Standard of the Philadelphia Light Horse Troop or Markoe Standard 1775

In the fall of 1774, representatives from 12 colonies formed the 1st Continental Congress in Philadelphia.  The Congress met to discuss a unified response to the Intolerable Acts passed by Parliament following the Boston Tea Party.  The decision was made to reconvene in the spring.

On 17 November 1774, members of several social organizations gathered at Philadelphia’s Carpenter’s Hall to organize the Philadelphia Light Horse Troop.  Offering their services to the Continental Congress, the Troop served as a security detail and carried congressional dispatches.  In June of 1775, the Troop escorted General Washington to assume command of the Continental Army outside Boston.  Now a unit of the Pennsylvanian National Guard, the Philadelphia Light Horse Troop is one of the oldest continually serving units in America. 

Following the Alarms at Lexington and Concord in 1775, the Troop’s first Captain, Abraham Markoe, created an elaborate flag which was carried at the battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, and Germantown.  Originally, the canton, upper corner, was a British Union Jack, which was painted over with 13 blue and silver stripes.  The Flag is currently housed at the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry Museum and can viewed by appointment. 

For more information, please consult the following sources:

Canby, George. “The Evolution of the American Flag” pp. 15-17, (1909) Ferris & Leach

First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry. “History of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry” Retrieved 20 May 2023 from https://firsttroop.com/history/

Horan, Katherine. “First Continental Congress” Washington Library, Digital Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 25 May 2023 from https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/first-continental-congress/#:~:text=The%20First%20Continental%20Congress%20convened,future%20under%20growing%20British%20aggression

Preble, George. “Our Flag, Origin and Progress of the Flag of the United States of America” pp. 181-186, (1872) Kessinger’s Legacy Reprint

Thank you to Jack Tomarchio and Daniel J. McCormick of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry for patiently answering my many questions.