Description
Add a piece of American history to your collection with our Battle of Bennington flag!
Our Bennington flags are proudly manufactured in the United States. The red, white, and blue design is digitally printed with UV-resistant inks for bright, vibrant colors that resist fading.
We offer your choice of nylon or cotton fabric to best suit your needs. Nylon is a strong, weather-resistant material ideal for outdoor use. Cotton is our 100% natural alternative, mimicking what the original construction of the Bennington flag would have been like in the 18th century. Please note that, as a natural fabric, cotton is more susceptible to fading and weather damage than nylon. Both fabrics are lightweight, allowing your flag to fly easily in mild winds.
Each Bennington flag is equipped with a durable canvas heading and two brass grommets for easy setup on any standard outdoor flagpole. The nylon and cotton versions of this flag measure 3’ by 5’, which is a great fit for our popular tangle-free flagpole.
Bennington Flag Features
- American-made
- Original 18th-century design
- 100% nylon or cotton fabric
- Sturdy canvas header
- Rust-resistant brass grommets
- 3’ x 5’ size
Bennington Flag History & Meaning
The Battle of Bennington took place in New York, about 10 miles from Bennington, Vermont. British General Burgoyne, leading British forces from Canada, devised a plan to divide and conquer rebellious American forces throughout New England. As part of a 3-front pincer attack, he sent Lt. Colonel Baum with about 800 men and an additional support force through upstate New York.
The plan was interrupted when a force of 2,000 American rebels and nearly 400 Vermont militiamen decisively defeated the force and killed Baum during the conflict. This battle and the subsequent defeat of Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga later in the Revolutionary War helped bolster American morale. It demoralized the British and showed that the United States was a legitimate fighting force, eventually leading the French to ally with the Americans.
Legend claims that the historic Bennington flag was carried off the field by Nathaniel Fillmore and passed down the Fillmore family. In 1877, descendants donated the flag to the Bennington Museum, where it is also known as the “Fillmore Flag.”
Many historians doubt that the Fillmore flag was actually used at the Battle of Bennington and believe that General John Stark’s Green Mountain Boys flag was much more likely to have been there. Even so, the Bennington flag has, over time, become an iconic representation of the historic Battle.
The large “76” in the canton refers to 1776, the year the Declaration of Independence was signed. The number is surrounded by 13 stars, representing the 13 original colonies. The flag also has the same number of stripes, but in contrast to future versions of the American flag, the outer red stripes are instead white.
