What was the name of the U.S. flag first raised over the Continental Army?

The Grand Union Flag was the flag first raised over the Continental Army.

The flag combined thirteen alternating red and white stripes with the British Union Flag in the canton. It was raised at George Washington’s headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on January 1, 1776, during the siege of Boston. The design expressed the colonies’ resistance while still retaining visual ties to Britain.

The flag is also called the Continental Colours, Congress Flag, Cambridge Flag, or First Navy Ensign. It is often described as the first national flag of the United States, although the term “national flag” was not used with modern precision during the Revolution.

The Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes on June 14, 1777. That later design replaced the British canton with stars representing the states. The Grand Union Flag is commonly confused with the Betsy Ross flag, a popular but historically uncertain version of the early Stars and Stripes.