The pine tree riot flag and the Veterans Exempt flag

 We've all heard about the Boston Tea Party rebellion. But two years prior to that there was the Pine Tree Rebellion. 

 The Pine Tree Riot was an act of resistance to British royal authority undertaken by American colonists in New Hampshire in 1772.

By the late 17th century the construction and maintenance of the huge number of ships required to build and defend the British Empire left few suitable trees in Britain. Eastern white pines from colonial New England were superior timber, and England needed them  to maintain Britain's navel and trading advantage.

Laws were passed in North America making it illegal to cut down "any white pine tree of the growth of 12 inches of diameter" or face a fine of £5 to £50. Hence the small width of hardwood floors back then.

 "Surveyors of the King's Woods" were assigned by the crown to mark the desired trees with a broad arrow symbol. The law caused more anger than the Stamp Act or tea tax. Mill owners rebelled and were arrested and fined. The next day the sheriff and his deputy were attacked and run out of town. The perpetrators were found and fined and rebellion ran high, planting the seeds for the Boston Tea Party and the revolutionary war. 

The pine tree flag used in the rebellion was not new. This image had been around since the 1600's as a symbol of the colonies, especially Massachusetts. 

Later, the flag of New England came about with two prominent symbols: a pine tree and the red color. Other features, like the St.

George's Cross is not always displayed on the flag, but the pine almost always is.

George Washington then adopted the idea adding "An appeal to heaven" as he asked for Divine help to win the upcoming war of independence. 

My favorite flag emerged during the War of 1812. 

The battle of Plattsburg, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, was a major turning point in the war. The Plattsburg flag is also  known as the Veterans Exempt flag. 

   As the war raged on, a New York State militia group was formed in July of 1812, led by Captain Melvin Woolsey. The group was made up of Revolutionary War veterans who were otherwise exempt from military service due to their age, but who volunteered their service during the Battle of Plattsburgh. 

 Still a mystery! A detailed description of the flag and its association with the Veterans Exempt group was published in the Plattsburgh Republican newspaper in 1812. Other than this single reference, no one knows the exact origin of this impressive flag.

This is not to be confused with the Gadsden flag named after the American general and politician Christopher Gadsden (1724–1805), who designed it in 1775 during the American Revolution.

And then there's the Culpeper flag flown by The Culpeper Minutemen, a militia group from Culpeper, VA that was formed in 1775 by the 3rd Virginia Convention to fight in the Revolutionary War

             Sheldon was correct, flags are fun!