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Washington’s Cruisers Flag History

The design commonly called Washington’s Cruisers flag presents a green pine tree on a white field with the words “AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN” above it. This design uses a single upright tree, a brown trunk, and a small grassy base beneath black lettering. There are no stripes, stars, or British Union in the design. Its strong contrast and simple arrangement make it visually different from both the later American national flag and the blue, star-covered standard traditionally associated with Washington’s headquarters.

Its setting is the siege of Boston in 1775. Washington’s army faced shortages while British forces could receive supplies by sea. To disrupt that traffic, Washington began employing armed vessels to intercept transports and supply ships. Mount Vernon’s account distinguishes these Army-controlled vessels from the fleet subsequently authorized by the Continental Congress. On September 2, Washington assigned Captain Nicholson Broughton to command Hannah, one of the beginnings of this small maritime force. The name Washington’s Cruisers refers to that practical wartime undertaking, rather than to a modern class of large naval warship. Read Mount Vernon’s account of the early naval forces.

The tree-and-motto association is supported by contemporary correspondence, not merely by a later nickname. On October 20, 1775, Colonel Joseph Reed wrote to John Glover and Stephen Moylan about selecting a flag and recognition signal for Washington’s vessels. He proposed a white ground, a tree in the center, and the appeal-to-heaven motto, noting a similar flag already used by floating batteries. His proposal helps explain an important function of naval colors: friendly vessels needed a way to recognize one another. The Naval History and Heritage Command reproduces the documentary evidence.

A second piece of evidence describes actual colors taken from a vessel in Washington’s fleet. Writing to Lord Sandwich on January 6, 1776, Sir Hugh Palliser reported that the captured brig Washington had carried a white flag with a green pine tree and the same motto. Together, the two accounts establish a sound connection between this flag family and Washington’s maritime operations. They do not identify the maker of every flag or prove that every vessel carried an identical tree, inscription, or layout. See the Navy’s transcription of Palliser’s report.

The story also illustrates how varied Revolutionary naval flags could be. Early American ships used pine-tree, rattlesnake, and striped designs; they were not all sailing beneath one standardized naval-service flag. The Navy’s historical overview specifically separates those early colors from the official United States Navy flag created much later. Presenting the pine-tree design as an emblem associated with Washington’s cruisers is therefore more accurate than calling it the universal first flag of the U.S. Navy. Explore the distinction in the Navy’s flag history.

Hannah’s own short career shows the difficulties behind the emblem. After capturing the supply-laden Unity in September 1775, she was driven ashore near Beverly by the British sloop Nautilus in October. Local resistance helped prevent her destruction or capture, but she was soon withdrawn as Washington obtained other vessels. The flag thus recalls an improvised campaign involving soldiers, sailors, local communities, and small ships, not an already established ocean-going navy. Read the official history of Hannah.