American Flags Of The Revolution |
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Liberty and Union Flag
As Revolutionary fervor began to sweep the colonies in the 1770s,
Americans created new symbols of their discontent
with England. Flags with "liberty" inscribed upon them became
popular. One of the first liberty flags was this example that was
raised at Taunton, Mass., in 1774.
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Bunker Hill Flag
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.
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Bunker Hill Flag, Version Two
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. |
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Continental or Union Flag
References to flags called 'Continental' or 'Union' colors appear
in American records throughout the Revolution, and from late 1775
to mid-1777 it is believed that these flags resembled the British
red ensign, but with a field of red and white stripes instead of solid
red. While this flag is often considered the first unofficial American
national standard, the origin of its design and the extent of the
flag's use is uncertain.
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Standard of the Philadelphia Light Horse
This well-documented flag includes numerous symbols of American independence.
In the center of the flag's blue shield is a gold knot with 13 scrolls,
symbolizing the 13 colonies. The flag was carried at the battles of
Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine and Germantown.
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Fort Johnson and Fort Sullivan Flag
This flag, without the "Liberty" motto, is believed to have
been the first American flag flown in South Carolina. It was designed
by Col. William Moultrie, who was requested by the local Committee
of Safety to make a flag for Fort Johnson on James Island off Charleston
in 1775. Seven months later, in January 1776, a fort was built on
Sullivan's Island in Charleston Harbor, directly across from Fort
Johnson. One memoir said the Fort Sullivan flag was emblazoned with
the word "Liberty." |
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Standard of the Rhode Island Regiment
of 1781
Troops fought under their own regimental flags during the Revolution,
and it would have been quite unusual for soldiers
to fight under a continental or national standard. Indeed, throughout
the Revolution the national standard was used primarily to identify
ships or forts or army headquarters, and it was rarely if ever flown
at any battle on land. The First and Second Rhode Island Regiments
were combined in 1781, and fought under a flag made of white silk
with a blue silk canton with 13 painted five-point stars. The anchor
in the center of the flag was surrounded by a motto that contained
the word Hope. |
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Navy Ensign
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.
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John Paul Jones Stars and Stripes
John Paul Jones, the most celebrated naval figure of the Revolution,
captured the British ship Serapis in 1779, even though his own vessel,
the Bonhomme Richard, sank during the battle. Legend hold that John
Paul Jones hoisted on the captured Serapis a flag with irregularly
sequenced red, white and blue stripes, and a blue canton with 13 eight-pointed
stars. The story is supported by a watercolor drawing that was supposedly
made by Jones or by a Dutch artist shortly after the Serapis arrived
at a Dutch harbor in 1779. The watercolor was not discovered until
1924 and its origins are still debated by flag historians. Flags similar
to the "John Paul Jones" were used by the Continental Navy
in 1779, but the story leaves some questions unanswered.
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Standard of the Commander in Chief of
the Continental Navy
Christopher Gadsden, South Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress
and briefly chariman of the Marine Committee, presented a rattlesnake
flag to the South Carolina Congress. The South Carolina Congressional
record states the flag, with a rattlesnake and the words "Don't
Tread On Me," was to be used by the commander in chief of the
American navy. There is some evidence to suggest that the flag was
flown by Navy Commander Esek Hopkins on his flagship Alfred in 1776. |
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Stars and Stripes
On June 14, 1777,. the Continental Congress resolved that "the
flag of the United States be 13 stripes alternate red and white, that
the union be 13 stars white in a blue field representing a new constellation."
Contrary to popular myth, Betsy Ross did not make the first flag and
George Washington was not the designer. (The Betsy Ross story was
first floated in 1870 by her great-grandson.) The Congressional resolution
left many details of the flag's design up to individual flag makers.
Flags were made not only with red and white stripes, but with red
and blue stripes, blue and white stripes, red and green stripes, and
red, white and blue stripes. There were even greater variation in
star designs. Stars were made with five points, six points, or eight
points. They were arranged in circles, squares, ovals and many different
configurations of rows.
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Next:
Later American Flags |
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