The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-09

With the Revolution, the struggling colonists
wanted something different from British flag,
and the pine tree and rattlesnake emblems ap-
peared; also the legend Liberty and Union" on
a plain fly of red. Then came the Stars and
Stripes. When Washington left Philadelphia in
1775. to take command of the army at Cam
bridge, he was escorted out of the city by the
Philadelphia Troop of Light Horse as far as
Newark n. J. The guidon of this troop was of
yellow silk and carried in its upper corner next
to the staff, small union of ID stripes of silver
and light blue
Stars first figured in the union of a flag car
ried In IT'S on the schooner Lee by Captain Man.
ley, Massachusetts, skipper, whose ship operat-
ed as one of Commodore Hopkins squadron and
captured the Nancy with supplies for the Brit
ish army November 10, 1775. Thirteen stars on
a blue canton formed the union of its flag. They
were arranged in five horizontal. parallel rows
and were fve-pointed. In the blue fly of the
flag was a white anchor with the word Hope"
above it. This design was carried by Rhode Is
land troops at Brandywine, Trenton and York
town, but the stars of gilt light blue
canton.
Following the early use of the English ensign
which carried the ST. Georges cross in the canton
there came into use in the colonies In the Eight
eenth century the red British ensign carrying
the union jack in the canton The British flag
was altered after the Revolution had begun by
placing 13 stripes in the fly of the flag under the
British union jack
1t was called the grand union flag" and was
hoisted by Lieut.. John Paul Jones December
8, 1775, in the newly formed American feet of
Philadelphia On January 1 or 2 1776. it was
raised over the newly organized American army
at Washington's headquarters in Cambridge In
the correspondence of that day it was referred
to as the american eolors." 1t is interesting
to note that although these American colors
were used six months before the Declaration of
Independence, they still carried the British union
jack in the corner. The thirteen united colonies
were depicted by the thirteen stripes of the field
No flag was authorized by act of congress I'M
til nearly a year after the Declaration Of hide
pendence. That the grand union flag was lit
tie used in the army is seen from the many flags
of other designs carried by the Revolutionary
troops In the navy on account of the necessity
of telling friend from foe by his coors. the
same flag was generally used by all congress
ships.
In IT'S, it usually the pine tree flag; in
1776 and until June IA. III, the grand union
and after June IA. 1777. the Stars and Stripes
Privateers carried striped and rattlesnake flags
of various designs but it soon became necessary
to carry q uniform design, and this forced the
adoption of a national flag. This is why the
resolution for the adoption of the stars and
stripes appeared in the minutes of the marine
committee meeting of June a. 1T77.
Because green was such prominent color In
early Revolutionary flags it would not have
been at all surprising If that color had found its
way into the national emblem. One of the most
striking flags Of the Revolution was flag with