The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-06-28
The Flag of the United States.

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army which had gathered around Bos-
ton in the summer of ITS, the army had
no particular flag which represented the
general patriotic cause. In the battle
of Bunker Hill, which had just been
fought, flag with red field and a
pine tree in white field for the union
had been used. This flag, called the
"New England Flag" is represented by
Colonel Trumbull in his painting of the
battle of Bunker Hill. Another red
flag with the words "Come if you dare !"
on it was also used in the battle.
On the LIST of July, 1775, the colonial
assembly of Connecticut passed an act
making the flag of the colony red flag.
with the motto: "Qui transtulH s,tstinet -
in gold letters. This flag was sent to
General Putnam, and was raised by him
at Prospect Hill, July IS, 1775, before
the troops under his command. One
side of the flag bore the words, can Ap-
peal to Heaven" taken from the address
of the Provincial Congress of Massachu-
setts to their brethren in Great Britain,
issued soon after the battle of Lexington.
On this occasion the declaration of
Congress to the British people, giving
the cause for taking up arms, was also
read. A white flag with pine tree on
it, and bearing the motto, can Appeal
to Heaven" was also urged at this time,
especially on the privateers and floating
batteries. Colonel Reed, Washington's
military secretary, writing from Cam
bridge in October, 1775, to Colonels
Glover of Massachusetts, and Moylan of
Pennsylvania, suggested the general
adoption of this flag by the army.
The first flag shown by an American
man-of.war was of this last description,
and bore, in addition to the motto, Gan
Appeal to God," the words Liberty
Tree" at the top. This was in Decem-
ber, 1775, on the Alfred, twenty-eight
guns, Commodore Hopkins, then lying
in the Delaware. The flag was hoisted
by John Paul Jones, then first lieutenant
of the Alfred.
The necessity of having some particu-
lar design for a flag for general use re-
ceived the attention of Congress, and
the committee having charge of the de-
tails of the organization of the army
(Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Lynch,
and Benjamin Harrison) designed the
Great Union Flag" which was sent to
the army, and was first displayed by
General Washington at Cambridge, JAN
uary l, 1776. This flag, of which we
gave description at the last time of its
raising, and also century later, January
l, 1876, consisted of the union of the
British flag of the Crosses of st. George
and st. Andrew in a blue field, and
thirteen stripes, alternate red and white.
The stripes were said to have been
adopted from similar ones on the arms
of the Washington family. That is de-
MED by some authorities. He certainly
never claimed it. They were designed
to represent the union of the thirteen
colonies in defense of the common cause.
The union represented allegiance to the
British crown, the idea of a separation
from which had hardly been yet con,
ceiyed, tboug h the discussion of it soon
began, and grew rapidly till it ended in
the Declaration of Independence. The
colonies were fighting for their rights as
British subjects, and while they had this
object only in view they had the sympa-
thy and aid of many who refused to fol-
low them in separation from the
crown, and who after the passage of the
Declaration of Independence renewed
their allegiance to the king and were
afterward known as royalists and tories.
The "Great Union Flag" was the
standard of the colonies for nearly year
and half; with it Washington's army
marched into Boston; with it the battles
of Princeton and Trenton were fought,
though Trumbull in his paintings of
these battles has, by an anachronism,
painted in the stars and stripes. Under
this flag the Declaration of Independence
was signed.
There were also in use striped flags
with the design of rattle-snake on
them, with the words "Don't tread on
me-" The Culpeper flag of Virginia
was white with this motto on it.
As the cause of independence grew
there grew with it the desire for the
Punishment not only of those persons
who sided with the royal cause, but also
of every symbol of British rule and COL
onial allegiance.
One hundred years ago, on the 18th
day of June, 1877, the Congress passed
the resolution adopting the "stars and
stripes" as the flag of the new nation.
The resolution was as follows:
"Resolved by Congress, That the flag of
the United States be Thirteen Stripes
Alternate Red and White; that the
Union be Thirteen Stars in a Blue
Field"
The law constituting this flag was not
published till the 81 of September fol-
lowing, and the flag itself was unfurled
for the first time in the army on the
surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga,
October II, 1777.
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