"AWI American state flags" Topic

I have finished 5 AWI American brigades and 1 militia brigade. I should have a 6th brigade done shortly.

However I only have generic flags available at the moment. I am hoping to find some reasonably accurate state flags if possible.

Here are the brigades and regiments needing flags.

1. Ogden's New Jersey brigade with the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th New Jersey regiments.
2. Varnum's Brigade with the 4th and 8th Connecticut regiments and 1st and 2nd RI regiments
3. William's 2nd Maryland Brigade with the 2nd,4th and 6th Maryland regiments
4. Poor's New Hampshire Brigade with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd New Hampshire regiments plus the 2nd and 4th New York
5. Magaw's 3rd Pennsylvania Brigade with the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th Pennsylvania regiments plus Malcolms and Spencer's regiments
6. Irvine's 1st Pennsylvania Brigade with the 1st, 2nd, 7th and 10th Pennsylvania Regiments

So I need state flags for New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York and Pennsylvania.

I have found a few googling but not to specific regiments. Is there any good source for locating AWI state flags?

Try the Internet; plenty of information there.

The only hardcover book ever written on the subject is Edward W. Richardson's Standards and Colors of the American Revolution. It is in a lot of big libraries, especially university libraries.

there really weren't any State flags back then per se.The 3rd NY regiment had what was to become the modern NY State flag.
When State flags started being used, is anyones guess.
I will second Dans recommendation on the Richardson book. It is THE book as fas as AWI flags are concerned. That being said,there really isn't a whole lot of info regarding individual colonies units,and what they may have carried. A lot of Continental units carried generic flags with patriotic mottos on them,or just plain flags with the regiments name on it.
Even the American flag,or the so called "Betsy Ross flag was NEVER carried in the field. That was more of an installation flag,and even then,just barely. National colors really weren't carried until the Mexican War in 1846.BUT, wargamers tend to ignore that fact and use it anyway,but don't get me started on that!
I've mostly been painting up 28mm British,but I will soon tackle the Americans. I plan on,and in the past have used what are called the Gostleowe Colors. A set of colors reported to have been issued sometime around 1777/78 and recorded by a PA man. These colors aren't state specific,although some contain certain mottos or symbols of certain States,so it is assumed by some, that they MAY have been carried by regiments by those States.
They were said to have been issued 2 or 3 to a regiment.The main flag,and 1 or 2 "grand Division" colors.
All flags were only in 4 colors: Green,Red,yellow and blue.

GMB, and Flags for the Lads make these colors BTW.
And PLEASE don't use that blasted Betsy Ross flag! LOL! :-)

I hope this helps.

Bob C.
Flag Nazi

3rd Maryland?

You can check out
flagspot.net/flags/us^rv.html
or
link

3rd Maryland?

You can check out
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That flag is purely speculative,as are so many Continental and Loyalist.
Loyalist colors are even harder to pin down cuz one,there aren't any infantry flags existing,and very few written descriptions of said flags.

Bob

This website has some very nicely done AWI flags. They seem to be having some trouble this morning, but will hopefully get it straigtened out soon. The US section of AWI was working when I tried just now.

If the link doesn't take you straight to the downloads go to the Downloads page.

krigsspil.dk.

Sorry, Dn Jackson, but some of those flags are just plain wrong.
The Butler's Rangers flag is the one I always go to to see if they have corrected things. They have not.
All one need do is Google "Butler's Rangers Flag" and you find a genuine surviving flag that looks nothing like their example.
When they can't even get it right for an existing flag, what hope is there for the more "speculative" ones?

In any event, they are all blatant copies and ripoffs of the old Warflag site.

I got a bunch of the Gostleowe Colors from the Flag Dude and use them when I don't know what else to use. They ARE probably historically accurate, we're just not sure who carried what. And they look great on the table.

It sounds as if I want flags at all for the Americans, I am going to have to accept some speculation, probably quite a bit of speculation. But as a flag commie, I won't have any problems.

John,

Where did the original (wrong) version of the Ranger's flag come from then? Was it just a guess based on their uniform facings, and what inspired someone to add the scrolls? It looks more like a reported sighting to me.

The new one, is there any evidence other than a couple lines in a document that it was actually designed that way (in a period that often didn't follow the 'official' warrants)?

Where did the original (wrong) version of the Ranger's flag come from then? Was it just a guess based on their uniform facings, and what inspired someone to add the scrolls? It looks more like a reported sighting to me.
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For one,Butlers did not have red facings. Current research has found they were issued green coats with WHITE facings and round hats. NOT those silly brass fronted things that Mollo showed,or those silly green and blue hunting shirts. Never existed!
Also,I never liked Warflag, or some of the other free sites. Most of theirs were based on speculation and just downright guess. Such is the flag for the Roman Catholic Volunteers. There is NO evidence they even had a flag,or flags,but there one was!

Bob

The original, based on guesswork, appeared in a beautiful slim coffee table book that Kurt Johnson put out in 1975. It had about 12 AWI battles, done with Peter Gilder painted Hinchliffe figures, with hand painted flags. It's an inspirational book. It is the GW and Flames of War book for AWI fanatics. *grin

I have read that the brass hats came in in 1783, well after any fighting had ended.
Then, the unit went to Canada, where a proud regiment traces their lineage from them.

he original, based on guesswork, appeared in a beautiful slim coffee table book that Kurt Johnson put out in 1975. It had about 12 AWI battles, done with Peter Gilder painted Hinchliffe figures, with hand painted flags. It's an inspirational book. It is the GW and Flames of War book for AWI fanatics. *grin

I have read that the brass hats came in in 1783, well after any fighting had ended.
Then, the unit went to Canada, where a proud regiment traces their lineage from them.
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I have that wonderful book! Battles of the American Revolution! Awesome book! Uses Hinchcliffe figures for all the major battles.Has a spread of all the command stands and a description of the flags carried by each. Theres even one for Sherburnes additional.Where they got that who knows! Great book,I still have it and look at it now and then!
I got it at the old Soldier Shop that used to be on Madison Ave. in NYC back during the Bicentennial. I still see the book on ebay now and again.Well worth the pickup for the eye candy.

Bob

Good god, I remember that book from high school. We had one in the library.

And here it is!

auction

There are some shots from Johnson, and some of the figures featured here:
link

Mr. Owl, that's a fine site, and some great work with Hinchliffe.

And another:
auction

I actually still have some of those Hinchliffe figures floating around somewhere that my Dad bought me about 30 years ago. Not my favorite figures,but very nostalgic!

Bob

There is great doubt that British regiments actually carried their colors in the field all the time. Perhaps the same was true of the Americans as well.

It also could be that such colors were left up to the colonel of the regiment being raised too. I know not what you wanted to hear. :-(

There is great doubt that British regiments actually carried their colors in the field all the time. Perhaps the same was true of the Americans as well.

It also could be that such colors were left up to the colonel of the regiment being raised too. I know not what you wanted to hear. :-(
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We know for sure the combined Guards Bn's left them at home. Hence,I do not have colors for my 2 units. I also left colors off of one of my Southern units,the 17th Ft. As they lost theirs at Stony Point in 1779.

Bob

Didn't the 17th lose their colours twice? Or was it another unit. What state they were in remains debatable (cased, in baggage, unfurled on the field).

Didn't the 17th lose their colours twice? Or was it another unit. What state they were in remains debatable (cased, in baggage, unfurled on the field).
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Well,they were at Princeton,Stony Point,and Yorktown. They lost them at Stony Point,so, unless they got a new stand of colors,they didn't have any at Yorktown,which is how I'm portraying them.

Bob

I want to say then lost them again at Yorktown too. Princeton was 1777, so I suspect the colonel sent over a new set in the intervening four years. Does not mean they actually carried them in the field.

I have a book about the storming of Stony Point,and if I remember correctly, it says a stand of colors was taken.

Bob

When State flags started being used, is anyones guess.
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Hope this helps:

PDF link

In reference to colours of British Regiments, the British Legion Infantry did not have colours as Tarleton turned an offer for them down on their behalf. For the Legion cavalry there is a picture of Tarleton in front of a flag but it is not though that this was taken onto the field.