 |
The Pine Tree |
Within the Sudbury Minutemen logo and featured on many flags is The Pine Tree. A quite common arbor in New England, The Pine Tree was readily adopted symbolism for the area's identity for the virtues including hardiness and fortitude especially in the cold, hard climate. As early as 1686, the symbol was incorporated into flags.
Flags with evergreens were believed to have been carried at the Battle of Bunker Hill, 1775, and one was adopted by the Massachusetts navy in 1776. Pine Tree flags were used by American forces in many ways often with the motto, "An Appeal To Heaven." On October 20, 1775 Colonel Joseph Reed, Washington's military secretary, recommended that this flag be put into general usage so that American ships could recognize each other. The "Pine Tree Flag" is a generic name for a number of flags used by Massachusetts and other new England colonies from 1686-1776.
