June 17, 1863 – A Battle Flag For Colored Soldiers

USCT recruiting poster.

The design of the new flag, to be presented to the 1st District of Columbia colored regiment, is a novel one. The Goddess of Liberty stands with her feet on a snake, which is biting itself to death. In one hand she holds the President’s Proclamation of Freedom; in the other a musket, which she offers a bareheaded and dusky freedman.

Raftsman’s Journal, Clearfield, PA