They came from all over: Sudbury and Framingham, Billerica and Chelmsford. Farmers, shopkeepers, even ministers. Some had muskets. Some had knives. Some carried no weapons at all.
This time the British had gone too far. Seven hundred redcoats were advancing on the town of Concord, determined to destroy a cache of colonial military supplies. The colonies’ disparate town militia — the Minutemen — were resolved to turn them back. The American Revolution had begun.
"Each company that marched there would have needed a flag to represent itself for all the different troops to gather under, and when it came time for large movements on a battle field, the flag would have been used in that capacity," said Peter Costanzo, director of the rare books and autographs department for auctioneer Doyle New York. These flags, known as grand regimental flags, were each different. In 1775, there was no American flag. America was not yet a nation.
"Most of the flags you see from all various colonies typically leaned on regional symbols," Costanzo said. "And in New England, you often see pine trees, or the beaver is used quite often."
But that wasn’t the case for the Minutemen from Manchester, Massachusetts, led by Samuel Forster. Their flag was different: A large crimson square, it once held a British Union Jack or a British symbol of some other kind in the upper-left corner. But earlier that year, changes had been hastily made to strip the flag of its British association and replace it with a new symbol of unity.
"That area of the flag has been altered, putting up 13 white stripes to represent the American colonies," Costanzo said. "It’s believed to be the earliest example of a flag to use 13 white stripes to represent the 13 colonies."
It might not seem like a big deal today — after all, our flag is known as the stars and stripes. But at the time, Costanzo says the choice was extraordinary.
"It’s really remarkable that at this time, when there was so much focus on the individual town militia identifying itself that it used an American iconography, a nationalistic iconography of 13 stripes to represent the colonies," he said.
Costanzo also believes that it says something about the unique character of Massachusetts in 1775 — and its place in American history.
"Massachusetts was naturally one of the first colonies to be so deeply involved in the revolution and to make identifiers in this way, so I definitely think it reflects the society that it came from," he said.
And there’s one other thing that sets Manchester’s flag apart from the rest that were flown that day. It’s still around.
"It’s believed that about 2,000 flags may have flown in the American Revolution," Costanzo said. "Today only about 35 exist."
Known today as the Forster Flag, it’s believed to be the oldest surviving flag from the American Revolution. It remained with the Forster family in Manchester for the next 200 years, by all reports simply folded up and tucked away in a secretary bookcase in the family home. Along the way, it dodged its share of bullets.
"It could have easily been turned into another flag early on," Costanzo said. "A lot of relics of the revolution were cut up into wallet-sized relics. A companion flag of the Forster flag, we know it was used to make a dress."
But it survived intact. In 1975, the flag was donated to the American Flag Heritage Foundation. It has since been displayed all over the country and even featured on a U.S. postage stamp.
The Forster Flag, flown by the Minutemen of Manchester, Massachusetts, as they marched toward Lexington and Concord, 239 years ago this week.
Earlier this month, with the help of Doyle New York , the University of Texas at Austin , which acquired the Flag Heritage Foundation collection last year, put the Forster Flag up for auction. It failed to receive the minimum bid, so if you want to own this unique piece of American history for yourself, contact Doyle New York and make an offer. If the price is right, who knows, it could be yours.
