Flags of Our Fathers

Flags, as a means of identifying specific persons (such as a Kings and Knights) or a group of persons (such as a tribes or bands), on the battlefield have been around for thousands of years. Flags were symbols of prestige and power and many, were almost sacred in nature. They were a means of identification on a smoke filled battlefield and marked the position of a commanders troops. Carrying a flag was serious business and traditionally, only the bravest warrior or soldier was given the honor (and grave responsibility) of being a flag (or Color) bearer. A flag bearer (often referred to as Color-Bearer) was expected to die in battle before surrendering his flag and to capture the Colors of the enemy was considered one of the greatest honors a soldier could perform. For a military unit to have its flag, standard or Colors captured by the enemy was a disgrace of the most severe nature. A great significance was, and still is, on a nation's Colors. Most European armies carried flags within their respective regiments and these were referred to as "Regimentals".  

In regards to miniature armies of the "Horse and Musket" period, unit flags (National Colors), as well as Regimentals, are equally important if an accurate historical  representation is to be made on the game table. No matter how impressive a painted army may appear, the correctly obtained Colors will add much to the authenticity and appearance of the most diligently painted miniature "army".  Below are just a few examples of the Colors (flags) carried by the major participants in America's War of Independence. 

British

Pictured here are the "Nationals" of Great Britain. To the far left is one of the examples of the Colors carried by Regiments of Foot up to 1606.  When King James I of Scotland assumed the thrown of England, he combined the red St George's cross and the white St Andrew's cross to form the Colors pictured center. Known as the "Kings Colors", it was proclaimed as the "official" Colors for all merchant and warships until one of the provisions of the Union Act of 1707 (when the kingdoms of Scotland and England were united) declared it as the "ensign armorial" (national flag) of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Thereafter, land military Regiments of Foot carried these Colors (the Union Flag), adding a second set of Colors (Regimentals) to each Regiment in 1747. In 1801, the red Saltire (cross) Cross of St Patrick (Ireland) was conjoined with the Crosses of St Andrew and St George to form the Union Jack that exist as the official flag of Great Britain that we know today. At the end are the King's (National) Colors and the "Regimentals" of the 23rd Regiment of Foot.  

French

French flags are harder to pin-point. Regimentals were multi-colored and varied, as pictured on the far right. The familiar tri-color French National Colors was not created until 1790 and so, prior to that, a white flag with various arrangements of the fleurs-de-lis was common. In the colonies of the Americas (to include Canada), the quartered blue and white version flew over French forts and was carried on the battlefield until after the American War of Independence. The number of fleurs-de-lis in each quarter varied in number, and in some cases, they were arranged on the white cross itself, with the blue field being empty of any "charges". When, in 1790, the tri-color French National Colors were created, it was reversed from what exist today but assumed its modern form four years later in 1794. Then in 1814 the old fleurs-de-lis pattern replaced the familiar tri-color pattern and remain prominent until 1830 when the red-white and blue tri-color flag once again became the French national flag and remains such to this day. 

Colonial America

If your "into" wargaming the American Revolution, there is some very interesting information concerning the flags carried by the Colonist (Patriots) during the War of Independence. Factually, the fledging country had no standard "Colors" of their own in 1775, and so a wide variety of flags were carried. Many were expressive in nature (Don't Tread on Me) while other were quite colorful. After the Declaration of Independence was signed on 4 July 1776, the young nations leaders realized that, in order to replace the wide assortment of flags used previously, America needed a specific type of flag of their own. On 14 June 1777, the Continental Congress adopted a "national" flag consisting of 13 alternating red and white stripes, with a union of 13 white stars on a medium blue field. Although the basic design remained constant throughout the war, the arrangement of the 13 stars is another subject. Legend has it that Betsy Ross, who made flags for the Philadelphia Navy Board, created the second flag pictured above. A petite women in a chair hand sewing a bunch of stars in a circle on a large flag may appear romantically ideal indeed, however, there is not a single shred of evidence to support the age old belief that Betsy Ross nimbly (and patriotically) stitched the first American flag at the request of George Washington. In actuality, the "star design" varied greatly throughout the war and the arrangement of the stars continued to change as more States were added to the Union. The third flag shown, known as the "Bennington flag" is alleged to have also been carried in the American Revolutionary War but the material was woven on a power loom which would place it at being made in the early 19th Century. There is no record of a flag of this design being used prior to around 1820's. The fourth flag shown did exist during the Revolutionary War and was carried by the Third Maryland Regiment at the Battle of Cowpens, SC on 17 January 1781. It is also interesting to note that although many Continental Regiments of the Line carried various versions of the "Stars and Stripes" during the American Revolution and later, authorization to do so was not officially granted until 1834 to artillery, infantry and cavalry units. That said, local militia units carried their own "Colors" well before the "shot heard around the world" herald in the American Revolutionary War in 1775. 

One such flag used in the Revolutionary War was the  Culpepper County Militia flag according to the diary of Philip Slaughter, one of the soldiers in the unit, during the summer of 1775. The next flag is known as the "Continential Colors" was a "defaced" version of the British Colors, wherein the red field was replaced by 13 red and white stripes. This design is said to have been made in 1775 in protests of the duties, taxes and stamps imposed by the British  Parliament upon the Colonies to help defray the monetary cost incurred as a result of the French and Indian War. It is believed that a number of militia units carried these Colors when hostilities with Great Britain began that same year. The next flag was carried at the battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, and Germantown by the First Troop of the  Philadelphia Light Horse. Next in line is the Colors of the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment followed by those of the Hanover Association of Volunteers, which was formed 4 June 1774, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They were charged " that in the event of Great Britain attempting to force unjust laws upon us by strength of arms, our cause we leave to Heaven and our rifles.". Herein, their motto, "Liberty or Death",  said it all.  

The passionate hope for independence from Great Britain inspired many flags amongst the Colonial militia, such as the red and blue stripped flag that was flown over the courthouse during the Battle of Guilford Courthouse on 15 March 1781. Next, the Bedford Flag is believed to be the oldest complete flag known to exist in the United States. It was made for a cavalry troop of the Massachusetts Bay militia early in the colonial struggle for the continent known as the French and Indian War and is documented as having been carried by John Page, when he was a Cornet with an early militia troop in 1720. It is also believed that Minuteman Nathaniel Page took it with him to the Battle at Concord that opened the American War of Independence. The next set of Colors pictured was carried by the Third New York Regiment in the defeat of General Burgoyne in upper New York State in 1777. Next in line is the flag of the First Rhode Island Regiment of the Continental Line and is known to have been carried by the regiment during several military actions. Last, but certainly not least, is the flag that the Minutemen are believed to have displayed during the bloody Battle of Bunker (Breed's) Hill on 17 June 1775. However, this claim was rejected in 1970 by the North American Vexillological Association on the grounds that the Americans at the battle were such a "rag-tag outfit" that they probably carried no flag at all. The only thing certain to this argument is the certainty it will never be truly resolved on way or the other.

Germany

In August 1775, the shortage of British troops (less than 33,000) in Colonial America forced King George to seek the help of "volunteers" from Brunswick and then Hesse-Cassel in 1776. Of all the troops sent from the various German princes, the Hessian units of Frederick II of Hesse-Cassel, were best trained and most disciplined. The Regimental Colors shown above (left to right) are those of Infanterie Regiment von Trumback, Infanterie von Mirbach, Infanterie Regiment von Ditfurth, Fusilier Regiment von Kyuphausen, Infanterie Regiment Leib and Infanterie Regiment von Prinz Carl. Of those regiments shown, only Infanterie Regiment von Trumback served in the Southern campaign, fighting at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, NC and at Green Springs, NC in 1781.