WASHINGTON'S COMMANDER IN CHIEF FLAG

FLAG HISTORY:
Washington's Flag 1775: This was the personal flag of the Commander-In-Chief during the Revolutionary War. A reproduction of this flag flies today at Washington's Headquarters, Valley Forge.

Tradition tells us George Washington's Commander-in-Chief Flag was the personal standard of the Commander of the Continental Army everywhere he went. The presence of the flag meant George Washington was there. It saw every battle and location that the Commander-in-Chief did during the Revolutionary War. It is unique due to its 6-pointed stars and was allegedly designed by Washington himself. George Washington was chosen unanimously by Congress as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army on June 19, 1775. He assumed command of the Continental Army on July 3, 1775 at Cambridge, Massachusetts as the Army was surrounding the British Army in Boston. As Commander-in-Chief, George Washington followed typical European tradition by having a flag designed for himself as leader of the army. In those days, monarchs, generals and other leading officials often had their own personal standards. The flag would have been located anywhere General Washington was present, whether on the battlefield, at headquarters or on the march. It is sometimes referred to as the Washington's Headquarters Flag.

Legend says that George Washington designed the standard himself. It features a blue field with 13 6-pointed stars. The stars are not in the typical fashion, but instead consist of three narrow lines crossing one another with the lines tapering off at the ends. The points on the stars are also not all pointing in the same direction. Some of them are pointing in random directions. These differences in the stars are the only inconsistencies between the flags often sold as Washington's Commander-in-Chief Flags today and the original.

The original Washington's Commander-in-Chief Flag is in the possession of the American Revolution Center in Philadelphia. It was donated to the Center's predecessor, the Valley Forge Historical Society, in the early 20th century, by Francis B. Lovell, a descendant of George Washington's sister, Betty Washington Lewis. The flag was allegedly passed down from generation to generation in their family.

The original flag is made of light blue silk and measures 27 7/8" high by 36 1/8" wide. With these measurements, the flag is more square shaped than it is rectangular.