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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us June 14, 2006 Food & History Jeff Cheek The Roots Of Old Glory Today is Flag Day, the day we honor our national emblem. It should also be the day we honor Captain William Driver, the man who nicknamed our flag “Old Glory” and risked his life to protect it. In l83l, Captain Driver was about to sail from Salem, Massachucetts to the South Pacific as master of the USS Charles Doggett. Friends presented him with a l3-stripe, 24-star national banner . There were only 24 states at the time, each represented by a five-pointed star modeled after a “molet,” the rowels on a knight’s spurs. To personalize the gift, they had appliqued a small anchor in the lower right corner of the blue canton. As the flag was raised over the ship, a sudden breeze brought it out full. “That’s Old Glory,” the captain said reverently. Two centuries later, we still use Driver’s nickname for the Stars and Stripes. Driver retired in l837 and settled in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. He took his precious flag with him into retirement. Driver lived quietly, but the famous banner generated some local fame. Meanwhile, the nation drifted into civil war. Sentiment in Tenessee was divided. The state joined the Confederacy on May 7, l86l, but 30,000 Tennesseans volunteered for the Union army. Two of Driver’s sons served in the rebel army, while the old sea captain remained loyal to the Union. Hunting “Old Glory” Confederate ruffians were determined to find and destroy the original “Old Glory,” now a symbol of the enemy. They Driver’s his home many times but could not find it. Knowing its symbolic value, Driver hid it by stitching it under the coverlet of his bed. On February 25, l862 Nashville became the first capital of a Confederate state to be recaptured by the Union army. The old sea captain was asked if he could find his special banner. Driver carefully cut away the protective stitches and gave “Old Glory” to the Yankee flag detail. To the cheers of the Sixth Ohio Regiment, the flag was raised over the capital building. The regiment was so moved by the ceremony they adopted “Old Glory” as their regimental nickname. William Driver died in l886 and was buried in Nashville. Congress authorized the flag over his tomb to be flown 24 hours per day, every day of the year. At that time, only three sites had been granted this signal honor. The historic emblem remained in the Driver family for the next 36 years. In l922, his daughter presented it to the Smithsonian, in Washington, D.C. It has been on display there ever since, along with other treasured banners, like the one that flew over Ft. McHenry and inspired “The Star Spangled Banner.” But this year, “Old Glory” returned to Tennessee. From March l7 to November l2, 2006 the Smithsonian has lent the original “Old Glory” to Driver’s home state. It is now on display in the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville. It’s Flag Day. Let’s toast our flag with a special drink, American Hot Mulled Cider. INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon each, allspice and cloves 1/4 teaspoon each, salt and nutmeg 3 inches stick cinnamon 2 quarts apple cider PREPARATION: Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Strain to remove spices. Serve warm in mugs decorated with orange slices. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Ceramic Piggy Banks Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Mailing Lists Custom Made Computers Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Student Loans Hammocks Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams