Our flag has many different names. Some people
call it “Old Glory,” but that is really the name reserved
for one special flag. This flag has an unusual story that
most people don’t know about.
In 1824, a mother and some friends created a large
American flag for the woman’s son. The flag was big—
seventeen feet long by ten feet wide. The flag had just
twenty-four stars because that is how many states there
The flag was big for a reason. Her son was a sea
captain named William Driver, and he flew the flag on
his boat. When it flew, he called it by its name “Old
Glory.” Driver was quite an adventurer and sailed
around the world. He was master and commander of
his own ship, the Charles Doggett.
Years later, Driver stopped sailing. He moved to
Nashville, Tennessee, and opened a store with his
brothers. Now his flag flew from his house.
During the Civil War, the South left the Union.
Tennessee was one of the states that left the Union.
People fighting for the South came to Driver’s home
and wanted to take the flag.
But no matter how hard they tried, they could not
find it. The flag stayed hidden until 1862 when the
Union Army took over the city. Driver went home, pulled
back his bed cover, and there was his flag! He had kept
After he hung the flag in town, newspapers heard
about it. They wrote about this special flag, and soon
it became famous all over the country.