William Tappan Thompson
William Tappan Thompson was an American journalist. He co-founded the Savannah Morning News in the 1850s, known then as the Daily Morning News. One of his most notable works was Major Jones's Courtship, an epistolary novel. Thompson's best-known fictional character was Major Joseph Jones.
Originally from Ohio, Thompson moved to Savannah, Georgia, where he co-founded the Daily Morning News and became an editor, supporting the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War.
Life and career
Thompson was born on August 31, 1812, in Ravenna, Ohio. Upon moving to Savannah, in the 1850s, he cofounded the Savannah Morning News. Thompson left the paper in 1867 to travel in Europe. In 1868, he returned, and the paper was renamed Savannah Daily Morning News for one edition and was changed to the current name the following day.Support for the Confederacy
Thompson supported the Confederacy during the American Civil War. In 1863, as the editor of the Morning News, he discussed a variant of a design that would ultimately become the Confederacy's second national flag, which would become known as the "Stainless Banner" or the "Jackson Flag"In a series of editorials, Thompson wrote why he felt the design should be chosen to represent the Confederacy as "The White Man's Flag."
After the editorial was published, the editor of the Savannah Morning News received a dispatch announcing the senate had adopted the flag Thompson suggested, with certain revisions. Thompson states his objections to the additions on the April 28.
On May 4, 1863, Thompson pens his approval of the changes to the flag design that the Confederate Congress utilized which were akin to those he and his supporters suggested:
Thompson further explains the significance:
The May 2, 1863 Richmond Whig newspaper printed quotes from Confederate Representatives as to what the colors and design of the newly adopted flag represented.
Both Boteler and Gray were members of the House of Representatives Flag and Seal Committee. It was Gray who proposed the amendment that gave the flag its white field.