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Battle Streamers for War of 1812 On the header of each page you will see a scarlet ribbon with two white stripes. It represents the War of 1812 battle streamer which was created for the U. S. Army in 1920 by the Army Institute of Heraldry. It consists of a field of scarlet with two white stripes. The scarlet represents sacrifice, and the white stands for the idealism of the young Republic. The two white stripes also allude to the fact that the War of 1812 was the second war the United States fought against Great Britain. There are separate streamers for each campaign or battle, embroidered with the name of the battle commemorated: Canada, 1812-1815; Chippewa, 1814; Lundy's Lane, 1814; Bladensburg, 1814; McHenry, 1814; New Orleans, 1815. In 1939, the U. S. Marine Corps adopted the Army War of 1812 battle streamer. The Marines use one streamer for each war, campaign or theater of operations. Specific actions or battles are highlighted by silver and bronze stars embroidered on the streamer as shown below. Navy War of 1812 Ribbon or Battle Streamer In 1968, the U. S. Coast Guard adopted the Army War of 1812 battle streamer, unadorned by either stars or lettering. In 1971 the U. S. Navy adopted the Army War of 1812 battle streamer, but added embroidered silver and bronze stars for actions at sea and battles on land supported by the Navy. Each silver star represents five actions, and each bronze star stands for a single action. Thus, the six stars represent 14 actions: Six major ship to ship actions included: Constitution Guerrière (August 19, 1812) United States Macedonian (October 28, 1812) Constitution Java (December 29, 1812) Chesapeake Shannon (June 1, 1813) Essex Phoebe and Cherub (March 28, 1814) Constitution Cyan and Levant (February 20, 1815) The Following Campaigns or Battles Included: " Sloop-of-War and Brig Single Ship Actions " Commerce Raiding in the Atlantic " Operations Against Whaling Fleets in the Pacific " Battle of Lake Erie (September 10, 1813) " Battle of Lake Champlain (September 11, 1814) " Defense of Washington (July-August 1814) " Defense of Baltimore (September 1814) " Battle of New Orleans (December 1814 - January 1815) |