The flag that General George Washington used as his own identification symbol throughout the War is known as the Washington's Headquarters Standard.
This flag consisted of a solid blue field of silk fabric, over which were placed thirteen white six-point stars. The style of the stars differ from the usual six-point stars in that they appear to be composed of three thin lines crossed over one another. The stars were arranged in a basic 3 / 2 / 3 / 2 / 3 pattern. The original flag, previously maintained by the Valley Forge Historical Society but currently housed in the American Revolution Center in Philadelphia, reveals that the stars were sewn on apparently without regard to having the points pointed in any particular directions.
This flag was used to signal the presence of the Commander-In-Chief, meaning that it supposedly accompanied Washington, and was displayed near his personal tent or marquee when he was at an encampment.
There were a number of variations of Washington's Headquarters Standard. The arrangement of the stars accounted for the different variations. In the portrait of George Washington painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1779, titled: George Washington At Princeton, the general's standard is depicted as a circle of thirteen stars against the blue field. Despite the fact that the arrangement of the stars differs from the flag shown above, they are of the same, six-point style.
George Washington At Princeton
Charles Willson Peale, Painting.
This image maintained in the collection of the United States Senate, Washington, DC
