Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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OUR STATE' 1 JAGV I1S OIUGIN AND HISTORY; INTERESTING STATEMENT FOR SCHOOL USE. The following article was prepared for gse with the State flag in the schools by the flag committe of the Daughters of the American Revolu tion 'of South Carolina and has been officially adopted by that body. At the outset (of the war between the American colonies and Great Britain two regiments of South Car olina troops were holding on an island protecting Chailestun. This was in 1775. It so happened that these 4oldiers wore blue uniforms, and on ;heir caps was a silver crescent. They "nd n flag at that time, as the fight vith -it Britain had just begun. William .leultrie, who commanded the 'ort, was requested by the Council of safety, an organization of leading -itizens, to fashion a flag. In thols lays flags were much m10ore us'~ed in val than 1(w, because lighting was acre in the opten, and inl other ways 'ery diflerent from modern war. So hey had to lave a flag, and General doultrie decided that it should be ike the uniforms and the cap insignia If his men. This explains why our tate flag 's blue, and why that little -rescent, looking like a new moon, is ound in one of its corners. There's a palmetto tree in the flag, oo, but that did not come until later. 'n the summer of 1776 a British fleet ttacked a fort on Sullivan's Island, ear Charleston, and the result was a isaster for the fleet. That fort later A amed Fort Moultrie, was built of 'almetto logs, and those logs stopped , e shot from British cannon. The esult of the fight was soon known !1 over the State and everywhere cople told the story of how the pal .etto logs withstood the fire of the emy. And that's 'the reason the gure of the palmetto tree was put 4 the center of the flag,.: All of this was before we had a ational emblem. 'The coloniial troops f the thirteen States in the Revolu on used their respective State ban ^rs for quite a time. In those days .ar forefathers were fighting for lib 'ty more than for union, so the va ois States were more important 'litical units than they are now. Not ntil the Civil War, or the war of ecession or the War Between the :ales--.iust as you prefer to call it as this question of union ni -Ily (e ti. Since that war the State flags :e not had their eldI time prestige; mough of course, they will never be 4 lpensed with. rWESL Centr~ ONLY Colie HIGH Scho< Theological, Thoroughly Board and 'I L. B. This flag of ours, with its lnne colors and pretty design, has had' a career that is not surpassed by any other State banner. It waved in tri umph over forts and over field troops in the Revolution. It waved again in victory in the war of 1812. Scm (mole Indians learned to fear it in the Seminole war. And in our war wi'h Mexico in 1848, the Palmetto flag was the first to be lianted inside the tort ress of Mexico City. That was a bloody fight, and one of the greatest honors our flag ever woen was to be first inside the Mexican's stronghold. It was carried there by the Palmetto regiment, nmde ilp ef South Carolina trcop. A curious and inteiresting feature of the history of en flag i> that it was (,ee a national ba:nniuer. for South Ca'elina was onlet al I ideenient re public. That way between the t.ime w se(ledd frem h le iU ini;n and en tered the Con edr t iate States of Amerco, a matter .f a few months bI egilnling late in 1800 and ending early in 1861. A ir c much discussion back and forth between the Ilouse and Senate, it was finally agreed on .January 28, 1i I, that the flag of South Carolina, an independent con monwealth then, should be the blue' field, with white crescent and white palmetto tree. Soon afterwards we entered the Confederates States. and once more the banner, so familar to us all, became a State flag. And after the was was over, the Confeder acy defeated and the Union re-estab lished, the same flag remained as the distinctive insignia of this State. So many are the stories of fight. for this flag, fights around it, an-i other events in which it participated, that one could not attempt to tell them all in anything short of a book. So we shall take only a few of the stories more or less commonly heard about the Palmetto State banner. In the fight between the British fleet and Fort Moultrie, the flag was shot down, and fell outside the en closure. A sergeant, William Jas per by name. leaped over the walls of the fort, picked up the flag and under heavy fire coolly replaced it cn the fort. South Carolina did not have a govern(.r then, but a president, and this president, John Rutledge, presented his own sword to Jasper in appreciation of the heroic deed. There is now a county in the State named Jasper in commemoration of this Revolutionary fighter. In the Revolution South Carolina had a navy. and of course the Pal metto. flag was its emblem. In this EYAN MET] 'COLLEGE al, South Cai e inPickens Cont. SMI H4'~. Pre~\ ~ navy was a ship, i bwn as the Fri gate South Carolina, and reputed to be the greatest ship then afloat. It was commanded by a South Carolini an, Commodore Gillarid, and its explots while operating under our flag were famous far and wide. It took British .prizes all over the Atlantic ocean, and was gloriously sailed until finally, when some man other than Gilland was in command it was captured by a strong British force at sea. At the battle of Gaines' Mill in the War of Secession, four soldiers, all utnder twenty. years ef age, were shot down while bearing the I alme'tto flag. three of them being killed. And so en, alnwst without end, the .story of this flag might run. But there's not the time in; w to tell mtore. It has known victory and it has known: defeat. It h:m:; known everything ex cept. dishonor. It is all interwoven with the interesting. with the fine his tory of the State over whih it always has and always will wave. No long er a token of an independant repuhlic, but always a token 'f an indep-n dence of spirit, of love for liberty and justice. CITATION The State of Scuth ('arolina. County of Pickens. By N. A. Christopher Probate Judge. Whereas, S. K. Hlendricks, made suit to me to grant him Letters of Administration of the Estate and ci' feels of 'Mrs. Ann Roe. These are, Therefore, to cite and admonish all and singular the Kind red and creditors of the said Mrs. Ann Roe deceased, that they be and appear before me, in the Ccurt of Probate, t: be held at Pickens Court House on 16th day of.December next, after publication hertt f, at 11 o'clock in the forencon, to slisv cause, if any the:y have, why the wiid Administra tion should not be 'g'ranted. Given under my hind this 1st lay of December Anno Dinini 1921. N. A. Christopher, J-adge -of Probate. Notice to Debtors and Creditors All persons holding claims against the estate of the late F. M. Rog'ers must present the same, duly proven, on or before the 16th day of Decembe 1921, or be debarred payment;- and all persons indehted to the said estate must make payment on or before the above date to Mrs. Maary M. Rogers i or Marcus M. Rogers. Mrs. :Mary M. Rogers Marcus M. Rogers Executors IODI)ST 'IU e Cours,s. ollege $168 per year. siclent. Ju 110 111. PWEE WlI PICKENS, SOUND Star how ccounts of will school ch avings Acc us help you money I, a), IL. iI1 A and p sortm 11]'111lil find i Paper Doks, SI Face Soaps Wrist 11j[i \\Vate iEijt1 Pens. Comn. Purs' T 1 i: JOHN C. CAREY, Cashier BANK (I. S.C. PROGRESSIVE' school teachers and ildren: ount with us and make your grow. RYAN CO. g Stationers andII~ Supplies L; Tfi CJAROJA.NA