The Calcasieu Tigers at the Siege of Vicksburg

150-Years-Ago -- THE CONFEDERATE FLAG ADOPTED

The Richmond Daily Dispatch

August 6, 1863

The Confederate flag.

           News that the following sensible and communication from Charleston Mercury, is worthy the special consideration of our representatives and people We its sentiments and admire the suggestion. With the News, we say:-- Give us our own Southern Cross the emblem of our nationality, the symbol of our glory. Lustrous, unique, always distinguishable and Southern, no prouder flag can float in Heaven's free air, on land or sea, than our starry banner beneath the brilliant constellation of its Southern sky:

The Confederate flag.

          We believe we speak the sentiments of three-fourths of the Southern people, when we state that the Confederate flag has not only failed to satisfy, but has greatly disappointed them. The idea of a committee having been occupied for weeks in composing or selecting from a hundred different specimens, a flag to be at once original and striking, finally rejecting all assistance from artists and others, who had furnished abundance of good material, and adopting, as the result of their labor, what?--the Union and three stripes of Lincoln's abolition flag. Mr. Russell, in one of his letters, has well styled it "the counterpart of the U. S. Flag," and so perfectly is it so, that in a calm at sea it is not distinguishable from it. But not only is it stolen from the U. S. Flag, it is also a theft of the coat of arms of another despotism — we mean the House of Austria, whose arms are red, with a white for running through the centre. Nor is this all. The U. S. Flag itself was directly stolen from the British East India Company, with the poor addition of thirteen stars for distinction. Now, if the coat of arms of the Confederate States be drawn with the three bars horizontal, we pilfer the arms of the House of Austria; and if we adopt the plan of the United States, and draw the coat of arms with the bars perpendicular, we pilfer the arms of the town of Beauvais, in France. So that, whichever way we twist it, we will be laughed at by everybody, and despised by those whose emblems we have borrowed, not to say stolen--We are living under a Provisional Government — may we not hope that this may be also a Provisional flag? Our Congress is soon to meet, and we sincerely hope that this question will be brought up by some patriotic and able member, and not allowed to rest until we obtain, with the permanent Government, a flag fit to be retained as permanent also. We think the Southern people, generally, were anxious that the Southern Cross should have been conspicuous in their flag, which form would at once dispense with the Union part of it, and all the stripes, by simply making the flag red, with a while cross, containing on it the stars of blue, thereby retaining all the three emblems of Republicans, red, white and blue. And, in the language of one of Virginia's bards--

The "Cross of the South" shall triumphantly wave,

At the flag of the free or the all of the brave!

150-Years-Ago -- THE AFTERMATH OF GETTYSBURG

The Richmond Daily Dispatch

August 1, 1863

Gen. R. S. Ewell
(Library of Congress)

Our army Correspondence.

Madison C. H., Va., July 28, 1863.

Having been on the march with Ewell's corps since Thursday, the 23d, I have had no opportunity of communicating with you, and no means of forwarding a letter had the opportunity of writing been presented. I have just arrived here, and have only time enough before the closing of the mail for Richmond to give some particulars of the fight at Manassas Gap, on the afternoon of the 23d, the day we left Winchester.

Generals Longstreet and Hill preceded Gen. Ewell, and passing through Chester's Gap, in the Blue Ridge, Wright's brigade, of Anderson's division, was detached by Gen. Hill, and left to guard the pass until Gen Ewell, who was in the rear, should have sufficient time to come up, cross the river at Front Royal, proceed without interruption down the Valley and cross the mountains at a point lower down. Not long after the departure of the corps of Hill and Longstreet, the Yankees, estimated by some at one or two corps, advanced from the direction of Centreville and Manassas, with the purpose of taking possession of the Gaps near Front Royal and prevent the "escape" of that portion of our army that had not attained the Eastern side of the mountains.

 Thursday morning they advanced to Manassas Gap, preceded by cavalry, who attacked Gen. Wright's brigade, which advanced to meet them, and after considerable skirmishing drove them back upon the main body of infantry which advanced to their support and poured down upon the brigade in several columns. The fight became general, and although against most fearful odds, our men heroically met the onset and held their ground firmly. The strength of superior numbers, however, seemed likely to prevail, and the brigade, although fighting most gallantly, were compelled to fall back gradually, and did so in good order.

The timely arrival of General Rodes, with his splendid division, the advance of Ewell's corps, changed the fortune of the day and put a speedy end to the conflict. Although Wright's brigade, even falling back, had thus far succeeded in thwarting the enemy's purpose, it is difficult to estimate the consequence had it not been relieved of the great disadvantages under which it was contending, by the opportune coming up of Gen. Rodes. The latter, after throwing a pontoon bridge across the Shenandoah at the junction of the two forks, immediately advanced, formed in line of battle and threw out skirmishers.

Although his men had marched nearly twenty-five miles that day, the necessity of relieving their gallant comrades in arms, and the sight of the hated foe, caused them to forget the fatigue they had already undergone. The enemy, drawn up in three lines of battle, were soon repulsed by this new accession of strength, yet inferior in numbers to themselves. Our artillery also being brought to bear, their first line, after driving back our skirmishers, was broken, and fell back in confusion and disorder.

The second line advancing were dealt with in like manner, and met a similar fate. The third, after a show of resistance and determination to maintain the ground, fell back some distance and lay upon the ground to avoid the havoc our artillery and small arms were making in their ranks. The enemy had two batteries of artillery, which were not used. One was so planted that it could not be brought to bear on our men with any effect; the other was in a position on which we had an enfilading fire. If they had more it was not observed, but they fired not a single shot with artillery during the fight.

We had several pieces, which were served with admirable precision and great effect, as could plainly be seen at every discharge, which extorted loud cries of pain from the wounded Yankees, to which our men responded with cheers. The ground was literally blue with the killed and wounded. Our loss is estimated at one hundred and fifty killed and wounded.

The division of Gen. Edward Johnston, which followed that of Gen. Rodes, was moved up within supporting distance during the fight, and, it is said, left the rations they were preparing on the fire. The division of Gen. Early was at the time encamped about three miles from Winchester. Night coming on space and putting an end to the conflict, the Yankees withdrew from the field. Gens. Rodes and Johnston, accompanied by Wright's brigade, then marched beyond Front Royal, encamped for the night, and next morning proceeded on the march up Luray Valley.

I have been unable to procure a list of killed and wounded, which loss fell chiefly on Wright's brigade, readily accounted for by the vastly superior odds against which they had to contend before reinforcements came up. Col. Edward Walker, of the 3d Georgia, was severely wounded in the thigh, and is doing well.

The Yankees finding no opposition to obstruct them, took possession of Front Royal Friday morning, Gen. Early being a day's march in the rear, and thus prevented from crossing the river at that point, deemed it prudent to turn to the right at Cedarville, about three miles from Front Royal, and marched down the Valley, striking the Winchester and Staunton turnpike again at Middletown. The whole corps which the enemy confidently believed would be effectually cut off from the main body of our army is now safely out of their clutches.

P. S.--The numerous friends of Gen. Kemper will be gratified to learn that his family, who reside in this place, are in receipt of very recent information from the North stating that he had passed the crisis of his case, and is in a fair way of recovery. His lower extremities were paralyzed from the effect of his wound — received in the groin — but no doubt is entertained by the surgeon that he will recover the use of his limbs.