Commonly Flown: July 1775 – January 1776

Flag Description

The Culpeper Minutemen Flag features a white field with a coiled rattlesnake at its center, flanked by the slogans “LIBERTY OR DEATH” and “DON’T TREAD ON ME.” Above the snake is the unit’s name: “THE CULPEPER MINUTE MEN.” The design draws from both the Gadsden Flag and Patrick Henry’s famous speech, combining revolutionary fervor with regional identity. It was carried by the Culpeper Minutemen, a Virginia militia formed in July 1775 from the counties of Culpeper, Orange, and Fauquier.

Editorial Commentary

The Culpeper Minutemen Flag is a banner of raw defiance. It fuses two of the Revolution’s most potent symbols: the rattlesnake—coiled, native, and ready to strike—and the uncompromising words of Patrick Henry: “Liberty or Death.” This was not a flag of negotiation. It was a warning.

Raised by a frontier militia, the flag reflected the urgency and independence of a people who saw tyranny not as a distant threat, but a present danger. The Culpeper Minutemen were among the first to mobilize in Virginia, responding to Lord Dunmore’s seizure of gunpowder and later fighting at the Battle of Great Bridge. Their flag was not just a standard—it was a statement.

In the context of Patriot Echoes, the Culpeper Minutemen Flag reminds us that the Revolution was not only fought by congresses and generals, but by farmers, riflemen, and tradesmen who gathered under oaks and marched with purpose. This flag captures the spirit of local resistance and the clarity of a cause that left no room for compromise.

Sources: Ammo.com, AmericanRevolution.org, Wikipedia