Q: When South Carolina state troopers took the Confederate battle flag down for the last time, they used a distinctive method of folding it. They rolled it up and tied it. Why was this method used?
—William McKee Jr., Flowery Branch
A: The rolling of the Confederate flag removed from the South Carolina Statehouse grounds on July 10 is a "classic image of flag surrender," Dartmouth history professor Robert Bonner told the New York Daily News.
It’s “not the folding of a flag of an existing government that etiquette of flag code calls for,” said Bonner, who added that U.S. flag codes don’t apply to the Confederate flag. “The Confederate flag represents a government that no longer exists.”
The rolling, or furling, of the flag was a reminder of how the Confederate flags were rolled at Appomattox, where Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered in 1865, Bonner said.
The flag was lowered, folded and then rolled before being tied with a white ribbon.
Q: How can one get a USNS Brunswick coin mentioned in a recent Metro section article?
—Edna Kopetz, Atlanta
A: The $10 coin commemorating the USNS Brunswick's visit to the Georgia city can be ordered from Brunswick's Main Street Frame Shop. Call Lynn Warwick at 912-262-0050 or send a check ($10 for each coin and $5 for shipping) to the Main Street Frame Shop, 1403 Newcastle St., Brunswick, GA 31520.
She told Q&A on the News that more coins have been ordered after the first shipment sold out. The new coins are expected in about two weeks, Warwick said last week.
The USNS Brunswick, which is under construction, is a new Joint High Speed ship.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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