thumb|Continental Union Flag, also known as the Grand Union Flag, was used between 1775 and 1777 The first official flag resembling the "Stars and Stripes" was the Continental Navy ensign (often referred to as the Continental Union Flag, first American flag, Cambridge Flag, and Grand Union Flag) used between 1775 and 1777. It consisted of 13 red-and-white stripes, with the British Union Flag in the canton. It first appeared on December 3, 1775, when Continental Navy Lieutenant John Paul Jones flew it aboard Captain Esek Hopkins' flagship Alfred in the Delaware River.
thumb|Continental Union Flag, also known as the Grand Union Flag was used between 1775 and 1777 The first official flag resembling the "Stars and Stripes" was the Continental Navy ensign (often referred to as the Continental Union Flag, first American flag, Cambridge Flag, and Grand Union Flag) used between 1775 and 1777. It consisted of 13 red-and-white stripes, with the British Union Flag in the canton. It first appeared on December 3, 1775, when Continental Navy Lieutenant John Paul Jones flew it aboard Captain Esek Hopkins' flagship Alfred in the Delaware River.