A Battle Flag Is Presented To Ohio Volunteers In April, 1861.

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/18/2022

178 A Battle Flag Is Presented To Ohio Volunteers In April, 1861. A great early war-date Union volunteer soldier/newspaper observer's letter, 4pp. folio, written by a certain "Casper," South Plymouth Home Guards, South Plymouth, [Ohio], June 3, 1861, to the editor of the "Register, " reading, in small part: "Thinking a few lines from old Casper through the medium of your [?] relative to the military spirit might interest some of the readers of your paper-a goodly number of the citizens of this township met-on the 27th of April last and organized a home guard by electing Benj. Rankin captain, M. B. Rowe Orderly sergeant [Captain Morris B. Rowe, 90th Ohio, WIA Stones River]-first lieutenant and Fielden Latham second lieutenant [Pvt. Fielden Latham, Co. A, 54th Ohio, DOD Monterey, Tenn., June 22, 1862]. They then resolved that the company should be known as the Jasper Rangers. This they have rapidly increased in number and will soon number one hundred members. They have uniformed themselves in a very neat style. Their uniforms consists of a red flannel shirt trimmed with green braid and military buttons, white pants and red stripes, blue cap and red feather-they have already received in rapid progress at drill and their increase in number [shows.] The ever patriotic ladies of the township not contented with the successful effort of the gentlemen have encouraged them onward in the march by the presentation of a beautiful flag, they pledging the ladies their lives, their fortunes-that they would protect it. On last Saturday was the day appointed for the presentation of the flag. There was a great many came to the witness it- the company formed in ranks-after parading around-formed a circle in the front of the residence of E. Y. Ford and came to a halt to [?] the presentation of the flag. Miss. Kate Ayer-attended by a sufficient number of ladies-in the red, white and blue-came forward-with the flag-Miss. Ayers addressed the company in the following manner. "Fellow Citizens, Soldiers who have respond to the call of your country-to march in defense of your country and to fight for the stars and stripes-if we cannot shoulder the musket and join in the fight-we can assure you that you have our deepest and most heartfelt sympathies-what has the South done, what. Given up the stars and stripes, declared themselves disunioned [and] established themselves a mock constitution-we the ladies of Jasper township feel assured in presenting you with this flag-no rest till the star spangled banner-triumphantly floats from the Palmetto tree-who are ready to die for the red, white and blue Capt. Rankin then received the flag and replied in the following brief manner. "It is with feeling of no ordinary character that I return to you and the ladies whom you represent the sincere thanks of the company for the worthy presentation-we pledge to our honor as men, as American soldiers that-beneath this banner of our country the living will be seen rallying-where this noble flag of our country is floating-An Observer." Worthy of further research to unlock the mystery of this unit's true Civil War history. Negligible, toning, else VG.

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