The Tri-Colored Stripes flag was one of the variations of flag employing thirteen horizontal stripes without any canton.
This Tri-Colored Stripes flag, with the Union jack in the canton, would be seen on the brigantine Lexington.
Whereas the Rebel Stripes tended to consist only of red and white stripes, this one consisted of red, white and blue stripes consecutively from the top to bottom, ending with a single red stripe as the thirteenth.
The flag that was hoisted over Fort Stanwyx on 03 August 1777 was traditionally created from "a woman's petticoat, the soldiers' shirt and Colonel Gansevoort's military coat" as noted by F.J. Hudleston in his book, Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne. Lieutenant Colonel Marinus Willett, of the Third New York Regiment at Fort Stanwyx in 1777, described a flag being put together from various articles of clothing to provide white, red and blue stripes. No mention of stars or the Union jack for the canton was mentioned. The blue stripes were provided by a coat owned by Captain Swarthout, who later submitted a bill to replace the coat. During the 18th Century, wives of soldiers sometimes accompanied their husbands, providing assistance to the garrison as necessary, therefore the suggestion that a 'woman's petticoat' was used for certain of the stripes (possibly the white ones) is not too far-fetched.
A sketch of the City of Philadelphia and the "attacks against Fort Mifflin on Mud Island and its Reduction 16 November 1777" shows this flag of alternating red, white and blue stripes without a canton flying over Fort Mifflin.
