The Motto “For Posterity We Bleed” - on a banner, we fight for our future

The Indian Corn is emblematic of New England, as is the pine tree! 

The pine tree is also said to be a thumb at the King, the tree is tall and straight and trees like this would have been marked as “King’s Wood” for the ship’s mast, etc. When wood like this was marked, it was a criminal offense to touch it. Here we are saying phsst to the King, this is ours! If you want it, come and take it! You will notice the two uniformed officers. One is bleeding, and the other is pointing to the children -a visual representation of our motto! “For Posterity, I Bleed” - for the children he bleeds- for our future we fight Red  & White stripe in the canton is an homage to the Sons of Liberty Flag.

No original has survived. The illustration is based on a contemporary description.

The 19th-century historian wrote that in the American archives there is a description of the standard of the 13th regiment, dated September 8, 1776.

The ground is described as light. The device was a pine tree and a field of Indian corn (emblematic of New England) with two offices in a uniform of the regiment. One officer is bleeding from a chest wound. Several children stand under the pine, and one officer points to them. The motto is “For Posterity We Bleed” * such a standard would have been made of silk with an overall dimension about 5 ft. square. The symbolic scene is the same type of elaborate tableaux as the standard of Webbs Additional Continental Regiment of 1777 and has specific standards of the Gostelowe Return of 1778.

* Further research determined that it should say “For Posterity, I Bleed” Pages 41-42 

American Archives Series 5, Vol 2, pg 244 -Peter Force 1848

The only 13th Regiment listed as active on September 8, 1776, is that of Colonel Joseph Read’s 13th Continental Regiment. Also the flags device of a pine-tree and Indian corn strongly suggest a Massachusetts origin.