What is the "Stars & Bars"?
Quite simply, it is the first National flag of the Confederate States of America. It was first raised at the Confederate Capitol building in Montgomery, Alabama on the 4th day of March, 1861. The flag was first raised by Letitia Christian Tyler, the granddaughter of President John Tyler*. Confederate Congress never officially adopted a formal Act codifying this flag. The Flag would sometimes show anywhere from one to as many as sixteen or seventeen stars over time. (depending on the area where it was flying) The official version had seven stars. For every state admitted in the Confederacy, a new star was given to it. Basically the same principle as the "Stars and Stripes". This flag lasted until the Confederate Congress adopted the second Confederate National flag on 1 May 1863. The problem with the flag was the similarity between it and the Flag of the United States of America. Not only did a lot of the civilian population want it changed but it caused confusion on the battlefield.
President John Tyler
(1790-1862)After Virginia seceded from the United States Of America, John Tyler served in the provisional Confederate Congress and was elected to its House of Representatives. He died in Richmond, Va., on Jan. 18, 1862, before taking his seat. He died at seventy-two years of age.
He was the only former United States President to league with the South in the form of a Government position.
John Tyler was the first President of the United States of America to succeed to the presidency on the death of an incumbent, President William Henry Harrison. John Tyler did not serve a second term as President.
"Then Comes the Farce"
BY SAMUEL R. WATKINS"Well, Yank, why don’t you come on and take us? We are ready to play quits now. We have not anything to let you have, you know; but you can parole us, you know; and we ‘ll go home and be good boys, you know
– good Union boys, you know; and we’ll be sorry for the war, you know; and we wouldn’t have the negroes in any way, shape, form, or fashion, you know; and the American continent has no north, no south, no east, no west – boohoo, boohoo, boohoo.""Tut, tut, Johnny; all that sounds terrible nice, but then you might want some favor from Uncle Sam, and the teat is too full of milk at the present time for us to turn loose. It’s a sugar teat Johnny, and just begins to taste sweet; and besides, Johnny, once or twice you have to put us to a little trouble; we haven’t forgot that; and we’ve got you down now – our foot is on your neck, and yo must feel our boot heel. We want to stamp you a little – "that’s what’s the matter with Hannah." And, Johnny, you’ve fought us hard. You are a brave boy; you are proud and aristocratic, Johnny, and we are going to crush your cursed pride and spirit. And now, Johnny, come here; I’ve something to whisper in your ear. Hold your ear close down here, so that no one can hear: "We want big fat offices when the war is over. Some of us want to be Presidents, some Governors, some go to Congress, and be big Ministers to ‘Urup,’ and all those kind of things, Johnny, you know. Just go back to your camp, Johnny, chasse round, put on a bold front, flourish your trumptets, blow your horns. And, Johnny, we don’t want to be hard on you, and we’ll tell you what we’ll do for you. Away back in your territory, between Columbia and Nashville, is the most beautiful country, and the most fertile, and we have lots of rations up there, too. Now, you just go up there, Johnny, and stay until we want you. We ain’t done with you yet, my boy- O, no, Johnny. And, another thing, Johnny; you will find there between Mt. Pleasant and Columbia, the most beautiful country that the sun of heaven ever shone upon; and half way between the two places is St. John’s Church. Its tower is all covered over with a beautiful vine of ivy; and, Johnny, you know that in olden times it was the custom to entwine a wreath of ivy around the brows of victorious Generals. We have no doubt that the many of your brave Generals will express a wish, when they pass by, to be buried beneath the ivy that shades so gracefully and beautifully the wall of this grand old church. And, Johnny, you will find a land of beauty and plenty, and when you get there, just put on as much style as you like; just pretend, for our sake, you know, that you are a bully boy with a glass eye, and that you are victorious army that returned to free an opressed people. We will allow you this, Johnny, so that we will be the greater when we want you, Johnny, And now, Johnny, we did not want to tell you what we are going to say to you now, but will, so that you’ll feel bad. Sherman wants to ‘march to the sea, while the world looks on and wonders.’ He wants to desolate the land and burn up your towns, to show what a coward he is, and how dastardly, and one of our boys wants to write a piece of poetry about it. But, that ain’t all, Johnny. You know that you fellows have got a great deal of cotton at Augusta, Savannah, Charleston, Mobile, and other places, and cotton is worth two dollars a pound in gold, and as Christmas is coming, we want to go down there for some of that cotton to make a Christmas gift to Old Abe and Old Clo, don’t you see? O, no, Johnny, we don’t want to end the war just yet a while. The sugar is mighty sweet in the teat, and we want to suck a while longer. Why, sir, we want to rob and then burn every house in Georgia and South Carolina. We will get millions of dollars by robbery alone, don’t you see?"
Above taken from the book "Co. Aytch" by Sam Watkins
© 2001 Jack Taylor II
On The Web: http://www.geocities.com/jack_taylor2/starsbars.html
