NH Sons of the American Revolution

250th Anniversary of the flag of the United Colonies

The Continental Union Flag (often referred to as the first American flag, Cambridge Flag, and Grand Union Flag) was the flag of the United Colonies from 1775 to 1776, and the de facto flag of the United States until 1777, when the 13 star flag was adopted by the Continental Congress

NHSAR will be posting the Grand Union flag at events in 2025-2027 to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Grand Union as the flag of the United Colonies from 1775 to 1777.

The Continental Union Flag was so called because it combined the British Union flag (denoting the kingdoms of England and Scotland) with thirteen stripes (representing the United Colonies). The canton consists of the British Union flag, while the field is thirteen horizontal stripes, alternating red and white.

The Continental Union Flag made its first appearance on December 3, 1775, when it was hoisted at the commissioning of Admiral Esek Hopkins‘ flagship on the western shore of the Delaware River at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Design

In a letter to members of the Continental Congress from Virginia dated January 5, 1776, the Naval Committee described the Continental Union Flag as the British “Union flag… striped red and white in the field.”^[6] Having seen the Continental Union Flag flying aboard Admiral Esek Hopkins’ flagship a few days later, a Philadelphia resident further defined the flag as a British “Union flag, with 13 stripes in the field, emblematical of the Thirteen United Colonies.”^[7]

History

By the end of 1775, during the first year of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress operated as a de facto war government, who had authorized the creation of the Continental Army, the Navy, and Marines. A new flag was needed to represent both the Congress and the United Colonies, with a banner distinct from the British Red Ensign flown from civilian and merchant vessels, the White Ensign of the Royal Navy, and the Union Flag carried on land by the British army. The emerging states had been using their own independent flags, with Massachusetts Bay using the Taunton Flag, and New York using the George Rex Flag, prior to the adoption of united colors.^[11] It is not known for certain when or by whom the Continental Union Flag design was created, but it could easily be produced by sewing white stripes onto the British Red Ensign.^[12]

American sailors first hoisted the Continental Union Flag on the warship Alfred, in the harbor on the western shore of the Delaware River at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 3, 1775, under the command of the new appointed Lieutenant John Paul Jones of the formative Continental Navy.^[13] The event was documented in letters to Congress and eyewitness accounts.^[6] The “Alfred” flag has been credited to Margaret Manny.^[14] The flag was also used as a naval ensign and garrison flag throughout 1776 and early 1777.^[15]

The Continental Union Flag became obsolete after the passing of the Flag Act of 1777 by the Second Continental Congress. The new national flag replaced the British Union flag in the canton with thirteen stars (representing the United States) on a blue field. The resolution describes only a “new constellation” for the arrangement of the white stars in the blue canton and so overall designs were later interpreted and made with rows, columns, a square with one star in the center, a circle, and various other designs.^[20]