with the purchase of an American Flag
“Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.”
—Colonel William Prescott’s Command to his Soldiers at the Battle of Bunker Hill
The Bunker Hill Flag’s Meaning Then and Now
In the earliest moments of America's fight for independence, when farmers, blacksmiths, and merchants rose against one of the most powerful empires the world had ever known, they did so under a variety of banners. But among these, one flag stood out. This flag did not because it was official, nor because it officially represented everyone in the colonies, but because it captured the spirit of colonial resistance.
The Bunker Hill Flag, with its simple yet striking design, flew amid the chaos of war and the cries for liberty. Although it is modest in appearance, the banner represents one of the first visual declarations that Americans would not be subdued by anyone—including the British. More than a relic, this flag is a testament to ordinary citizens daring to challenge tyranny.
[Photo: The Bunker Hill Flag…Public Domain]
The Battle of Bunker Hill Makes the Flag Immortal
Actually fought on Breed’s Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, a town just outside of Boston, the Battle of Bunker Hill transpired on June 17, 1775. On that day, about 1,200 colonial militiamen under the command of Colonel William Prescott dug in overnight on Breed’s Hill. Their objective was to fortify the position and defend it against an expected British.
[Photo: Colonel William Prescott…Public Domain]
As dawn broke, British forces under General William Howe launched a frontal assault against the fortifications on Breed’s Hill. Under the Bunker Hill banner, Prescott famously commanded his troops not to “fire until you see the whites of their [enemies’] eyes.” Although the patience Prescott demanded of his soldiers was difficult to maintain with such a powerful enemy force surging toward them, the colonists obeyed the command. When the British were finally close enough, Prescott’s troops fired a volley that decimated the front ranks of the Redcoats.
Although the Redcoats eventually drove the colonists from their position, the Battle of Bunker Hill was not an emphatic British victory. Instead, because more than 1,000 Redcoats fell dead or wounded to New Englanders’ musket balls, many colonists drew inspiration from the contest. Yes, the British had eventually obtained their objective, but the ragtag group of American revolutionaries had stood their ground against the famed Redcoats and inflicted significant losses.
[Photo: Colonial Soldiers at the Battle of Bunker Hill]
The Bunker Hill Flag flown by the colonial soldiers on Breed’s Hill never became the universal banner of the Revolution. Nevertheless, artistic depictions like nineteenth century engravings and paintings helped popularize the image. The flag has since been associated almost exclusively with the Battle of Bunker Hill.
The Bunker Hill Flag’s Design and Symbolism
The Bunker Hill Flag features a dark blue field with a white canton in the top left corner. Inside the canton is a red St. George’s Cross, the traditional emblem of England. In the upper quadrant of the white canton, overlaid on the red cross, is a green pine tree.
Each element of the flag is significant:
- The St. George’s Cross, the English flag, reflects the English heritage of many American colonists. At the time of the Revolutionary War, many colonists still considered themselves loyal Englishmen, even as they took up arms in protest. Including the red cross on the flag was not unusual. It demonstrated the colonies’ English roots and the colonists’ desire for a peaceful, just settlement with the motherland.
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The Pine Tree is one of the most distinctive features of the flag. It symbolized the New England colonies and had long been a symbol of resilience, nature, and liberty. The white pine tree, in particular, was vital to New England’s economy, and the fate of white pines had become a contentious issue between the colonies and the British Crown. The British wanted to reserve the best trees for building ships for its dominant Royal Navy. The colonists, on the other hand,wanted to reserve the white pines for constructing houses, businesses, and other places of work. This controversy proves that the American Revolution was not just about taxes. Instead, it was about the British appropriating American resources of many types without the colonists’ consent.
[Photo: Woodsmen Cut Down a New England Pine Tree…Public Domain]
- The Blue Field represents loyalty and perseverance. Blue was a color often associated with colonial militias and evokes the feeling of a people fighting for a cause greater than themselves.
In this way, the facts that the Bunker Hill Flag was associated with New England colonists and that it retained the St. George’s Cross emphasize that the Revolution began as a regional struggle in the colonies and that many colonists wanted to remain under British rule—as long as the English government respected their rights. While there is no single “official” design for the Bunker Hill Flag, the version with the blue background is widely accepted as a representative banner used by the colonial forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775.
The Bunker Hill Flag’s Legacy and Place in Modern American Culture
Today, the Bunker Hill Flag continues to be flown in Massachusetts and is a fixture at historical reenactments, educational sites, and Revolutionary War commemorations. In this way, to a degree, it has retained its status as a regional flag. But the flag also speaks to the impact those who fought under it had on our national destiny. The Bunker Hill Flag has appeared on U.S. postage stamps and is recognized by historians and enthusiasts as a powerful early symbol of American resistance.
[A U.S. Postage Stamp Bearing the Bunker Hill Flag Design]
Ultimately, the flag serves as a bridge between colonial identity and American nationhood. It captures the uncertainty of the time, when the colonies were united in defiance, but not yet in nationhood; when the colonists yearned for a just reconciliation with Britain, but were more than willing to take up arms against the British to achieve their goals. In this way, the flag has more than one voice. The red cross speaks to an inherited past, while the pine tree speaks to a New World destiny.
