What was the name of the flag used by the Continental forces before the Stars and Stripes?

The Continental forces used the Grand Union Flag before the Stars and Stripes became the national flag.

The Grand Union Flag combined thirteen alternating red and white stripes with the British Union Jack in the canton. It appeared during the early stages of the American Revolutionary War and is often considered the first national flag of the United States, although the Continental Congress did not formally designate it in a surviving resolution.

George Washington raised the flag over his headquarters near Boston on January 1, 1776. At that time, the colonies were still fighting Britain while many colonists had not yet formally declared independence. The flag’s Union Jack therefore reflected the colonies’ constitutional connection to Britain as well as their shared military effort.

The Flag Resolution of June 14, 1777, created a different design: thirteen stars and thirteen stripes. That resolution produced the flag that developed into the modern Stars and Stripes. The Grand Union Flag is consequently distinct from the later Betsy Ross tradition and from the Gadsden flag.