To secure an independent American republic 250 years ago, the British colonists first needed an army and navy. Naturally, these services required emblems to set themselves apart from the mother country, but surprisingly, the nature of these flag designs often spoke more to the current circumstances that bore them than the ultimate goals the breakaway colonists strove for.
At sea, flags were essential, but the only pattern the banners had in common over most of the Revolutionary War was that they differed enough from the British Union Jack so as not to spark confusion.
The flag flown by British merchantmen and even naval vessels prior to the Continental Congress severing ties and the Crown was the “red ensign”. (See Figure 1) Coincidentally, the red ensign was also the flag found flying ashore in the colonies. Therefore, when open conflict erupted between America and Great Britain, the colonists modified the red ensign by inserting six white stripes onto the red field, producing thirteen alternating stripes, but retaining the Union Jack within the canton in the upper left corner. (See Figure 2)
This “Grand Union” flag, as it was called, was soon flying at sea as well, signifying the hopefully temporary nature of the distress on either side of the Atlantic. When the Continental Navy was established in October 1775, Lt. John Paul Jones personally hoisted aloft a Grand Union flag to the gaff of the fleet’s first flagship, the USS Alfred.
But even before a formal navy had been created, General George Washington, upon assuming command of the Continental Army in Massachusetts in 1775, determined that having official vessels intercepting British supply ships on the high seas would contribute to holding on to the region.
Accordingly, several ships were commissioned to act on behalf of the new government, and to set themselves apart from British ships, a distinct flag was flown aloft that incorporated a common motif for New England and an aspirational logo that reflected the mood of the times in America. (See Figure 3) Some colonies devised naval flags for their own local ships, such as New England’s variation on the familiar pine tree flag (See Figure 4) or New York’s flag with a beaver silhouette on a white field. (See Figure 5)
An officer from South Carolina, Col. Christopher Gadsden, introduced a yellow banner emblazoned with a coiled rattlesnake (See Figure 6) to represent the deteriorating state of affairs between America and Britain, and it served at sea, including among Continental Marines assaulting the British island of Nassau in the Caribbean in March 1776.
Navies also often employ a secondary flag, called a “jack.” This flag, in the case of the revolting colonists, incorporated a popular animal symbol of the rebellion, the American rattlesnake, set upon a flag entirely bedecked with thirteen red and white stripes. (See Figure 7)
Another design worked with the red-white-blue color motif as stripes to produce a jack as well. (See Figure 8) As the conflict entered its second year, complete independence from Britain became the stated objective from July 4, 1776. However, settling on an official standard for the newly declared United States of America took nearly an entire year more before the Grand Union flag had the Union Jack replaced by a canton of deep blue upon which an arrangement of stars representing the 13 individual states was proclaimed on June 14, 1777. (See Figure 9) The famed “Betsy Ross” pattern was adopted by the new United States Army ashore, but naval vessel employed significant variations at sea.
In 1779, there was a design flown by the frigate USS Alliance. (See Figure 10) After the Battle of Flamborough Head in the North Sea off the east coast of England, now Commodore John Paul Jones shifted his command to the surrendered Royal Navy frigate, HMS Serapis, as his own ship, the USS Bon Homme Richard, was sinking from extensive battle damage. After he withdrew to a Dutch port on Texel Island in neutral Holland to repair battle damage sustained by the Serapis, British officials demanded Jones’ arrest as a pirate since he flew no recognized national flag.
American officials in France, such as Benjamin Franklin, forwarded a description of the new American flag as having red, white and blue stripes. Jones had such an ensign hurriedly fabricated, and it was duly flown from the Serapis to satisfy the Dutch government. The arrangement of six-pointed stars and the use of the red, white and blue stripes was documented by a painter to accurately depict this new nation’s flag flying over captured Serapis. (See Figure 11)
Within two years of the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783, the Continental Navy was disbanded due to financial strain and the new nation’s reluctance to maintain a standing Navy during peacetime. However, when the United States Navy was established 10 years later, the sea service created a new set of flags that differed significantly from the various flags flown by the Continental Navy during the American War of Independence.
Comments are closed.