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Biography (1896, 1908, 1915, 1917, 1920)
[[File:An Appeal to Heaven Flag.svg|thumb|250px|right|The Pine Tree Flag]]
[[File:An Appeal to Heaven Flag.svg|thumb|250px|right|The Pine Tree Flag]]
The '''Pine Tree Flag''', also known as the flag of ''Washington's Cruisers'', bears the inscription on it of '''An Appeal to Heaven''' on a white background, along with a representation of the [[Liberty Tree]] in the center.
The '''Pine Tree Flag''', also known as the flag of ''Washington's Cruisers'', bears the inscription on it of '''An Appeal to Heaven''' on a white background, along with a representation of the [[Liberty Tree]] in the center.
==Background==
===Washington's Cruisers===
In the fall of the year 1775 the colonists created a fleet of six ships known as ''Washington's Cruisers.'' These brave little vessels sailed forth to capture British stores and ammunition bound for America's shores. The ships were the "Lynch," the "Franklin," the "Lee," the "Harrison," the "Warren," and the "Lady Washington". The Lee was the only one of this first American Fleet to meet with success upon the high seas, capturing the British brig Nancy, carrying arms, ammunition and provisions to the British Army in America.
These "Washington's Cruisers" flew the first national flag. It was a white flag bearing a pale green pine tree with the motto "An Appeal to Heaven."<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=FIM9AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA8-PA6 Our Navy, the Standard Publication of the U.S. Navy, Volume 14]</ref>
====Massachusetts Council====
This flag was officially endorsed by the Massachusetts Council, which in April 1776, passed a series of resolutions providing for the regulation of the sea service, among which was the following:
<blockquote>Resolved, That the uniform of the officers be green and white, and that they furnish themselves accordingly, and that the colors be a white flag with a green pine-tree and the inscription "An Appeal to Heaven."<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=WEQaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA349 Flags of the World]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=YVU_AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1244 Harper's Round Table, Volume 17]</ref></blockquote>
===Pine Tree===
{{main|Liberty Tree}}
The Pine Tree had long been the popular emblem in Massachusetts, with the [[Sons of Liberty]] having used a large tree in [[Boston]] Harbor as a place to rally against monarchy.
In fact, it was on their coins as early as 1652, and probably on some of their flags in earlier days. And just after the battles of Lexington and Concord, the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts made an address to their brethren in England in which occurred the following sentence: “Appealing to Heaven for the justice of our cause, we determine to die or be free.” It was from this address that the motto “Appealing to Heaven” was taken.
In September two floating batteries were fitted out upon which howitzers were placed for the purpose of besieging Boston. These two batteries carried a flag having on it a pine tree and the motto “An Appeal to Heaven.” This flag had no official recognition at that time, but on April 29, 1776, the Massachusetts Council passed a resolution defining the uniforms for its officers and the colors for its troops, the colors being this flag, having a white field, a green pine tree and the motto “An Appeal to Heaven.”
In September, 1775, Congress decided to fit out two schooners to be used as privateers, and when they were about ready to sail Col. Reid, who was the private secretary to [[General Washington]], wrote a letter to Colonels Glover and Moylan, who, whilst they were not to have personal command of the vessels, had supervision over them, requesting that they adopt some flag or signal by which our vessels might know each other on the high sea and suggested that they use this flag on their vessels. The suggestion came too late, for on the next day Col. Moylan replied stating that the vessels sailed the day before, and, not having the new colors, they sailed under their old, but as a signal they were to be flown from a certain point of the rigging, technically known as the “main topping lift.” The fact is that this flag was largely used, especially at sea, for quite a while during that war, and was especially popular with the northern colonies.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=degxAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA22 The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 13]</ref>
The design of the Pine Tree Naval Flag was suggested to General Washington by Colonel Joseph Reed. According to some early portraits published in London around the time of the [[American Revolution]], this flag had the words <ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=GMMTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA28 Our Flag: Its History and what it Stands for]</ref>
==See Also==
==See Also==
* [[American historical flags]]
* [[American historical flags]]
* [[Washington Elm]]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External Links==
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=7mAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA175 The true history of the flag is far different from the stories we learned as children, yet every bit as interesting], Orange Coast Magazine, July 1988