1775-1777. The Grand Union, also known as the Cambridge Flag or the Continental Colors, consists of a field of thirteen alternating red and white stripes with the King’s Colors in the upper hoist canton (a variation of the British Red Ensign). The earliest recorded use has the flag hoisted by John Paul Jones on the USS Alfred in December of 1775. It was first raised on land by General Washington at his headquarters at Cambridge, Massachusetts on January 2, 1776. It continued to be the unofficial flag of the country, as both a naval ensign and the Continental Army colors until replaced by the official Stars and Stripes (First Navy Stars and Stripes) by an Act of the Continental Congress, June 14, 1777.