Treaty of Greenville

This wool flag of 15 alternating blue, white, and red stripes is not from the years of the Revolutionary War, but it is similar to those used by Revolutionary forces during the war.

At forts and on ships, the American Revolutionaries often hoisted wool, 13-stripe flags to identify themselves. The stripes, without stars, represented the United States. Loosely woven wool bunting (utilized to create this particular flag) could stand up to prolonged use in wet or windy conditions much better than the silk used for the flags carried by infantry and cavalry units of the period. At Fort Mifflin, which defended the southern approach to Philadelphia on the Delaware River, the Revolutionaries hoisted a large red, white, and blue striped flag. The Continental Navy and the Pennsylvania Navy also used similarly striped wool flags.

With 15 stripes, this flag dates to the 1790s when the United States had 15 states following the admissions of Vermont (1791) and Kentucky (1792). It is an artifact of the continued tension between the United States and American Indians in the Revolutionary War’s wake. The Northwestern Confederacy, comprising Native American nations across the Great Lakes, fought hard to stop expansion by the United States onto their lands. Following initial victories, the Northwestern Confederacy met defeat by General Anthony Wayne and the United States Army in 1794. The defeat forced the Northwestern Confederacy to sign the Treaty of Greenville, which ceded land that would become the future states surrounding the Great Lakes, including Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan.

She-Moc-E-Nish, a Miami chief, signed the treaty as a representative of his people. As part of the ceremonies, General Wayne gave this flag to the chief as a token of peace. A strip of cloth bearing Wayne’s name was later added to the flag. She-Moc-E-Nish’s descendants donated the flag to the State of Indiana in 1931.