The Black Flag

I always thought the Quantrill story a bit over the top. With his name misspelled too. I know that could just be a common misspelling, but I have trouble with the story. There are some sites around who will tell you it is the gospel truth, but in reality it was reported as real by a few individuals. I think if it was in truth real there should have been reports written by federals relating it's truth. I don't believe there is a single report regarding the flag.
 
The one most familiar with is AVE Johnson, he enters Centralia discovering the 24 shot earlier in the day. He becomes incensed and ignores warnings to go after them. According to James they had taken a black apron from town and tied it to a stick to apparently signal their intention to punish them for what had happened earlier in town.

Think Hale is referring to the flag supposedly made by a young admirer, the black flag with a Q in the corner

The AJ walker quote is in a footnote to the James account I have
The black flag with a Q in the upper left hand corner, aka the 'Q Flag' is a regular sight at University of Missouri football pre-game tailgate parties. There must have been several dozen flown outside Arrowhead the last time we played the chickenhawks in KC.
 
" E. H. Sutton, of the 24th Georgia, barely survived one of the uncommon cases where a captor deliberately attempted to kill an unarmed man. A counterattack by the Pennsylvania Reserves overran his position. The Federals told Sutton to go to the rear. He dropped his weapon and cartridge box and cut his belt. But when he started to the rear “a burly Irishman presented his gun at my breast and was pulling the trigger, cursing me.” A file closer saved Sutton’s life when he pushed the rifle aside just as it discharged, then ordered the soldier to “go forward and fight those who had not surrendered.” The dearth of evidence regarding the shooting of prisoners leads to the conclusion that although it did occur, it was rare. (E. H. Sutton, Civil War Stories (Demorest, GA: Banner Printing Co., 1910), 43, copy GNMP Library.)

https://npsgnmp.wordpress.com/2012/...eld-up-both-my-hands-prisoners-of-war-part-i/
 
" E. H. Sutton, of the 24th Georgia, barely survived one of the uncommon cases where a captor deliberately attempted to kill an unarmed man. A counterattack by the Pennsylvania Reserves overran his position. The Federals told Sutton to go to the rear. He dropped his weapon and cartridge box and cut his belt. But when he started to the rear “a burly Irishman presented his gun at my breast and was pulling the trigger, cursing me.” A file closer saved Sutton’s life when he pushed the rifle aside just as it discharged, then ordered the soldier to “go forward and fight those who had not surrendered.” The dearth of evidence regarding the shooting of prisoners leads to the conclusion that although it did occur, it was rare. (E. H. Sutton, Civil War Stories (Demorest, GA: Banner Printing Co., 1910), 43, copy GNMP Library.)

https://npsgnmp.wordpress.com/2012/...eld-up-both-my-hands-prisoners-of-war-part-i/
This is a great article @Burning Billy which highlights the sense of risk that accompanied surrender. Thanks for sharing.
 
I'm still astonished at Jackson, as religious as he was, ordering the "black flag" in all of his pursuits. I'm not "religious," but I'd never order "no quarter".
I'm still astonished at Jackson, as religious as he was, ordering the "black flag" in all of his pursuits. I'm not "religious," but I'd never order "no quarter".
I'm not sure he 'ordered' it, as much as he contemplated it as a way to win the war quickly and without any hesitation. I think it was a means to an end in his mind, and if he believed his cause was 'righteous', then I don't think his religion would have prevented him.
 
The “Q” Company is supposedly a nasty bunch of men. There seems to be very little information on them. Maybe someone knows something about that.
 
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I'm still astonished at Jackson, as religious as he was, ordering the "black flag" in all of his pursuits. I'm not "religious," but I'd never order "no quarter".
He was just following Biblical example. The Old Testament includes a number of instances of God (through the Prophets) ordering the complete annihilation of an enemy of Israel. Samuel commanded King Saul to slaughter the Amalekites, man, woman and child -- even kill their cattle -- wipe them from the face of the earth. Saul refused ... that's when his problems really began.

So, a deeply religious man, learned in the Old Testament, might not necessarily find the black flag unacceptable, if the enemy could be portrayed as "Unrighteous". Like in the defense of slavery, there is the tendency to select the scriptural examples that agree with your opinion, and ignore those that don't.
 
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The black flag with a Q in the upper left hand corner, aka the 'Q Flag' is a regular sight at University of Missouri football pre-game tailgate parties. There must have been several dozen flown outside Arrowhead the last time we played the chickenhawks in KC.

That was Bill Anderson, WCQ beat feet back to seclusion in Howard County before the Fayettte Raid was over good. The leaders at Youngs creek were Anderson, Poole, Thrailkil, and some others.
 
How did Jackson ever send a letter? I bet his letters were travelling in the mail on a Sunday. He may not have sent one on a Sunday though. The mail was still the mail, then or now.
No, the assertion is that he did not send mail if he thought it would travel on Sunday, Ive seen it from more than 1 source. We have a tenancy of thinking people were *** backwards is 1863 but I think Ben Franklin was a fairly intelligent fellow and borrowing from his predecessors likely came up with a pretty good system from the get go in 1775. By 1861 there were railroads all over the country. I dont think it is a stretch that a letter could have traveled from N Carolina to Virginia in a few days
 
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