This novel by Emma Look Scotts is a historical recollection of events of early American history spanning the 17th to early 20th century. It covers significant events like the American Revolutionary War (1775 – 1783) fought with Britain for independence and the American Civil war (1861-65). These events are seen from the lens of the American flag and the heroes that fought under it. It also incorporates some well-known pieces of American poetry. If you have ever wondered why the American Flag is known as "Old Glory", then it is a fascinating read.

THE FLAG GOES BY HATS off!Along the street there comesA blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums, A flash of color beneath the sky;Hats off!The flag is passing by! Blue and crimson and white it shines, Over the steel-tipped ordered lines, Hats off!The colors before us fly!But more than the flag is passing by. Sea-fights and land-fights, grim and great, Fought to make and to save the State.Weary marches and sinking ships;Cheers of victory on dying lips. Days of plenty and years of peace;March of a strong land's swift increase;Equal justice, right and law, Stately honor and reverent awe; Sign of a Nation, great and strongTo ward her people from foreign wrong: Pride and glory and honor-allLive in the colors to stand or fall. Hats off!Along the street there comesA blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums, And loyal hearts are beating high: Hats off!The flag is passing by! Henry Holcomb Bennett. OLD GLORY WHILE every American citizen recognizes the significance of the term "Old Glory" as applied to the national flag, when and where and by whom the nation's emblem was christened with this endearing and enduring sobriquet is a matter of historic interest less understood. In the early epoch-making period of the nation's history William Driver, a lad of twelve years, native of Salem, Mass., begged of his mother permission to go to sea. With her consent he shipped as cabin boy on the sailing vessel China, bound for Leghorn, a voyage of eighteen months. On this first voyage the courageous spirit of the youth manifested itself in a determination to disprove the words of the ship's owner, made to him at the beginning of the voyage: "All boys on their first voyage eat more than they earn." In appreciation of the mettle shown by the lad, the owner presented him, upon the return from the cruise, with twenty-eight dollars in silver, besides his wages of five dollars per month. He carried the money to his mother, who wisely admonished him to do the very best he could under every circumstance, a charge he never forgot. His intrepid spirit brought the youthful mariner rapid and deserved promotion. His eighteenth year found him master of a vessel. Those were hazardous days upon the sea, and more than once his ship was subjected to indignity and outrage incident to seafaring of that period. But throughout a long career as master of a merchantman the Stars and Stripes was never lowered from the masthead nor sullied by defeat or by dishonor. Captain William Driver. The sailor, of all men, venerates his nation's flag. To him it is the visible and tangible token of the government he serves, and in it he beholds all the government's strength and virtue. To William Driver, therefore, the Stars and Stripes typified the glory of the land and of the sea. And seeing his nation's symbol float dauntless and triumphant above stress of every encounter and happening upon the deep enkindled the inherent love in his heart for it to enthusiastic ardor, and in thought he called the flag "Old Glory." A simple incident, but fraught with unread meaning, gave the name into the nation's keep, albeit its formal christening and national adoption was not to come until the soil beneath its folds should be deep-dyed with the blood of conflict between the land's own countrymen. Photo of Original Flag."Old Glory." In 1831, as master of the brig Charles Daggett, about to set sail for a voyage around the world from Salem, Mass., Captain Driver was presented by the citizens with a large bunting flag in commendation of his services upon the sea and his well-known love for his country's emblem....

Excerpt from How the Flag Became Old Glory Charleston by Henry Timrod to the Century Company for Farragut by William Tuckey Meredith; to Mr. Harry L. Flash and the Neale Publishing Company for Stonewall Jackson by Henry Lynden Flash; to Mr. Will Henry Thompson and G. P. Putnam's Sons for The High Tide at Gettysburg; to Mr. Isaac R. Sherwood and G. P. Putnam's Sons for Albert Sidney Johnston by Kate Brownlee Sherwood; to Mrs. Benjamin Sledd and G. P. Putnam's Sons for United by Benjamin Sledd. An extract from Home Folks by James Whitcomb Riley, copyright, 1900, is used by permission of the pub lishers, The bobbs-merrill Company. The poems, Lexington by Oliver Wendell Holmes, The Building of the Ship and The Cumberland by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Yorktown by John Greenleaf Whittier, Fredericksburg by Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Kearny at Seven Pines by E. C. Stedman, and Robert E. Lee by Julia Ward Howe are printed by permission of Houghton Miin Company. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

By whatever name it is called—the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, the Star-Spangled Banner—the American flag is the ultimate symbol of American freedom. But why stars, why stripes? What is the significance of the elements of the flag? The American flag went through several incarnations before the design we recognize today was established. From a banner based on a British flag and a colonial rattlesnake flag that read, "Don't Tread on Me" to the enormous 15-star flag that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814, inspiring Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem, this symbol of America has inspired music and joy in the hearts of people around the world. It is a beacon to those who long for liberty, as well as a representation of the unity of our great nation.

The origins of the United States flag have been tangled in claims and counterclaims throughout the country's history. While most Americans accept the story of Betsy Ross, scholars believe that Captain Samuel Chester Reid was actually the designer of the flag we know today, with thirteen stripes and a star for each state. This and many other facts about the United States flag can be found in this book. Based in large part on the U.S. Flag Code (Title 36, Ch. 10, secs. 170-178), it includes information on the proper display of and respect for the flag, the history of the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance, and the origins of the Stars and Stripes. Other flag laws, including some state provisions, and their penalties are also discussed.