WASHINGTONS GUARD FLAG 3′ X 5′ NYLON

Officially called The Commander-in-Chief’s Guard, the unit was authorized in 1776 and disbanded 1783 right here in Newburgh, NY. At its peak it had about 250 men whose function was to protect The General as well as the money, baggage and important papers of his command. It was also tasked with provisioning his HQ. The guard was with him in all of his battles and sometimes was sent into combat. It was an honor to belong to this volunteer unit and care was taken to include men from all 13 states. There was a height requirement of 5’8″ to 5’10”. Men were to be “sober, intelligent, and reliable”, “honest, clean, neat and spruce,” even “handsome, well made and of good behavior.” These were clearly a squared away bunch of guys. No rookies were allowed. There was a requirement that candidates be already “drilled”. The unit’s motto, “Conquer or Die” adorns the flag. Lady Liberty passes a flag to a guard member.