Hi Greg,

Would you by chance have specific dates for any of the Charleston Daily Courier articles you mentioned on Hugh E. Vincent in March-April 1861? It would be extremely helpful and speed up the search through the Courier's indexed microfilmed archives.

I am searching for as much information that is available on Hugh Vincent's flags and flagmaking from the fall of 1860 to early spring 1861.

Specifically I'm interested in details on the making of and the reason for presenting a flag (with a red field and white palmetto tree) by Hugh Vincent's family in Jan 1861 to the Citadel Cadets on Morris Island (other than the fact that Vincent owned most of the island and the flag's symbolic palmetto tree and secession spirit red).

At the same sand battery on Morris Island assisting the Citadel Cadets from January 1, 1861 was a local militia unit known as the Charleston Zouaves Cadets. According to a Charleston newspaper quoting from the "Daily Courier" the Zouaves had been presented by November 1860 their own flag which was described as red with a palmetto tree in the center and a nearby crouched tiger and also a single star. Another account indicates that the flag also carried a motto and a rattlesnake wrapped around the palmetto tree.

The news article doesn't identify who had presented the flag to the Zouave Cadets. Eyewitnesses reported the Citadel Cadets' flag flying from the sand battery and also the old smallpox hospital on Morris Island. Although similiar but more complex in design, I haven't seen any references to the Zouave Cadet flag flying on the island.

Thanks for your help,
Ben