Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object |
Picture |
Year Range from |
1777 |
Year Range to |
1928 |
Description |
Photograph of oval bust portrait of General Stark in gold frame and small remnant of cloth framed together along with printed text; Stark wears American Revolutionary uniform. Below picture is text "Remnant of Flag Carried by Stark's Forces August 16, 1777/in the Battle of Bennington/Presented to John Spargo, with affidavit, by Stark's great-great-granddaughter, Mrs.John/L. Osborne. The canton of this flag was blue with thirteen white five-pointed stars." Below printed text is small piece (approximately 1.5' x 2.75") of green piece of silk coth. |
Width (inches) |
5.500 |
Height (inches) |
6.500 |
Subjects |
Bennington, Battle of, N.Y., 1777 |
Information |
This is a piece of the flag used by General John Stark during the American Revolution. It had a green float and blue canton with 13 white stars (the canton survives and is A1042 in the Museum's collection). This was a regimental flag, and is similar to other silk regimental flags of the time. The flag was retained by Stark until his death, and either Stark himself or his descendants cut it up to give pieces to his many admirers (a common fate for flags). Over the years, the flag picked up an association with the Green Mountain Boys, the Vermont militia who had fought with Stark at the Battle of Bennington. The flag was never used by the Green Mountain Boys, who were a Vermont regiment (General John Stark led New Hampshire troops). The flag was later adopted as a symbol by the Vermont National Guard. There are several pieces of the green float in the Museum's collection (A72, A440, A1043, A4736, and 1996.54.1). One (A4736) has a painted flourish on it, and it's likely that this flag had a painted design like other regimental flags of the era. |
Related People |
Stark, John |
Credit line |
Gift of John Spargo |
Catalog Number |
A72 |