THE STORY OF THE AMERICAN FLAG 



289 



the flags which were displayed on the 

 Alfred on that historic December day. 

 The statement is often made, and cor- 

 rectly, that Commodore Hopkins hoisted 

 the Gadsden flag (398) — a fact which 

 impresses some historians as a contradic- 

 tion of John Paul Jones' assertion. Ref- 

 erence to naval usage, both of that day 

 and of this, however, clarifies the sup- 

 posed discrepancy. Flagships display 

 three flags — the ensign, flown at the 

 stern ; the flag of the commanding officer, 

 displayed at the mainmast ; and the jack, 

 which flies from the jackstaff at the bow. 



The Gadsden flag (of yellow silk and 

 bearing a coiled rattlesnake with the 

 motto "Don't Tread on Me"), used on 

 the Alfred as the flag of the commodore 

 commanding the fleet, was presented Feb- 

 ruary 8, 1776, to the Congress by Col. 

 Christopher Gadsden, a delegate from 

 South Carolina to the Continental body 

 and 1 one of the committee of three ap- 

 pointed on October 15, 1775, *° re poi't on 

 the fitting out of two armed vessels. 

 When; that report was made, two weeks 

 later, Colonel Gadsden was one of a com- 

 mittee of seven appointed to fit out four 

 armed vessels. 



The jack displayed on the Alfred on 

 this occasion was a small, nearly square 

 flag of thirteen alternate red and white 

 stripes, bearing a crawling rattlesnake 

 with the legend "Don't Tread on Me" 

 beneath it (365). 



CENSORSHIP IN REVOLUTIONARY TIMES 



No mention of the ceremony of Com- 

 modore Hopkins' assumption of com- 

 mand of the little Continental fleet is to 

 be found in the Philadelphia newspapers 

 of that period. Indeed, the silence of the 

 colonial press about the eight vessels 

 fitted out, officered, manned, and sent to 

 sea was as complete as was that of the 

 American press of 191 7, when General 

 Pershing's expeditionary force embarked 

 for the fields of France. 



The intelligence reports to the British 

 Admiralty were very explicit concerning 

 the event, however. In minutest detail 

 these reports described the ships of the 

 fleet, how they were painted, the number 

 of guns, officers, and men — all accurately 

 supplied by the enemy's secret-service 



agents in the colonies. For example, the 

 following report, under date of January 

 4, 1776, was sent from Philadelphia: 



"This day, about one o'clock, sailed the 

 ship Alfred and the ship Columbus with 

 two brigs. Alfred carries 36 guns, 9 and 

 12 pounders; 60 marines and about 200 

 sailors. Columbus about the same num- 

 ber of men and 32 guns. The two brigs 

 carry 16 guns. They sailed with five or 

 six merchant ships loaded with flour from 

 the Congress. Hopkins commands the 

 Alfred. She has yellow sides, her head 

 the figure of a man, English colours, but 

 more striped. The Colin bus is all black, 

 except white bottom, with no head. Com- 

 manded by one Whipple." 



HOISTING THE GRAND UNION FLAG AT 

 CAMBRIDGE 



One month after its baptism in the 

 breezes, from the stern of the Alfred, the 

 Grand Union Flag (364) was raised at 

 Cambridge, Mass., on the very day that 

 the Continental Army began its official 

 existence — January 2, 177(3 — and General 

 Washington is authority for the explana- 

 tion that it was displayed "out of compli- 

 ment to the United Colonies." It was 

 two days after this event that Washing- 

 ton wrote to his military secretary, Joseph 

 Reed, through whom he kept in touch 

 with affairs at Philadelphia : 



"We are at length favored with the 

 sight of His Majesty's most gracious 

 speech, breathing sentiments of tender- 

 ness and compassion for his deluded 

 American subjects ; the speech I send you 

 (a volume of them was sent out by the 

 Boston gentry), and, farcical enough, we 

 gave great joy to them without knowing 

 or intending it, for on that day (January 

 2) which gave being to our new army, 

 but before the proclamation came to 

 hand, we hoisted the union flag in com- 

 pliment to the United Colonies. But be- 

 hold ! it was received at Boston as a token 

 of the deep impression the speech had 

 made upon us and as a signal of submis- 

 sion. By this time I presume they begin 

 to think it strange that we have not made 

 formal surrender of our lines." 



Although displayed on the Continental 

 Army's first birthday, neither the Grand 

 Union Flag (364) nor the Stars and 



