Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-04

10 stripes in silver and light blue.
Another symbol in this beautiful flag
consisted of 13 ribbons radiating from
a center, like the spokes of a wheel.
The ribbons were united at the hub
in one knot.
Stars figured in the union of the
flag which was carried in 1875 on the
schooner Lee by a Massachusetts skip
per, Capt. Manley. The schooner Lee.
operating as one of Commodore Hop
kins' squadron, captured the Nancy.
with supplies for the British army,
November 10, 1875. The 10 white
stars on blue canton formed the
union of her flag. The stars were ar
ranged in five horizontal parallel rows
and were five-pointed. In the blue fly
of the flag was a white anchor with
the word hope" above it.. The flag
| was later used as the flag of Rhode
| Island troops in the battles of Brandy
wine, Trenton and Yorktown. but on
| the troop flag the stars were of gilt on
a light blue canton.
Following the early use of the Eng
liSh ensign, which carried the St.
George cross in the canton, there
came into use in the colonies, in the
eighteenth century, the red British
ensign, carrying the union jack in the
tered after the Revolution had begun
by placing 10 stripes in the fly of the
flag under the British union jack.
This flag, called the Grand Union
| flag, was hoisted by Lieut.. John Paul
| Jones December 8, 1875, in the newly
| formed American fleet off Philadel-
| phia, and on January / or ., 1916, it
| was hoisted over the newly organized
American Army at Washington's
headquarters in Cambridge.
The flag was referred to in CORE
| spondence of the day as the "Ameri-
| can colors." 1t is interesting to note
| that although these American colorS
were hoisted and used six months be-
| fore the Declaration Of independence,
| they still carried the British union
jack in the corner. The 10 united
colonies were depicted in the Is stripes
of the field. Although fighting for
their rights, the 10 united colonies had
not yet entirely broken away from the
British union. This may have been
| the reason for calling the flag the
| Grand Union.
| NO flag was authorized by act of
congress until nearly a year after the
/ Declaration of Independence. That
the Grand Union flag was little used
in the Army Is seen from the many
| IldsS OF other designs which were
carried by the troops. In the Navy, on
account of the necessity Of telling a
friend from a foe by his colors, the
same flag was used generally by all
the Congress ships. In 1775 1t was
usually the Pine Tree flag: in 1875 and
until June IA. 1877, it was the Grand
| Union flag; after June IA, 1777. it was
the Stars and Stripes. Privateers
carried striped and rattlesnake flags
of various designs. The Congress
ships are shown with a striped jack
with a rattlesnake on it, and the State
pavies made some slight departure
from the flag of the Congress ships.
| X X \ X
IGENERALLY speaking, on account
of the practical use made of the
flag as a means Of recognition. naval
ships Of any one period carried the
same flag. The need of q uniform flag
for the Navy forced the adoption of a
national flag. That is why the resolu
ton for the adoption of the Stars and
Stripes appeard among the resolu
tions OF the marine committee on
June IA, 1877.
| From the prominence of the color
green in Revolutionary War flags 1t
would not have been surprising If that
color had found it's way into the flag
of the United States of America. One
= of the most striking flags Of the
RevoIutionarv\ War tn SymboliZe the