| Show o r 3 rs t 4 A al s fy i ei e i a. a r a y x a k Making Flags for United States Army Prepared by National 1 Geographic Society 3 Washington D D. C W C-W C. U LAGS refuse the military command command com com- F FLAGS mand maud As As you jou OU were I Since the World war more moie changes changeR have ha been made in the flags of civilisation cI than In any other period of or like hike duration Such ancient countries as ns Af AfghanIstan Afghanistan Afghan Afghan- han and China have adopted new nn Hags s while recent-born recent has advanced a n claim to a place In Inthe Inthe inthe the family of or nations and established lashed a n flag In accordance with that claim Even en In such settled governments go ns as those of the United States tes and the British empire there have ha been many changes In the fla flags s secondary to Old Glory in the one and to the Union flag In the other Practically all nU of the United States military Oa flags s that shared the battlefields with the national standard standard stand stand- ard ord whether c colors lors of Infantry re regiments regiments reg reg- standards of mounted troops or the command flags of ranking officers officers of of- have hae Joined the ranks of the obsolete The War department wishing to have hae its whole series of fla flags s designed ned In harmony and In keeping keepin with the finest Onest standards of heraldry has almost entirely remade remade remade re re- re- re made that part of the army regulations regulations regulations regula regula- prescribing the designs and colors of the army's s flags flans State Flags Changed Fourteen states of the Union have hae chan changed cd their flags entirely by Je legislative action in eighteen other states the vagaries s of ot embroidering designs upon flags have hare left their Imprint In such a way as to create change by usage In the British empire the Union of ot South Africa AfrIco and the Irish Free FreeState FreeState FreeState State have created their own national nation nation- al 01 fla flags s while In all of the mandated territories of ut some of ot the old possessions possessions possessions pos pos- sessions such as Nova Scotia new newba ba badges es have haye been approved These badges are worn at the Intersection of ot the crosses on the Union fla flag and andIn andIn andIn In circles In the fly Oy of the blue ensign ensign en en- sI sign n and antl the red ensign The Oa flags s and pennants of ot the International International In In- code also were redesigned redesigned rede rede- signed and the changes chanes put into effect effect ef ef- feet on January 1 1934 t This group roup of flags s and pennants was developed to enable all nU nations to communicate communicate cate with one nc another on the thc high seas As used for many years some of the letters of the alphabet were represented by pennants and anel others b by square flags while all aU numbers were e expressed pressed by pennants In order order order or or- der to overcome possible confusion the newly revised code makes nil all flags representing letters of the alphabet al al- al oblong and all aU numerals pen pen- nant It has been said sallI that flags were when Jehovah Jehovah Je Je- divinely ordained that hovah made his covenant co with mankind mankind man man- kind that nil all flesh should never again be destroyed by a flood he sealed the pledge hy by unfurling across the th heavens the great bannet hannel ban ban- net nei of the ages the ages the rainbow Itself From that time forward men In turn have lifted up standards emblems em em- and colors around which the have kindled their fires of patriotism patriotism patri patri- developed their sense of loy loy- loyalty alty to one another and bound themselves together with ties of na nn- Explorers have discovered ered on the thc monuments and In the tombs of ot ancient ancient an nn clent E Egypt carvings and paintings depicting troops In formation with their standards uplifted and their banners streaming In Ancient Times The early Greeks had a piece of ot armor on a spear the Athenians used the e olive and the owl as their emblem and the lifted aloft a sphinx The efforts of ot the people of America Amer ica to e express their sentiments In flags constitute one of the romances of our history As the rising tide of resentment against British rule swept the colonies colonies col col- onies onles the faith of the people and their attitudes burgeoned forth on their flags New Ne England's protest was against the me Illegal al acts nets of the British ministry It believed cd those I acts would be repudiated by the king when he be realized the Injustice I being done to his subjects In the colonies Therefore Massachusetts l petitioned the king to restore her herrl I rl rights opening her statement of grievances with the phrase AppealIng Appeal Ing to Heaven for the justice of ou our Cause The Tiie expression cau caught ht the Imagination of or the people the pInetree pine pinetree pinetree tree b became their symbol and An Appeal to Heaven their motto I born George Georgc Washington complimented the New En England spirit by suggesting the tree pine-tree flag and Its motto for his cruisers The southern colonies were in a n mood of defiance rather than of ot appeal appeal ap ap- ap peal to God and Justice and the rattlesnake became the expression of their attitude toward the home borne government Dont Tread on Me Ie was the warning command on most of or the thc rattlesnake flags But as war stepped In and drove droye peace awn away most of ot the leaders hoped to be able to show the king that theirs was not a n war on him but a war only against what they considered the unlawful acts of the ministry General Washington himself was careful to emphasize In nil all his early utterances as commander In chief that It was a n war against the ministry and not against the sov sov- erel n. n Deep concern therefore was felt that a n flag could be made that would proclaim at nt once loyalty to the crown and resentment against the tho ministry When General Washington took command of the Continental army at Cambridge he found that the divided loyalties of many flags made It essential to a hope of victory that the colonial units under him should be lie forged Into one organization tion with a united outlook and continental continental con con- loyalty His orders reports reports re re- ports and letters from that time Um forward contained many references to the difficulties encountered In building up an army that would acknowledge a single flag and In combating the and rivalries rival rival- rIes rles In his existing force He reported report report- ed to the Continental congress that he found a n widespread unwillingness unwilling unwilling- ness of officers of one colony to serve serre with troops of another Washington Anxious General Washington looked forward forward for for- fir ward with eagerness to the first day of January 1776 for It was on that day that his old array army with all aU of or Its conflicts was to pass out of ot existence exist existence ence and the new one which he ha hoped would be free of the weaknesses weaknesses weak weal nesses of Its predecessor was to come Into beIn being But the last Jast month preceding the transformation was one of or utter anxiety for the commander commander In chief On November 28 23 1775 he wrote his military secretary that he should not be at nt nil all surprised at nt any disaster disaster dis drs aster that may happen and added Could I have hae forseen what I have and am nm likely to experience no consideration con con- upon earth should have Induced me to accept this command A regiment or any subordinate depart department department de de- part nt would have hae b been en accompanied accompanied with ten times the satisfaction satisfaction tion and perhaps the honor However there was much hard work worl Included In this period of or anxiety Among the things to be bedone bedone bedone done was to provide a n Oa flag which should at once be expressive of the union of the thirteen colonies In a single purpose and of the hope of ot those colonies that reconciliation still remained possible The Grand Union flag la with Its old British Jack JackIn In the canton and Its thirteen red anti and white stripes for its fl fly was the outcome of ot the efforts made to find such a n banner Historians have searched In vain for the slightest Inkling of ot its designer designer designer de de- de- de signer or the authority under which It was established Some have hae represented represented represented rep rep- resented that a n con congress ess committee which visited Boston considered and authorized It but a thorough search of the UlC reports of this committee committee com com- and the correspondence of those who constituted d It falls to reveal re- re reveal veal any action or consideration by this committee Our first view of this fin flag was when it was hoisted above the Alfred Alfred Al Al- fred the fla flagship of the Congress navy lying In the Delaware river on December 3 1775 1773 We get the fact tact of this significant event from no less nn on authority than John Paul Jones himself He lie e ewas was at that time the senior lieutenant lieutenant lieuten lieuten- ant nt of ot the American navy and was attached to the Alfred the flagship of the fleet his position corresponding correspond correspond- In lag ing to that of executIve officer In Inthe Inthe inthe the navy today In a J letter to Robert nobert Rob nobI Robert I ert Morris Jones declared It was wa I Imy my fortune une as ns the senior of the Lieutenants to hoist myself the tho Fla Flag of America the first time it was displayed ed Though this was but hut a slI slight blight ht Circumstance yet jet I feel for Its Honor more than I think I should have ha done dOlo if It It had not h J Im I'm M n I II I |
