Mrs. Elizabeth Anderson, widow of Brevet Major General Anderson, the hero of Sumter, has lived for several years very quietly in Washington. Having heard of Mrs. Anderson's residence there and of her possession of the famous flag, I went on a patriotic pilgrimage to touch the ragged folds of this glorious "Old Glory," and to hear from her the story of its experience.

The flag, which shows its age, spends more than half of lts time in the vaults of a deposit company, and is only taken out on special occasions, to be kept very closely in the care of its owner. It is not a fine flag, but made of coarse-meshed, strong bunting, made to strive and wrestle with the storm winds of the coast—-made strong even if its makers little thought that it would have to bear the first assaults of a war between its own people. There was need of a strong wind to bear it out from the staff, it is so large, fully 10 x 15 feet. But its coloring was good—is good now—and but for its pitiful holes and tatters it would yet be a bright symbol of freedom in the sunlight afloat.

There were two flags at Fort Sumter, which had been carried there by Major Anderson when be evacuated Fort Moultrie—one known as the garrison flag, used in fair weather, and the other as the storm flag. The finer garrison flag, used In fairweather, is not the flag of Sumter. Bad weather during April of 1861 gave this good fortune to its coarser companion, and while Mrs. Anderson kept both of the good flags in company, it is the storm flag which will always be the valued relic.

Mrs. Anderson has been very jealous of her treasures. In fact, since her husband's death, in 1871, only once has the Sumter flag been out of her keeping, and this was at a recent celebration of the raising of the flag again over Sumter in 1865, and this time it was given into the guardianship of the old Anderson Zouaves, of New York. But before Major Anderson's death even the flag had been prominent in several celebrations and was an appropriate pall when its defender was buried at West Point.

The flags first came into Major Anderson's possession when, after his return from New York, following the evacuation of Sumter, he made the usual garrison invoice to the war department, including the two flags in the list of returns. With very fine sentiment, the secretary of war sent back the flags with the statement that they could be in no better keeping than in the hands of the man who had so gallantly defended them.

They were thereupon placed in a strong box, and for four years remained in the vaults of the Metropolitan Bank.

But on the fourth anniversary of the evacuation of the fort, April 14, 1865 the flag was again raised over Sumter by Major General Anderson, and when the flag was handed to him and he pulled It aloft there were cheers and tears and many expressions of rejoicing. Henry Ward Beecher delivered the oration. The ceremonies were closed with a salute to the flag of a hundred guns from Sumter and a national salute from every one of the surrounding batteries which had fired upon the flag four years before.

Six years afterward, upon the coffin of the gallant Anderson, it went with him to his last resting place at the old school of his youth.

Like all important relics of the war, this old flag has not been without attack, and there have been, as usual in such eases, several spurious flags or pieces of flags passing about the country as the Sumter flag.

There is a complete record at the movements of the flag in the hands of its possessors from the time it was taken down at Sumter until the government so appreciatively gave it to Major Anderson, who placed it in safe deposit in New York, from which time its movings have been too infrequent for it to have been lost sight of for a moment.

It was on April 12, 1861, that the bombardment of Fort Sumter began by the surrounding forces of the Confederacy. Seven times during the first day of the bombardment the flagstaff was struck.

Early in the day several vessels of the Federal fleet were observed off the bar, and orders were given to dip the flag to them. This was done, and the salute was returned, but while the flag was being hoisted after the third dip a shell burst near the flagstaff and cut the halliard. The part of the halliard thus cut was so connected with the flag that it must have come down with a run had not the end of the rope caught in the shivered staff and kept the Star-Spangled Banner aloft.

There it remained for a long night of bombardment and great illumination.

This is the incident to which Major Anderson referred when he afterward said: "God Almighty nailed that flag to the mast, and I could not have lowered it if I had tried."

At 1 o'clock of the second day, the flagstaff having been hit twice before that morning was again struck and fell. The flag was immediately secured by Lieutenant Hall, and as soon as it could be attached to a temporary staff was again hoisted on the parapet by Lieutenant Snyder, of the Engineer corps.

Major Anderson tells his own story in his report: "Having defended Fort Sumter for thirty-four hours, until the quarters were entirely burned, the main gates destroyed by fire, the gorge walls seriously injured and the magazine surrounded by flames and its doors closed from the effect of heat, four barrels and three cartridges of powder only being available, and no provisions remaining but pork, Fort Sumter was evacuated and the little garrison marched out of the fort Sunday afternoon, the 14th inst., with colors flying, drums beating, bringing away company and private property, and saluting my flag with fifty guns. 

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Sunday, December 22, 1895,  p.11. 

Anderson Zouaves Newspaper Clippings. 

Contributed by J. Tierney