Bedford Flag

The flag is made of crimson silk damask measuring approximately 27 by 29 inches (69 by 74 cm).

The painted-on design depicts an armored arm grasping a straight sword coming out of a cloud.

The exact age and origin of the flag are not known, but physical and historical evidence are consistent with a date early in the 18th century.

There is no documentary evidence, either from testimonies, depositions or diaries written at the time, or in participants' later memoirs, mentioning any such flag flown at the battles of Lexington and Concord by either side.

With the passage of time, the Bedford flag came to be a political symbol of the early American Revolution and specifically the militia's resistance at Concord.

Bedford Flag located at the Bedford Library in Bedford, Massachusetts
A flag of similar design hangs in the Binnenhof in The Hague circa 1651. The image of an arm holding a sword is common in European heraldry at least as early as the 16th century.