Breaking Down the Key Parts of Revolutionary War Flags

Flags played key roles on the battlefield and the parade ground as tools of motivation and identification for armies of the Revolutionary War.

The use of colors (or colours), a historic term for the banners and flags of various sizes carried by military units, traces back to the Middle Ages in Europe when knights displayed their distinctive symbols and colors on their shields to identify one another on the battlefield. Even earlier, Romans and Greeks, and other ancient civilizations, carried banners with symbols of their leaders into battle.

By the time of the Revolutionary War, the European tradition of military flag use had evolved into regiments carrying their own distinctive colors that referenced their motivations for fighting and who they fought for. British, French, and other European powers had various military flag systems, which the American Revolutionaries adopted elements of and made their own.

The flags of the Continental Army and American militia most closely resembled British regimental flags in their format. They often featured a design in their canton (upper corner) and designs, a motto, or a unit designation at the center. Americans employed stars, stripes, and other symbols to represent the unity of the 13 states. Mottos in Latin or English referenced their justification and determination to fight to create an independent nation. Early in the war, some American flags included the British union (a combination of crosses representing England and Scotland) to show the lasting connection between Britain and America.

Key Terms

Colors
A historical term for military flags and banners of various sizes and purposes.

Regimental Colors
Flags carried at the center of an infantry regiment, marking and representing the unit on the battlefield. The Continental Army’s regiments carried one or two depending on the time and place.

Grand Division Colors
Flags marking the sections of an infantry regiment. In the Continental Army, regiments often carried two or four.

Standard
A smaller flag on a long pole, often meant for use on horseback

Banners of Liberty: An Exhibition of Original Revolutionary War Flags, open from April 19 through August 10, 2025, will bring together 17 original flags from the Revolutionary era – the largest gathering of such flags since the close of the eight-year conflict in 1783.