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Show fMJ mmfl&l III f- ' it & K J! ,S j. V a ' x A.fiA ,-.-li-.A.A - il' - CAPT. DMVFA'S AlOflrtSrTM CID CITY CfrteTfRY, lASJiVlLZTfftl. By ELMO SCOTT WATSON f 1 HE American flag, whose birth-TJ birth-TJ day we celebrate on June 14, t is known by a number of fig-H fig-H urative names. It is probable I 1 that it was called "The Red, fe White and Blune" or "The LJ Stars and Stripes" very soon 7 after the first flag was made In accordance with the resolution passed by the Continental congress on June 14, 1777, "That the flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white ; that the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing repre-senting a new constellation." The name "The Star-Spangled Banner" Ban-ner" dates from 1814 when Francis Scott Key, watching the British bombardment bom-bardment of Fort McHenry, was inspired in-spired to write the poem which was later set to music and became the official of-ficial national anthem. But the name "Old Glory" is a more recent one. It was just a hundred years ago that a Yankee skipper had the inspiration which resulted in that affectionate name being bestowed upon our national nation-al colors. Here is the story of how "Old Glory" got that name: From the beginning of New England Eng-land maritime history the Driver family fam-ily of Salem, Mass., had been leaders In the shipping trade, not only as shipbuilders ship-builders but as owners, captains and sailors of their own vessels. In the year 1S31 Capt. William Driver was carrying on the family tradition. As n boy of twelve he had shipped on a sailing vessel for Europe and before he was twenty he was master of the brig, Charles Baggelt, one of that innumerable in-numerable fleet which sailed the Seven Seas and carried the name of Salem' to every corner of the earth. In September of that year Captain Driver was preparing to sail for a trip around the world. Just before leaving a party of his friends gathered gath-ered to present him with a farewell gift, an American flag, because he was noted for his love for the national na-tional colors and what they betokened. Captain Driver was on deck to receive re-ceive them and a sailor, currying the flag, folded in triangular form, stepped forward and began a carefully memorized mem-orized speech. "In ancient times, when an ocean voyage was looked upon with superstitious super-stitious dread," lie said, "it was the custom on the eve of departure to roll the banner In the form of a triangle. tri-angle. When ready the priest stepped forward and taking the banner in hand, sprinkled it with consecrated water and dedicated it to 'God the Father, God the son and God the Holy host,' turning the point of the triangle upward at the name of each, thus calling on that unity of Creator, Redeemer Re-deemer and Sanctitier to bless the national na-tional emblem and prosper the voyagers voy-agers and their friends. The fir. thus consecrated was tiien hoisted to the masthead." He then adjusted the flag to the halyards and hoisted it to its position posi-tion at the masthead. Caplain Driver, Driv-er, overcome with emotion, was silent for a moment. Then as he looked aloft nnd saw the flag which he loved so well floating in the breeze ho exclaimed: ex-claimed: "I'll call her Old Glory, boys ; Old Glory!" And thus was the Amer ican flag christened with a new name 1 for he was the first to use that name and by no other did he ever refer to it. The voyage which was thus so appropriately ap-propriately inaugurated carried the original "Old Glory" into many harbors har-bors throughout the world and into even more during the next six years while Captain Driver sailed the seas. During one of his voyages into the Orient he had made a camphorwood sea chest, brass-bound and decorated with nailheads, in which he placed the original "Old Glory" when it was not floating nt the masthead of his ship. And this flag had an even more thrilling later history than its early one. In 1S37 Captain Driver retired from the sea and went to Nashville, Tenn., to make his home, but when he sold his ship he did not sell "Old Glory." Safe in its camphorwood chest it went to Tennessee with him. On patriotic occasions and on his own birthday St. Patrick's day, for he was born March 17, 1S03 It was taken from the chest and flung to the breeze for all to see and to reverence. And Captain Cap-tain Driver invariably saluted it with these words, "My country, my flag Old Glory!" As the dispute between the North nnd South became more Intense and the Civil war drew nearer and nearer, near-er, Captain Driver became increasingly increas-ingly unpopular with his neighbors In Nashville because of his outspoken devotion to his country nnd his flag. During the Presidential campaign "Old Glory" was displayed on a rope stretched from his home to a tree across the street but the bitterness of that campaign brought to Captain Driver's ears unmistakable hints that his flag might be stolen or destroyed, so he bought another flag for display and retired "Old Glory" once more to its camphorwood chest. After the secession of Tennessee from the Union, the captain began to fear for safety of his flag at the hands of the Confederates. So he took it by night to the house of a Union sympathizer named Bailey and asked Mrs. Bailey and her daughters, Mary and Patience, to hide it for him so that it could not be found and destroyed de-stroyed if the Confederates searched his house. At the time Mary and Patience Pa-tience Bailey were making a comfort, padding it heavily with cotton, and thus suggested an ideal hiding place. So Captain Driver folded "Old Glory," placed it. between the layers of cotton in the comfort where the Bailey girls tacked it in and sewed up the outside out-side covering. Again at night Captain Driver took the comfort to his home and placed it In a largo Iron wash kettle in the attic of his home. There "Old Glory" stayed until Union troops occupied Nashville In February, 1802. Immediately thereafter there-after Captain Driver and a group of soldiers ripped open the comfort, took out the flag and hoisted it over the state capitol to the strains of "The Star-Spangled Banner," played by a regimental band. It remained there for hours, but so fearful was Captain Driver that his Hag might even then be injured by a hostile hand that he stood guard over It day and night. In tiie morning "Old Glory" Was taken down and replaced with another Amer- i 0 mo ican flag. By this time it was ver old, much worn and the captain feared that a strong wind would whip it to pieces. After this "Old Glory" was always kept in the captain's house and late in his life he gave it to his daughter, Mrs. M. J. Roland of Nevada, where, so far as is known, it still is. In 1907 the flag had become so worn that Mrs. Roland placed it on a piece of sheeting and stitched it fast to the cloth to preserve it for future generations gen-erations of the family. Captain Driver Driv-er died March 2, 1S8G, and was buried in Old City cemetery In Nashville. Just as it was a Yankee sea captain which gave to our flag its name of "Old Glory," so it was that another Yankee a soldier, instead of a sailor, however who took another "Old Glory" on one of the most romantic expeditions in our history. Bates was his name and he had served as color sergeant in the Twenty-fourth Massachusetts Massa-chusetts regiment during the Civil war. In 1S72 Color Sergeant Bates had an idea which he proceeded to put into effect in a dramatic fashion. At that time there was much talk in this country of the hostility of Great Britain . toward the United States. Determined to find out for himself whether this talk was fostered by politicians for their own selfish ends or was a genuine antipathy, Bates resolved to cross the Atlantic, start from the northern border of England and march to London bearing bear-ing aloft an unfurled American flag just as he had done on the battlefields battle-fields of 1SG1-C5. His reception by the people of England would show whether or not there was any foundation founda-tion for this talk of John Bull's hostility hos-tility toward Uncle Sam. Clad in his uniform of blue, Sergeant Ser-geant Bates on November 5 Guy Fawkes day and the anniversary of the Battle of Inkerman left Edinburgh Edin-burgh for Gretna Green. At Sark bridge on the border line between Scotland Scot-land nnd England he unfurled "Old Glory" and stood beneath it with uncovered un-covered bend. Then he started on his march. That evening he tramped Into Carlisle where a group of commercial com-mercial travelers at the Bush hotel gave him a hearty welcome. More than that ; they sent word on ahead of his strange pilgrimage nnd when he came to the mining towns of Penrith Pen-rith and Shap, great crowds of miners min-ers were on hand to cheer him. The warm welcome given Bates there was repeated in every place through which he traveled. The London daily press gave much space to the American soldier on December De-cember 2. A dense mass packed the Guildhall yard, where a British Per- . geant was carrying the English stand- 1 ard. Rates was borne on the shoulders shoul-ders of men into the crowded Guildhall, Guild-hall, and then back to the carriage, from which he made a speech before refui'ling his Hag. Bates' reception In London was the crowning touch to his pilgrimage. There was no longer any doubt of John Bull's friendliness toward Uncle Sam. at least so far as the common people of England were concerned. (Cc) by W.'Ntorn NoTV3I':lcr L'llloli.) 1 |