" My Dear Sir: You will confer a singular upon me by presenting my respects to the French Admiral, whom I mean to salute with 13 galls under American Colors — provided he will accept the Compliment and return Gun for Gun. This proposal I hope will be the more acceptable to him as it may be a prelude to future amity between the United States and his Court.
" I shall be happy to see you here as soon as possible after you have the Admiral's answer. Meantime pray excuse this trouble — I am my dear Sir with sentiments of esteem and Respect " Your very Obliged " Very Obedient " Most humble Servant Jno. P. Jones." The salute thus arranged was fired on Satur day evening, 14 February, and was repeated on the morning of Sunday the 15th. Dr. Ezra Green, at that time a surgeon on the Ranger, thus referred to the event in his diary: "Sat. 14 Feb. 1778. Very squally weather; came to sail at 4 P.M.; saluted the French Admiral and received 9 guns in return. This is the first salute ever paid the American flag." See Joins. JOHN PauL.
A New Flag for Every War.— In every war since the creation of our flag, on 14 June 1777, it has had a different arrangement of either stars or stripes, or both. While the basic elements are alike, the design is different.
Flag of Revolution, r777 — First 'Va. with England. Thirteen white stars in a circle in a blue field; seven red stripes and six white stripes.
Flag of War Ohs — Second War with England. Fifteen white stars in a blue field; Eight red stripes and seven white stripes.
War with Mexico (r846).
Twenty-nine white stars in a blue field; Seven red stripes and six white stripes.
Civil War of t86t.
Eleven States declared that their stars were taken out of the Union, but Lincoln left them in the Flag making 34 white stars in a blue field; seven red and six white stripes. Before the war closed two new stars were added to represent West Virginia and Nevada.
War with Spain (i80).
Forty-five stars in white on a blue field; seven red and six white stripes.
War with Germany, or World's War (zsist-tfl).
In a field of blue are 48 white stars. Seven red and six white stripes. The proportion of the flag has been Unproved in that the flag is now a trifle longer and not so wide.
Initial Events of Stars and Stripes.— The earliest request for a United States flag occurs in the recommendation of the Conti nental Congress of 3 June 1777, in which docu ment appear these lines: " The President laid before the council three (3) strings of wampum which have been delivered to him some time before by Thomas Green. a nominal Indian of the nation.
that • flag of the United States might be delivered to him to take to the chiefs of the nation, to be used by them for their security and protection, etc." This request from the Indians may have been the very item which induced Congress to provide a flag of the United States. The first starry emblem was made by Mrs. Elizabeth Ross in Philadelphia in 1777.
The National flag was adopted 14 June 1777 and the first salute to the Stars and Stripes came on 14 Feb. 1778, at Quiberon Bay, France, when the French admiral, La Motte Piquet, gave his recognition to the flag on the Ranger, commanded by Capt. Paul Jones. The starry emblem was first carried around the world on a ship happily called Columbia, which left Boston 30 Sept. 1787, returning to Boston 10 Aug. 1790. And on 11 May 1792 the same ship and flag sailed up the scenic stream of the northwest and called it the Columbia River. An improvised earliest Stars and Stripes was made and hoisted at Fort Schuyler on 2 Aug. 1777. Our flag was first to ride the Atlantic wave 1 Nov. 1777, when Paul Jones left the harbor to carry the news to France that °Bur goyne has surrendered.° On 11 Sept. 1777, the flag went into battle, and its terrific attack at the Brandywine was a bloody baptism. Capt. William Moores raised the flag in London, 3 Feb. 1783, on his ship the Bradford. Its first engagement in battle on land in the old world was at Londonderry, Ireland, when our soldiers defended an American, Engineer Lemuel Cox, who was building a bridge of American Oak' over the Foyle River. This skirmish took place 22 Nov. 1790. The English first saluted the Stars and Stripes on 2 May 1791, when Capt. Isaac Coffin of the British man-of-war Alligator, gave it 13 guns, and the guns from the shore responded to that kindness. New York city was the last city to be permitted to salute the Stars and Stripes, as the British were in control until 25 Nov. 1783, but at 3 o'clock P.M. of that day the Americans took possession and the flag was hoisted and.cheered. The flag was carried to the Holy Land in 1848, by Lieu tenant Lynch. The first American flag manu factured from American material was hoisted over the Capitol at Washington 24 July 1866; English bunting having been previously used. Gen. Benj. F. Butler donated the flag.