Happy B’day, U.S.A.! Flags of a new nation
Posted on July 3, 2011 by bob in Features
British Red Ensign or Meteor Flag
Formally known as the “Taunton Flag of 1774,” this flag was the first to represent colonial defiance of British rule. The original version did not have the lettering on the bottom. That was added when the flag was raised in protest on a Liberty Pole in the town of Taunton, Massachusetts. The original flag, without the words of protest, was considered the national colors by a majority of early America’s inhabitants.
Grand Union Flag
This flag was first flown by General Washington in his military campaigns, and referred to by some as the “Flag of Compromise,” combining the British Union Jack with stripes representing the colonies. It was sanctioned by the Continental Congress in 1775, the product of a committee comprised of Benjamin Franklin (Pa.), Benjamin Harrison (Va.), and Thomas Lynch (SC). The compromise was between those who desired independence and those loyal to Great Britain. It was flown July 4, 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was ratified and signed, and on September 9, 1776, when Congress gave the fledgling nation a new name, the United States of America.
Personal Regimental Flag
This flag was designed by George Washington and carried with him throughout the Revolutionary War. Since Congress had not authorized a specific flag for the Commander-In-Chief, Washington decided to make one to his own liking and design. He flew it where ever he was headquartered. The flag was found in Washington’s personal affects, passed down through generations of the Washington family, and was eventually donated to the Valley Forge Historical Society. It’s best known for being flown at the Continental Army encampment during the harsh winter months at Valley Forge.
Star Spangled Banner
In 1814 two flags were available for flying at Fort McHenry. The large “Garrison Flag” measured 30-by-42 feet. A smaller version, known as the “Storm Flag,” was 17-by-25 feet, designed to fly when high winds and foul weather precluded flying the larger banner. Each of the 15 stripes of the larger flag measured two feet high, with each star roughly two feet in diameter. It was the larger “Garrison Flag” that was unfurled over the fort when the British attacked it on September 12, 1814, and which Frances Scott Key saw through the morning mist following the night bombardment of the fort, inspiring the poem that became our National Anthem.
(Editor’s Note: This material was edited with permission from a presentation by William Stone, former President and current member of the Gen. John Archer Elmore Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), and also a dual member of the Gen. Richard Montgomery Chapter of the SAR.)
