I recently featured the 2nd
Pennsylvania Regiment on my blog (to see it, go to http://www.defendingthelegacy.blogspot.com/2015/10/2nd-pennsylvania-regiment-by-armies-in.html). This
unit is one of the few Continental units where the regimental flag is known and linked to that unit. How?
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| Colonel Stewart's portrait |
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| Detail from the portrait |
In the background details
of Charles Willson Peale’s portrait of Colonel Walter Stewart of the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment, the regimental camp can be seen. (1) Flying in
front of a large tent (possibly the colonel’s) is a large flag. Due to its size and placement in camp, it is
the regimental flag rather than a camp flag.
Camp flags “marked the area when in camp. They were 18in (45cm) square, with poles
either 7ft (2.1m) or 9 ft (2.7m) high.” (2)
In this close-up from the
recreated 2nd Pennsylvania’s website (3), the flag can be seen with
a white ground, a yellowish snake, and a blue scroll below the snake. This is my recreation of the 2nd
Pennsylvania’s flag. Unfortunately, the
picture is much too small to make out any lettering in the blue scroll. I put “Do Not Tread on Me” because that was a
common motto on American flags. However,
the scroll could also contain the unit’s name: “2nd Pennsylvania
Regiment.”
If you would like to use this flag for your wargame armies, that is great, but please make sure to credit Defending the Legacy (a link back to this post would be appreciated!)
(2) pg. 146, An Illustrated Encyclopedia of
Uniforms from 1775-1783 The American Revolutionary War by Digby Smith and Kevin
F. Kiley (Lorenz: London, 2010)
Dear Sir
ReplyDeleteI am a collector of American Revolutionary 3'x 5'flags In fact I maybe the world recorded holder with 46 Flags flying. Is the 2nd Penn regimental flag available in that size to your knowledge?
I'd pay what ever price needed as I don't have it in my collection!
Sincerely
Ken Molzahn
molzahngb@gmail.com
Hello Ken Molzan!
ReplyDeleteThank you for contacting me! It is always nice to meet a fellow enthusiast for American Revolution flags. I wish I could help you with obtaining a physical flag for your collection, but my expertise is limited to flag illustrations.
However, there is a reenactment unit recreating the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment, and they have reconstructed a full-scale regimental flag exactly like my illustration. They can be contacted through http://www.243regiment.com/contactpage.html.
I hope that this helps you!
All the best,
Jordan