"Which Flag Should I Go With for My Continental Army Units?" Topic

I am getting to the point where I think I should start to think about what flag I should get each of my 4 Continental Army units. I should state that these units are intended to be all purpose as I don't really have the space, time, and money to create everything I would like. However, I also don't want the flags I pick to not match any regiment of the same coat/facing color. Well, with the exception of the one I give the Betsy Ross flag which I understand probably didn't actually exist.

Here are the coat/facing colors of the units I have:

Blue Coat/Red Facing
Blue Coat/White Facing
Brown Coat/Red Facing
Brown Coat/White Facing

Here are the flags (from the Warlord Games Black Powder Continental Starter Box) that I have:

Betsy Ross Flag
The Grand Union Flag
Washington's Headquarters Flag
Striped Canton on Buff Field
Striped Canton on Red Field
Striped Canton on Green Field
Striped Canton on Blue Field
Striped Canton on Light Blue Field

I am considering either the Betsy Ross for the Blue Coats/Red Facing because these are the most recognizable colors for the Americans and the Betsy Ross flag is the most recognizable flag (accurate or not). This will allow anyone with only a passing familiarity with the AWI to know who is who. Of course, this could apply to the other units as they aren't as well known uniform colors for the Continental Army.

I am also thinking maybe with going with the Striped Canton on Green Field with the Blue Coat/Red Facing as I think it close to a Maryland regiment I once saw. I sort of have a soft spot for Maryland as I spent some of my time in the military at Aberdeen Proving Grounds.

I also want to use the Grand Union Flag as it is more interesting that the Striped Canton on ______ Field flags. Maybe the Brown Coat with Red Facing unit as this was the alternate main uniform?

I would be thankful on any input I could get on this. Also, I know I am already asking a lot, but I have been considering painting the waist coats on my Brown Coat/White Facing something other than white as I read several regiments with Brown Coat/White Facing also had different colored waistcoats. I am thinking Buff for contrast, though, Brown or Light Brown seem to occur as well. I don't know if this was common enough to change up though.

Given the choices that you have laid out I would skip the Washington Headquarters, the Betsy Ross and the Grand Union and use the others. However have you considered other alternatives.

There are a number of flags on the web that you could use if you had a color printer and some basic software. Another option would be to replace the stripes in the flag with a canton of stars. Yet another would be to have no canton at all, but instead a scroll or a slogan. The final option would be to have units with no flags at all, as there are indications many did not carry them in the field.

As you probably guessed …… it's complicated.

As above, forget Betsy Ross. It was never carried by regiments in the field. Continental units did not carry any National Colors.

The Grand Union is appropriate for early war state units that wanted to state they were rebelling against the King's naughty evil advisors, but not the King!

Uniforms were rather ad hoc. Waistcoats were probably their own, and certainly not mandated. So vary colors if you want.

I'd agree with trying to download and print to widen your options. What Washington himself keeps trying for is something similar to the British system--a national symbol of some sort in the canton, and a field matching the facing color of the unit. Admittedly, he didn't always get it, but if you take a look at the well-known Rhode Island standard--white field with a Rhode Island anchor and 13 stars on a field of blue in the canton--you can see what he's aiming at. If you look at the known Continental flags, they mostly correspond to that pattern. It was always a little iffy, because facing colors changed with new uniform issues, and silk for new flags was harder come by.
If you're serious, I think the book is titled Flags and Standards of the American Revolution, and includes all the known survivals, though the Osprey Washington's Army volumes do a decent job on the Continentals.
I save the really exotic flags for the militia--usually Pine Tree types in New England, and Rattlesnake types in the South.

Ironically, the Grand Union was the naval flag of the East India Company – owners of the tea chucked into Boston, and other, harbours.

The OTHER problem with the Betsy Ross flag (other than its actual existence) is that the design – in a slightly different form – was devised by a committee of Congress tasked with coming up with a flag for American ships at sea. Other than white stars on a blue canton, there was no actual regulation about the flag – the stripes could be blue, as well as red and white. In this it was typical of "national" flags at the time – there were very few land-based uses for such flags, beyond showing ownership of forts.

The other flags (coloured fields with striped cantons) are most likely "grand division" flags; there were four per regiment – red, buff, blue and green, and they were carried in the centre of each pair of companies. This was a system proposed by Charles Lee – with a single regimental colour in the facing shade. It's not clear how widely it was adopted, but it certainly was in some cases.

As Winston says, Continental units did not carry national flags during the AWI. There was a plan to do so when the 1779 clothing regs came in, and large amounts of dark blue silk were purchased (the "regimental" colour was to be in the facing shade), but the committee set up to design a central motif could not agree before the war ended (a turkey and a beaver were later both considered before an eagle was finally chosen).

Sorry that this does not take you any further forward, but it does give you some rationale behind what was what, and why. Personally, I would go with a single, facing colour flag with no canton, "hanging" in such a way that you can't see any central emblem. This will give you a "universal" flag that can be used whichever unit your figures are representing.

To my mind, the Waxhaws flags prove that we know very little about what was actually carried in the field.
My own opinion is that every little militia unit or company had some sort of flag made up for themselves. Most likely homespun by a members wife. Every organization needs a symbol to rally around, so it just stands to reason.

What they looked like is another matter altogether.

I'll check the internet for some more options. I wouldn't mind having some flags with slogans on them like, "Don't Tread On Me" or some such. I was hoping to get away with using the flags that came with my figures as I am a lazy person that didn't want to add even more work on the 150+ figures I need to paint in colors more difficult to work with than the usual WWII ones I am used to. I am still dreading the shade/wash phase of them.

When printing, should I use a glossy paper (assuming it doesn't smug) for the flag like the ones I have? I haven't even attached flags to miniatures and don't know exactly what is involved.

Check the Internet for "Gostelowe standards". These are the most likely to have been assigned to Continental regiments.
"Tarleton captured flags" also.

Save for the Betsy Ross and HQ flag, my plan is to pick flags that I think look cool.

American flags is quite a conundrum, I'm facing this myself, Betsy Ross is definitely a NO GO. I need to get some off the 'net' and size them the same size as the crown forces colors in the liberty or death set I bought. Buuuuuuut, I'm thinking one standard per regiment for the Americans, not two.

I agree with Bill N.

I would use 4 of the 5 solid colour flags. This would avoid the flags you shouldn't use and at the same time give the look of the varied flags that were common among the American regiments. And you'd get to use the flags you already have.

Print on normal copy paper.

Cut out rectangle carefully.
The following steps are for a mirrored flag, with staff sleeve running down the middle.
Fold in half along where the staff would go.
Align along wire staff, while dry, to get best fit.
Crease along flagpole with fingernails and crimp slightly.

Now comes the gluing. I normally use 3 blister packs.
In one I put a little white glue. Like Elmer's.
In the second one I put water.
I turn the third upside down.

Wet a paint brush with water. Dip in the white glue. Swish around to get an approximately 1:1 mix.
Put flag face down on top of the third blister, or any smooth surface.
Paint glue on the back of the flag. Wrap flag around pole, squeezing creases and folds into it.
PUT IT DOWN AND WALK AWAY.
Trying to adjust it at this stage will just tear it.

Here is a helpful link to some flags on the League of Augsburg site:

link

And Quindia Studios

link

Dang. You guys got me to paint over my Betsy Ross flags and go for the Gostelowe look. My figures are Frying Pan & Blanket with draped metal flags.

Draped metal flags?
Aiiiieeeee!

@Winston Smith

Thanks for the flag tutorial. I haven't ever attached one and wasn't sure of the process.

@John the OFM

Ha,ha!

My flag bearers are plastic with super thin plastic flag poles that I am still shocked I haven't broken off yet. If I go with metal, the flag will weigh more than the rest of the model including the magnetic sheet I placed in the base. Heck, it would probably weigh more than the all four models I stick on the 40mmx40mm metal stand I group my troops in.

What can I say John, that's how the figures came. On the other hand, none have broken, ever.

Here's what the Brit flags look like:

You will notice assorted heresy, like Hessians standing in for British Legion foot, scruffy mounted rifles for Legion horse. AT least we got to play Cowpens.

Clash, you are talking to the same guy both times.

At least you aren't using Cowboys and Waffen SS.
For years I used the 64th foot (or was it the 63rd?) as the 2nd battalion of Guards.