What was the name of the Continental Army's first national flag?

The Continental Army’s first national flag was the Grand Union Flag.

The flag combined thirteen alternating red and white stripes with the British Union Jack in the canton. It represented the thirteen colonies while they were still claiming rights as British subjects. The Continental Army is documented as using it in 1776, including at Washington’s headquarters near Boston.

The Grand Union Flag is often described as the first flag of the United States, but its symbolism reflected the unresolved political situation. The stripes suggested colonial unity, while the Union Jack showed that independence had not yet been formally declared. After the Declaration of Independence, the flag’s canton was changed to a blue field with thirteen white stars.

That later design was established by the Flag Resolution of June 14, 1777. The Grand Union Flag should not be confused with the Betsy Ross story, which concerns a later thirteen-star design and is not supported by firm contemporary documentation. The Star-Spangled Banner was created decades later, during the War of 1812.