Show r Wf Cal HerA Old f CAPT I Ii 1 y rd t 1 y ht i k r CAPT UN CITY WI Y j J jJ By ELMO SCOTT WATSON HE American flag whose birthday birthday birth bIrth- day we celebrate on June 14 T is known b by a n number of figurative figurative figurative fig fig- names It Is probable that it was called The Red tl White and or The Stars and Stripes very soon 7 after the first flag was made in accordance with the resolution passed b by the Continental congress on June 14 1777 That the flag of the United States be 13 stripes alternate red and white that the upion be 13 stars white In a blue field representing representing a n new constellation The name The Star-Spangled Star Banner Banner Banner Ban Ban- ner dates from 1814 when Francis Scott Key watching the British bombardment bombardment bombardment bom bom- of Fort McHenry was Inspired Inspired Inspired In In- to write the poem which was later set to music and became the official official of of- official national anthem But the name Old Glory is a more recent one It was Just a hundred years ars ago that a n Yankee skipper had the Inspiration which resulted In that affectionate name being bestowed upon our national nation nation- al colors Here Is tl the e story of how Old Glor Glory got that name From the beginning of New England England Eng Eng- land maritime history the Driver family family fam tam ily lly of Salem Mass had been leaders in fn the shipping trade not only as ship shIp- shipbuilders builders bunders but as owners captains and sailors of their own vessels In the year 1831 1531 Capt William Driver was carrying on the family tradition As Asa a n boy of twelve he had shipped on a n sailing vessel for Europe and before he was twenty he was wn master of the brig Charles Baggett one of that innumerable Innumerable Innumerable In In- numerable fleet which sailed the the Seven Seas and carried the name of Salem to every corner of the earth In September of that year rear Captain Driver was preparing to sail for a trip around the world Just before leaving a party of his friends gathered gathered gathered gath gath- ered to present him with a farewell gift rift an Am American rIcan flag because he lie I was noted for his love for the natIonal national national na na- na- na colors and what they betokened Captain Driver was on deck to receIve receive receive re re- them and a sailor carrying the flag folded In triangular form stepped forward and began a carefully memorized memorized mem mem- speech In ancient times when an ocean voyage was looked upon with superstitious superstitious super super- dread he be said it was the I custom o on the eve of departure to toI I roll the banner In the form of a tri tri- angle When ready too tho 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 nt the name of each thus calling on that tha unity of ot Creator Redeemer Redeemer Redeemer Re Re- deemer and Sanctifier to bless the natIonal national national na na- emblem and prosper the coy voy voyagers agers alters and their friends The fla flathus flag g thus consecrated was then hoisted t to o the masthead He then adjusted the flag to th the e halyards and hoisted bolsted It to its position position post tion at the tile masthead Captain Driver er en overcome o with emotion was silent t for a moment Then as he looked aloft alof t and saw s w the flag which he loved sowell so sowell well floating In the breeze he be exclaimed exclaImed exclaimed ex ex- claimed Ill call her Old Glor Glory boys Old Glory 1 And thus was the Amer ican flag christened with a new name for tor he was the first to use that name and by bJ no other did he ever refer to It The voyage which was thus so appropriately ap ap- lately Inaugurated carried the original Old Glor Glory Into many har liar harbors harbors bors throughout the world and Into even en more during the next nest six years ears while Captain Driver er sailed the seas During one of his voyages Into the Orient he lie had made a sea sen chest brass-bound brass and decorated with in which he placed the original Old Glor Glory when it t was not floating at the masthead of his ship And this flag had an even more thrilling later history than its early one In 1837 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 chest It went to Tennessee with him On patriotic occasions and on his own birthday birthday- St St. Patricks Patrick's da day for he was born March 17 It 1803 1803 It was taken from the chest and flung to the breeze for all to see and to reverence And Captain Captain Captain Cap Cap- tain Driver invariably saluted it with these words My Iy country countr my flag flag flag- Old Glory 1 As the dispute between the North and South became more Intense and the Civil war drew nearer and nearer nearer nearer near near- er Captain Driver became increasingly IncreasIngly increasingly unpopular with his neighbors In Nashville because of his outspoken devotion to his country and 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 Drivers Driver's ears unmistakable hints that his flag might be stolen or destroyed so he bought another fla flag for display and retired Old Glory once more to its its' chest After the secession of Tennessee from the Union the captain be began nn to fear for safety of ot his flag at nt the hands of the Confederates So he took It by night to the house of a Union sympathizer named Bailey and asked Mrs Bailey rand and h her r daughters Mary and Patience to hide it for him so that it could not be found and destroyed destroyed destroyed de de- If the Confederates searched his house At the time Mary and Patience Patience Pa 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 Iners of cotton In the comfort where the BaIle Bailey girls tacked It In and sewed up the outside outside outside out out- side covering Again at nt night Captain Driver took the comfort to his home and placed It In a large Iron wash kettle In the attic of his home There Old Glory stayed until Union troops occupied Nashville in February 1802 Immediately thereafter thereafter there there- after Captain Driver Drier and a group of f soldiers soldier s ripped open the comfort took out the flag and hoisted It over th the e state capitol l to the strains of The Star Spangled Banner played by a regimental band It remained there for fm hours but so fearful was Captain Driver that his flag might even the then n be Injured by n a hostile hand that h he e stood guard over it day and night I Inthe In Inthe Inthe the morning Old Glor Glory was taken n down and I with ith ano another Amer Amer- L 6 V lean Ican flag By this time It was very old much worn and the captain feared that a n strong wind would whip it to pieces After this Old Glor Glory was always kept in the captains captain's house and late In his life he gave It to his daughter Mrs M M. M I. I J J. J Roland of Nevada where so far as Is known it still is In 1007 1907 the flag had bad become so worn that Mrs 1 Roland Holand placed it on a piece of sheeting and stitched It fast to the cloth to preserve e It for future generations generations generations gen gen- of the family Captain Driver er died March 2 1886 and was buried in Old City cemetery In Nashville Just as ns it was a Yankee sea captain which gave ave to our flag Its name of Old Glory so It was that another Yankee Yankee-n Yankee a soldier Instead of a sailor however who however who took another Old Glory on one of ot the most romantic expeditions In our history Bates was his name and he had served as color sergeant In the Twenty-fourth Twenty Massachusetts Massa Massa- regiment during the Civil war In 1872 1572 Color Sergeant Bates had an Idea which he proceeded to put Into effect In a dramatic fashion At t 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 ot England and march to London bearing bearIng bearIng bear- bear Ing aloft an- an unfurled American flag just as he had done on the battlefields battlefields battlefields battle battle- fields of Ills His reception by bythe bythe bythe the people of England would show whether or not there was any foundation foundation foundation tion for this talk of John Bulls Bull's hostility hostility hostility hos hos- toward Uncle Sam Clad in his uniform of blue Sergeant Sergeant Sergeant Ser Ser- geant Bates on November ember 5 Guy 5 Guy Fawkes day and the anniversary of the Battle of ot Inkerman left Inkerman-left left Edinburgh Edinburgh Edin Edin- burgh for Gretna Green At Sark bridge on the border line between een Scotland Scotland Scotland Scot Scot- land and England he unfurled Old Glory and stood beneath it with un uncovered covered head Th Then n he started on his march That evening he tramped Into Carlisle where a group of commercial commercial com com- mercial travelers at the Bush hotel gave him a hearty welcome More than that they sent word on ahead of ot his strange pilgrimage and when he came to the mining towns of Penrith Penrith Pen- Pen rith and Shap great crowds of miners ruin min ers were on hand to ch cheer r him The warm welcome given Bates there was repeated in every place through which he traveled The London dally daily press gave much space to the American soldier on December December De De- cember ember 2 A dense mass packed the Guildhall yard ard where a n British sergeant sergeant sergeant ser ser- geant was was carrying the English stand ard and Bates nates was borne on the shoulders shoulders shoulders ders of men Into the crowded Guildhall Guild hall and then back to the carriage from which he made a speech before his flag flog Bates' Bates reception in London was the crowning touch to to his pilgrimage There was no longer any doubt of John Bulls Bull's friendliness toward Uncle Sam at least so far as the fife common people of ot England were concerned t to by bv v Western Nawaz aDer Union |