At the outbreak of what the British called “THE AMERICAN WAR,” native Rhode Islanders were among the first to join the Minutemen outside Boston. Rhode Island regiments also served at the battles of Brandywine, Trenton and Yorktown. One of these regiments marched beneath a white flag with a blue anchor, symbolizing Rhode Island’s seafaring activities, and a blue canton (the upper portion of a flag next to the staff) on which appeared thirteen stars. This Rhode Island regimental flag, preserved today in the State House at Providence, was the basis for the present Rhode Island State Flag.