The Flag Replaced on Sumter / A Personal Narrative

The narrator gives a personal account of the assault and surrender of a key harbor fort that precipitated the national conflict, describing the fort's stubborn defense, the lowering of the national colors, and the jubilant reaction of the local populace. He traces secessionist boasting and the surge of Northern patriotism that followed, recounts the later return of occupying forces who reentered the city and restored the flag, and records individual acts of bravery involved in the rehoisting. Interwoven are reflections on the flag's symbolic meaning, civic loyalty, and the reversal of fortunes that accompanied the conflict's close.