The letter previously quoted, dated New Providence, May 13, 1776, says:
"And their standard, a rattlesnake;" motto--"Don't tread on me." This
_standard_ is thus described, viz.:--
"In CONGRESS, February 9, 1776.
"Colonel Gadsden presented to the Congress an elegant standard,
such as is to be used by the Commander-in-chief of the American
Navy, being a yellow field, with a lively representation of a
rattlesnake in the middle, in the attitude of going to strike, and
the words underneath, 'Don't tread on me.'[57]
"_Ordered_, That the said standard be carefully preserved and
suspended in the Congress room."
[57] American Archives, 4th series, vol. v. p. 568. South
Carolina Provincial Congress.
Before I proceed, I shall offer one or two remarks on this device of
the rattlesnake, to show that it also, as well as the British crosses,
was an emblem of union, and that it was seized upon as one _then_
(December, 1775) in use, and familiar.
In 1754, in the _Philadelphia Gazette_, when Benjamin Franklin was
editor of that paper, an article appeared, urging _union_ among the
colonies as a means of insuring safety from attacks of the French. This
article closed with a wood-cut of a snake divided into parts, with the
initials of one colony on each division, and the motto, "Join, or die,"
underneath, in capital letters.[58] (See Fig. 3, Plate II.)
[58] Franklin's Works, vol. iii. p. 25.
When union among the colonies was urged, in 1774-6, as a mode of
securing their liberties, this device, a disjointed snake, divided into
_thirteen_ parts, with the initials of a colony on each division, and
the motto, "Join, or die," was adopted as the head-piece of many of the
newspapers. When the union of the colonies took place, this was
changed, for the head-pieces of the newspapers, into the device adopted
on the standard, viz.: a rattlesnake in the attitude of going to
strike, and into an _united_ snake. (Under both forms of this device,
was the motto, "Don't tread on me.")
The seal of the War Department is the only public instrument in use,
exhibiting evidence of the rattlesnake's having played an important
part as a device in the American Revolution. The old seal of 1778, and
the more modern seal now in use, both bear the rattlesnake (with its
rattles as the emblem of union), and a _liberty cap_ in contiguity with
it; the _liberty cap_ enveloped by the body, so that the opened mouth
may defend the _rattles_, and liberty cap, or _union_ and liberty, with
the motto, "This we'll defend." (See Fig. 4, Plate II.)
The following account of this device, supposed to be from the pen of
Benjamin Franklin, indicates fully why it was adopted, and will be
found in the _American Archives_, vol. iv. p. 468.
"PHILADELPHIA, December 27, 1775.
"I observe on one of the drums belonging to the marines now
raising, there was painted a rattlesnake, with this motto under it,
'Don't tread on me.' As I know it is the custom to have some device
on the arms of every country, I suppose this may have been intended
for the arms of America; and, as I have nothing to do with public
affairs, and as my time is perfectly my own, in order to divert an
idle hour, I sat down to guess what could have been intended by
this uncommon device. I took care, however, to consult, on this
occasion, a person who is acquainted with heraldry, from whom I
learned that it is a rule, among the learned in that science, 'that
the worthy properties of the animal, in the crest-born, shall be
considered;' he likewise informed me that the ancients considered
the serpent as an emblem of wisdom; and, in a certain attitude, of
endless duration--both which circumstances, I suppose, may have
been had in view. Having gained this intelligence, and recollecting
that countries 'are sometimes represented by animals peculiar to
them,' it occurred to me that the rattlesnake is found in no other
quarter of the world beside America, and may, therefore, have been
chosen on that account to represent her.
"But then, 'the worthy properties' of a snake, I judged, would be
hard to point out. This rather raised than suppressed my curiosity,
and having frequently seen the rattlesnake, I ran over in my mind
every property by which she was distinguished, not only from other
animals, but from those of the same genus or class of animals,
endeavoring to fix some meaning to each, not wholly inconsistent
with common sense.
"I recollected that her eye excelled in brightness that of any
other animal, and that she has no eye-lids. She may, therefore, be
esteemed an emblem of vigilance. She never begins an attack, nor,
when once engaged, ever surrenders. She is, therefore, an emblem of
magnanimity and true courage. As if anxious to prevent all
pretensions of quarrelling with her, the weapons with which nature
has furnished her she conceals in the roof of her mouth; so that,
to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears to be a
defenceless animal; and even when those weapons are shown and
extended for defence, they appear weak and contemptible; but their
wounds, however small, are decisive and fatal. Conscious of this,
she never wounds till she has generously given notice, even to her
enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her. Was
I wrong sir, in thinking this a strong picture of the temper and
conduct of America?
"The poison of her teeth is the necessary means of digesting her
food, and at the same time is certain destruction to her enemies.
This may be understood to intimate that those things which are
destructive to our enemies, may be to us not only harmless, but
absolutely necessary to our existence. I confess I was wholly at a
loss what to make of the rattles, till I went back and counted
them; and found them just thirteen, exactly the number of the
colonies united in America; and I recollected, too, that this was
the only part of the snake which increased in number.
"Perhaps it might be only fancy, but I conceited the painter had
shown a half-formed additional rattle; which, I suppose, may have
been intended to represent the province of Canada. 'Tis curious and
amazing to observe how distinct and independent of each other the
rattles of this animal are, and yet how firmly they are united
together, so as never to be separated but by breaking them to
pieces. One of these rattles singly is incapable of producing
sound; but the ringing of thirteen together is sufficient to alarm
the boldest man living. The rattlesnake is solitary, and associates
with her kind only, when it is necessary for their preservation. In
winter, the warmth of a number together will preserve their lives:
while, singly, they would probably perish. The power of fascination
attributed to her, by a generous construction, may be understood to
mean, that those who consider the liberty and blessings which
America affords, and once come over to her, never afterwards leave
her, but spend their lives with her. She strongly resembles America
in this, that she is beautiful in her youth, and her beauty
increaseth with her age, 'her tongue also is blue, and forked as
the lightning, and her abode is among impenetrable rocks.'
"Having pleased myself with reflections of this kind, I
communicated my sentiments to a neighbor of mine, who has a
surprising readiness at guessing at everything which relates to
public affairs; and indeed, I should be jealous of his reputation
in that way, was it not that the event constantly shows that he has
guessed wrong. He instantly declared it as his sentiments, that the
Congress meant to allude to Lord North's declaration in the House
of Commons, that he never would relax his measures until he had
brought America to his feet; and to intimate to his lordship, that
if she was brought to his feet, it would be dangerous treading on
her. But, I am positive he has guessed wrong, for I am sure that
Congress would not condescend, at this time of day, to take the
least notice of his lordship, in that or any other way. In which
opinion, I am determined to remain, your humble servant."
The yellow flag, with the rattlesnake in the middle, and the words
underneath, "Don't tread on me," (see Fig. 5, Plate II.,) the standard
for the Commander-in-chief of the American Navy, was probably the flag
referred to by Paul Jones, in his journal.
Paul Jones was commissioned first of the first lieutenants in the
continental navy. "This commission, under the United Colonies, is dated
the 7th of December, 1775, as first lieutenant of the Alfred. On board
that ship, before Philadelphia, Mr. Jones hoisted the flag of America,
with his own hands, the first time it was ever displayed, as the
commander-in-chief embarked on board the Alfred." (Page 34, _Life and
Correspondence of Paul Jones_.)
From the foregoing account, it will be perceived that the first flag
adopted by the army of the colonists before Boston, was a red flag,
with the mottoes, _Qui transtulit sustinet_, and "An Appeal to Heaven."
By the combination of these mottoes, the union of Massachusetts and
Connecticut, in defence of their outraged liberties, was doubtless
intimated; and, taken in connection with those mottoes, the color of
the flag indicated that, trusting in the God of battles, they defied
the power of the mother country. About this time, too, the floating
batteries, the germ of the navy subsequently organized, bore a white
flag, with a green pine-tree, and the motto, "Appeal to Heaven." These
flags were adopted before the union of the _thirteen_ colonies was
effected.
After that union, and upon the organization of the army and fleet,
these flags were supplanted by one calculated to show to the world the
union of the North American colonies among themselves, and as an
integral part of the British Empire, and as such demanding the rights
and liberties of British subjects. And a flag combining the crosses of
St. George and St. Andrew united (the distinctive emblem of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain), with a field composed of thirteen stripes,
alternate red and white, the combination of the flags previously used
in the camp, on the cruisers, and the floating batteries of the
colonies, was adopted for this purpose, and called THE GREAT UNION
FLAG.
The union implied both the union of the colonies represented in the
striped field, which was dependent upon it, and the nationality of
those colonies. The thirteen stripes, alternate red and white,
constituting the field of the flag, represented the body of that union,
the number of the members which composed it, as well as the union of
the flags, which had preceded this Great Union Flag.
We assume that the colors of those stripes were alternate red and
white, inasmuch as those were the colors in the first flag of the
United States, and we presume no change, not absolutely necessary, was
made, in altering the flag of the United Colonies to that of the United
States. There is no evidence of their being of that color, except the
universally received tradition that such was the case.
The colors of those stripes, alternate red and white, indicated on the
part of the colonies, thus represented as united, the defiance to
oppression, symbolized by the red color of the flag of the army, and
red field of the flag of the continental cruisers together, with the
purity implied by the white flag of the floating batteries, of which
the motto was, "Appeal to Heaven."
Lest these conclusions should seem far fetched, we would again advert
to the fact, that in the present Union, or national flag of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, not only are the crosses of St.
George, St. Andrew, and St. Patrick united, but the colors of the
fields of the banners of St. George, of England, St. Andrew, of
Scotland, and St. Patrick, of Ireland, are preserved.
In the case of the colonies, everything that tended to call to mind
previous triumphs would have been studiously preserved, and the red and
white flags were identified with the successes of Bunker Hill, (for
tradition says the flag on that occasion was red, and that a Whig told
General Gage that the motto was, "Come, if you dare,")[59] and the
various successes of the siege of Boston, prior to Jan. 2, 1776.
[59] Frothingham's Siege of Boston.
The use of the stripes, besides indicating the union of the above
flags, for the purpose before indicated, would, as a badge of
distinction for the Great Union Flag of the colonies, have carried the
minds of those who were marshalled under it back to the moment when the
tocsin of war sounded at Lexington--called them, "generals" as well as
"private men,"--in the garbs in which they were pursuing their peaceful
avocations, to arms in defence of liberty. And we of the present day
should regard them as hallowed, by having been employed by General
Washington as the first step towards introducing subordination into the
army, which achieved our independence. In those stripes we may perceive
the necessity indicated of the subordination of each State to the
Union, while their equality under the Union is also intimated, by there
being nothing to indicate that any particular State was represented by
any particular stripe. There being seven red stripes, doubtless arose
from that being the color of the principal flags represented in the
combination of colors, for certainly the flags of the army and cruisers
must have had pre-eminence over that of the floating batteries.
The striped Union flag was the colonial colors, both at sea and land,
but there was also, as we have seen, a standard such as was used by the
commander-in-chief of the American navy, being a yellow field, with a
lively representation of a rattlesnake in the middle, in the attitude
of going to strike, and the words underneath, "Don't tread on me." The
color of the snake, as represented, was dark. This circumstance goes
strongly to prove the correctness of our conclusion, that the example
of the mother country was followed in the preparation of the flags of
this period--for the quarantine flag of the mother country was a
_yellow_ flag with a dark spot, a representation of the plague-spot in
the middle--those colors were, doubtless, chosen for the rattlesnake
flag, to indicate the deadly character of the venom of the rattlesnake,
and the danger of treading on it.
But we have before stated that the rattlesnake first appeared as a
snake divided into thirteen parts, each part marked with the initials
of the colony to which it corresponded, and beneath them the motto,
"Join, or die," indicating the necessity of union. And that, the union
being effected, the initials on the parts were dropped (thus indicating
the equality of the colonies under the Union), and the parts were
united in the form indicated in this standard, and beneath it the
words, "Don't tread on me," implying the consciousness of strength
derived from that union, of which, we have seen, the rattlesnake was an
emblem indigenous to America, while at the same time the serpent
implies eternal duration. This, then, may properly be called the
Rattlesnake Union Standard, and the other, the Great Union, or Striped
Union Flag; and together they indicated that existence as a people was
inseparable from union--the strength resulting from that union--the
necessary subordination of each colony to the whole Union, the intimate
connection of the colonies composing the Union, their equality and
perpetuity under it, and the power of fascination in the Union and
harmony in the colonies, which would draw everybody to America, and
cause those who had once tasted the liberty and blessings she enjoys,
never to leave her, but to "spend their lives with her."
Having thus described the flags of the United Colonies, and shown that
they were emblematic of union, and hence called Union flags, in
imitation of the prevailing custom of the mother country, we now
proceed to consider the Flag of the United States, described in the
following Resolution of Congress, passed June 14, 1777:--
"_Resolved_, That the Flag of the Thirteen United States be
thirteen stripes, alternate red and white: That the union be
thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new
constellation."
This resolution was made public September 3, 1777; and Colonel Trumbull
represents the flag made in pursuance of it as used at Burgoyne's
surrender, October 17, 1777.
From the above resolution and what has preceded, it is apparent that
the object of that resolution was simply to give the authorization of
Congress to a color existing, so far as the stripes and part of the
flag called the union were concerned; but it is worthy of remark that
the character of the new emblem for that union is specially described
as representing "a new constellation."
The use of some emblem of union different from the British crosses, the
United States having declared themselves free and independent States,
was eminently natural, but the description of the emblem substituted
for them as "representing a new constellation," involves the idea that
some constellation, in some way emblematic of union, had been presented
to the minds of those adopting this resolution. It may be said that the
adoption of a star, as the representative of a State, would naturally
lead to the idea of a constellation; but, as the emblem to be altered
was one of union, we are inclined to think that the first idea
suggested was that of some constellation, which of itself implied
union, and that the representation of a State by a star was involved in
it.
The question that now arises is, was there any constellation which
implied union? The answer is, there was the constellation Lyra. The
next point is, to ascertain if the first flag displayed under this
resolution bore that constellation. If not, in what form the stars were
presented on that flag, and whether any connection can be traced
between it and the constellation Lyra.
Let us first consider the fitness of the constellation Lyra to indicate
union. In Charles Anthon's _Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities_,
we find the following account of the Lyra. He says:--
"Lyra. The Latin name _fides_, which was used for a lyre as well as a
cithara, is probably the same as the Greek [Greek: sphides], which,
according to Hesychius, signifies gut-strings; but Festus takes it to
be the same as _fides_ (faith), _because the lyre was the symbol of
harmony and unity among men_." The quotation from the Astronomicon of
Manilius, presented in the following letter from Mr. Charles Francis
Adams, grandson of Mr. John Adams, confirms the attributes above
ascribed to the lyre, and its corresponding constellation "Lyra."
QUINCY, May 18, 1852.
DEAR SIR: Your letter of the fourth came upon me unprepared to
answer it without investigations, which I have ever since been
hoping to pursue, but thus far in vain. Not a moment has been at my
command since I received it, and as I am now expecting every moment
to depart for Washington, I fear that I must give up all idea of
doing more hereafter, at least in season for any object of yours.
With the exception of a few letters to and from Generals Green,
Sullivan, Parsons, and Ward, there are no memorials remaining in my
hands of my grandfather's services while chairman of the Board of
War. He had no time to copy or record papers, so that very few are
left. I am not aware of the existence of any journal or other
record of the action of the body, nor of any further history of it
than is given in his lately published diary. I am, therefore,
wholly unable to give you any light upon the question of the origin
of the American colors.
With regard to the other design, of the eagle, with the lyre on its
breast, and the stars of the constellation Lyra, I can only say
that I possess the seal which was the original form in which the
device was presented. There it has the motto, _Nunc sidera
ducit_, taken from the Astronomicon of Manilius, describing the
effect of the Lyre of Orpheus,
"At Lyra diductis per coelum cornibus inter Sidera conspicitur,
qua quondam ceperat Orpheus Omne quod attigerat, cantu,
manesque per ipsos Fecit iter, domuit que infernas carmine
leges. Hinc coelestis honos, similisque potentia causae: Tunc
silvas et saxa trahens, nunc sidera ducit, Et rapit immensum
mundi revolubilis orbem."