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Second New Hampshire Regiment, Continental Line

Last modified: 2018-07-25 by rick wyatt
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Description

The flags of the Second New Hampshire Regiment, Continental Line are found on page 27 of "Flags to Color from the American Revolution.":

[Flag of New Hampshire] image by Randy Young, 13 September 2004

"Colors: Blue field; red shield, upright cross and outline of diagonal cross; gold scrolls, fringe, initials N.H., diagonal cross and outline of upright cross." The gold scroll bears the inscription "THE GLORY NOT THE PREY, " while the shield reads "N.H. 2d REGt."
Randy Young, 13 September 2004

Detail of emblem

[Flag of New Hampshire] image by Dave Martucci, 31 January 2012


Buff flag

[Flag of New Hampshire] image by Randy Young, 13 September 2004

"Colors: Buff field, golden disk, rays and interlaced rings; red and blue alternating triangles beginning with red at the upper left." The gold disk bears the inscription "WE ARE ONE," and the rings bear the names of the original 13 states.

"These two flags of the Second New Hampshire Regiment are among the few American flags in existence that were captured during the Revolutionary War. They were lost July 8, 1777, to the British near Fort Anne, New York, when ammunition ran out after a brave defense in which the Ninth British Regiment of Foot were themselves nearly captured. The Americans retreated to General Schuyler's headquarters at Fort Edward, but Lt. Colonel Hill, the English commander, ended up with their flags and took them to England. They remained there with his descendents until 1912, when they were bought and presented to the New Hampshire Historical Society."
Randy Young, 13 September 2004

The two colors, the blue regimental color and the buff national color, were made in Boston in April 1777. The voucher detailing the materials and making of these flags has been found in the NH archives and give us some interesting details.

The blue silk was supplied by Nathan Blodget, the older brother of Samuel Blodget who was reimbursed for the costs of making these flags. Nathan was also the Continental Commissioner of Clothing (spelled at the time ‘cloathing’) in Boston. The buff silk was supplied by Fanny Johonnot Williams, a well-known clothing maker and supplier in Boston, and she also supplied some other materials probably used for the flag cases as well as sewing the flag blanks.

John Cutler was a well-known brass founder in Boston who supplied two sets of ‘tops’ (finials) and ferrules for the poles. Interestingly, another metal worker was also named in the voucher, Samuel Davis of Exeter, NH, who was listed as having supplied four additional sets of ‘tops’ and ferrules.

The last named person is Daniel Rea, Jr. of Boston, a well-known painter who is documented as having painted the King’s Arms on the color of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in 1774, at least eight Pine Tree Jacks for the Massachusetts Board of War from January to May 1777, a “Standard for ye Compy of Bakers to be Displayed in the procession for the reception of President Washington” in October 1789, and the colors of the 1st New Hampshire Continental Regiment in August 1779. Rea’s charges and the extra ‘tops’ and ferrules lead me to believe colors for all three NH Regiments were made at the same time. The voucher is marked as being the basis for payment to Samuel Blodgett for the colors of the 2nd NH Regiment July 12, 1777.

The flags were at Fort Ticonderoga by June 28, 1777 when the regiment’s roll was called and Samuel Blodget was likely present for the first time. On July 5, 1777, the fort was abandoned and the troops marched to the East into what is today Vermont while all of the baggage and  supplies were packed onto ships and bateaux and sent down the lake to Skenesboro, NY (today Whitehall, NY).

According to tradition, the flags were captured from the 2nd NH at Fort Anne, NY on July 8, 1777 but the 2nd was never at Fort Anne. On July 7, 1777 the unit was essentially wiped out at Hubbardton, VT, about 40 miles North of Fort Anne. It is most likely that the flags were taken from the baggage on the docks at Skenesboro on July 7 by HM 9th Regiment of Foot.

There are descriptions of three other flags taken from the baggage by the 9th. Two are matching colors described in some detail which I have drawn; they have matching field colors with the existing flags and matching cantons on each flag consisting of the 13 red and white stripes; the buff color has nearly the same design as the existing buff color associated with the 2nd, except that it has an additional inscription “American Congress” around the center inscription “WE ARE ONE”, exactly like the designs used on the 1776 currency. My conclusion is that these were the flags of the 1st New Hampshire Continental Regiment.

The last flag described is likely the garrison flag of Ticonderoga (or Fort Anne but for reasons outlined in my paper given at the NAVA meeting in Boston in October 2017, more likely Ticonderoga), and despite some additional language added by the editor of the description, appears to be a blue flag with a canton of 13 red and white stripes.

The flags are replete with symbolism. The two colors themselves are the traditional blue and buff colors of the Whig party, the party of the American Patriots. The thirteen interlocking rings labeled with the name of each state, surrounding a sun burst labeled “WE ARE ONE” is a national symbol designed by Benjamin Franklin and used previously on Continental currency in 1776. Both flags have a mock Union Jack canton, but they are not the same. It is possible the blue flag, labeled 2nd NH Regiment, is of a different NH unit than the buff color (which leaves the 3rd NH as the suspect), but only if each set had matching cantons. There is not enough data available to determine if this is the case or not.

The two existing flags were purchased in England from the descendants of the commander of HM 9th Regiment of Foot in 1912 by Edward Tuck and donated to the New Hampshire Historical Society in 1913 and are on display in the Tuck Library in Concord, NH.

There is a lot more to this story; publication is pending in the Spring 2018 issue of “Historical New Hampshire” magazine; in the Fall or Winter 2018 issue of “Military Historian Quarterly” and in the 2019 issue of “Raven: A Journal of Vexillology”. I plan to make a trek to the Saratoga NY National Historic Park to get copies of the original German diaries that details some of these flags and hope to have the story translated into German for publication in that country.

Below are images of the surviving buff color, a close-up of its emblem, a close-up of the blue color symbol (photos courtesy of the New Hampshire Historical Society), my realization of the other two colors taken from the bateaux on July 7, 8 or 9, 1777, and my interpretation of the garrison flag of Fort Ticonderoga.

Buff Color, detail

[Flag of New Hampshire Regiment] [Flag of New Hampshire Regiment]

images courtesy of the New Hampshire Historical Society

Blue color, detail

[Flag of New Hampshire Regiment] [Flag of New Hampshire Regiment]

images courtesy of the New Hampshire Historical Society

2nd New Hampshire colors

[Flag of New Hampshire Regiment]  [Flag of New Hampshire Regiment] images by Dave Martucci, 18 April 2018

Fort Ticonderoga Garrison Flag

[Flag of New Hampshire Regiment] image by Dave Martucci, 18 April 2018