^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Second New Hampshire Regiment, Continental Line

Description
- Detail of emblem
Buff flag

See also:

Description

The flags of the Second New Hampshire Regiment, Continental Line are found on page 27 of "Flags to Color from the American Revolution.":

image by Randy Young, 13 September 2004

"Colors: Blue field; red shield, upright cross and outline of diagonal cross; gold scrolls, fringe, initials N.H., diagonal cross and outline of upright cross." The gold scroll bears the inscription "THE GLORY NOT THE PREY, " while the shield reads "N.H. 2d REGt."
Randy Young, 13 September 2004

Detail of emblem

image by Dave Martucci, 31 January 2012

Buff flag

image by Randy Young, 13 September 2004

"Colors: Buff field, golden disk, rays and interlaced rings; red and blue alternating triangles beginning with red at the upper left." The gold disk bears the inscription "WE ARE ONE," and the rings bear the names of the original 13 states.

"These two flags of the Second New Hampshire Regiment are among the few American flags in existence that were captured during the Revolutionary War. They were lost July 8, 1777, to the British near Fort Anne, New York, when ammunition ran out after a brave defense in which the Ninth British Regiment of Foot were themselves nearly captured. The Americans retreated to General Schuyler's headquarters at Fort Edward, but Lt. Colonel Hill, the English commander, ended up with their flags and took them to England. They remained there with his descendents until 1912, when they were bought and presented to the New Hampshire Historical Society."
Randy Young, 13 September 2004

The buff color most likely did not belong to the 2nd NH despite what all of the published material says. If indeed these two flags were captured at Hubbardton (although some doubt this, Colonel Nathan Hale, 2nd NH Regiment, basically said his color was lost there), then the most likely possessor of the buff color was the 11th Massachusetts Regiment, the other Continental Line Regiment there.

Seth Warner was there also with elements of the Green Mountain Boys, but their records are fairly complete and Warner's men had little in the way of equipage and from what I've read probably never had any flag.

The flag usually associated with that unit (green with a blue canton bearing 13 white 5-pointed stars) probably was not theirs. That flag, the canton of which is not the only surviving bit, is I believe a Gostelowe flag and may be a missing piece of the Headman Color. The Bennington Museum has that piece and another piece of green silk supposedly from the same flag that has some fancy filigree painted on it. Seems to match the painted borders on the Headman Color.

Dave Martucci, 31 January 2012