Cowpens flag facts for kids
The Cowpens flag is an early version of the American flag. It is also sometimes called the 3rd Maryland flag. This flag design met the rules set by the Flag Resolution of 1777. Like the Betsy Ross flag, it has white stars arranged in a circle on a blue background. But the Cowpens flag is special because it has 12 stars in a circle with the 13th star placed in the very center.
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The Story of the Cowpens Flag
This unique flag design is often linked to the Battle of Cowpens, which happened on January 17, 1781, during the American Revolution. People believed that a soldier named William Batchelor from the 3rd Maryland Regiment carried this flag during that important battle. Because of this story, the star pattern became known as the "3rd Maryland design."
The Batchelor family later gave their original flag, known as the Batchelor Flag, to a group called the 'Society of the War of 1812' in 1894. However, some questions arose about whether this flag was truly from the American Revolution.
Was the Batchelor Flag from the Revolution?
A man named William N. Batchelor doubted the flag's age. So, the 'Society of the War of 1812' asked J. Appleton Wilson to investigate. Wilson found that the flag was actually carried by Joshua F. Batchelor at the Battle of North Point during the War of 1812. This is where the flag got its many bullet holes!
The society had used the flag for events about the War of 1812. But they also used it for American Revolution ceremonies. For example, it was used in a parade for Lafayette when he visited Maryland in 1824.
The Batchelor Flag was displayed in the Maryland Statehouse until the 1980s. Then, older flags were moved for safekeeping. It is now kept at the Maryland Archives.
What Experts Found Out
In the 1970s, experts from the Maryland State Archivist and the Smithsonian Institution studied the flag. They concluded that the flag was made in the 1800s, not during the American Revolution. Here are some of their reasons:
- The 3rd Maryland Regiment was not at the Battle of Cowpens.
- No American army groups were officially allowed to carry Stars and Stripes flags back then.
- The first Stars and Stripes flag made in Maryland was created in 1782. This was at least a year after the Battle of Cowpens.
- The flag's fabric and how it was made match other flags from the 1800s.
Even though the actual flag is from the 1800s, the Smithsonian does agree that the Cowpens flag design itself might have existed during the American Revolution.
Other Uses of the Design
The star pattern of the Cowpens flag was quite popular. It was even used on flags with 15 stars as the United States grew. For example, a military document signed by Thomas Jefferson in 1808 shows a 15-star flag and a 15-star Navy flag. Both used the 3rd Maryland star arrangement: 14 stars in a circle with the 15th star in the center.
The crest of the Navy ship USS Cowpens (CG-63) also features this 3rd Maryland star pattern.
The Cowpens Flag in Pop Culture
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In the video game series Fallout, the flag of the United States looks very similar to the Cowpens flag. The main difference is the center stars. The Cowpens flag has 12 stars around one center star. The Fallout-American flag has either 12 or 13 stars around one larger star. This larger star represents the government and the country as a whole.
The Fallout games take place in a different timeline that changed after World War II. In this timeline, the U.S. flag changed because the country was restructured. Instead of 50 states, it became 13 commonwealths, each made up of at least two former states. Canada was also annexed and became part of this new structure.
It is not known if the Cowpens flag directly inspired the Fallout-American flag, but the two designs are definitely alike!
