• 3x5ft All-Weather Printed Nylon Flag: MADE IN USA.
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.