Extremely rare Distinctive Mark of the U.S. Navy, 1865 - 1872.
This is an extremely rare Distinctive Mark of the US Navy, used by the commander of the Third Division of a squadron, used from 1865 - 1872. These pennants were not to be regarded as emblems of rank, but as indicative of command. It is not known which member of the Decatur family may have displayed this pennant, but it is likely that it's owner was either Stephen Decatur or George Washington Storer, prior to their respective promotion to the grade of Commodore, a flag bearing rank.

In The History of the Flag of the United States of America, by George Henry Preble, 1880, (pp. 671 to 674), this white, blue, white pennant is mentioned and described several times in orders promulgated in 1865, 1869 and 1870. Any officer, not authorized to wear the flag of a rear-admiral, or the broad pennant of a commodore, but appointed by an express order to command a division of a squadron, was to wear a divisional mark, of the size prescribed in the book of allowances. The masthead was where the pennant was usually flown. The divisional marks were to be triangular in shape, with the middle part of a different color from the rest, in the form of a wedge; the base occupying one-third of the fly. For the first division, blue, white, blue; for the second division, red, white, red; for the third division, white, blue, white.

This flag was formerly part of the Decatur-Armsden Collection; a family collection that included artifacts and flags from the Lear-Storer-Decatur family which encompassed a number of important historical figures from the 19th, 18th and 17th Centuries.

This cache of historical goods descended from various generations and branches of the Lear-Storer-Decatur families and included items from Sir William Pepperrell Baronet and John Storer ( who were both part of the 1745 expedition to Nova Scotia to capture Ft. Louisburg, Colonel Tobias Lear (General Washington's Aide de Camp and personal friend), of Benjamin Lincoln Lear (son of Tobias Lear), Commodore Stephen Decatur, 1779-1820); Commodore Stephen A. Decatur (18151876) (nephew of his famous namesake), Commodore George Washington Storer, Ichabod Goodwin (Governor of New Hampshire), Captain George Washington Storer (nephew of Tobias Lear) and Admiral of the Navy George Dewey.

The accumulation of historic artifacts was a treasure trove which was rediscovered in the mid 20th Century when the family, as a whole, decided to sell a barn at Kittery Point, Maine, the spiritual demesne of the extended family. The barn had served as a repository for a vast amount of historical material that has been passed down through the generations. When inventoried, the barn was found to contain a significant archive of papers, memorabilia, photographs, books, artifacts and some twenty historic flags. The historic trove was divided amongst the three branches of the family.

That portion which had gone to Alice Decatur Armsden contained the flags and was preserved in its entirety until her and her husband's estate was settled in 2009. In the estate were flags from some of Americas most illustrious naval families Decatur, Storer and Dewey. The flag grouping consisted of Boat Flags, Ensigns, Signal Flags, Burgees, Rank Flags, Distinguishing Flags, Service Flags and a Yacht Ensign. Among the US flags and ensigns were the following star counts; 13 stars (4), 16 stars, 26 stars, 34 stars (3), 35 stars, 45 stars (2) and 48 stars.
Dating from the early 18th century, the flags seem to have been acquired from the male naval officers of the family by the women of the families; who then carefully preserved and conserved them, an act for which posterity is forever indebted.

Publication History:
Preble, George Henry, The Flag of the United States and Other National Flags, Boston & New York, Houghton, Mifflin & Company 1894, Pp. 671-674.

ZFC Significant Flag

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