San Jacinto Battle Flag
Made of printed, single ply polyester which is a very lightweight material with artwork that is visible on both sides of the flag.
- One solid piece of printed, hemmed fabric
- Very lightweight, polyester that will fly nicely in the slightest breeze.
- Bright colors
- 4 rows of stitching on the fly end to prevent premature fraying
- Reinforced header with brass grommets
- Flag size: 3′ x 5′
History of the San Jacinto Battle Flag
The flag was handmade by a group of ladies in Newport Kentucky and the Liberty image in the center was painted by artist Charles Beard. It was then presented to Captain Sidney Sherman and his company of 52 Kentucky volunteers known as the Newport Rifles as they departed for Texas to join the fight for its independence from Mexico sometime in late 1835 (the exact date is unknown). The image is of a bare-breasted female meant to personify Liberty. In her raised arm is a sword over which hangs a streamer that proclaims “Liberty or Death”. The flag was carried into the Battle of San Jacinto by the Newport Volunteers who were part of the Texian Army on April 21st, 1836 where they emerged victorious against a much larger Mexican Army. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna who was the commanding general as well as the President of Mexico at the time was captured during the course of the battle, thus winning Texas’ independence from Mexico. Some members of the victorious Texian Army presented the flag to Mrs.Sidney Sherman in August of 1836 and it remained in the possession of the Sherman Family until 1896 when it was donated to the state of Texas. Today, the original flag hangs behind the podium used by the speaker of the Texas State House of representatives while the legislature is in session. In an effort to aid in the preservation of the artifact, a replica stands in its place when congress is not in session.
