The Regimental Colors of the Continental Light Dragoons is a good example of the painted flags or banners used by the Continental Army's regiments for identification purposes.
As in traditional heraldry, the designs employed on regimental flags tended to be complex and unique. They functioned as statements of the qualities that the regiment's members felt their regiment embodied.
The 2nd Regiment, Continental Light Dragoons used this flag with a blue field in addition to a similar one in red. The Red Color of the 2nd Regiment, Continental Light Dragoons, shown below, did not bear the unit designation above the central image.
The central element of this flag consists of a winged sun-disc with rays darting out from the disc. In ancient times, the winged sun-disc was a device used by the Sumerian, and later the Egyptian, civilizations to symbolize divinity and power. The device was used in later generations as a Rosicrucian, Illuminati and Freemason symbol ~ all three secret societies, which would have been active and influential during the time of the American Revolutionary War. The only thing that is odd about this representation of the winged sun-disc is that according to the 'wings', it is pointed downward. The usual way it was represented in ancient times was as if in upward flight. Perhaps the individual(s) who designed this flag for the regiment intended the message to be that the power was being sent down from Heaven to aid and assist the regiment.
The 2nd Regiment, Continental Light Dragoons was authorized in December 1776 by the Second Continental Congress. It served in many of the battles throughout the war (including Saratoga, Fort Stanwyx, Brandywine, Germantown and Long Island) and was discharged in November 1783.
As noted above, two examples of this flag exists: one with a field of blue and one with a field of red. The blue flag bears the central winged sun-disc design, with the motto: PATA. CONCITA. FLUMNT. NATI. beneath the design. Above the design is the unit designation of: 2D REGT LT DRAGOONS. The lettering is dark clored on gold-colored scrolls. The blue flag's canton consists of seven stripes painted in gold against the blue silk fabric of the field, carrying the implication of thirteen stripes. The red flag bears the motto beneath the winged sun-disc design, but it does not bear the unit's designation above. The red flag's canton consists of seven silver stripes painted on the fabric.
