UNITED STATES ARMY FLAGS AND STANDARDS, 1784-1808

United States Army Colors and Standards, 1784-1808
by Detmar H. Finke

From: Military Collector & Historian
Fall, 1963
Courtesy of Michael J. McAfee, West Point Museum, West Point, NY

Information on the flags carried by units of the United States Army between 1784 and 1808 is scarce and widely scattered. This article will present what is known to the author about these flags at the present time. It is hoped that other members may be able to fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge of the flags carried by units of the United States Army between 1784 and 1808 as indicated below.

Three types of flags were used by the United States Army between 1784 and 1808: the flag of the United States- the Stars and Stripes; camp colors; and regimental standards and colors. The flag of the United States, the Stars and Stripes, was used as a garrison or fortress flag to identify Army posts, forts, or other establishments garrisoned by regular United States troops. Camp colors were small flags used to regulate field encampments, and the regimental standards and colors were flags carried by infantry regiments when on parade or in the field. It is with this last type of flag, the regimental standards and colors, that this article will be primarily concerned. Theory regarding the use of regimental standards and colors was well developed in the Continental Army by the end of the Revolutionary War, but, seldom carried out in practice. The Commander-in-Chief of the Army, General George Washington, as early as February 1776, required that every regiment should be supplied with two flags- a regimental standard or color and a "Grand Division" color, both to be small and light, and to bear if possible, "some kind of similitude to the uniform of the regiment to which they belong."

Three years later the concept of two colors for a battalion or regiment was restated by Steuben's regulations and further clarified by Washington and the Board of War. The two colors were now referred to as Standards of the United States" which was to be the same throughout the Army, and the "Regimental Colour" which was to be the same color as the facings of the regiment. From the estimates of articles ordered to be imported from France in June 1779, it would appear that the ground of the "Standard of the United States" was to be deep blue and that of the "Regimental Colours," crimson, deep blue, white, or buff according to the regimental facings. While National standards and regimental or battalion colors were supplied to Continental units at various times during the war, it was not until July 1782 that the Commissary General of Military Stores, Samuel Hodgdon, in Philadelphia, submitted an estimate for 100 silk standards. Each standard was to contain 4 1/2 yards of silk to carry the name of the state and the regimental number in gold leaf in a garter of blue, each standard to be supplied with two silk tassels and to have the ends of the staff mounted in brass. But, even this late requisition was cut in half, and Hodgdon was only authorized to supply 50 standards.

It is indeed doubtful whether the above requisition was ever completed, for in September 1782 when colors were needed those distributed by the Marquis de Lafayette to the Light Infantry earlier in the war were called in and given to Colonel Webb's and Jackson's Regiments. Whether these standards to be supplied by Hodgdon in July 1782 were a modified version of the national standard or regimental colors is not ascertainable. The first known color carried by a regular army unit after the revolutionary War was of silk and referred to as a "standard." This flag and four small camp colors were made in Philadelphia in October 1784 for the First United States Regiment commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Josiah Harmar. The ground of the "standard" was sewn by Rebecca Young and the devices on both the "standard" and the four camp colors were painted by John Henderson. Neither the color of the ground, or the form of the devices on the "standard" and the four camp colors are known.

The "standard" was carried on General Harmar's futile expedition in the fall of 1790. Nothing is known of its whereabouts thereafter. It is possible that General Harmar, following the custom of many eighteenth century commanding officers took the "standard" with him, when he resigned from the Army in the fall of 1791. After Harmar's inconclusive campaign, plans were soon made for more effective action against the threatening Indian menace. The Army was enlarged, a second regular infantry regiment and two regiments of levies were ordered to be raised, and a new Commander-in-Chief, Major General Arthur St. Clair, was appointed. New colors were supplied by the Secretary of War, Henry Knox, in June and July of 1791 in Philadelphia for the regular regiments and also, at the request of Brigadier General Richard Butler, for the two regiments of levies. The four silk standards and their linen cases were sewn by Nancy Nash; the poles were made by Henry P. Pearson, and their mountings, metal butts, and points, by John Wucherer. The firm of Wood and Thornely provided the silk tassels, and a Mr. Wright painted the devices of the standards and also gave a coat of paint to the standard poles.

The supply arrangement for General St. Clair's campaign made by the Quartermaster General Samuel Hodgdon was very slow, so slow that the new standards for the First and Second Regiments and the First and Second Regiments of Levies did not reach Fort Washington until after the Army had marched out in the fall of 1791. In view of what happened to the army under St. Clair's command, one can only conclude that Hodgdon's tardiness was a blessing in disguise. The reaction to the complete and disastrous defeat of the Army under General St. Clair was immediate. Again the Army was enlarged, but this time the organization of the Army was left to the direction of General Washington and his military advisors. A new Commander-in-Chief was appointed, Major General Anthony Wayne. In this new Commander-in-Chief, the country had found the man who was to lead the Army to a victory as resounding as its former defeats had been disastrous. The Army was now reorganized. It was named the "Legion of the United States" and divided into a headquarters and four Sub-Legions, each composed of Infantry, artillery, riflemen, and cavalry.

General Wayne was a military disciplinarian who, as other foremost military leaders of the time, fully understood the importance of military pomp and trappings as a morale builder. Shortly after he had organized the Legion in the fall of 1792, he designated distinctive colored insignia for each Sub-Legion and informed Secretary Knox that standards, battalion and camp colors were urgently needed for the "parades and reviewing."

But, Secretary Knox, well aware of the precarious state of the infant country's finances, referred General Wayne to the four silk regimental standards made in 1791 and lying packed up at Fort Washington. One of these flags is yet in existence and is at West Point Military Museum. This flag which actually dates to 1791 is marked 1794 in the display case. (Patrick Riley, editor's note). He felt that with some changes in the coloring in order to fit the distinctive colored insignia of the four sub-legions, the former regimental standards would answer perfectly as sub-legionary standards. Knox also promised to provide battalion and camp colors. As a standard for the Legion of the United States as a whole the Secretary suggested the statue of a bald eagle of silver as large as life, an idea of which nothing more was heard.

While General Wayne could wait for his sub-legionary standards and battalion colors until the slow Army supply system could function, the need for camp colors was immediate. General Wayne, therefore on 23 September 1792 (Fort Fayette, Pittsburgh), ordered his Quartermaster General to furnish sixteen camp colors, each two feet square with poles eight feet long of the following colors: four white, four red, four yellow, and four green, marked respectively in paint on each side, 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th S.L.U.S. (Sub-Legion United States). Editors Note: Please view Favorite Photos to see reproductions of these standards. Each Sub-Legion had four colors to designate the units in camp. The artillery, infantry, cavalry and rifle-corps each had flags for a total of sixteen.

General Wayne reminded Secretary Knox of his promise to furnish "a Legionary Standard and Sub-Legionary and Battalion Colors" in March 1793; but, the Secretary of War could only again refer the General to the four 1791 colors in storage at Fort Washington. Knox did include a request for funds for 12 battalion colors in his estimate for Army funds for 1793, but this seems to have been the extent of his effort. General Wayne now accepted the fact that no new colors would be provided. He ordered his Quartermaster General to change the designation on the four 1791 "Division Standards" from First and Second Regiments, and First and Second Levies to "1st Sub-Legion, 2d Sub-Legion, 3d Sub-Legion and 4th Sub-Legion" and to procure proper decorations, i.e. cords and tassels, and cases for each standard.

New colors were provided in June 1795 and presented to the sub-legions in February 1796. The four regiments organized from the sub-legions in 1796 continued to use these colors; the First and Second Regiments until shortly before they were disbanded in 1802. The ground of the color was white for the First, red for the Second, yellow for the Third, and green for the Fourth Sub-Legion. Their dimensions were four and a half feet hoist by six feet fly and the device consisted of the arms of the United States with the letters US and under them the number of the sub-legion. The staffs were of wood six to eight feet long, "their ends fixed with brass, and steel covered with leather." Each color also had a linen case capped with leather.

No colors were supplied by the War Department to the additional regiments raised in 1798, although some colors were manufactured. Inspector General Alexander Hamilton requested Samuel Hodgdon, now the Superintendent of Military Stores, in late September 1799 to furnish each regiment with a pair of colors, i.e., a regimental or national standard and a battalion color. Hodgdon at first recommended "an Eagle crest mounted on a scroll containing the number of the regiment" as a device, which would have resembled somewhat the one then in use.

Later, Hodgdon suggested a change in the design which would place the number of the regiment "at the head of the staff" where the numerical designation would always be visible when the flag was unfurled. He also proposed that the ground of the battalion colors should be the same as heretofore for the first four regiments; that of the Fifth Regiment to be deep blue, that of the Sixth full crimson, that of the Seventh straw colored, and that of the Eighth Saxon-blue or apple-green. The battalion colors of the Ninth to Sixteenth Regiments would then repeat the color scheme of the first eight regiments with only a difference in the numerical designation. This scheme does not seem to have gone into effect.

Hodgdon had four battalion colors and four regimental standards completed with tassels and cases shortly after the end of the 1798-1799 emergency. The color of at least three of the regimental standards was mazarine-blue, and the dimensions were the same as those of the 1796 colors. Shortly after the regimental standards and battalion colors were completed, Hodgdon at the order of the Secretary of War was instructed to send them to General James Wilkinson at Washington. The standards and colors with their respective "spears" or staffs, and tassels were shipped to General Wilkinson in April 1801.

Information is only available on what happened to three of the four sets of colors manufactured in 1799, those of the First, Second, and Third Regiments. The colors of the First Regiment were received by that regiment in October 1806 and carried until sometime after 1812. The colors of the Second Regiment were carried until a new pair of colors was issued in 1808. Those of the Fourth Regiment, after that regiment had been disbanded in 1802, were given by General Wilkinson to Governor William C.C. Claiborne, in turn presented one of the colors to the Battalion of Orleans Volunteers and the other to the Regiment of Orleans City Militia on 30 April 1804, the anniversary of the day that the Louisiana Treaty had been signed.

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