Top of page

Notice
Monday, February 16, 2026: For the President's Day holiday, The Library will open under normal operating hours.
Chronicling America
National Endowment for the Humanities

Newspaper The Union Flag (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1865-187? East Tennessee Union flag

View All Front Pages

About The Union Flag (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1865-187?

The Union Flag was published in Jonesborough, Tennessee, by George Edgar Grisham between 1865 and 1871. In autumn 1862, Grisham was co-publisher of the Jonesborough Express. His tenure at the Confederate-sympathizing newspaper lasted approximately one year until he joined the Union Army’s 8th Regiment of the Cavalry in September 1863. During his two-year stint in the Union Army, Grisham reached the rank of captain. Upon his return to Jonesborough in 1865, Grisham began publishing the Union Flag.

The Union Flag was a weekly newspaper with subscription prices at $3.00 for one year or $2.00 for six months. Single issues were available for 10 cents per copy. The Union Flag was published on the corner of Cherokee and Water Street, above the Jonesborough depot. The paper’s masthead bore an eagle in front of the American flag with the paper’s motto–“We join no Party which does not carry the Union Flag, and keep step to the music of the Union!”–printed on page two.  In December 1869, Grisham introduced a patriotic tagline to the front page: “The star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave/O’re the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

The newspaper carried news articles on general topics such as agriculture and taxes, but also included political items about Reconstruction such as disputes over the nomination of two Republican candidates for state governor in 1869.  Like other newspapers in the era of yellow journalism, the Union Flag printed sensational stories of scorned lovers and other miscellaneous items. The front page usually featured a poem. Advertisements ranged in price based on size and frequency with a single square advertisement beginning at $1.50. The newspaper often featured two to three full columns of advertising, ranging in content from cure-all medicines to industrial equipment, household products, and other services from Jonesborough and farther afield.

When first published, the Union Flag was balanced in tone. It supported federal policies, but contended that Southern secession was a brave fight against a centralized government. In time, however, the paper took a more partisan tone, supporting the Republican Party and endorsing radical Republican William Brickle Stokes in the May 1869 governor’s election. Despite the newspaper’s support, Stokes, who favored a more aggressive approach to protecting freed slaves, lost the election. In 1871, when John G. Hayes became a partner, the Union Flag assumed a more moderate political stance.

The Union Flag continued for two more years, at which time it was renamed the Union Flag and Commercial Advertiser. The paper ceased publication in summer 1873 after Grisham died during a cholera epidemic.

Provided By: University of Tennessee

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Union Flag (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1865-187?

Other Title

  • East Tennessee Union flag

Dates of Publication

  • 1865-187?

Created / Published

  • Jonesborough, Tenn. : G.E. Grisham

Headings

  • -  Jonesborough (Tenn.)--Newspapers
  • -  Washington County (Tenn.)--Newspapers
  • -  Tennessee--Jonesborough
  • -  Tennessee--Washington County
  • -  United States--Tennessee--Washington--Jonesboro
  • -  United States--Tennessee--Washington--Jonesborough

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Began May 19, 1865; ceased in 1879?
  • -  "East Tennessee" appears above masthead ornament.
  • -  Publishers: G.E. Grisham, 1865-<1870>; Grisham & Hayes, <1871>
  • -  Editor: G.E. Grisham, <1865>-1871.
  • -  Available on microfilm from Tennessee State Library and Archives.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format as part of the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 1, no. 2 (May 26, 1865).
  • -  Union flag and commercial advertiser (DLC)sn 85033436 (OCoLC)11984959

Medium

  • volumes ; 58-60 cm

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn85038553

OCLC Number

  • 12708216

ISSN Number

  • 2331-2912

Succeeding Titles

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

The NEH awardee responsible for producing each digital object is presented in the Chronicling America page display, below the page image – e.g. Image produced by the Library of Congress. For more information on current NDNP awardees, see https://aj.sunback.homes/ndnp/listawardees.html.

For more information on Library of Congress policies and disclaimers regarding rights and reproductions, see https://aj.sunback.homes/homepage/legal.html

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

The Union Flag Jonesborough, Tenn. -187?. (Jonesboro, TN), Jan. 1 1865. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85038553/.

APA citation style:

(1865, January 1) The Union Flag Jonesborough, Tenn. -187?. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85038553/.

MLA citation style:

The Union Flag Jonesborough, Tenn. -187?. (Jonesboro, TN) 1 Jan. 1865. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85038553/.