :• • ■ 
 
 THE 
 
 FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES 
 
 ADDRESS DELIVERED BY 
 
 HON. FREDERICK C HICKS 
 
 OF LONG ISLAND 
 IN THE 
 
 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
 
 JUNE 14, 1917 
 
 32539—18061 
 
 WASHINGTON 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
 
 1918 
 
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 THE 
 
 FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES 
 
 ADDRESS DELIVERED BY 
 
 HON. FREDERICK C HICKS 
 
 OF LONG ISLAND 
 IN THE 
 
 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
 JUNE 14. 1917 
 
 82539—18061 
 
 WASHINGTON 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
 
 1918 
 
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 82539—18061 
 

 I 
 
 THE 
 
 FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES 
 
 '0 brave flag, O bright flag, O flag to lead the free! 
 
 The glory of thy silver stars, 
 
 Engrailed in blue above the bars 
 
 Of red for coinage, white for truth, 
 
 Has brought the world a second youth 
 And draw a countless human host to follow after thee!'* 
 
 First of the flags of earth to dare 
 
 A heraldry so high' 
 First of the flags of earth to bear 
 
 The blazons of the sky; 
 Long may thy constellation glow, 
 
 Foretelling happy fate; 
 Wider thy starry circle grow, 
 
 And every star a State! 
 
 O bright flag, brave flag, O flag to lead the free! 
 
 The hand of God thy colors blent, 
 
 And heaven to earth thy glory lent, 
 
 To shield the weak, and guide the strong 
 
 To make an end of human turong, 
 and drawn a hundred million hearts to follow after thee! 
 
 Henry Van Dyke. 
 
 82539— 1S0G1 
 
FOREWORD. 
 
 In submitting to my fellow countrymen this address on the 
 flag, I desire to express to my colleagues in Congress my sin- 
 cere appreciation of the cordial reception tendered its presenta- 
 tion and my thanks for their kind expressions of approval. 
 
 To my wife, whose deep interest in my work has been not 
 only of untold material assistance, but a constant inspiration as 
 well, these pages are affectionately dedicated. 
 
 I have endeavored to present a true history of the flag, so 
 far as it has been possible to ascertain the facts from docu- 
 ments and records that I feel are authentic, and while I realize 
 the shortcomings of this history, I trust that those who read 
 these pages will credit me with writing with a peu unbiased by 
 sentiment, locality or tradition. If this history will stimulate, 
 even in the slightest degree, the patriotism of the reader or 
 instill in the hearts of our people greater loyalty to our coun- 
 try and deeper reverence for our flag, I shall feel that the 
 hours occupied in research and investigation will have been 
 profitably spent. 
 
 The prestige of our flag was achieved by the practice of civic 
 virtues and by the steadfast adherence to the principles of 
 enlightened democracy. I speed this message on its way in 
 the hope that it may encourage the study of our heroic past 
 among the youth of the land and help to teach them the lessons 
 of true citizenship, which gave birth to our Republic and by 
 which it shall be preserved in all its vigor and splendor. 
 
 Patriotism is more than a sentiment; loyalty is more than 
 an expression. The one is the acceptance of the duties — abso- 
 lute and universal — which every citizen owes his country ; the 
 other the determination — sincere and unfaltering — to perform 
 those duties irrespective of the sacrifice. 
 
 Piercing the clouds of war that enshroud the civilized world, 
 there shiues forth in the effulgent light of freedom and justice, 
 the emblem of the hopes, the ideals and the achievements of 
 America, the standard of honor and of victory, the 
 
 FLAO OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 32530—18061 5 
 
FLAGS— THE SYMBOLS OF IDEALS. 
 
 " In 1777, upon the 14th of June, the Congress of the Colonies 
 assembled and ordained this glorious National Flag which now 
 we hold and defend, and advanced it full high before God and 
 all men as the Flag of Liberty. It was no holiday flag, gor- 
 geously emblazoned for gayety or vanity. It was a solemn 
 national signal. When that banner first unrolled to the sun it 
 was the symbol of all those holy truths and purposes which 
 brought together the Colonial American Congress." 
 
 Henry Waed Beeches. 
 
 " Flags symbolize the noble aspirations and glorious achieve- 
 ments of the human race; they epitomize the romance of his- 
 tory; they incarnate the chivalry of the ages. Their origin is 
 divinity itself, for when at the beginning of recorded time 
 Jehovah made a covenant with man, promising that never 
 again would He send the waters to cover the face of the earth 
 and destroy all flesh, He unfurled the first flag — the multihued 
 banner of the rainbow — which He set in tlie clouds as a symbol 
 of security and an assurance to all future generations of His 
 watchful care. And since that day man has in his finite way 
 employed his earthly banners as emblems of faith, of hope, and 
 of high resolve. 
 
 "Around the bits of varicolored bunting wiiich the people of 
 each land nominate as a national flag there cluster thoughts 
 of loyalty, of patriotism and of personal sacrifice, which have 
 enabled the world to move forward, from the days when each 
 individual struggled for himself alone, like other wild animals 
 of plain and mountain side, until through community of inter- 
 ests and unity of effort, mankind has been enabled to rear the 
 splendid structure of twentieth-century civilization." 
 
 GILBERT H. GbOSVENOB. 
 6 32539—18061 
 
THE 
 FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 The SPEAKER. Under a special order of the House the 
 gentleman from New York [Mr. Hicks] is permitted to address 
 the House for one hour on the American Flag. 
 
 Mr. HICKS. Mr. Speaker and Members of the House, on this, 
 the one hundred and fortieth anniversary of the ordination of 
 the Stars and Stripes by the Continental Congress, I have 
 thought it fitting and proper to portray its wondrous history. 
 The flag held in reverence by 100,000,000 of our people is a 
 modern standard. There are no myths or legends associated 
 with its origin; it tells no story of crushed liberties or violated 
 rights ; it sprang neither from the sorrows of the oppressed nor 
 the sufferings of the conquered. Its majestic beauty expresses 
 the independence of a thoughtful, courageous, conscientious 
 people; the faith, the lofty aspirations and the high ideals of 
 representative democracy ; the advance of a new Nation dedi- 
 cated to liberty, to law, to justice and to human rights. 
 
 The flag of America does more than proclaim mere power or 
 acclaim a great and glorious history. Its rippling folds wave 
 a benediction to the yesterdays of accomplishment and beckon 
 the to-morrows of progress with hope and confidence; it her- 
 alds the noble purposes of a mighty people and carries a message 
 of hope and inspiration to all mankind. Its glowing splen- 
 dor appeals to us to demand international justice and arbitra- 
 tion ; it commands us to self-sacrifice, and to universal obligation 
 of service which alone can maintain equality of rights and full- 
 ness of opportunity in our Republic. Its stars and its stripes 
 voice the spirit of America calling to a Nation of indomitable 
 courage and infinite possibilities to live the tenets of Christianity, 
 to teach the gospel of work and usefulness, to advance education, 
 to demand purity of thought and action in public life and to 
 protect the liberties of free government from the aggressions of 
 despotic power. This is the call of the flag of the Union in this 
 hour of crisis and turmoil, when civilization and the laws of 
 nations and of humanity are being engulfed in the maelstrom of 
 death and destruction. In the words of Robert G. Ingersoll — 
 
 The flag for which the heroes fought, for which they died, is the 
 
 symbol of all we are, of all we hope to be. It is the emblem of equal 
 
 rights. It means universal education — light for every mind, knowledge 
 
 for every child. It means that it is the duty of every citizen to bear 
 
 32539—18061 7 
 
8 
 
 his share of the public harden. It means that all distinctions based on 
 birth or blood have perished from our laws; that our Government shall 
 stand between capital and labor, between the weak and the strong, 
 between the individual and the corporation, between want and wealth 
 and give the guaranty of simple justice to each and all. That flag is 
 the emblem of a supreme will of a Nation's power. Beneath its folds 
 the weakest must be protected and the strongest must obey. It shields 
 and canopies alike the loftiest mansion and the rudest hut. That flag 
 was given to the air in the Revolution's darkest days. It represents 
 the sufferings of the past, the glories yet to be, and, like the bow of 
 heaven, it is the child of storm and sun. 
 
 While no authentic history, prevails relating to the banners 
 and standards used by the peoples of remote antiquity, it is 
 probable that as soon as men began to form themselves into 
 tribes and clans or unite for a common purpose, some symbol 
 was used to express the common sentiment. Among many 
 ancient ruins, representntions of the objects used as ensigns 
 have been discovered. History, both sacred and profane, records 
 the use of standards or banners by the armies of all nations in 
 the distant past. From the sculptures and paintings on the 
 monuments of Egypt, it is evident that the use of standards 
 and flags was common in the Valley of the Nile thousands of 
 years before the Christian era. It was the custom among the 
 Egyptians for each battalion to carry a distinguishing emblem 
 representing some sacred object, or a tablet bearing a name 
 or device. Excavations among the ruins of the Assyrian civ- 
 ilization prove that these peoples were also accustomed to 
 the use of standards. The ancient Hebrews had banners for 
 the various tribes and in the Old Testament, Book of Numbers, 
 Chapter I, we find : " And the children of Israel shall pitch their 
 tents, every man by his own camp and every man by his own 
 standard." In Chapter II : "And the Lord spake unto Moses 
 and unto Aaron, saying, * Every man of the children of Israel 
 shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's 
 house * * V" 
 
 The Persians at the time of Cyrus used as their standard a 
 white flag on which was displayed a golden eagle. The Romans 
 had many standards and they were held in the greatest rever- 
 ence by the people, who in the temples of the Eternal City 
 guarded these emblems of their sovereignty with religious 
 veneration. In primitive times each company of the army bore 
 a pole with a bundle of hay attached. Later the figure of a 
 horse, a bear, a wolf, or other tribal emblem was substituted. In 
 the time of Marius a silver eagle, with spreading wings and with 
 claws grasping the thunderbolts of Jove, was the emblem of the 
 Roman Republic. This device, so common in various forms in 
 32539—18061 
 
countries of modern Europe, was taken from the Etruscans, 
 who were the first to adopt it as the symbol of royal power. 
 The Roman standards changed with their conquests and each 
 emperor displayed new emblems. Augustus adopted a globe to 
 symbolize his rule over the world, and Constantine the cross to 
 commemorate his vision. 
 
 The cities of Greece also used standards in their military 
 campaigns, carrying on their staffs various devices and emblems. 
 Sometimes it was a piece of armor attached to a spear, or an 
 initial letter, or an emblem of the gods. According to Homer, 
 Agamemnon raised a purple veil to rally his soldiers. During 
 the Middle Ages, and notably in the crusades, banners and 
 emblems of every description roused the mail-clad warriors in 
 defense of the cross against the crescent. 
 
 From ancient times the dragon has been a favorite emblem for 
 standards, especially among eastern nations. It was adopted by 
 the Romans as the standard of their cohorts and was probably 
 the device on the banner of Harold at the Battle of Hastings, 
 the Saxons having for many centuries used the dragon symbol. 
 Richard Cceur de Lion in 1190. it is maintained, adopted the 
 legend of St. George and the dragon to typify bis exploits in the 
 crusades " to the terror of the heathen beyond the sea." Henry 
 III. in 12G4, at the Battle of Lewes, fought under the dragon; 
 and Edward III, at the Battle of Crecy in 1346. according to an 
 old writer, displayed a standard " with a dragon of red silk 
 adorned and beaten with fair lilies of gold." The word 
 " ancient " was formerly frequently used to denote an ensign or 
 standard bearer and in Shakespeare's Othello, Cassio, in speak- 
 ing of Iago, says, " the lieutenant is to be saved before the 
 ancient." 
 
 Medieval flags were of various shapes, some long and pointed, 
 some square and others ending in two or more points. The 
 banner which the Tope sent Charlemagne was oblong with three 
 points. The standards of Henry VIII of England were long 
 streamers rather than flags as we know them. Time does not 
 permit the description of all these emblems, and they have no 
 relation to the flag that floats over us to-day, except as an illus- 
 tration, showing that through all ages and among all races of 
 humanity, some flag has been used as an emblem to inspire men's 
 hearts with confidence, hope and reverence. 
 
 The flags used by the American Colonies prior to the Revolu- 
 tion were naturally those of England, though there were some 
 exceptions, for while the colonists considered themselves Eng- 
 lishmen, the ties between them and the mother country did not 
 prevent them from showing their independence. 
 32539— 18061 
 
10 
 
 The ancient standard of England, the cross of St. George, a 
 white flag with a rectangular red cross extending its entire 
 length and breadth, was the emblem usually carried by the 
 English soldiery as early as the fourteenth century, though 
 " first used by King Richard I as the British ensign." It con- 
 tinued as the national flag until 1606, when James I by procla- 
 mation united it with the cross of St. Andrew, a blue flag with 
 a diagonal white cross extending from corner to corner. This 
 flag, intended to represent the union of Scotland and England, 
 was called the " King's colors " or " Union " flag, and was to be 
 displayed from the maintops of all British vessels. In addition, 
 ships were to fly from their foretops, flags to designate the 
 part of the kingdom from which they came; those from south 
 Britain — England — carrying the St. George cross and those 
 hailing from north Britain — Scotland — the cross of St. Andrew. 
 It is presumed that, as the Mayflower belonged to south Britain, 
 the flags under which our Pilgrim fathers sailed on their 
 memorable voyage were the King's colors and the banner of 
 St. George. The same inference can be drawn in reference to 
 the early voyages to the southern colonies. 
 
 As the King's colors had been prescribed for ships only, the 
 flag of St. George's cross continued to be used by English sub- 
 jects on land. On the death of Charles I, in 1649, the union 
 between Scotland and England was dissolved, and in 1651 the 
 St. George's cross was adopted by the Commonwealth Parlia- 
 ment as the national standard of England. While the Union 
 flag again came into use upon the restoration of the monarchy 
 in 1660, under Charles II, it is probable that the St. George's 
 cross flag, with occasional variations, was the one displayed in 
 the American Colonies until 1707, when Parliament ratified the 
 union of Scotland and England. Under this act the " Union " 
 flag of James I, the " King's colors," was ordained as the banner 
 for all subjects of the British realm " both at sea and land." 
 The famous " meteor flag of England " was a modification of the 
 King's colors, being a red ensign with the device of the crosses 
 in the canton. As Ireland was not incorporated into the British 
 Kingdom until 1801, at which time the cross of St. Patrick — a 
 red diagonal saltier on a white ground — was conjoined with the 
 other two, the present ensign of Great Britain was never used 
 by the American Colonies. 
 
 It may be of interest to note other flags which were flown on 
 American soil in the days of its discovery and early settlement. 
 The first flag planted upon our shores, if we exclude the possi- 
 bility of the Norsemen having reached our continent, was that 
 of Spain, a banner with four quarters, two of which were red, 
 32539—18061 
 
11 
 
 embellished with golden castles, and two white, emblazoned 
 with red lions. This was the standard of Spain during most of 
 the period of her conquests. Columbus also bore a personal 
 flag, which had been presented to him by Queen Isabella, con- 
 sisting of a white ensign with a green cross, having on either 
 side the letters F-Y surmounted by golden crowns. It is stated 
 that Cabot, by reason of his being a Venetian, upon one of his 
 expeditions, in addition to the flag of England, whose commis- 
 sion he bore, carried the banner of his native city. This was 
 a scarlet ensign bordered by a broad band of blue, impaled 
 by the winged lion of St. Mark holding a cross in his right paw. 
 
 The flag of France — what hallowed associations cluster 
 around that noble banner, as we remember the heroism, the 
 sacrifice and the loyalty of France in the dark days of our 
 struggle for liberty. Washington declared that the remembrance 
 of the generosity of France " must inspire every citizen of the 
 States with sentiments of the most unalterable gratitude." 
 The memories of 150 years ago recall the glories of victory, 
 when the flag of France and the new-born standard of America 
 waved side by side in the cause of human freedom. Inspired 
 by that heroic past and in the spirit of Washington and 
 Lafayette and the patriots of our Revolution, we extend our 
 hand of sympathy and friendship and love to our sister Repub- 
 lic across the seas, in this hour of her affliction. The laurel 
 wreaths of triumph, faded but not forgotten in the flight of 
 years, will ngain entwine the flags of America and France, as 
 they are carried onward to victory and to glory. 
 
 The flag Jacques Cartier planted on the shores of the New 
 World in 1534 was a blue ensign emblazoned with the golden 
 fleur-de-lis of France. Later a white flag was adopted by the 
 Huguenot party but it is probable that the TJourbon flag — the 
 fleur-de-lis emblem — floated over the vast territory occupied by 
 the French. Henry Hudson brought the Dutch flag to America 
 when the Half Moon sailed into New York Harbor in 1609. It 
 was a flag with three equal horizontal stripes, orange, white, and 
 blue, with the letters "A. O. C," standing for the Dutch name of 
 the East India Co. of Amsterdam — then in control of maritime 
 affairs of the Netherlands — in the middle of the white stripe. In 
 1621, when the Dutch West India Co. came into power, the let- 
 ters "A. O C." were replaced by the letters " G. W. C." In 
 1650 the orange stripe was changed to red, the design of the 
 present flag, and this banner waved over the future metropolis 
 of the world until it was supplanted by the flag of St. George's 
 cross. The flag of Sweden — a yellow cross on a blue field — also 
 has a place in our history, as that nation for a number of years 
 maintained settlements on the banks of the Delaware River. 
 
 32539—18061 
 
12 
 
 In the records of Massachusetts, as early as 1634, mention is 
 made of the use of the flag of St. George's cross. In 1643, a 
 confederacy known as the United Colonies of New England was 
 formed, but it was not until 1686 that a flag was adopted, being 
 the cross of St. George with the initials " J. R." surmounted by 
 a crown at the intersection of the two bars of the cross. This 
 flag was modified and in the design most generally used had a 
 red field, with the cross of St. George in the upper corner next 
 the mast. A tree or a globe was usually represented in the 
 upper canton next the staff. This was the famous New England 
 flag. Occasionally the field was blue, and this later design is 
 the flag supposed to have been used at Bunker Hill. 
 
 Long before the smoldering embers of revolt blazed into the 
 fires of the Revolution, nearly every colony had adopted a flag 
 of its own. The Massachusetts flag bore a pine tree; South 
 Carolina displayed a rattlesnake; New York had a white flag 
 with a black beaver, symbolical of her industry and the wealth 
 of the fur trade; and Rhode Island a white flag with a blue 
 anchor and the word " Hope " upon it. The growing discontent 
 of the Colonies was productive of numerous devices for flags and 
 banners, the larger portion inscribed with mottoes more or less 
 defiant of British authority. In 1774, at Taunton, Mass., a 
 " union " flag was raised, bearing the words, " Liberty or 
 Death." In New York in 1775 a " union " flag with a red field, 
 charged with the inscription, " George Rex and the Liberties of 
 America," was displayed. Other devices were employed, the 
 most famous being the pine-tree flag, a white ensign with the 
 motto "An appeal to Heaven " above a green pine tree, and the 
 rattlesnake flag, a yellow banner bearing the significant words, 
 " Don't Tread on Me," beneath a coiled snake. 
 
 The Massachusetts cruisers frequently carried a flag which 
 combined the pine tree and rattlesnake emblems in one design, 
 the snake being coiled at the roots of the tree. Many pri- 
 vateers adopted a device consisting of a mailed hand grasp- 
 ing a bundle of thirteen arrows. The most famous flag used 
 in the South at the beginning of the Revolution was one de- 
 signed by Col. Moultrie, of South Carolina. It was a blue 
 ensign with a white crescent in the upper corner near the staff. 
 This was the flag which Sergt. Jasper rescued so gallantly when 
 the fort of palmetto logs on Sullivan's Island was attacked by 
 the British on June 28, 1776. It was under this flag that the 
 Declaration of Independence was read to the citizens of Charles- 
 ton on August 5, 1776. The word " Liberty " was frequently in- 
 scribed upon it. When South Carolina officially adopted a State 
 flag, she took this famous blue banner with its white crescent, 
 32539—18061 
 
13 
 
 and in recognition of the services rendered by the palmetto logs, 
 placed the figure of a palmetto tree in the center of the field. 
 
 While some doubt exists as to whether a standard was carried 
 at Concord and Lexington, it is asserted by many authorities 
 that Capt. Nathaniel Page, a minute man of Bedford, Mass., was 
 flag bearer of his company at Concord and that his banner 
 had a maroon ground, upon which was described in silver, 
 an armored, outstretched hand grasping a sword, with the 
 inscription in a scroll of gold, " Vince aut morire," signifying 
 " Conquer or die." Three silver disks were also described upon 
 it. I feel we can safely assume that it was this flag, " the most 
 precious memorial of its kind of which we have any knowl- 
 edge," that waved over the " embattled farmers " at Concord, 
 April 19, 1775, when in response to the midnight alarm of Paul 
 Revere, they " fired the shot heard round the world." 
 
 Many writers assert that it is doubtful whether the patriots 
 at Bunker Hill were marshaled under any flag. Benson J. 
 Lossing, however, in his Field Book of the Revolution, states 
 that the standard raised on that fateful Saturday, was the time- 
 honored New England flag, with its field blue instead of red. 
 In the upper quarter was St. George's cross and in the upper 
 canton the design of a pine tree was shown. Mr. Botta, a Revo- 
 lutionary historian, was evidently of the opinion that the pine- 
 tree flag was carried, for in his account of the battle he states 
 that Gen. Warren in endeavoring to rally his men, reminded 
 them of the motto inscribed on their banners, "An appeal to 
 Heaven." Shortly after the Battle of Bunker Hill, Gen. Putnam 
 unfurled at Cambridge a flag with a red ground, having on one 
 side the Connecticut motto, " He who transplanted us will sus- 
 tain us," and on the reverse side a pine tree with the motto, 
 "An appeal to Heaven." 
 
 While the various forerunners of the American flag are in- 
 separably associated with its history, they afford little or no 
 clue to the origin of the Stars and Stripes. It has been con- 
 jectured that the stripes as an emblem of unity may have been 
 suggested by the flag of the Netherlands, where for many years 
 the combination of stripes had been used to symbolize the union 
 of the Dutch Republic. As early as 1704 the flag used by the 
 Honorable East India Co. of England, strangely enough, con- 
 sisted of thirteen red and white stripes with the cross of St. 
 George in the canton. Another theory is, that as the different 
 grades in the ununiformed Continental Army were distinguished 
 by stripes or ribbons, these distinguishing marks suggested 
 the stripes in the flag. It has been frequently asserted, though 
 without tangible evidence, that the stripes as well as the stars 
 
 32539—18061 
 
14 
 
 on his own coat of arms, may have suggested the design to 
 Washington. 
 
 One of the earliest instances of the use of the thirteen stripes 
 upon an American flag is found in the banner of the Philadelphia 
 Light Horse Troop. This standard was presented to the company 
 by Abram Markoe in 1775 and is known as the Markoe flag. It 
 was made of yellow silk and both sides were alike. In the cen- 
 ter was an armorial design, above which were the letters " L. 
 H." and below the words, " For these we strive." The striking 
 feature of this flag is the representation of thirteen stripes, alter- 
 nate blue and silver, placed in the upper corner next the staff. 
 As Gen. Washington, when en route to take command of the Con- 
 tinental Army at Cambridge in 1775, was escorted from Phila- 
 delphia to New York by this troop, he was undoubtedly familiar 
 with the standard it carried, and the significance of the stripes 
 as indicative of the union between the Colonies, may have sug- 
 gested the flag raised over his headquarters six months later. 
 It is claimed that the Markoe banner was carried in the battles 
 of Trenton. Princeton, Brandywine and Germantown. 
 
 Reference should also be made to the two banners of the Tall- 
 madge Dragoons, one pink and the other blue. The first has a 
 pink field, in the center of which is a blue disk with silver wings. 
 From the disk ten golden thunderbolts radiate like the sun's 
 rays. Under this device is a silver scroll with the motto in 
 black letters, " PATa CONCITA FULMnt NATL." The canton, 
 bordered by a silver thread, has six stripes of white ribbon, 
 making with the background thirteen pink and white stripes. 
 The blue standard has the same device and motto and in addi- 
 tion, above the disk in a scroll of gold, the inscription, " 2d Regt. 
 Lt. Dragoons." The canton is edged with a gold line and has 
 seven gold stripes painted on the blue silk, which, with the back- 
 ground, gives the combination of thirteen stripes, alternate blue 
 and gold. 
 
 While having no bearing on the design of the Stars and 
 Stripes, it may be of interest to note another flag, the Eutaw 
 flag, to which is attached a sentimental story. Col. William 
 Washington, a kinsman of Gen. Washington, in 17S0 was or- 
 dered to Charleston, S. C, and while there fell in love with a 
 Miss Elliot. Learning one day, when the colonel was paying 
 her a visit, that his troop was without a flag. Miss Elliot, so it is 
 related, with her scissors cut off a portion of a large damask cur- 
 tain, which she afterward fringed and attached to a curtain pole 
 and presented to him for a standard. This flag was carried in 
 the Battle of Cowpens and at Eutaw Springs and is now the 
 property of the Washington Light Infantry, of Charleston. 
 32539—18061 
 
15 
 
 Another flag which has a romantic history is Pulaski's ban- 
 ner, now in the possession of the Maryland Historical Society. 
 Count Pulaski, the son of a Polish nobleman, was a soldier of 
 fortune who, at the age of 24, found himself outlawed and his 
 estates confiscated. At the beginning of the Revolution he 
 volunteered in the American Army and in 1778 was commis- 
 sioned an officer in the cavalry force. Congress authorized him 
 to raise what is known as Pulaski's Legion and this body of 
 troops was recruited in the summer of 1778. The patriotic 
 women of Baltimore presented the count with the banner which 
 had been made by the Moravian Single Sisters of Bethlehem, 
 Pa. It is of yellow silk, with the letters " U. S." in the center 
 and in a circle around them the words, in Latin, " Union makes 
 valor." On the reverse side, surrounding an eye, is the motto, 
 also in Latin, " No other governs." This banner was carried in 
 the Battle of Savannah, when Pulaski commanded both the 
 American and the French cavalry. 
 
 The flag of Proctor's brigade, of Westmoreland, Pa., should 
 also be mentioned. It is a crimson flag, cantoned with the Brit- 
 ish union jack. In the center of the field a coiled rattlesnake 
 with thirteen rattles is represented, with the familiar words, 
 * Don't Tread on Me." This banner belonged to a company of 
 Pennsylvania patriots, organized in pursuance to a set of resolu- 
 tions adopted at Hannastown, then the county seat of West- 
 moreland County, and it was carried in the Battle of Trenton. 
 At the Battle of Long Island, August 27, 177G, the American 
 patriots fought under a banner made of red damask on which 
 was the word " Liberty." 
 
 The Second New Hampshire Regiment had a buff flag, in the 
 center of which was a golden disk with thirteen rays surrounded 
 by a chain of thirteen links. The disk bore the motto, " We are 
 one." In the canton were two crosses somewhat similar to the 
 king's colors. Another emblem expressing the spirit of unity 
 between the Colonies, was a flag with thirteen mailed hands 
 grasping thirteen links of a chain arranged in a circle. Refer- 
 ence should also be made to a banner known as the " Flag of 
 the Bucks of America," a yellow flag with a pine tree in the 
 center. Beneath the branches of the tree stands a deer. The 
 canton is blue, on which thirteen yellow stars are painted. It is 
 asserted, that this flag was carried in the Revolution by a regi- 
 ment of Massachusetts colored troops. 
 
 In addition to these flags there was the Three County Troop 
 flag of Massachusetts — an earlier banner — carried in King Phil- 
 lip's war by a body of cavalry organized in the counties of 
 Essex, Suffolk and Middlesex. There was also the Bennington 
 flag carried by the Green Mountain boys at the Battle of Ben- 
 
 32539—18061 
 
16 
 
 nington, August 16, 1777. This flag had seven white and six 
 red stripes, with a canton of blue, on which were thirteen stars, 
 one in each of the two upper corners and eleven arranged in a 
 half circle over the figures 76. There was also the flag of the 
 First Pennsylvania Rifles, described as having " a deep green 
 ground, the device of a tiger, partly inclosed by toils, attempting 
 the pass defended by a hunter with a spear, on a crimson held." 
 Above the lion were the initials, " P. M. r.," while below was 
 the motto " Domari nolo." This banner was carried at Trenton, 
 Brandywine, Monmouth and Yorktown. 
 
 The origin of the first flag distinctly colonial and representing 
 a union of the Colonies is shrouded in mystery. In October, 1775, 
 the Continental Congress, then in session in Philadelphia, sent a 
 committee to Cambridge to confer with Washington on military 
 matters. It has been stated that this committee suggested 
 the design for a flag, but there are no records to substantiate 
 the assertion. Neither in Washington's correspondence nor in 
 the report of the committee to Congress is there any reference 
 to a new flag. Who designed the flag which Washington raised 
 at Cambridge on January 2. 1776, is not known, but there and 
 then were displayed the stripes emblematic of the union of the 
 Colonies. In the words of Washington, " We hoisted the Union 
 flag in compliment to the United Colonies." The standard con- 
 sisted of thirteen red and white stripes, with the " union " or 
 "King's colors" in the canton — the familiar combination of the 
 crosses of St. George and St. Andrew. It was a singular flag, 
 half American and half British, for while the Colonies still 
 acknowledged their allegiance to England they were determined 
 that their rights should be respected even at the point of the 
 sword. In the fall of 1775 the Continental Navy was established 
 and the several ships placed in commission probably carried as 
 their ensign the " uniou " or Cambridge flag. 
 
 It was not until the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 
 1776, that a complete separation was decided upon, so the Cam- 
 bridge flag with its thirteen stripes represented the union of the 
 Colonies in their protest against taxation without representation, 
 while the union of crosses acknowledged their allegiance to the 
 mother country. This flag was variously designated as the union 
 flag, the grand union flag, Congress colors, and the grand striped 
 flag, but is now referred to as the Cambridge flag, and it seems 
 most probable that the banner officially adopted in 1777 was 
 copied, at least so far as the stripes are concerned, from the flag 
 Washington unfurled the year previous. 
 
 The first authoritative action to establish a flag for a new sov- 
 ereignty is fraught with particular interest and it is regrettable 
 that we know so little as to the origin of the Stars and Stripes. 
 
 32539— 180U1 
 
17 
 
 While the Cambridge flag had the thirteen stripes, there is no 
 evidence that any flag bearing the union of stars had been in 
 public use prior to the resolution of 1777 and it will prob- 
 ably never be known who designed or suggested this beautiful, 
 distinctive and emblematic feature of our banner. The rec- 
 ords of Congress are silent upon the subject and no authentic 
 reference to it has ever been discovered in the correspondence, 
 papers or diaries which have been examined. It is claimed in 
 popular tradition that the honor of making the first flag com- 
 bining the Stars and Stripes belongs to Betsy Ross, a Quaker 
 upholsteress and flag maker who resided in Arch Street, Phila- 
 delphia. It is asserted by her descendants that Congress ap- 
 pointed a committee composed of Gen. Washington, Robert 
 Morris, and George Ross, the latter an uncle of Mrs. Ross's late 
 husband, who called upon her in May or June, 1776, and com- 
 missioned her to make a flag from an imperfectly drawn design 
 embodying the stripes and the union of thirteen six-pointed stars. 
 As the six-pointed stars were peculiar to the British, it is said 
 Mrs. Ross suggested that a star of five points would be more sym- 
 metrical and appropriate and the committee at once adopted the 
 new design. While this story is interesting and I hope may be 
 well founded, there is however little evidence to support it. 
 It rests on the traditions of the Ross family and upon affidavits 
 made by Mrs. Ross's descendants as to their understanding of 
 the particulars as related by Mrs. Ross herself, or by those to 
 whom she told the story. Unfortunately the annals of Congress 
 make no reference to the appointment of a flag committee and 
 yet so important a matter must have bee i under consideration 
 previous to the final adoption of the flag. In Washington's cor- 
 respondence and writings no mention is made of a visit to Mrs. 
 Ross's house or when or by whom the first flag was made. 
 Neither do any of the historians of the Revolutionary period 
 or any conlemporaneous writers, so far as I have been able to 
 discover, throw light upon the subject. The principal argument 
 against the story has been that the flag evidently was not used 
 during any portion of 1776 and was not adopted until a year 
 after Mrs. Ross is supposed to have made it. It is further 
 stated by those who discredit the story that Washington when 
 he caused the Declaration of Independence to be read to his 
 troops in New York, on July 10, 1776, would Lave raised this new 
 flag, had such a flag been in existence, instead of the Cambridge 
 banner, which was unfurled. Those who have had experience 
 in congressional matters will not be convinced by the argument 
 of delay in not adopting the new flag at once, and had Mrs. Ross 
 made the flag it is not probable that Washington or anyone else 
 would have used it until Congress had approved it. 
 32539—18061 2 
 
18 
 
 While the official records of the time offer no evidence of the 
 use of the Stars and Stripes previous to 1777, some writers 
 point to the historical paintings of Trumbull, Leutze and Peale 
 as furnishing proofs of its earlier adoption. Where the flag ap- 
 pears in their pictures it is undoubtedly a case of anachronism 
 and not an historical fact. In Leutze's painting of " Washington 
 Crossing the Delaware " the display of the colors is most prob- 
 ably an instance of " artists' license." 
 
 Whatever uncertainty may exist as to the true origin of the 
 Stars and Stripes, we know that Congress, on June 14, 1777, 
 adopted the following resolution: 
 
 Resolved, That the flag of the 13 United States be 13 stripes, alter- 
 nate red and white ; that the Union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, 
 representing a new constellation. 
 
 This is the first legislative action of which there is any record 
 establishing a national flag for the sovereign United States of 
 America, declared independent July 4, 1776, and proclaiming 
 the official birth of a new constellation as the symbol of their 
 Union. Thus were born the Stars and Stripes, which through 
 al the ages shall be the emblem of liberty and justice for all 
 mankind. In the words of the late Mr. Justice Harlan of the 
 Supreme Court: 
 
 To every true American the flag is the symbol of the Nation's power, 
 the emblem of freedom in its truest, best sense. It is not extravagant 
 to say that to all lovers of the country it signifies government resting 
 on the consent of the governed, liberty regulated by law ; the protection 
 of the weak against the exercise of arbitrary power ; and absolute 
 safety for free institutions against foreign aggression. 
 
 The following description has frequently been referred to as a 
 quotation froi~ Washington's writings but I have been unable to 
 verify it and question its authenticity. 
 
 We take the star from heaven, the red from the mother country, sepa- 
 rating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from 
 her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing 
 liberty. 
 
 It has been said that — 
 
 Every nation has its symbolic ensign in their banners. Our fathers 
 chose the Stars and Stripes, the red telling of the blood shed by them 
 for their country, the blue of the heavens and their protection, and the 
 stars of the separate States embodied in one nationality, E pluribus 
 unum. The stars of the new flag represent a constellation of States 
 rising in the west. The idea was taken from the constellation Lyra, 
 which in the hands of Orpheus signified harmony. The blue of the field 
 was taken from the edges of the Covenanter's banner in Scotland, signifi- 
 cant also of the league and covenant of the United Colonies against 
 oppression, incidentally involving the virtues of vigilance, perseverance, 
 and justice. The stars were disposed in a circle, symbolizing the per- 
 petuity of the Union, the ring like the circling serpent of the Egyptians 
 signifying eternity. 
 32539—18061 
 
19 
 
 What eloquence do the stars breathe when their full significance Is 
 known : A new constellation, union ; perpetuity ; a covenant against 
 oppression ; justice, equality, subordination, courage, and purity. 
 
 I doubt if these poetic and fanciful descriptions, however, have 
 any basis other than the imagination of the writer. 
 
 While the flag was adopted June 14, 1777, it was not until 
 September 3 following that Congress officially promulgated the 
 design. The honor of first displaying the Stars and Stripes in 
 battle belongs to the State of New York, when on August 3, 1777, 
 an improvised flag was raised on the northeast bastion of old 
 Fort Stanwix, or Schuyler as it was sometimes called, the site 
 of the present city of Rome. Anticipating an attack by the 
 British, a garrison of some 550 soldiers, under the command of 
 Col. Peter Gansevoort. jr., with Lieut. Col. Marinus Willett sec- 
 ond in command, had been placed in the fort. On August 2, the 
 garrison was reinforced by about two hundred men of the Ninth 
 Massachusetts Regiment, led by Lieut. Col. Mellon. This detach- 
 ment brought news of the recently enacted flag statute, and as 
 the garrison was without a standard the fort was ransacked for 
 material of which to make the new flag. According to accounts, 
 shirts were cut up to form the white stripes, a woman's petticoat 
 supplied the red, while the blue ground for the stars was taken 
 from a cloak belonging to Capt. Abraham Swartwort, of Dutchess 
 County, who was then in the fort. This account is confirmed in 
 part by a letter from Col. Swartwort to his commanding officer, 
 asking for an order on the paymaster to reimburse him for the 
 loss of his cloak. The narrative of Col. Willett, however, gives 
 a somewhat different version of the story. He says : 
 
 The white stripes were cut out of ammunition shirts, the blue out of 
 the camlet cloak taken from the enemy at Peekskill, while the red 
 stripes were made of different pieces of stuff procured from one and 
 another of the expedition. 
 
 Howsoever the flag was made, it was the Stars and Stripes 
 that floated over the brave Americans from August 3 to August 
 22, when the siege was raised. John Fiske, the eminent his- 
 torian, further substantiates the claim that to New York belongs 
 the honor of having first unfurled the Stars and Stripes in 
 battle when he says, speaking of the flag : 
 
 Hastily extemporized out of a white shirt and an old blue jacket and 
 some strips of red cloth from the petticoat of a soldier's wife, this was 
 the first American flag with Stars and Stripes that was ever hoisted. 
 
 Delaware also claims the distinction, maintaining that the 
 flag was first raised in battle at Cooch's bridge, near Wilming- 
 ton, on September 3, 1777. The claim is based on the presump- 
 tion that the American forces had a flag at that time, and even 
 though they had, this skirmish took place a month after the 
 flag on Fort Stanwix had been unfurled to the breeze. One of 
 
 32539—18061 
 
20 
 
 the local Delaware historians, Judge Conrad, defeats his own 
 
 contention when he says: 
 
 On August 2, 1777, a short skirmish or sally occurred at Fort 
 Schuyler, N. Y., in which the Americans floated a rudely devised flag, 
 intended to represent the ideas embodied in the resolve of Congress, 
 and all historians agree that the flag floated on that occasion was 
 merely an improvised one, and In no sense a complete and regular flag 
 of the United States. 
 
 The absurdity of Mr. Conrad's theory is dismissed by Mr. 
 Edward H. Hall, secretary of the American Scenic and His- 
 torical Preservation Society, who says: 
 
 Thus the 20 days' siege at Fort Schuyler, so courageously and suc- 
 cessfully resisted, is dismissed by Mr. Conrad as a short skirmish or 
 sally, and the fine distinction drawn between a heroic siege, with all 
 its terrors of possible starvation and barbarous massacre, and a morn- 
 ing's skirmish at Cooch's bridge between two small bodies of troops 
 formally drawn up in line of battle. I do not know of any historian 
 who says that the Fort Schuyler flag was not " complete," although 
 they do agree that it was improvised. 
 
 The Stars and Stripes first went into action upon the sea on 
 September 4, 1777, and the victory won at the close of that day 
 was an auspicious augury for the triumphs and the glories 
 which were to shed their luster on the American Navy in the 
 years to follow. To Capt. Thompson belongs this honor. He 
 records the engagement : " We up sails, out guns, hoisted con- 
 tinental colors and bid them strike to the thirteen United 
 States." His reference to the continental colors was undoubt- 
 edly an error, due to the fact that the new flag had only just 
 come into use. 
 
 The Stars and Stripes were carried in the Battle of the Brandy- 
 wine September 11, 1777; they waved in triumph over the vic- 
 torious field of Saratoga and cheered the ragged patriots of 
 Washington's army amid their sufferings around the camp fires 
 at Valley Forge. Beneath their folds, Coruwallis surrendered 
 his sword at Yorktown, October 19, 17S1. They floated over 
 New York when the British evacuated the city November 25, 
 17S3, and roused the patriotism of our soldiers during the later 
 days of the Revolution, as the immortal Washington marched 
 onward to undying fame. 
 
 Soon after its adoption the new flag was hoisted on the naval 
 vessels of the United States. It has been stated that the Naval 
 Committee of Congress presented to John Paul Jones the first 
 official flag of the United States ever made but there is no official 
 record to confirm this statement. Buell, in his life of Paul 
 Jones, states that the captain displayed the Stars and Stripes on 
 the Ranger, then being fitted up at Portsmouth, on the 4th of 
 July, 1777. The Ranger, however, did not go to sea until No- 
 
 32530— 180G1 
 
21 
 
 vember 1. With Jones in command — his commission was issued 
 on the same day the flag was established — the Ranger reached 
 Quiberon Bay, France, about December 1, 1777, and on Febru- 
 ary 14, 1778, her flag received the first salute ever paid the 
 United States flag by a foreign power. No less an authority 
 than John Adams has stated that the first American vessel to 
 obtain a foreign salute for the flag, was the Andrea Doria in 
 the Dutch West Indies, in November, 177G. This ship, however, 
 carried only a continental ensign, probably the Cambridge flag, 
 which was never legalized or officially established by the Conti- 
 nental Congress and while the salute was undoubtedly given, 
 even though it was afterwards disavowed, it was not the 
 national ensign which the French commander saluted, for the 
 West Indies incident occurred eight months before the Stars and 
 Stripes existed. The confusion in this case, as in many others 
 pertaining to the flag, is due to the uncertainty as to what was 
 meant by the term "American flag." 
 
 A question has been raised as to the exact date on which 
 Jones raised the flag on the Ranger, some old reports of the 
 incident stating that it was July 12. In De Koven's "Life and 
 Letters of John Paul Jones," doubt is expressed about the claim 
 made by Buell for Jones in connection with the raising of the 
 flag on the Ranger in July, 1777, for he says: 
 
 But the honor of first unfurl'ng the Stars and Stripes from a ship of 
 war. which has been claimed for Jones, is not supported by historical 
 evidence. If he had been lucky enough to have had the opportunity 
 of first unfurling the new national banner from the Ranger, It Is not 
 to be believed that he would have omitted to mention the fact. 
 
 As there has been much controversy over the first display of 
 the flag from a warship, it is of interest to note the several 
 claims that have been advanced for this honor. In Griffin's 
 " History of Commodore Barry " there is this reference to the 
 flag: 
 
 Under this flag Hopkins was the first to get to sea, and Barry's 
 Lexington, bearing it. was the first to cause the British flag to sur- 
 render to the flag of Washington. 
 
 And again: 
 
 Ilis cruiser (the Lexington) was the first Union flag to make the 
 first capture that was first reported to the Marine Committee of Con- 
 gress. 
 
 John Fiske, in speaking of the Lexington's capture of the 
 British vessel Edward on April 7, 1776, says: 
 
 This was the first capture of a British warship by an American. 
 
 As this exploit occurred over a year before the Stars and 
 Stripes were officially adopted, the flag borne by Barry was not 
 the national ensign. The "Union" flag referred to by Griffin 
 
 32Go9— 18061 
 
22 
 
 was the Cambridge standard, and other accounts bear ont the 
 assumption that Barry's flag on the Lexington was the flag 
 which Washington unfurled at Cambridge. This is further con- 
 firmed by Preble in his history when he says: 
 
 The Lexington was the first vessel that bore the Continental flag to 
 victory on the ocean. 
 
 Capt. Manley's name has also been mentioned for the honor, 
 and while it is true that his ship, the Lee, captured the British 
 vessel Nancy in October or November, 1775, the flag that waved 
 from the peak of the Lee was undoubtedly the famous " Pine 
 Tree " emblem, with its motto "An appeal to Heaven," for the 
 Lee was one of six ships under the command of Gen. Washing- 
 ton which at that time carried this ensign. One writer, how- 
 ever, speaks " of a flag being made in 1775 by a patriotic vessel 
 owner of Massachusetts, having thirteen white stars in a blue 
 union, the body of the flag being white, with an anchor upon it 
 having over the top the word ' Hope.' It was hoisted on the 
 armed schooner Lee, Capt. John Manley." This same author 
 states that " either this or the stars on the Washington book 
 plate in the absence of any record may be taken as reasons for 
 the adoption of the stars in the union." I have been unable to 
 substantiate the statement made by this historian that the thir- 
 teen stars were displayed previous to 1777, and as Rhode Island 
 had already adopted the design of the anchor surmounted by 
 the word " Hope," it is not probable that a shipowner of Massa- 
 chusetts would have used, even in part, the emblem of a rival 
 colony. 
 
 It is only fair to state that some historians maintain that 
 the colonial flag of Rhode Island was frequently designated by 
 a canton of blue, on which were displayed thirteen white stars. 
 If such were the case, this striking design may have been the 
 source for the adoption of the stars in our national ensign, but 
 I can find no evidence on the subject. There does seem to be 
 substantial reason to believe, however, that the flag carried by 
 the First Rhode Island Regiment at the Battle of the Brandy- 
 wine and during the siege of Yorktown was similar to the flag 
 just described, with the exception that the stars were gold. As 
 these engagements took place after the adoption of the Stars 
 and Stripes, they furnish no proof of the earlier use of tl.e stars. 
 
 John Paul Jones asserted that he was the first to raise 
 the flag. " It was my fortune to hoist myself the flag of Amer- 
 ica," and this is confirmed by evidence which shows that 
 during the winter of 1775-76, while the Alfred was lying at 
 anchor at Philadelphia, Commander Hopkins was placed in com- 
 mand of the newly commissioned ship. When he reached the 
 deck of the Alfred, Jones, then a lieutenant, raised the flag in 
 
 32539—18061 
 
23 
 
 honor of the commander. But this American flag hoisted by- 
 Jones, and which the patriots of Philadelphia cheered on that 
 wintry day, was probably the striped " Union " flag which 
 Washington displayed over his headquarters at Cambridge. 
 From the fact that this flag was carried by all ships under the 
 control of the Continental Congress it is also frequently referred 
 to as the " Congress colors." It seems evident that the Alfred 
 carried at the main mast the famous rattlesnake flag designed 
 by Col. Gadsden, which was frequently used on ships of war 
 as the flag of the commander. In this connection the following 
 
 reference is of interest: % 
 
 February 9, 1776. 
 
 Col. Gadsden presented to the Congress an elegant standard, such as 
 is to be used by the commander in chief of the American Navy, being a 
 yellow Arid, with a lively representation of a rattlesnake in the middle 
 in the attitude of going to strike and these words underneath, " Don't 
 tread on me.'' 
 
 Ordered, that the said standard be carefully preserved and suspended 
 in the Congress room. 
 
 It should be remembered, however, that this refers to the 
 Provincial Congress of South Carolina and not to the Conti- 
 nental Congress as frequently erroneously stated. 
 
 It was this rattlesnake flag, with the addition of a pine tree — 
 the flag carried by the Massachusetts privateers — which an Eng- 
 lish writer of the period referred to in the following words : 
 
 A strange flag latterly appeared in our seas bearing a pine tree with 
 the portraiture of a rattlesnake coiled up at its root, with the daring 
 words, " Don't tread on me." We learned yesterday that the vessels 
 bearing this flag have a sort of a commission from a society of people 
 in Philadelphia calling themselves the Continental Congress. 
 
 The " jack " displayed at the bow in conjunction with the 
 Congress colors was probably a flag of thirteen horizontal red 
 and white stripes running the full length of the fly, across 
 which was represented a couchant rattlesnake with the words 
 underneath, " Don't Tread on Me." 
 
 The difficulty of identifying the first flag raised is largely due 
 to the uncertainty of what the historians of that period meant 
 when using the phrase " American flag." Some writers speak 
 of the " Cambridge " banner, while others refer to the " Pine 
 Tree " and the " Rattlesnake " emblems as the American flag. 
 To make the designation clear and positive, the flag of the United 
 States is the national ensign adopted June 14, 1777, and all flags 
 used prior to this date were state, colonial, or continental em- 
 blems and not the Stars and Stripes. While there is a contro- 
 versy regarding the initial display of the national flag from a 
 war vessel, there seems to be no doubt but that Jones received the 
 first salute ever given the Stars and Stripes by a foreign power. 
 
 No reference to the early history of the flag upon the seas 
 would be complete without a brief allusion to the battle between 
 
 32539—18061 
 
24 
 
 the Bon Homme Richard and the Serapis in the evening of 
 September 23, 1779. Thackeray once told a friend that the 
 capture of the Serapis by Paul Jones was one of the most 
 extraordinary stories ever recorded in naval history. Without 
 question, that moonlight battle was the greatest exploit in the 
 annals of the sea, and the courage of John Paul Jones and his 
 brave crew, fighting to victory from the decks of a sinking 
 ship, forms one of the brightest pages in our history. Ameri- 
 cans will ever pay tribute to the sublime confidence and daring 
 of Paul Jones. Bidding defiance to all human calculations 
 which had predoomed him to defeat, with a foundering ship, 
 half his men dead or dying, when hope and chance seemed 
 irretrievably lost, he fought on and won immortal glory. 
 
 All great events seem to invite controversies and it is so with 
 reference to the flag borne by the Richard. In 1898 the Gov- 
 ernment received what was purported to be the original ensign 
 of Jones's old ship. According to the story, which for a time 
 hal some support in the popular fancy, the Richard, several 
 days before encountering the Serapis, captured a British vessel, 
 the Kitty, which had formerly been an American ship. Among 
 the crew was one Stafford, who volunteered for service on the 
 Richard, and who, it is alleged, during the action with the 
 Serapis plunged into the sea and recovered the Richard's flag, 
 which had been shot away. When Jones transferred his crew 
 from his sinking ship, it is stated that this sailor rescued the 
 flag and later accompanied Jones to the Alliance upon his as- 
 suming command of that vessel. When the Alliance was sold, 
 the flag was presented to Stafford in recognition of his services. 
 It is alleged that a letter was sent by Joseph Myler, secretary 
 pro tempore of the Marine Committee, to Joseph B. Stafford, 
 presenting to him " Paul Jones's ' Starry Flag ' of the Bon 
 Homme Richard^ which was transferred to the Alliance" in 
 recognition of his meritorious services. Beyond this letter 
 there is no positive evidence that this Stafford flag, which has 
 only twelve stars, was the one that waved from the ensign gaff 
 of the Richard in the most desperate of all sea conflicts. Those 
 who doubt the authenticity of the Stafford flag, assert that the 
 bunting of which it is made, is of a date subsequent to the 
 battle with the Serapis. It is also maintained that Stafford's 
 name does not appear on any ships' papers of that time. 
 
 Another story, which has gained considerable vogue, is to the 
 effect that the flag of the Richard had been made by two 
 maiden ladies of Philadelphia, who presented it to Capt. Jones 
 shortly after Congress had adopted the Stars and Stripes. It 
 is supposed that this flag, which bore thirteen stripes but only 
 32539— 1S061 
 
25 
 
 twelve stars, was flown from the Ranger and was afterwards 
 transferred to the Richard. There does not seem to be any 
 foundation whatever for this legend. 
 
 Buell, in his " Life of Paul Jones," gives a rather fanciful 
 account of this much-disputed flag: 
 
 The " uneonquered and UDStricken " flag that wont down with the 
 Richard was the same one which the girls of Portsmouth made from 
 slices of their best silk gowns, and presented to Jones to hoist on the 
 Ranger, July 4, 1777, and he considered it his personal property or, 
 perhaps, the property of the girls who made it, intrusted to his keep- 
 ing. On relinquishing command of the Ranger in 1778. he kept this 
 flag with him and used it on the Richard. It was made by a quilting 
 party according to specifications which Jones furnished. The 13 white 
 stars were cut from the bridal dress in which Helen Seary bad been 
 wedded in May, 1777. 
 
 This was the first edition of the Stars and Stripes that Europe ever 
 saw; the first to be saluted by the guns of a European naval power; 
 but, far beyond that, and beyond anything, it was the first and last 
 flag that ever went down or ever will go down flying on the ship that 
 conquered and captured the ship that sunk her. 
 
 When Jones returned to this country in February, 1781, he found 
 Miss Langdon, of the "quilting party," a guest of the Ross family, 
 whose house was always his home in Philadelphia. By way of apology 
 he explained to her that his most ardent desire had been to bring that 
 flag home to America, with all its glories, and give it back untarnished 
 into the fair hands that had given it to him nearly four years before. 
 " But, Miss Mary," he said, " I couldn't bear to strip it from the poor 
 old ship in her last agony, nor could I deny to my dead on her decks, 
 who had given their lives to keep it flying, the glory of taking it with 
 them." 
 
 " You did exactly right, Commodore," exclaimed Miss Langdon : " that 
 flag is just where we all wish it to be — flying at the bottom of the sea 
 over the only ship that ever sunk in victory !" 
 
 I fear sentiment has been interwoven with history in this 
 interesting story, for while the records are very complete in 
 describing the battle, their reference to the colors is most 
 meager. In Jones's memoirs, compiled from papers in the pos- 
 session of his niece, Mrs. Taylor, there is a reference stating 
 that few of the personal effects of the officers were saved. In 
 the journal prepared by Jones for the King of France, he 
 speaks of everything going down with the ship except signal 
 flags. As the national flag is never used as a signal in the sense 
 in which Jones referred to the signal flags which were saved, 
 Buell evidently assumed that the Stars and Stripes were left 
 flying at the peak when the Richard sank beneath the waves. 
 
 In July, 1905, Scribner's Magazine published the "Narrative 
 of John Kilby," quarter gunner of the Richard. In this narra- 
 tive, written in 1S10, the sinking of the Richard is described aa 
 follows: 
 
 O Heavens! It was enough to bring tears from the most unthinking 
 man. She went down head foremost with all sails set — studdlug sails, 
 32530— lfcUUl 
 
26 
 
 top-gallant sails, royals, skyscrapers, and every sail that could be put 
 on a ship — jack, pennant, and that beautiful ensign that she so gal- 
 lantly wore while in action and when she conquered. 
 
 It has been asserted that Jones referred to the loss of the flag 
 in his report of the engagement to Congress, but, unfortunately, 
 the records do not disclose this fact. The several letters written 
 by the great commander to numerous friends describing the 
 battle, are silent on the flag episode. Yet Mr. Buell states that 
 Jones made a report in which he said : 
 
 No one was now left aboard the Richard but her dead. To them I 
 gave the good old ship for their coffin, and in her they found a sublime 
 sepuJcher. She rolled heavily in the long swell ; her gun deck, awash to 
 the port sills, settled slowly by the head and sank peacefully in about 
 40 fathoms. 
 
 The ensign gaff, shot away in action, had been fished and put in 
 place soon after firing ceased, and our torn and tattered flag was left 
 flying when we abandoned her. As she plunged down by the head at 
 the last, her taffrail momentarily rose in the air ; so the very last 
 vestige mortal eyes ever saw of the Bon Homme Richard was the defiant 
 waving of her unconquered and unstricken flag as she went down. 
 And, as I had given them the good old ship for their sepulcher, I now 
 bequeathed to my immortal dead the flag they had so desperately de- 
 fended, for their winding sheet. 
 
 For the sake of history and in honor of the memory of the 
 great sailor, let us hope that Buell based his eloquent and 
 pathetic account of the sinking of the Bon Homme Richard 
 upon substantial grounds. 
 
 The flag as originally adopted remained unchanged until May 
 1, 1795. By this time two more States, Vermont and Kentucky, 
 had been admitted into the Union, and a change in the flag was 
 made necessary. Not foreseeing the growth of the flag in the 
 addition of both a stripe and a star for each new State, Con- 
 gress on January 13, 1794, enacted — 
 
 That from and after the 1st day of May, 1795, the flag of the 
 United States be 15 stripes, alternate red and white ; that the union 
 be 15 stars, white in a blue field. 
 
 In the first flag, the stars were evidently arranged in a circle, 
 at least in one instance, but this custom was not generally 
 adopted. At Annapolis, there is preserved the flag of the Third 
 Maryland Regimeut, with a union showing twelve stars in a 
 circle, surrounding one in the center. In the flag of fifteen 
 stripes the stars were placed in three parallel rows of five stars 
 each, and this flag was the national banner from 1795 to 1818, 
 during which period occurred the War of 1812. It was this flag 
 waving over Fort McHenry that inspired Francis Scott Key to 
 write the " Star-Spangled Banner." 
 
 By 1818 five additional States — Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, 
 Indiana and Mississippi — had been admitted into the Union 
 
 32539— 180G1 
 
27 
 
 and therefore truly to represent the Union, a further change 
 in the flag was demanded. After considerable discussion rn 
 Congress on the subject, the act of April 4, 1818, was passed, 
 which provided : 
 
 First. That from and after the 4th of July next the flag of the 
 United States be 13 horizontal stripes, alternate red and white; that 
 the union have 20 stars, white in a blue field. 
 
 Second. That on the admission of every new State into the Union 1 
 star be added to the union of the flag and that such addition shall take 
 effect on the 4th of July next succeeding such admission. 
 
 To Hon. Peter H. Wendover, a Member from New York, be- 
 longs the credit of pressing it to final passage. The return to 
 the thirteen stripes of the 1777 flag, was due largely to the fact 
 that it would not be practicable to continue adding a stripe for 
 each new State, for a further increase in the number of stripes 
 would have made the width of the flag disproportionate to its 
 length, unless the stripes were narrowed, and this would have 
 impaired its distinctness. Upon the suggestion of Capt. Iteid, 
 of the Navy, who had suggested the return to the thirteen 
 stripes, the stars were to be arranged in the form of one great 
 star in the center of the union. This design, however, did not 
 meet with favor, and the stars were arranged in rows. A news- 
 paper of the times said : 
 
 By this regulation the 13 stripes will represent the number of States 
 whose valor and resources originally effected American independence, 
 and the additional stars will mark the increase of the United States 
 since the establishment of the Constitution. 
 
 No act has since been passed by Congress altering the general 
 design of the flag and it is the same as originally adopted ex- 
 cept for the increase in the number of stars in the union. In 
 the War with Mexico the flag displayed twenty-nine stars in its 
 union; during the Civil War, thirty-five; during the Spanish- 
 American War, forty-five stars; and since July 4, 1912, forty- 
 eight stars. Congress has never legislated upon the arrange- 
 ment of the stars in the union and in consequence there has been 
 a lack of uniformity in the matter, although the early confusion 
 has now disappeared and in the absence of direct legislation an 
 agreement has been reached between the Navy and War Depart- 
 ments on the subject. The present arrangement of the stars is 
 in six horizontal rows of eight stars each. 
 
 The term " Old Glory " was evidently first applied to the flag 
 by William Driver in 1831, a skipper from Salem, Mass., who 
 was at that time in command of the brig, Charles Doggett. It is 
 related, that as he was about to sail for the South Seas a party 
 of friends presented him with the flag and when it was broken 
 from the gaff the captain christened it " Old Glory." In 1S37 
 the captain removed to Nashville, Tenn., taking with him Old 
 
 32539—18061 
 
28 
 
 Glory, which he afterwards displayed on all public occasions. 
 His pronounced Union sentiments frequently led him into trouble 
 with his southern neighbors and during the war he was obliged 
 to conceal the flag in the coverlet of his bed. In 1SG2 when a 
 detachment of Buell's army occupied the city, Capt. Driver, 
 with his own hands, hoisted Old Glory over the capitol building. 
 
 The history of the flag from this time seems clouded in un- 
 certainty, and I will refer briefly to three statements that have 
 been made in regard to it. The Rev. Henry N. Couden, chaplain 
 of the House, a veteran of the Sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, 
 feels confident that the Old Glory flag no longer exists. The 
 respect and veneration in which Dr. Couden is held by every 
 Member of Congress, entitles his contribution to the history of 
 this famous flag to be accepted as evidence that the flag was 
 accidentally destroyed. He states that in February, 1862, his 
 regiment had been ordered to relieve Grant at Donelson, but 
 while they were on the transports word came that the fort had 
 surrendered. They were then ordered to Nashville, where on 
 February 25 they took part in the ceremonies incident to the 
 raising of the Stars and Stripes over the capitol. The next day 
 Capt. Driver obtained Col. Anderson's permission to hoist Old 
 Glory to the mast and a squad of soldiers were detached to pro- 
 cure the flag, which the captain with his own hands raised over 
 the building. The captain then presented the flag to the Sixth 
 Ohio and this regiment fought under Old Glory at Shiloh and 
 Stone River. In keeping it aloft in the Battle of Stone River six 
 men were shot down but Old Glory was kept waving and did not 
 touch the ground. For about a year Old Glory, the name having 
 then been adopted by other regiments, was the regimental flag of 
 the Sixth Ohio. For safe-keeping the flag after sunset each day 
 was deposited in one of the quartermaster's wagons, but one 
 night some of the animals, having broken loose, destroyed the 
 flag. Dr. Couden's statement is amply verified, if any verifica- 
 tion be necessary, by the following paragraph taken from Han- 
 naford's " History of the Sixth Ohio Regiment " : 
 
 The flag, with whose history so many interesting associations were 
 connected, was presented to the Sixth Ohio, by which it was regarded as 
 a most precious souvenir. It passed safely through all the campaigns of 
 the regiment, until October, 18Go, when Fred Schnell's mules discovered 
 it one night where it was stowed away in the headquarters' wagon and 
 before morning had eaten Old Glory up, leaving only a few shreds to tell 
 the sacrilegious tale. 
 
 In order to make the record complete, I insert extracts from a 
 letter sent me by the Essex Institute, of Salem, Mass., which 
 claims it has in its possession the original flag. The secretary 
 states that the original Old Glory was presented to the institute 
 
 32539—18061 
 
29 
 
 by a niece of Capt. Driver, who sent with the flag the following 
 letter, written by the captain himself: 
 
 Nashville, Tbnn., September 25, 1880. 
 My Dear Niece: I send you this my oldest flag. It has been every- 
 where, my companion around the world, waved at Pitcairn, and among 
 the icebergs of Cape Horn. This is my Old Glory, like me neglected and 
 worn out, but there is no stain upon it. I kept it for my winding sheet, 
 a sailor's whim, and now feeling like old Mordecai at the gate, I give it 
 to you as a proof of the kindness and reward a patriot receives at the 
 hand of a soon-to-be-broken-up Government. 
 
 The secretary of the institute then closes his letter with this 
 statement : 
 
 The traditional story in relation to the flag eaten by the mule has also 
 come down to us but is said to refer to another flag. Let me say this 
 also in this connection, that a descendant of Capt. Driver, living in the 
 far West, I think Nevada, also has a flag of Capt. Driver's, which she 
 claims to be the original. But in view of the evidence of this letter, 
 which came to us with our flag, there can be no doubt as to the facts in 
 the case. 
 
 The above statements are refuted by Mrs. Mary Roland, of 
 Nevada, a daughter of Capt. Driver, who, under date of August 
 15, 1913, stated that: 
 
 The original flag Old Glory has never been out of the possession of our 
 family. This flag, my father named Old Glory, he gave me in July, 
 1873, and it has remained in my possession ever since. 
 
 Mrs. Roland asserts that when her father, in 18S0, asked her 
 to send him Old Glory she sent him, without his knowledge, 
 another flag and that it was this substitute flag and not Old 
 Glory which was deposited by his niece in the Essex Institute 
 shortly after the captain's death. 
 
 While it would seem that the Stars and Stripes were carried 
 in battle in many of the later campaigns of the Revolution, it 
 is evident that the national ensign was not generally used by 
 troops until the Mexican War. In reference to its use by 
 regiments in the field, I quote from a statement made by the 
 Smithsonian Institution : 
 
 It seems, that for many years, the Army did not carry the Stars and 
 Stripes in battle, though it had been in general use as a garrison flag. 
 The land forces, during this period and before, carried what was known 
 as national colors or standards of blue, with the coat of arms of the 
 United States, comprising an eagle surmounted by a number of stars 
 emblazoned thereon, with the designation of the body of troops. In 
 1834 War Department regulations gave the Artillery the right to carry 
 the Stars and Stripes. The Infantry and Cavalry still used the national 
 standards, which remained the colors of the Infantry until 1841 and of 
 the Cavalrv until 1887, when that branch of the Army was ordered to 
 carry the Stars and Stripes. From its adoption in 1777, however, 
 naval vessels universally displayed the national flag. 
 3253U— 18061 
 
80 
 
 Mr. Gherardi Davis, in his monumental work, " The Colors of 
 the United States Army," says: 
 
 After the adoption by Congress in June, 1777, of the United States 
 flag, the Stars and Stripes appear to have been very generally used at 
 sea. But this flag does not seem to have been adopted generally by 
 the Army. 
 
 Mr. R. C. Ballard Thruston, of Louisville, also states — 
 
 that the flags or colors mad* by the War Department for the Army were 
 in the hands of the field commissary stores but not distributed till 
 March, 1783. The war was then over. So we now know that the entire 
 Revolutionary War was fought through without the Army being fur- 
 nished any flags by the Government. Those they did use were made by 
 the ladies for some company, battalion, or officer. 
 
 Sergt. Schopper, in charge of the ordnance museum at West 
 Point, is of the opinion that — 
 
 The Stars and Stripes were not commonly carried by troops during 
 the Revolution ; and in the few isolated cases where it is claimed that 
 they were, they were privately made and not issued by the Board of 
 War. 
 
 The official correspondence of Gen. Washington shows that 
 it was not until several years after the adoption of the Stars 
 and Stripes, that the War Board obtained material to make 
 national colors for the Army " as variant from the marine flag." 
 
 While this evidence shows that the Government did not fur- 
 nish the national ensign to troops in the field, it does not prove 
 that the Stars and Stripes were not displayed, for it is evident 
 that flags privately made were presented to different com- 
 panies, which, while not official, were true representations of 
 the national flag. It seems only reasonable to conclude, that at 
 many of the most important events in the closing years of the 
 Revolution, the Stars and Stripes cheered our troops to victory. 
 
 While we have but one flag for use on sea, as well as land, 
 by merchant ships and men-of-war alike, Congress very early 
 in our history adopted a special flag for the Revenue-Cutter 
 Service consisting of sixteen perpendicular stripes, alternately 
 red and white. The union is white, on which is depicted in blue 
 the national coat of arms — the eagle surmounted by a half circle 
 of thirteen stars. The large number of stripes is accounted for 
 by the fact, that at the time the " ensign and pendant " of the 
 Revenue-Cutter Service was established, in 1799, there were 
 sixteen States in the Union and the arrangement has never been 
 altered. Under the act of January 28, 1915, the Life-Saving 
 Service and the Revenue-Cutter Service were combined under 
 the title United States Coast Guard, and the revenue flag 
 adopted as a distinguishing flag, to be flown from the foretruck 
 or pennant staff. 
 
 The union jack, commonly called the "jack," consists of the 
 union of the national flag — a blue field with forty-eight white 
 
 32539—18061 
 
31 
 
 stars arranged in six parallel rows of eight stars each. The 
 Navy regulations specify that " when at anchor the union jack 
 shall be flown from the jack staff from morning colors to even- 
 ing colors." The jack is used also as a signal for a pilot and to 
 denote the session of a court-martial. " When a diplomatic 
 official of the United States of and above the rank of charge 
 d'affaires pays an official visit afloat, the union jack shall be 
 carried on a staff at the bow." 
 
 In addition to these flags, there is a flag for the President and 
 several of the departmental heads, as well as for special di- 
 visions of the Government service. 
 
 In closing this fragmentary and I fear, somewhat imperfect 
 history of the flag, I want to quote from the late Henry Ward 
 Beecher : 
 
 A thoughtful mind, when It sees a nation's flag, sees not the flag 
 but the nation itself ; and whatever may be its symbols, its insignia, he 
 reads chiefly in the flag the government, the principles, the truth, the 
 history, that belong to the nation that sets it forth. The stars upon it 
 were to the pining nations like the bright morning stars of God, and the 
 stripes upon it were beams of morning light. As at early dawn the stars 
 shine forth even while It grows light, and then as the sun advances 
 that light breaks into banks and streaming lines of color, the glowing 
 red and intense white striving together and ribbing the horizon with 
 bars, effulgent, so, on the American flag, stars and beams of many- 
 colored light shine out together. And wherever this flag comes and 
 men behold it, they see in its sacred emblazonry no ramping lion and no 
 fierce eagle, no embattled castles or insignia of imperial authority : 
 they see the symbols of light. It is the banner of Dawn. 
 
 It has eloquently been said : 
 
 Let us then twine each thread of the glorious tissue of our country's 
 flag about our heartstrings : and looking upon our homes and catching 
 the spirit that breathes upon us from the battle fields of our fathers, 
 let us resolve, come weal or woe, we will, in life and in death, now and 
 forever, stand by the Stars and Stripes. They have been unfurled 
 from the snows of Canada to the plains of New Orleans, In the halls 
 of the Montezumas and amid the solitude of every sea ; and every- 
 where, as the luminous symbol of resistless and beneficent power, they 
 have led the brave to victory and to glory. They have floated over our 
 cradles : let it be our prayer and our struggle that they shall float over 
 our graves. 
 
 In silent grandeur the flag waves over the tombs of the dead, 
 over the homes of the living; the emblem of truth and righteous- 
 ness, inspiring men's hearts on the land and on the sea with 
 faith and hope, the symbol of the power, the unity and the pur- 
 pose of our Republic, now and for evermore. 
 
 At the conclusion of the address "in honor of the flag and in 
 honor of the day which has been set apart for that purpose," 
 the House adjourned. 
 
 32539— 18061 
 
32 
 ADDENDUM. 
 
 THE FLAG. 
 
 Stars of the early dawning, set in a field of blue ; 
 
 Stripes of the sunrise splendor, crimson and white of hue; 
 
 Flag of our father's fathers born on the field of strife, 
 
 Phoenix of fiery battle risen from human life; 
 
 Given for God and freedom, sacred, indeed, the trust 
 
 Left by the countless thousands returned to the silent dust. 
 
 Flag of a mighty nation waving aloft unfurled ; 
 
 Kissed by the sun of heaven, caressed by the winds o' the world ; 
 
 Greater than kingly power, greater than all mankind : 
 
 Conceived in the need of the hour, inspired by the Master Mind ; 
 
 Over the living children, over the laureled grave, 
 
 Streaming on high in the cloudless sky, banner our fathers gave. 
 
 Flag of a new-born era, token of every right ; 
 
 Wrung from a tyrant power, unawed by a tyrant's might ; 
 
 Facing again the menace outflung from a foreign shore. 
 
 Meeting again the challenge as met in the years before ; 
 
 Under thy spangled folds thy children await to give 
 
 All that they have or are, that the flag they love shall live. 
 
 Charles G. Crellin. 
 
 FLAG ETIQUETTE. 
 
 The flag circular issued by the War Department contains 
 
 much valuable information: 
 
 War Department, 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Many inquiries concerning the proper method of displaying, hanging, 
 and saluting the United States flag are being received in the War De- 
 partment, with the evident object of securing some authoritative state- 
 ment relating to the subject. 
 
 In this connection it should be remarked, that while it is within the 
 province of the War Department to prescribe rules and regulations 
 governing the matter in question for observance within the Army, yet 
 it is beyond its province to prescribe any such rules or regulations for 
 the guidance of civilians or to undertake to decide questions concern- 
 ing the subject that are presented by civilians. 
 
 There is no Federal law now in force pertaining to the manner of 
 displaying, hanging, or saluting the United States flag or prescribing 
 any ceremonies that should be observed in connection therewith. Tn 
 fact there are but two Federal laws on the statute books that have any 
 bearing upon this subject, one the act of Congress approved February 
 20, 1905 (33 Stat. L.. 725), providing that a trade-mark can not be 
 registered which consists of or comprises inter alia, " the flag, coat of 
 arms, or other insignia of the United States, or any simulation thereof," 
 and the other the act o? Congress approved February S. 1917 (Public, 
 No. 305, 64th Cong.), providing certain penalties for the desecration, 
 mutilation, or improper use of the flag within the District of Columbia. 
 Several States of the Union have enacted laws which have more or less 
 bearing upon the general subject and it seems probable that many 
 counties and municipalities have also passed ordinances concerning the 
 matter, to govern action within their own jurisdiction. 
 
 Warning against desecration of the American flag by aliens has been 
 Issued by the Department of Justice, which has sent the followinf 
 notice to Federal attorneys and marshals : 
 32539—18061 
 
33 
 
 "Any alien enemy tearing down, mutilating, abusing, or desecrating 
 the United States flag in any way will be regarded as a danger to the 
 public peace or safety within the meaning of regulation 12 of the proc- 
 lamation of the President issued April 6, 1917, and will be subject to 
 summary arrest and punishment." 
 
 It is the practice in the Army, each day in the year, to hoist the flag 
 briskly at sunrise, irrespective of the condition of the weather and to 
 lower it slowly and ceremoniously at sunset, indicating the commence- 
 ment and cessation of the activities of the day and to display it at half 
 staff on Memorial Day (May 30) from sunrise until noon and at full 
 staff from noon until sunset, and also on other days specially desig- 
 nated for that purpose by the proper authority, the flag always being 
 first hoisted to the top of the staff before being lowered to the half-staff 
 position. 
 
 There has been some question among civilians concerning the exact 
 location of a flag hung at " half staff." Theoretically, the flag is always 
 hung on a separate staff, much shorter than the staffs usually erected 
 on buildings, and as a consequence a flag hung at half staff would be 
 located much higher on the ordinary flag staff than under the present 
 practice but still the custom of placing the half-staffed flag in about 
 the center of the flagpole, whatever its length may be, is rather generally 
 observed throughout the country and tbis department sees no real objec- 
 tion to this custom. 
 
 Considerable discussion has arisen throughout the country concerning 
 the proper manner of hanging and displaying the flag for decorative 
 purposes. As already stated, there is no Federal law governing the 
 subject, and individual opinion differs as to the procedure that should 
 or should not be followed. It has been suggested that as far as possible 
 the hanging of the flag should be restricted to suspending it from a 
 flagpole, in the regular way and not to displaying it otherwise ; that for 
 purposes of decoration only the national colors should be arranged in 
 the form of bunting and not used in the form of the flag ; that if it is 
 nevertheless the desire to use the flag for decorative purposes it should 
 always be hung flat whether on the inside or the outside of buildings, 
 with the union to the north or east, so that there will be a general 
 uniformity in the position of the union of each flag displayed ; that the 
 flag should rarely be displayed in a horizontal position or laid flat ; that 
 under no circumstances should it be hung where it can easily be con- 
 taminated or soiled, or be draped over chairs or benches to be used for 
 seating purposes, and that no object or emblem of any kind should be 
 placed above or upon it. This department sees no objection to flying 
 the flag at night on civilian property provided it is not so flown for 
 advertising purposes. 
 
 It is becoming the practice throughout the country among civilians to 
 display the national flag on all patriotic occasions, especially on the 
 following days : 
 
 Lincoln's Birthday, February 12. 
 
 Washington's Birthday, February 22. 
 
 Mothers' Day, second Sunday in May. 
 
 Memorial Day, May 30. 
 
 Flag Day, June 14. 
 
 Independence Day, July 4. 
 
 In certain localities, other special days are observed in the same 
 manner. 
 
 It seems to be appropriate that where several flags or emblems are 
 displayed on a pole or otherwise the United States flag should always 
 be hoisted first and hung or displayed at the top ; that in any parade 
 32539—18061 3 
 
34 
 
 the United States flag should always have the place of honor and that 
 the flag should never be hung or displayed with the union down, except 
 as a signal of distress at sea. 
 
 Existing regulations governing the Army provide, that when officers 
 and enlisted men pass the national flag, not encased, they will render 
 honors as follows : If in civilian dress and covered, they will uncover, 
 holding the headdress opposite the left shoulder with the right hand ; 
 if uncovered, they will salute with the right-hand salute. A flag un- 
 furled and hung in a room in which officers or enlisted men of the 
 Army are present, will be saluted by them the first time they may have 
 'occasion to pass it, but not thereafter. The hand salute is as follows : 
 
 " Raise the right hand smartly till the tip of the forefinger touches 
 the lower part of the headdress above the right eye, thumb and fingers 
 extended and joined, palm to left, forearm inclined to about 45°, hand 
 and wrist straight ; at the same time look toward the person saluted. 
 
 " Drop the arm smartly to the side." 
 
 No anthem, hymn, or musical air has been recognized by any Fed- 
 eral law as the national anthem, hymn, or air, but Army and Navy 
 regulations provide that the musical composition familiarly known as 
 the Star-Spangled Banner, shall be designated as the national air of 
 the United States of America. It should be stated, however, that these 
 regulations are binding only upon the personnel of the military and 
 naval service. 
 
 Whenever the national air is played at any place where persons be- 
 longing to the military or naval service are present, all officers and 
 enlisted men not in formation are required to stand at attention, fac- 
 ing toward the music, excepting when the flag is being lowered at sun- 
 set, on which occasion they are required to face toward the flag. If 
 in civilian dress and uncovered, they are required to stand and salute 
 at the first note of the air, retaining the position of salute until the 
 last note of the air is played. If in civilian dress and covered, they 
 are required to stand and uncover at the first note of the air, holding 
 the headdress opposite the left shoulder until the last note is played, 
 excepting in inclement weather, when the headdress may be held slightly 
 raised. Tbe custom of rising and remaining standing and uncovered 
 while the Star-Spangled Banner is being played is growing in favor 
 among civilians. 
 
 Old or worn-out flags should not be used either for banners or for 
 any secondary purpose. When a flag is in such a condition, that it 
 is no longer a fitting emblem for display, it should not be cast aside 
 nor used in any way that might be viewed as disrespectful to the 
 national colors, but should be destroyed as a whole, privately, prefer- 
 ably by burning or by some other method lacking in any suggestion of 
 irreverence or disrespect due the emblem representing our country. 
 
 It should be borne in mind that the views set forth in this circular 
 are merely suggestive and that it is not the intention of the depart- 
 ment to give them out as authoritative. 
 
 H. P. McCain, 
 
 April 14, 1917. The Adjutant General. 
 
 As there has been much controversy as to the correct method 
 of hanging the flag when used for decorative purposes, I wiH 
 state that many patriotic societies contend, that when the flag 
 is fastened to a wall or hung on the side of a building or plat- 
 form, the union, when the stripes are horizontal, should be at 
 32539—18061 
 
35 
 
 tile upper left-hand corner and when vertical at the upper 
 right-hand corner, as seen by the observer. 
 
 The following is taken from the Navy Regulations: 
 
 The national ensign on board a ship of the Navy at anchor shall be 
 hoisted at 8 a. m. and kept flying until sunset. Whenever a ship comes 
 to anchor or gets under way, if there is sufficient light for the ensign to 
 be seen, it shall be hoisted, although earlier or later than the time speci- 
 fied. The national ensign shall be displayed on shore from 8 a, m. 
 to sunset at every shore station under the jurisdiction of the Navy 
 Department. 
 
 Whenever the national anthem is played on board a vessel of the 
 Navy, at a naval station, or at any place where persons belonging to the 
 naval service are present, all < fflcers and enlisted men not in forma- 
 tion, shall stand at attention, facing toward the music (except at colors, 
 when they shall face the colors). If in uniform, covered or uncovered, 
 or in civilian clothes, uncovered, they shall salute at the first note of 
 the anthem, retaining the position of salute until the last note of the 
 anthem. If not in uniform and covered, they shall uncover at the first 
 note of the anthem, holding the headdress opposite the left shoulder and 
 bo remain until the last note of the anthem, except that in inclement 
 weather the headdress may be slightly raised. The same marks of re- 
 spect prescribed for observance during the playing of the national 
 anthem of the United States shall be shown toward the national anthem 
 of any other country, when played on official occasions. The playing 
 of the national anthem of the United States or of any other country, 
 as a part of a medley is prohibited. 
 
 The following ceremonies shall be observed at " colors " on board 
 ships in commission ; at morning " colors," the band shall play the 
 national anthem, at the beginning of which the ensign shall be started 
 «p and hoistei smartly to the peak or truck. All officers and men shall 
 face the ensign and stand at attention and the guard of the day and 
 sentries under arms shall come to the position of " present," while the 
 national anthem is being played. 
 
 The same ceremonies shall be observed at sunset " colors," the ensign 
 being started from the peak or truck at the beginning of the national 
 anthem. (These ceremonies are omitted at sea.) At naval stations the 
 same ceremonies shall be observed as closely as possible. 
 
 When at anchor in a foreign port, or when a foreign naval 
 vessel is at anchor in an American port, the same honors shall 
 be rendered at " colors " to the foreign ensign, the band playing 
 the appropriate national foreign air immediately after the ren- 
 dition of our national anthem. 
 
 In order to show proper respect for the flag the following 
 ceremony should be observed : 
 
 At " morning and evening colors " civilian spectators should stand 
 at " attention " and uncover during the playing of the " Star-Spangled 
 Banner." * * * The flag should never be allowed to touch the 
 ground and should never be raised or lowered by any mechanical 
 appliance or rolled up and hoisted to the staff before unfurling. 
 
 When the national colors are passing on parade, or in review, the 
 spectator should, if walking, halt and if sitting, arise and stand at 
 attention and uncover. 
 32539—18061 
 
36 
 
 Whenever the " Star-Spangled Banner " is being played or sung, all 
 persons within hearing should rise and stand uncovered during its 
 rendition. 
 
 When the National and State or other flags fly together the national 
 flag should be on the right. 
 
 When the flag is flown at half staff as a sign of mourning, it should 
 be hoisted to full staff at the conclusion of the funeral. 
 
 The national salute is twenty-one guns. It is also the salute to a 
 national flag. The salute to the Union, commemorative of the Declara- 
 tion of Independence and consisting of one gun for each State, is fired 
 at noon on July 4 at every Army post provided with suitable artillery. 
 (Army Regulations.) No flag or emblem of any kind should ever be dis- 
 played above the Stars and Stripes. In the Navy an exception is 
 made when religious services are being held on board ship. At this 
 time the church pennant is flown above the flag. 
 
 W T hen flags are used in unveiling a statue or monument they should 
 not be allowed to fall to the ground, but should be carried aloft to 
 wave out, forming a distinctive feature during the remainder of the 
 ceremony. 
 
 Officially over only three buildings does the flag fly continuously, day 
 and night— the National Capitol at Washington (east and west fronts) 
 and over the adjacent office buildings of the Senate and House of Rep- 
 resentatives. 
 
 There has lately come into use a service flag, upon which 
 stars are displayed in honor of those in the service of their 
 country. 
 
 PERSONAL SALUTES. ._, 
 
 Guns. 
 
 The President of the United States 21 
 
 The sovereign or chief magistrate of a foreign country 21 
 
 An ex-President of the United States 21 
 
 The Vice President 19 
 
 Ambassadors 19 
 
 Members of the Cabinet 19 
 
 Governors of States, the Chief Justice and Speaker of the House 
 
 of Representatives : 17 
 
 OKAL FLAG SALUTE IN SCHOOLS. 
 
 Primary department : " We give our heads and our hearts to God 
 and our country ; one country, one language, one flag." 
 
 Advanced pupils : " I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the Re- 
 public for which it stands ; one Nation, indivisible, with liberty and 
 justice for all." 
 
 SIZE OF FLAGS. 
 
 By Executive order promulgated May 29, 1916, it was ordered 
 that national flags and union jacks for all departments of the 
 Government, with the exception that the colors carried by 
 troops shall be the sizes prescribed for the military service, 
 shall conform to the following proportions : 
 
 Hoist (width) of flag 1 1 
 
 Fly (length) of flag 1.9 
 
 Hoist (width) of union 7-12 
 
 Ply (length) of union . 76 
 
 Width of each stripe 1-13 
 
 32539—18061 
 
37 
 
 THE FLAG AND NEW YORK. 
 
 New York may justly be proud of the part she has conspicu- 
 ously played in the history of the flag. The great Empire 
 State, with her mighty commerce, her great agricultural inter- 
 ests, her business enterprises, her financial resources and her 
 maritime industries, unequaled by any State in the Union, 
 salutes her sister Commonwealths and pledges her allegiance 
 to the flag which unites all the States — each one an empire, 
 and the whole the most magnificent and forward cluster of civil 
 polities the world has ever known. 
 
 In every crisis which has confronted the Nation, the sons of 
 New York have responded nobly to the call of duty and of 
 country. Both before and since the adoption of her State con- 
 stitution, on April 20, 1777, stirring scenes have been enacted 
 on her soil. In all the Indian wars, New York, the home of the 
 famous Iroquois, bore the brunt of those deadly conflicts. Dur- 
 ing the struggle for independence our State gave freely of her 
 men and her treasure and her records are replete with valorous 
 incidents in the cause of liberty and freedom. 
 
 On August 3, 1777, the Stars and Stripes were raised over 
 Fort Stanwix and two months later, on October 17, they waved 
 in triumph over Burgoyne, when he surrendered his army at 
 the decisive Battle of Saratoga. On July 16, 1779, "Mad" 
 Anthony Wayne captured Stony Point in one of the most bril- 
 liant victories of the war and on November 25, 1783, the British 
 evacuated New York and the noble Hudson again flowed un- 
 vexed to the sea. 
 
 At Poughkeepsie on July 26, 1788, the Federal Constitution 
 was ratified. From 1785 to 1793 New York was the national 
 capital and here, on the 30th of April, 1789, on the balcony of 
 Federal Hall, George Washington took the oath of office as the 
 first President of the United States. In the War of 1812. owing 
 to her proximity to Canada, New York bore her full share of 
 the burden of the conflict and played a conspicuous part in the 
 triumphs of the flag. When the call came in 1861 to preserve 
 the Union, New York responded with all her splendid courage 
 and determination, sending to the front 448,850 soldiers, a total 
 which, by including the 18,197, who paid commutation, was 
 swelled to 467,047, over one-sixth of the Union Army. To show 
 her patriotism in providing men to uphold the supremacy of 
 the Stars and Stripes, she expended in bounties the huge sum 
 of $86,629,000. In the Spanish War her sons charged at San 
 Juan and fought in the jungles of the far-away Philippines 
 and in the war against Germany the Empire State will send her 
 32539—18061 
 
38 
 
 full quota to the trenches of Europe and wherever duty calls, 
 whenever bravery and courage is demanded, whether it be 
 charging across the deadly field of " no man's land " or in the 
 air or under the sea, there you will find the men from the 
 Empire State. 
 
 New York recognizes the importance of inculcating into the 
 minds and the hearts of her children a noble veneration for the 
 flag of the Nation and has enacted laws to foster their love and 
 inspire their patriotism. 
 
 Our education laws provide that — 
 
 It shall be the duty of the school authorities of every public school 
 in the several cities and school districts of the State to purchase a 
 United States flag, flagstaff and the necessary appliances therefor, and 
 to display such flag upon or near the public-school building during 
 school hours and at such other times as such school authorities may 
 direct. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the commissioner of education to prepare for 
 the use of the public schools of the State, a program providing for a 
 salute to the flag and such other patriotic exercises as may be deemed 
 by him to be expedient under such regulations and instructions as may 
 best meet the varied requirements of the different grades in such 
 schools. 
 
 It shall also be his duty to make special provision for the observance 
 in the public schools of Lincoln's birthday, Washington's birthday, 
 Memorial Day and Flag Day, and such other legal holidays of like 
 character as may be hereafter designated by law when the legislature 
 makes an appropriation therefor. 
 
 In guarding the national flag as well as our own emblem 
 from desecration, no State has been more careful than our own 
 great Commonwealth. Our laws are explicit and provide severe 
 penalties for the improper use of official flags. 
 
 On March 15, 1917, we enacted a law making it a misde- 
 meanor for any person to place any sort of an advertisement, 
 word, figure, mark, or picture of any nature upon the flag of 
 the United States, or to "publicly mutilate, deface, defile, or 
 defy, trample upon or cast contempt upon " the national flag 
 or any picture or representation of it. 
 
 STATS FLAG AND COAT OF ARMS. 
 
 The following history of the New York State flag has been 
 compiled by Hon. James A. Holden, State historian, to whom 
 I am indebted for its publication: 
 
 Up to 1896 there had been nothing placed in the statutory civil laws 
 so far as I have been able to discover in the time at my disposal 
 relating to a State flag, either as to color or design. In fact, in the 
 Laws of 1845, chapter 98, " An act for the erection of a flagstaff on the 
 capitol," passed April 26 of that year, this flagstaff was to be erected 
 " on the capitol for the purpose of displaying thereon, the American 
 flag during the daily sessions of the legislature and on public occa- 
 sions and to procure a suitable flag for that purpose" (pp. 81-82). 
 32539—18061 
 
39 
 
 This would show that at that time New York had no State flag recog- 
 nized as such. 
 
 However, in the " General regulations for the military forces of the 
 State of New York" (Albany, 1858), issued by the adjutant general of 
 the State as " General Order No. 30," I find in article 34, page 129, 
 " the State flag is made of white bunting, 12 feet fly by 10 feet hoist, 
 bearing in the center the arms of the State of New York. The regi- 
 mental colors at that time were to be of yellow silk for the artillery 
 and of blue silk for the infantry and rifle regiments, all bearing the 
 arms of the State of New York. 
 
 At this time the standards of the mounted regiments likewise bore 
 the arms of the State of New York, embroidered in silk on a blue 
 ground (p. 130). 
 
 It should be borne in mind, that there is a distinction made in mili- 
 tary rules and regulations between the words " flags," " colors," and 
 " standards," as follows : " By ' flag ' is meant the emblem displayed from 
 a flagstaff. By * colors ' are meant the National and State flags carried 
 by foot troops. By ' standards ' are meant the National and State 
 flags carried by mounted troops." 
 
 In this connection we may note, that one of the original sources from 
 which the present coat of arms of the State of New York was derived 
 wai the flag borne by the Third New York Regiment, Col. Peter Ganse- 
 voort, jr., commanding and was used by that regiment during the Revo- 
 lutionary War. This flag is said to have been of " dark blue silk and 
 about seven feet square." 
 
 It is stated by the late H. A. Homes, the then State librarian, that 
 " In 1871 the arms were painted on blue silk on regimental flags of 12 
 feet by 10, * * * but in 1873 upon the new flag of white bunting." 
 
 It is indicated that some time between the time of the Civil War and 
 1878 the State flag, at least so far as it was made a State flag by mili- 
 tary usage, had been changed from white to blue and then back again, 
 inasmuch as I find that in the General Regulations for Military Forces 
 of the State of New York for 1865, General Orders, No. 23, article 34, 
 section 717, it is prescribed that " The State flag is made of white 
 bunting, 12 feet fly by 10 feet hoist, bearing in the center the arms of 
 the State of New York." The regimental colors and standards were to 
 be of blue silk for infantry and rifle regiments and for mounted regi- 
 ments and of yellow silk for the artillery. 
 
 The same language is used in the General Regulations for the Military 
 Forces of the State of New York, for 1876, article 35, section 643, viz, 
 " The State flag is made of white bunting, 12 feet fly by 10 feet hoist. 
 bearing in the center the arms of the State of New York." State regi- 
 mental standards and colors were all of blue, however, at this time. 
 
 The first attempt to establish a legal State flag that I have as yet 
 discovered, was made in 1896. At that time by chapter 229 of the laws 
 of that year it was prescribed that " The State flag is hereby declared 
 to be buff, charged with the arms of the State in the colors as described 
 in the blazon of this section." 
 
 The State flag continued to be buff in color until 1901, when, at the 
 suggestion and through the work and research of the then State his- 
 torian, Hon. Hugh Hastings, legislation was secured and by chapter 
 229 of the laws of 1901 the color of the State flag was changed from 
 buff to blue, and it has remained blue to the present time. 
 
 In 1883, by chapter 349, laws of that year, a superintendent of 
 buildings was authorized. Among the other duties imposed upon him 
 was that of seeing that " During the hours when the legislature is in 
 32539—18061 
 
40 
 
 session the State flag having the arms of the State, shall be displayed 
 from the capitol, together with the flag of the United States." 
 
 The formality of displaying the State flag is also carried out when- 
 ever the board of regents of the University of the State of New York is 
 in session, in the Education Building, the board being a coordinate 
 branch of the State government. 
 
 On formal occasions, therefore, the State flag is always to be seen 
 displayed from the official buildings here in Albany. 
 
 COAT OF ARMS. 
 
 The coat of arms of our State, dating from March 16, 1778, 
 is not surpassed in beauty by the insignia of any other State. 
 Two figures support a shield. On the right is the blue-robed 
 figure of liberty, her flowing hair decorated with a coronet of 
 pearls. A staff surmounted by a Phrygian cap is supported by 
 her right hand, while beneath her feet rests a royal crown. On 
 the left of the shield is the golden-robed figure of justice, blind- 
 folded, holding in her right hand a sword and in the left, the 
 scales of justice. On the shield are depicted three mountains, 
 with the sun rising behind them. In the foreground is an arm 
 of the sea, upon which two vessels are sailing — a ship and a 
 sloop. Above the shield is a globe, showing the continent and 
 the oceans. Crowning all is an American eagle with outspread 
 wings. On a scroll beneath the shield is inscribed the motto 
 " Excelsior. 1 ' 
 
 32539—18061 
 
 Reprint of December 28, 1917 from the Congressional Record 
 of June 14 and September 24, 1917. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 040 792 448 4 *