Friday, June 16, 2006
FOR FOUR FLAGS
From "The Winter Soldiers," by Richard M. Ketchum:
Fast forwarding nearly 230 years, the A.P., June 15, 2006:
Of course, monetary values have changed greatly in 200 plus years. Still, that incredible amount was paid out by one person for just four flags. What Congress, George Washington and the entire Continental army would have given in their day for an anonymous donor willing to grant "the cause" the equivalent of $17.4 million in hard currency. . . ¶ by Robert, Friday, June 16, 2006
From "The Winter Soldiers," by Richard M. Ketchum:
...What few men knew at the time was that Washington, in promising the bounty to his soldiers, had violated one of the cardinal principles of his office: he had pledged the public credit with no authorization whatever. But as he wrote to John Hancock by way of explanation, "What could be done?" He was willing to back up the pledge with his own private resources, if need be, hoping that he would be supported by other responsible citizens, but under the circumstances no other choice had been open to him. As a matter of fact, some of the troops were grumbling that if there was to be a bounty it should be handed out now, and to meet this demand Washington had dispatched a messenger to Robert Morris in Philadelphia, begging him to sent £150 immediately. Morris was having his own difficulties in the capital, having sent considerable amounts of hard money to Congress, and, as he told Washington, collecting more was no easy matter. He was pressing the Commissary, Carpenter Wharton, to come up with $40,000 for Washington's needs and said that he would do his best to "add springs to his movements," but for the moment all he could send was contained in "two canvas bundles" which were being sent to the commander in chief at Trenton. (There was a small bit of personal good news for Washington, too. "Hearing that you are in want of a quarter-cask of wine, I have a good one, which Mr Commissary Wharton will send up," Morris said.) Before noon on January 1, 1777 the bulky canvas bags arrived in Trenton, and it was interesting to see what Morris had managed to scrape up. They contained "410 Spanish milled dollars . . . 2 English crowns, 72 French crowns, 1072 English shillings," which was all the hard money America's leading financier was able to locate in the nation's capital...
Fast forwarding nearly 230 years, the A.P., June 15, 2006:
An anonymous bidder paid nearly $17.4 million Wednesday, Flag Day, for four rare flags from the American Revolution...
...The four flags ... are in good condition and their histories were well documented by Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton, a firebrand British officer who captured them in battles nearly a year apart.
On July 2, 1779, the 24-year-old Tarleton led his cavalry unit, known as the Green Dragoons, in a surprise attack on the Continental Army's 2nd Light Dragoons, a Connecticut regiment also known as Sheldon's Dragoons, at Pound Ridge.
The redcoats routed the Americans, capturing supplies, weapons and the unit's battle flag -- a banner with 13 red and white stripes and a field with a painted thundercloud.
Nine months later and almost 600 miles to the southwest, Tarleton did it again on May 29, 1780, capturing three flags belonging to a Virginia regiment led by Lt. Col. Abraham Buford, in a clash at Waxhaws, on the line between North and South Carolina...
...Sotheby's identified the seller of the flag collection as Capt. Christopher Tarleton Fagan, a direct descendant of the officer whose forces captured them.
...The four flags ... are in good condition and their histories were well documented by Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton, a firebrand British officer who captured them in battles nearly a year apart.
On July 2, 1779, the 24-year-old Tarleton led his cavalry unit, known as the Green Dragoons, in a surprise attack on the Continental Army's 2nd Light Dragoons, a Connecticut regiment also known as Sheldon's Dragoons, at Pound Ridge.
The redcoats routed the Americans, capturing supplies, weapons and the unit's battle flag -- a banner with 13 red and white stripes and a field with a painted thundercloud.
Nine months later and almost 600 miles to the southwest, Tarleton did it again on May 29, 1780, capturing three flags belonging to a Virginia regiment led by Lt. Col. Abraham Buford, in a clash at Waxhaws, on the line between North and South Carolina...
...Sotheby's identified the seller of the flag collection as Capt. Christopher Tarleton Fagan, a direct descendant of the officer whose forces captured them.
Of course, monetary values have changed greatly in 200 plus years. Still, that incredible amount was paid out by one person for just four flags. What Congress, George Washington and the entire Continental army would have given in their day for an anonymous donor willing to grant "the cause" the equivalent of $17.4 million in hard currency. . . ¶ by Robert, Friday, June 16, 2006
