The "Dansey Flag" is one of a handful of flags which were used during the American Revolution and still in existence today. It is possibly a grand divisional color of a Delaware militia unit, although which one is not known. It is named after the British Officer, Captain William Dansey who captured it sometime between the Battle of Couch Bridge (3 September 1777) and the Battle of Brandywine (11September 1777). He reported the event in a letter dated 11 October 1777 at Germantown; and states he captured it along with a number of other items from "a Rebel Colonel of the Delaware Militia". Held by his descendents as a treasured heirloom the flag was sold at auction in 1927 to the Delaware Historical Society. This silk flag as it exists today is somewhat faded but is in otherwise excellent condition.
There is a record of Colonel John Haslet's Delaware Battalion, along with Colonel Smallwood's Marylanders, fighting at Long Island on 27 August 1776 with "their colours flying", but what these looked like is unknown.
The portrait of Dansey was done after his return to Great Britain after The war. It is owned by The Duke of Wellington's Regiment Museum in Halifax England. The letters Captain William Dansey write during The war have been published.
www.amazon.com/Captured-Rebel-Flag-Regiment-1776-1777/dp/1907417052
Both the flag, letter mentioning it's capture and portrait of Dansey will be displayed as part of the Museum of the American Revolution 's upcoming special exhibition "Cost of Revolution: The Life and Death of an Irish Soldier from Sept. 28, 2019 – Mar. 17, 2020."
Very interesting!
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely not the flag flown by the Delaware troops at Long Island. They were Continentals, not militia. I speculate that this flag belonged to the Col. Cantwell's Delaware militia unit that had green facings on their uniforms. Using the facing color on the flag was the British tradition.
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