Home
Mission
Happy4th ! HELP Directory
"KEEP MORE ALIVE IN 2025!"
"Serving those who Defend, Protect, and Heal the USA"
Home
Mission
Happy"Serving those who Defend, Protect, and Heal the USA"
Content source: "Flags of American History"
January 1, 1962 by David D. Crouthers
This flag dates back to the year 1000, when "Eric the Red", Leif Ericson, and other intrepid Viking explorers made wide-ranging voyages of exploration from their Scandinavian homeland. The Norse adventurers flew the Viking banner, according to tradition, on their journeys to Iceland, Greenland, and North America.
European interest in the western continent was, however, aimless and indefinite until the momentous trip of Christopher Columbus at the end of the fifteenth century. Columbus sailed on his voyages of exploration and discovery, to the West Indies and South America under the flag of Ferdinand and Isabella, joint sovereigns of the then newly united Kingdom of Spain. This Spanish flag, "Columbus’ Standard", is the emblem which he painted on San Salvador (Watling’s Island) in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492.
In addition to the Spanish colors, Columbus had a personal pennant bearing the Cross, and the initials of his patrons, Ferdinand and Isabella.
The Scottish flag is the cross of St. Andrew, also known as the Saltire. It is said to be one of the oldest national flags of any country, dating back at least to the 12th century. Tradition suggests that St. Andrew (an apostle of Jesus in the Christian religion) was put to death by the Romans in Greece by being pinned to a cross of this shape.
The red Cross of St. George for centuries the national flag of England, was flown by John and Sebastian Cabot on their voyages to North American continent in 1497, as well as by other English explorers, including Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Humphrey Gilbert.
In 1602 a number of small, independent trading companies, all operating out of the Netherlands, joined to form a coalition known as the "Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie" (in English, the "United East India Company") and nowadays more generally called the "Dutch East India Company", or simply the "VOC".
The main purpose of the VOC was to promote trade with Asia, and the new company was given extensive powers by the government of the Netherlands to help it achieve this. These powers included the rights to enter into treaties, to maintain military forces and to produce coinage, as well as powers of government and justice. Flags differ in the color of the upper stripe because the original orange color used to honor the House of Orange, was changed to red to insure better visability during inclement weather.
Holland had one of the greatest naval forces during this time period. The Dutch were on an offensive charge causing problems for both Spain and Portugal. Their aggression was due to their interest in immediate profits through trading ports, and not long term colonization like some other European countries. The Dutch East India Company proved successful in Asia, and they attempted to mirror this powerful effort in the Americas. The Dutch 'West' India Company was maturing, and overtaking several ports in North and South America. They held strong locales in Brazil while their fellow company overtook several ports in the orient.
This flag was used from 1400 until 1590. The most important flag carried by explorers and settlers was most likely the royal flag, since this was a symbol of the authority of the king in the new lands. In the early sixteenth century the French royal flag was blue with three gold fleurs-de-lis representing directly the shield in the royal French coat of arms. It is not likely that the French explorers Verrazano or Cartier actually raised this flag on land. At the time the practice of placing a permanent marker was preferred. Fleur-de-lis translates to "Flower of the Lily".
The Endicott flag took its name from the then Colonial Governor, John Endicott, of Salem, Massachusetts. Adopted in 1634, it was actually a form of the English Red Ensign.
The three Massachusetts counties of Suffolk, Middlesex, and Essex joined together in 1659 to raise a troop of cavalry. This cavalry troop existed for a number of years and is believed to have taken part in King Philip’s War, an important seventeenth century New England Conflict.
Pre-Bastille flag of France.
This was the flag of the early colonist who had joined together in the protest against the British impositions on American economic freedom. One such protest was resistance to the Stamp Act, on October 7, 1765. A delegate from each of the nine colonies formed the "Stamp Act Congress" . They petitioned the king and parliament, the act was repealed on March 18, 1766. The flag of nine red and white stripes that represented these "Sons of Liberty" became known as the "Rebellious Stripes." On December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty protested the parliament's Tea Act, an action that became known as the Boston Tea Party. The colonists' believed the tax to be a violation of their legitimate economic liberty. Three and a half years after the Tea Party the thirteen colonies had come together in their decision to fight for independence and the nine stripes had grown to thirteen. The Sons of Liberty would rally under a large tree which became known as "The Liberty Tree".
Queen Anne adopted a new flag for England and her colonies in 1707. The Kings Colors were placed on a red field. Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown under this flag. The best known of the British Maritime flags, or Ensigns, which were formed by placing the Union flag in the canton of another flag having a field of white, blue or red. This flag is also known as the Meteor flag, and was widely used on ships during the Colonial period. This was the first National flag of the United States.
Symbolic of the widening gulf between Great Britain and her American colonies, this flag was first raised by the towns-people of Taunton, Massachusetts. By inscribing the watchword "Liberty" upon the meteor flag of England, the colonists dramatized their sentiments of loyalty to the homeland and resistance to the misgovernment by the British. The growing desire for self-rule and greater independence for the thirteen colonies eventually led to the outbreak of the revolutionary war one year later. It was raised on the Liberty Pole in Taunton, Massachusetts on October 21, 1774. Sometimes, only the word "Liberty" was added to the flag.
This troop was formed by a group of Philadelphia gentlemen on November 17, 1774. Many were businessmen and merchants who supplied their own uniforms, military equipment and horses. The flag was contributed to the unit by Captain Markoe, it was designed by John Folwell and painted by James Claypoole. The British Union was originally painted in the canton but the artist was instructed to paint thirteen stripes to represent the united colonies. It was this troop that escorted General Washington from Philadelphia to take command of the Continental Army, assembled at Cambridge outside of Boston in June, 1775. The Light Horse Troop later carried their flag in the Battles of Brandywine, Germantown, Princeton and Trenton.
One of several pine tree flags popular in the New England colonies, this banner reflects the sentiments expressed by the Massachusetts Congress after the Battle of Lexington and Concord: "Appealing to heaven for the justice of our cause, we determine to die or be free." When the king of Naples opened his ports to American shipping in 1776, he noted flying from the main masts a pine tree flag emblazoned with the words "An Appeal to Heaven."
The Continental Navy was established in late 1775, and it was especially important that its ships be outfitted with flags, to enable other vessels to identify them - at a distance - as ally or enemy. The rattlesnake and motto "Don't Tread on Me" appear to have been emblems of the South, and Benjamin Franklin and John Adams reported in 1778 that South Carolina's vessels flew a flag with a rattlesnake and 13 stripes. The symbol and motto was also adopted by some vessels of the Continental Navy.
This flag was present at the battle of Concord in April 19, 1775. It was carried by Nathaniel Page, a Bedford Minuteman. The Latin inscription "Vince Aut Morire" means "Conquer or Die". The arm emerging from the clouds represents the arm of God. The original can be seen at the Bedford Town Library.
A stylized version of the original "Don't Tread On Me Flag" supposedly used by the Culpepper Minutemen of Colonial America who had the slogan "Liberty or Death". While not proven, this may be the infamous flag which was flown by the first Minute Men to engage British troops in what shortly thereafter became the Revolutionary War.
At the Virginia convention held May, 1775, in Richmond, the colony was divided into 16 districts and each district instructed to raise to discipline, a battalion of men "to march at a minute's notice". Culpeper, Fauquier, and Orange, forming one district, raised a cadre of 350 men called the Culpeper Minute Men. Organized July 17, 1775, under a large oak tree in "Clayton's old field" (later known as Catalpa Farm), the Minute Men took part in the Battle of Great Bridge, the first Revolutionary battle on Virginia soil. The Culpeper Minute Men flag is inscribed with the words, "Liberty or Death" and "Don't Tread on Me".
In 1860 the Culpeper Minute Men were reorganized under the rattlesnake flag. The company's staff was organized under the same oak tree where the Minute Men of 1775 were formed. When war came the men were mustered in under Co. B, 13th Infantry. Other Culpeper companies organized for Confederate service were the Little Fork Rangers and Brandy Rifles.
A great deal of action took place in the county during the war, and several battles - notably Cedar Mountain and Brandy Station - and engagements were fought on Culpeper soil. Both armies marched through, fought, and camped in the county repeatedly during the four-year struggle. During the winter of 1863-64, Grant's Army of 100,000 men camped within its borders.
The Culpeper Minute Men were again mustered into service for the Spanish-American War but did not see active duty. In World War I the Minute Men company lost its identity as it was absorbed in the 116th Infantry, 29th Division.
Bunker Hill was the site of the first of the famous battles of the Revolutionary War. No history of the Bunker family would be complete without mention of this battle, which occurred on June 17, 1775. This battle was a great significance to the American colonists but also recorded the Bunker name for posterity all over the eastern part of the country.
To the best of our current knowledge, no Bunker took part in the battle on either side, but there were no formal American regiments and no rosters of soldiers, only scattered records pieced together from individual sources. In any event, George Bunker gave the hill its name, as he and his descendants owned its land many years before the battle. A 1931 typed volume of Bunker genealogy states: "The land assigned to George Bunker extended from Main Street in the south, over the hill back of it to the north to Mystic River. One lost (pasture land) ran over the summit of Bunker Hill, and hence this name, given by early and common consent to two connected ridges of elevated ground in the peninsula."
George and his descendants had left Charlestown several years before the battle. The American colonists originally expected to fortify Bunker Hill and actually started work, when it was decided to move forward and down to Breed's Hill. There were 11 English light infantry companies in the attacking army. During the battle the city of Charlestown was destroyed by cannon fire from British war ships supporting their troops.
Just as the rattlesnake was a symbol of the South, the pine tree was the symbol of the Northern colonies, particularly Massachusetts. While this flag has long been associated with the American forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill, its actual presence at the battle is in doubt. The flag appears prominently in John Trumbull's painting of the battle. Though Trumbull was an eyewitness, he did not paint the battle until 1785-86.
This version of the Bunker Hill Flag is based on the report of B.J. Lossing, a 19th century historian. He said that it was described to him in 1848-1850 by "an intelligent old lady" whose father told her that he had hoisted it in the Breed's Hill redoubt. Lossing is notoriously unreliable.
Fort Moultrie, on Sullivans Island at the entrance to the harbor of Charleston, S.C.; originally called Fort Sullivan. Constructed by Col. William Moultrie, the fort was renamed for him after he repulsed a British naval attack in June, 1776, in one of the most decisive battles of the American Revolution. During the Seminole War, Osceola, a chief, and 200 Seminoles were imprisoned in the fort; Osceola's tomb is there. During the Civil War, Confederates held the fort until the evacuation of Charleston in 1865. It was Charleston's chief harbor defense until 1947, when it was abandoned. Fort Moultrie is part of Fort Sumter National Monument.
Patterned after the uniforms worn by Colonel Moultrie's men and often embellished with the word "Liberty," this flag was carried by the colonial army forces in the south. On June 23, 1776, a shot destroyed the flagstaff and the banner fell outside the parapet. Under heavy fire, Sergeant William Jasper gallantly recovered the flag, fastened it to a sponge staff and shouted, "We cannot fight without a flag!".
Following a suggestion printed in Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette, several flags appeared featuring rattlesnakes in their design. Colonel Christopher Gadsden, who urged American independence as early as 1764, adopted this banner and presented it as a personal standard for the Commander-in-Chief of the newly activated navy. With the Gadsden flag flying at the main mast of Commodore Esek Hopkins' flagship, "The Alfred," the American navy achieved its first triumph on March 17, 1776 in the Bahama Islands.
In 1775, the Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Lynch, and Benjamin Harrison as a committee to select a national flag. Their choice, after consultation with George Washington, was the Grand Union flag. Reflecting the spirit of the times, this thirteen-striped banner graphically symbolized the unity of the colonies. Retaining the British crosses of Saint George and Saint Andrew, the flag further expressed a feeling of kinship with England and left open the doorway to reconciliation.
This flag was flown by General Washington during his winter encampment at Valley Forge. General Washington had a personal protection guard called the "Life Guard". It consisted of a few hand picked men from each colony and this special guard carried these colors.
It has been suggested that these colors may have been the origin of the field of stars in our stars and stripes flag.
On March 10, 1776, Gen. George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, issued the following order to select a particular number of exemplary men as a guard for himself:
"The general is desirous of selecting a particular number of men as a guard for himself and his baggage. The colonel or commanding officers of each of the established regiments, the artillery and riflemen excepted, will furnish him with four, that the number may be chosen out of them. His excellency depends upon the colonels — they should be drilled men."
With this order, Washington planted the seeds of a rich and illustrious military tradition, which is manifested today in the U.S. Army, in particular the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard). The unit created by this order, officially known as the Commander-in-Chief's Guard, has a similar mission to the present-day 3rd Infantry.
The Commander-in-Chief's Guard was known semi-officially as "His Excellency's Guard" and popularly as "Washington's Life Guard" and "Washington's Body Guard." This unit was the first to contain men from all the colonies and not be sectional in composition as was the rest of the Army. The unit was discharged at the end of the war in 1783.
Believe it or not, there's evidence a civil servant designed our first flag! On June 14 , 1777 Continental Congress adopted the historic flag resolution, proposed by the marine committee, "that the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."
No other details were specified. Francis Hopkinson, chairman of a department of the Congressional navy board, designed a flag using six-pointed stars in a staggered row configuration. (Note the similarity in the canton to George Washington’s flag.)
The Betsy Ross Flag is well-know and well-loved in America and around the word as the first American Flag. Her descendants claimed she made (not designed) the first U.S. flag, using a circular arrangement of five-pointed stars.
First flown at the decisive battle of Bennington, this flag is the oldest stars and stripes still in existence and perhaps the first ever displayed. Britain's General Burgoyne had sent an expedition of one thousand men to capture vital supplies stored at Bennington. There the Green Mountain Boys, led by Bunker Hill hero General John Stark, delivered a stunning defeat to the attacking troops and paved the way for Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga two months later.
On August 16, 1777 the "Green Mountain Boys" fought under General Stark at the Battle of Bennington. It's green field represented their name and the thirteen white stars a tribute to the thirteen colonies. A notable victory of the Green Mountain Boys under Ethan Allen, occurred on the morning of May 10, 1775, when they silently invaded the British held Fort Ticonderoga and demanded its surrender "In the name of the great Jehovah and the Continental Congress". The captured cannon and mortars were transported across the snow covered mountains of New England and their installation on the heights over Boston Harbor enabled Washington to force the British to leave that important seaport.
Most Continental regiments were integrated except one northern regiment, the elite First Rhode Island. Mustered into service in July 1778, the First Rhode Island numbered 197 black enlisted men commanded by white officers. Baron von Closen described the regiment as "the most neatly dressed, the best under arms, and the most precise in its maneuvers." The regiment received its baptism of fire at the battle of Rhode Island (Newport) on August 29, 1778, successfully defeating three assaults by veteran Hessian troops. The regiment saw further service, including Yorktown. At the siege of Yorktown, on the night of October 14, 1781, the regiment's light company participated in the assault and capture of Redoubt 10. On June 13, 1783, the regiment was disbanded, receiving high praise for its service. Unfortunately, unlike their white counterparts, these black American soldiers did not receive any recompense for their service.
This unusual version of the "stars & stripes" was carried by North Carolina militiamen at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, March 17,1781. The battle, one of the bloodiest of the American Revolution, was a closing engagement of the war. It pitted Gen. Nathaniel Greene's smaller force of mixed Continental and militia against Lord Cornwallis' veterans.
Cornwallis, eager to avenge the British defeat at Cowpens, S.C., won the battle but took heavy losses and failed to destroy the American force. Greene won his objective and Cornwallis soon moved to Virginia, where he finally surrendered his army at Yorktown on October 19, 1781.
There are many Revolutionary War flags like the Guilford Flag that use a variation on the "red, white and blue" color scheme. Captain John Paul Jones raised this flag on the captured British frigate Serapis during the most famous Revolutionary naval battle, in which he uttered the famous cry, "I have not yet begun to fight," from the captured the British ship.
The Cowpens was first carried by the Third Maryland Regiment which was part of the Continental line of Maryland, Virginia and Georgia regiments. On January 17th, 1781, General Daniel Morgan won a decisive victory against the British at Cowpens, South Carolina. The original flag is enshrined in the State house in Annapolis, Maryland.
With the passage of time, new states were admitted to the Union. This described the plan employed in designing the Stars and Stripes, whereby each state of the Union was represented by one star and one stripe. On January 13, 1794, therefore, Congress passed an act providing that after May 1 1795, the national flag should have fifteen stars and fifteen stripes. The additional stars and stripes represented the then recently admitted states of Vermont (March 4, 1791) and Kentucky (June 1, 1792 – unofficial). This flag was used for the next twenty-three years and is sometimes referred to that the flag of fifteen stripes. It was used during the Tripoli Expedition of 1803, and the War of 1812, and thus it is the flag referred to in our National Anthem – the Star Spangled Banner.
A curious flag from Easton Pennsylvania, which contains all the elements of the Stars and Stripes arranged in a rather unusual manner, has also been claimed as the origin of the Stars and Stripes. It appears however, that in reality, the Easton Flag did not figure in the American Revolution at all, but arrived on the scene during the War of 1812, when it was carried by a militia unit from Easton.