Montgomery Advertiser

Date Uncertain

 

FIRST CONFEDERATE FLAG EVER, FLOATED ON THE ATLANTIC

 

   As there has been so much discussion about the first Confederate flag that ever floated on the Atlantic Ocean, the following little bit of history written by C. H. Beale of Montgomery, Alabama and published in the Macon, Georgia "Telegraph and Messenger" in 1884, and confirmed by Capt. Robbins, who died only a few years since in Lourenburg, N. C., may tend to greatly settle this discussion.

   "When the wave of secession began to roll over the South, I was living in Newberne, N. C., which was considerable of a seaport town.  My honored father was one of the first to espouse the cause, and I, his oldest son, followed him.

   "Too young to aid our cause, however, but full of love and adventure, my school companion, John Hall, and I persuaded our parents to let us take a voyage in one of the many merchant vessels that plied between Newberne and northern ports and the West India Islands.  Owners of these merchant vessels in the South, fearing trouble because of the agitation of war, refused to allow them to take cargos to northern points.  We finally enlisted with Capt. Bob Robbins, commander of the schooner Pearl, bound for the island of Demarrar, in the West Indies.  This schooner was owned by Theodore Hughes.

   "On the fifth day of March, 1861, the schooner Pearl, 247 tons burthen, sailed from Newberne loaded under hatches with white oak staves and a deck load of lumber.  She was a flat bottomed schooner, center board with two masts.  Her sails consisted of a mainsail, fore-sail, standing gib, flying gib and a gibgib; two gaff topsails and a staysail.  Her crew consisted of one mate (a white) four sailors and one cook who were all free negroes; John Hall and myself.

  "At our main topmast we had unfurled the first Confederate flag that ever kissed the breeze of the Atlantic, so we claim and believe.  The design of this flag was adopted in Montgomery and telegraphed throughout the country.

   On the ninth of March, 1861, we crossed the bar at Hatteras Inlet, headed for Demarrar.  On the 12th we were struck by a gale that lasted four days and nights, during which time we were compelled to reef all sails except the standing gib; that was double reefed, and we scudded under bare poles with the standing gib holding her to the wind.  After repairing damages we found that our gallant vessel was taking in considerable water by reason of leaks caused by the severe strain she had undergone.  The discovery compelled us to keep up some extra pumping which was done by hand and right here our love of adventure had vanished and we did some tall praying for boys of our age.

   "The leaks were stopped and the sails were unfurled and everything went along lovely.  The first land we sighted in three weeks was the island of Antigua which belonged to the English and which, of course, we hailed with delight.  We set our colors for a pilot to take us in to the harbor, which was commanded by a fort. "Boom" came a shot across the bow of the vessel, which meant for us to lay to, and we did.

   " The commandant of the fort came out to us in a small boat and when aboard asked where we were from and what flag we were flying.  We informed him that we hailed from North Carolina and the flag was that of the anticipated Confederacy.  He remarked that he had sighted the flag as we were coming in and had consulted the map of all nations and flags and found nothing like it, and for that reason had caused us to lay-to.

   "After complimenting the flag, he gave his permission to enter the harbor, and we got in about mid-day.  Here we lay in the stream at anchor and took samples of our stores ashore to sell the cargo.  We consigned our vessel to Johnson and Son, an English commission firm.

   "As may be imagined, our flag created considerable excitement.  In the harbor, all about us were small schooners commanded by New England captains in the fish trade and they commenced to talk about it, calling it the "slavery" flag.  Mr. Johnson, Jr. asked permission to take the flag ashore and show it to the governor of the island.  The request was granted and the governor complimented it.

   "All of these commission merchants had flag poles and Mr. Johnson raised this flag upon his pole.  Threats were made by New England captains to tear it down; bribes were offered to cut the flags halyards; but Hall and I, aided by young Johnson, kept the natives and all others from attempting to do so, swearing we would shoot the first man who put his hand upon the halyard.  The next morning the feeling against the flag seemed to have subsided and on that evening we accepted a very kind invitation from Mr. Johnson to dine with him between the hours of five and six.  While at dinner we were informed that our flag had been cut down and we lost no time in running to its protection, even though it was on a foreign shore.  To our horror we found the mob of negroes, incited by the crews of the fishing vessels, had torn the flag down, tied the stars and stripes to the halyards above it and raised it on the pole; fired pistol balls through our flag, then tore it down and tore it into strips and tied it around their ankles and trampled it in the dirt to disgrace it.  We were maddened to desperation and would have rushed headlong into what was a certain death but older heads kept us down.

   "The design of this flag was a blue field with seven stars in the field and the red and white bars and was made of oil calico.

   "We failed to sell our cargo in St. John's and decided to sail for another port next morning.  We were constantly eyed by the mob who said if we raised another such flag they would scuttle our vessel.  Our Captain, though a "down Easter" by birth, married in the South and was true a man to the Southern cause as ever lived, said the Pearl should fly the Stars and Bars, and if necessary sink with his vessel in attempting it.

   "Leaving the vessel under the watch of a guard, the mate and three seamen, we determined on having a new flag made.  Some English ladies volunteered their services, and by rapid work of fair hands it was not long before we had another flag of bunting and before daylight next morning the stars and Bars was again unfurled from the main topmast of the Pearl, and as daylight appeared we sailed out of the harbor, in full view of all the citizens, and headed for the island of Guadaloupe.  Our crew of negroes had caught our spirit and were as ready to fight for the flag as any of us, and for this reason we felt somewhat secure against anything like a hand-to-hand encounter.

   "At the port of Bastarre, where we took dinner, the flag was highly complimented by the French officers and consuls on the island, this island belonging to France.

   "Nothing of interest transpired here and we soon sailed for the island of Nevis, which is owned by the English and has fine sugar estates.  Filling our casks with fresh water we sailed for St. Kitts, just opposite Nevis.  We had to land there in our small boats as our schooner got in a dead calm five miles out.  Not selling the cargo here, we sailed for the island of Dominique, which belonged to the English. Here we made the port of Roseo, and there sold our cargo for a good price, and we were compelled to lay at anchor, and unload in small boats as there were no warves.  Our flag was much admired here and considerably talked about.

   "As was my usual custom, one morning I took the yawl boat and sculled ashore to get some fruit which grew so plentifully on the island.  While making purchases in the market place with a negro boy whom I had as interpreter, I was accosted by a well dressed negro speaking very good English.  He asked me if I belonged to the vessel flying the strange in the harbor.  I answered him in the affirmative and he wanted to know if North Carolina was a free state.  I replied if I had as likely looking negro  in North Carolina as he was I would sell him for twelve or fifteen hundred dollars.  This insulted his "dignity" and angry words ensued.  He informed me he was the governor's secretary and an official of the island, and he would have the gend'armes arrest me and confine me in the barracks for such insolence.  Such language spoken by a negro to a Southern boy raised my ire, and I went for my knife to cut my way by him and through a cordon of natives that by this time had drawn round him.  Looking toward the schooner to my great joy I saw Capt. Robbins and my companion, coming ashore in another boat.  Landing, they saw the crowd and came up to see what was going on.  The captain managed to explain matters and they let me off.  I was then sent to the vessel.

   "Next morning the Dominique Journal appeared with a column or more detailing the circumstances of how one of the dignitaries of the island had been grossly insulted by a young Southerner from the vessel in the harbor flying the strange flag.  This caused me some uneasiness as I feared my pleasure ashore was done for; but not so; the article gave me notoriety and the two and a half weeks we were there I became acquainted with all the officials of the island who treated me courteously and kindly.

   "Loading our schooner with sugar, I went with the captain to the custom house for his clearance papers and while there a negro clerk wanted me to take my hat off while in his presence and I gave him a piece of my mind and walked out.

   "We then sailed for St. Thomas, which belonged to the Danes to finish our cargo with coffee, the Confederate flag still floating from the masthead.

   "After we left Roseo, we came near having a mutiny, the negro seamen having been ashore loaded up with rum and came aboard drunk and refused to wash off the decks.  We always cooled the deck down and slept in hammocks at night on account of the heat.  A brace of pistols in the hands of the captain, however, soon brought them to their senses and they begged for mercy.

   "We arrived safely at St. Thomas, a beautiful island which is used as a coaling station for American and English steamships.  Here we spent a week, filling out our cargo with coffee and  salt.  While here we lost the leader of the mutiny by his falling overboard and drowning.

   "Our flag received many compliments while at St. Thomas and many wishes for the success of our new government were expressed by the noble Danes.  We left this island with glad hearts and a fair wind homeward bound.  Nine and a half days out from St. Thomas we made the land of Hatteras.  We bore down on the inlet and set our colors for a pilot to take us over the bar.  With our glasses we could see the fort erected there since our departure with the Stars and Bars flying.  The United States blockading squadron was then off the bar, though they were not very fast steamers.  Soon we saw one of them steaming down on us.  Now our excitement was great as we were in a sailing vessel.  Could you have seen the coolness of our gallant little captain, he would have commanded your utmost admiration.

Springing to the wheel, he called the men to spread all canvas. "The Pearl will show them a clean pair of wheels" he said.  "They shall not have my vessel if I have to beach her.  I cannot risk Hatteras Inlet without a pilot: I will simply hug the shore and try coast". "Boom" came a shot from the blockader falling astern the Pearl.  Hall and I proposed to Capt. Robbins to try and fool them by running up the Stars and Stripes.  "No" said he, "they have seen my flag and I will not pull it down", and up went a shout from every man on board.  Everyone of us was right for anything desperate at such a time.  Canvas was spread and our little vessel seemed as if she would jump from the water.  "Boom" came another gun, but we were gaining distance rapidly.  The captain remarked, "A stern chase is a long one" and paid no attention to it.  When opposite of Okrecocke Inlet, Captain Midgett, a pilot, came to us in an open boat, flying a goose-wing sail and steered by an oar.  We learned from him when he came aboard that Sumpter was taken by our forces and all ports were blockaded.

   "It was with some difficulty that we crossed the bar, but when we dropped anchor inside under the guns of our own fort language failed to describe the time we had aboard the Pearl that night.

   "Next morning we crossed Pamlico Sound and entered the mouth of the Nuese River and headed for home where we arrived safely after a four months voyage.

   "Our cargo proved to be a valuable one for the South.

   "Captain Robbins engaged in the blockade service aboard steamships during the war on the Southern side.  My companion, Hall, enlisted in the 2nd North Carolina regiment and was taken prisoner at Aquerla Creek, Va. And was killed by a Negro sentinel at Point Lookout, Md., when a prisoner, for resenting an insult.  I enlisted in the 27th North Carolina regiment and was a courier on L. O. B. Branch's staff, and served through the war without hurt.

 

C. H. Beale