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OWNS REBEL FLAGpJAMES K. MERRIFIELD, CONDUC-whOillt TOR ON THE MISSOURI a | PACiFIC RAILWAY.arii1CAPTURED FROM FEATHERSTONECriaWill Not Give Mississippi LibraryIFor—ATook One From GeneralCockrell’s Command.11. I st1 j Conductor .Tames K. Merrifleld,veteran “ticket puncher” on the p;issouri Pacific, was written of as Bifollows in the St. Louis Times of• j Nov. 24, in which issue his picture!:I was printed and also the pictureia Confederate battle flag capturedby “Tornado Jim” during the Civilw ar:In St. lxuis lives the man whoREraptured General Featherstone’s flagi in the critical battle between theFederals and Confederates at Frank-r*lin, Tenn., Nov. 30, 1861, and whoI ilrter refused to surrender that flag,either to General Featherstone orto the Mississippi state library as a . memento of Featherstone’s brigade. His name is J. K. Merrifleld and the, flag hangs framed above the study table in his den at his home, 4321A ‘Laclede avenue.The flag is two feet wide and fourfeet long and is made of white cash- j; Ii mere, bordered with blue, with aHue Maltese cross in the center. I“That flag is my most treasuredpossession,” declared Merrifleld, asbe related the events which led toev-1 the gaining of the trophy. “I won’thagive it up to the state of Mississippi#ipi. Why didn’t they keep it whenso:they had it?lt;4I captured it at the risk of myer.klife.” continued Merrifleld. “I enliat-Si]iicd when I was 17 years old in thetoFighty-eighth Illinois volunteer in- teifan try in 1862. and two years later enIwas in the battle at Franklin, Tenn. wlt;i “During the heaviest fighting Iraw approaching our barricade thetU]bearer of General Featherstone’s MiHn-r. Suddenly he fell from his horse, dethe flng crumpling with him. I inlt;climbed the wall of dirt, got to him, va**ized the flag and ran back. Sincej* i that clay I never have parted with 21 ! the flag.”nilMerrifleld was awarded a medal of Prhonor by congress in 1896 for thisact He Is a member of Ransom Itspost, G. A. R. Mlt;f“In the same battle I also captr.r- aned the flag of the First Missouri in- astIfan try, belonging to General Francis toCockrell’s Missouri brigade. I pre- upseated this flag to the Chicago BiriIIBoard of Trade, which mustered In aj(onr regiment. It w?as destroyed inthe great Chicago Are. I4t:Dr. Dunbar Rowland, the state dji j librarian of Mississippi, wrote me m that they bad no personal roeraen-rupItos of General Feotherstone's r$gl- ,jcrments, and for that reason, knowing rpthat I had the flag, the state of Mis- ^sissippi would greatly appreciate myreturning the flag to its home.“But I have had the flag for flftyIiyears, and I want to hand tt downccto my son, so that he may have ahiteminder of the part I played !narthe war.”Merrifleld’s son, W. B. Merrifleld,_ | is superintendent of the Iron Motm-elptain railroad at Chester, III.isMerrifleld says he has been askedccseveral times lor the flag. General *c^ Featherstone himself wrote me inI 1880, asking for the flag, but I told him I could not part with it Therebiare not many men in the world whoIhave gone through an experiencejsimilar to mine, and naturally Iwish to retain what I Won. I hategii-left Instructions with my wife, for Iam a railroad conductor and consequently not at home much of thetime, to save the flag first, should Ite our house ever catch fi.re, and theni-look after the rest of our possessions.”In the battle of Franklin the Con- wfederate army suffered one of its ieI heaviest losses. It is estimated that an1,640 Confederates were killed and6 560 wounded. General Feather- srftone was in command of the south- gtI- Urn side.
Newspaper Details
Sedalia Democrat Sentinel
Sedalia, Missouri, US
Fri, Dec 01, 1911
Page 12
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
TN, USA 23 Jan 2020
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