Posted on 11/19/2018 4:46:00 AM PST by w1n1
A look back at the history of some of our Red, White and Blue banners.
I don't know if you can be a patriot and not get choked up a bit when you see Old Glory flying in the breeze.
My thoughts go first to the sacrifices of our military forces, because without them, we could not protect and preserve our unique way of life from outside aggression.
The design of our flag represents I our republic. The 13 stripes remind us of our nations birth, with the brave rebellion of the original 13 colonies from Great Britain.
Here are a few our great nation's most famous flags.
THE GADSDEN FLAG
Before the familiar stars and stripes became official, our military forces went into battle under many unique flags. Perhaps the most famous of them is the one presented by Continental Colonel Christopher Gadsden to the fledging U.S. Navys commander-in-chief in December of 1775.
It was intended as a personal standard to be flown on the flagship. The coiled rattlesnake was by then a familiar element in the imagery of the American Revolution.
Stars and Stripes/Betsy Ross Flag
The first official flag of the U.S. may or may not have been made by widowed Philadelphia upholster Betsy Ross.
The legend emerged around 1876 during the nation's centennial, and was based on family oral history rather than hard facts.
Betsy Ross did make flags for the new nation, as did many other upholsterers, tailors and seamstresses. She is known to have changed the design of the stars from six points to the more practical, five-pointed stars which are much easier to sew.
Whether she and Colonel George Washington ever knew each other, much less collaborated on the first flag's design has never been documented.
Custer's Last Flag
During the Battle of Little Big Horn in the southeastern Montana Territory, on June 25, 1876, a 263-man force from the 7th Cavalry Regiment, led by Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer, attacked a group of Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indians. When Custer learned the Indians had discovered his force, he feared they would disperse and escape, so he ordered an immediate attack.
He grossly underestimated the size of the Indian force, which outnumbered him four to one. The Indians had many repeating rifles, while the cavalrymen had only the standard single-shot 1873 Springfield Carbine. The result was an epic defeat....Read the rest of this famous flag.
The earliest dated artifacts to show the American flag were a pair a engraved belt tips found in excavations at the Artllery Park of the Continental Army at Pluckemin, New Jersey. Troops were stationed at this site during the winter of 1778-79. The orientation of stars on the field was five over three over five. That is the flag style that the engraver probably actually saw.
Wow. Great histories of some unique artifacts.
Virginia now offers license plates based on the Gasden flag. Yellow and blue with the uncoiling snake in the center, they are very attractive. Whenever I register a new car or motorcycle, I always ask them at the DMV for the snake plate.
“5 Famous Flags”
I hope these famous flags will not be banned from classrooms, history books, and public display.
So much of our history has been erased.
Come and take it...... Should be included
Great stuff.
I have a 48 star American flag
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