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Show FLAG WITH HISloRY. Hugh H. Tarbet Flies Battle-Torn Banner From His House. An old Jiag waved before a house on East Third South street last Saturday. As the wind caught its light folds and spread to view the red and white stripes, ragged holes were revealed and and stains of time and battle. The thirteen stars in the field of blue did not glisten as the stars of night. There were many newer, handsomer, brighter flags suspended before neighboring houses, but the owner of this old, worn banner would not have exchanged its discolered folds for all , the brighter bunting in the world. To him it is more than a mere Hag. It is a symbol of a reminiscence of four glorious years of service, it speaks to him of days of turmoil and nights of sleepless vigil, of comrades gone beyond be-yond recall, cr scenes ot strife and carnage car-nage and then the last roll-call when news of peace came Hashing from the peaceful village of Appomattox Courthouse. Court-house. . Hugn H. Tarbet is the owner of the priceless banner, and it has been in his possession since the close of the civil war. The flag was made in 1862 by a sailor on board the U. S. steamer "Oc-toraria," "Oc-toraria," connected with the West India In-dia squadron. The following year it went from Key West to New York at the masthead of the prize steamer "Eagle." "Ea-gle." Then it flew from the U. S. steamer "Honduras" of the West Gulf squadron, and a year later waved encouragement en-couragement .to the soldiers of Bank's Red river expedition from the steamer Westport of the Mississippi squadron. The expedition ended ingloriously, but the flag was transferred to the Forest Rose of the Mississippi squadron, where it remained until peace "was declared. de-clared. It was then presented by Captain A.;,N. Gould of the . Forest Rose to Mr. Tarbet,: the present owner, who had served on the Chillicothe, the Bentor and the Naumkeag of the Mississippi squadron. Mr. Tarbet's most intimate friend. Lieutenant Charles Webster, was killed by a minie 'ball which ToreT.T'Jagged hole in one of the stripes of -the old flag. VV Flag day was generally observed thr6ughcut the city, the national colors being suspended . from all the public buildings and a large number of business busi-ness houses and residences. No special celebration of the event was attempted, but the G. A. R. men were much gratified grati-fied over the readiness with which the idea was carried out by the people. |
