PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS
in 1752 Colonel William Crawford founded the Town of Portsmouth which flew
the British Union Jack flag, a design that combined England's Red Cross of
St. George with Scotland's White Cross of St. Andrew; and
WHEREAS
the Grand Union Flag, designed in 1775, combined the King's Colors and the
13 stripes symbolizing the 13 colonies--this flag may have been among the
various Colonial Flags that flew at diverse times in Portsmouth during the
American Revolution excluding the times that Lord Dunmore was ensconced
nearby at Gosport in late 1775 and at Hospital Point for part of 1776; and
WHEREAS
the First National Flag, commonly known as the Betsy Ross Flag, replaced
the Colonial Flags on June 14, 1777 and might well have flown here during
the Revolution except during the British presence of 1779 and the British
Occupation of 1780 to 1781. This First National flag with its blue canton
with 13 white stars evolved to the present pattern of 50 stars
representing the 50 states and 13 stripes representing the 13 original
colonies; and
WHEREAS
in April 1861 Virginia seceded from the United States and the Virginia
Secession Convention passed an ordinance establishing a Commonwealth flag
which flew briefly over Portsmouth and was nearly identical to that in
current use; and
WHEREAS
later that same month, Virginia voted to join the Confederate States of
America and flew the Confederate flag from June 1861 to May 1862 when
Federal forces occupied the city and raised the American flag again; and
WHEREAS
in 1865 the Civil War ended and Portsmouth continued to fly the flag of
the United States of America;
Now
therefore, I, Dr. James W. Holley, III, Mayor of the City of Portsmouth,
Virginia, do hereby proclaim Portsmouth under five flags.
