design of the War Office seal was carried forward—with some minor modifications—into the subsequent designs as well as the Department of the Army's seal, emblem and flag. As such, some variation of a rattlesnake symbol has been in continuous official use by the US Army for over 243 years. Other American flags that use a rattlesnake motif include The United Companies of the Train of Artillery of the Town of Providence, the First Navy Jack, and the Culpeper Minutemen flag, among others. In the 21st century, the Gadsden Flag has been used by the Tea Party movement and has been sometimes been associated with the Patriot movement. History In the fall of 1775, the Continental Navy was established by General George Washington in his role as Commander in Chief of all Continental Forces, before Esek Hopkins was named Commodore of the Navy. Those first ships were used to intercept incoming transport ships carrying war supplies to the British in the colonies in order to supply the Continental Army, which was desperately undersupplied in the opening years of the American Revolutionary War. The Second Continental Congress authorized the mustering of five companies of Marines to accompany the Navy on their first mission. Continental Colonel Christopher Gadsden represented his home state of South Carolina in the Congress, and was one of seven members of the Marine Committee outfitting the first naval mission. Writing in 2008, Paul Aron described Gadsden as a "leading advocate of an American navy." The first Marines enlisted in the city of Philadelphia and carried drums painted yellow and depicting a coiled rattlesnake with thirteen rattles along with the motto "Don't Tread on Me." This is the first recorded mention of the future Gadsden flag's symbolism. Gadsden decided the American navy needed a distinctive flag, and took it upon himself to make one. Before his departure in December 1775, the newly appointed commander-in-chief of the Navy, Commodore Esek Hopkins, received a yellow rattlesnake flag from Gadsden to serve as his personal standard on USS Alfred, the flagship of America's first navy squadron. Gadsden designed the flag in 1775, conceiving it as a warning to Great Britain not to trample the liberties of its subjects. Writer Daniel J. McDonough described it in 2000 as the "famous gray coiled rattlesnake poised upon a bright yellow background," and remarked that it "quickly became popular among the American public." In addition to its