History of the Troop Flag

[Stevenengr]

Hello all!

 

As part of our Woodbadge project (Boisterous Beavers of C-37-02), we are trying to pull together a history of the Troop Flag, such meanings behind the colors, the significance of the design, etc. I have discussed the issue with the Archives group at National and got some basics, but nothing on the history. I assume that semaphore flags played a role in the design, but I have not heard/read anything suggesting that supposition. Can anyone help?

 

 

[Bob White]

I recall from a Boys Life article from back in the 60s that the Troop flag is based on the US Cavalry Troop flags of the 1800s.

 

Bob White

[scomman]

And weren't the units called troops in the old calvary?

 

That makes since then. I always thought they looked like guidons

[Bob White]

Also, people who were inexperienced in the ways of the west were called tenderfoot. Daniel Carter Beard, one of the early contributors to the American scouting movement, incorporated many elements of the old west and outdoor skills into the program.

 

Bob White

[eisely]

Cavalry troops correspond to infantry companies and artillery batteries. Company level units never had more than a guidon. Battalions and regiments are currently equipped with a full set of colors. In the US army today, regiments no longer exist. Divisions are composed of brigades that are composed of a mixture of battalions with no separate regimental headquarters. The unit flags carred by battalions are actually regimental flags. As I recall, the base color of the regimental flags corresponds in the US army to the color traditionally associated with the branch of the service. I was in the artillery and our regimental flags were always red. It seems to me that armored units, descended from the cavalry, carry yellow flags. Someone currently in the army can help me out on this.

 

All this leads to the question as to why a white base color was chosen for boy scout troop flags. Probably out of convenience.

[Bob White]

Eisely,

We were at the Cowboy and western heritage musem in Oklahoma city this summer and the US Cavalry troop flag was red over white just like a BSA troop flag.

 

Bob White

[eisely]

Was that a guidon or a full regimental flag?

[Bob White]

Here is an example. As the site explains in the late 1800s cavalry companies were known as troops. This article explains how the colors varied fom time to time. You see in the illustration of the 9th Cavalry, Company I, that it closely resembles a BSA troop flag.

 

http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us^cav.html

 

Bob White

[scomman]

Guidons were troop or unit flags and the regiminetal flags were entirely different. The guidons had that indnentation in them and had the regiment number on top in the white and company number below in the red.