WASHINGTON'S LIFE GUARDS

An original is on display at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia.  The standard bears an elaborate, delicately painted scene depicting a horse, an officer, a blue standard with a circle or oval of stars, a woman representing the Genius of Liberty supporting a shield of the United States, and a spread eagle.  Above the figures is a yellow-gold scroll with the motto:  "Conquer or Die". The standard dates after 1782 when the shield and eagle were adopted into the seal of the United States.

The Commander-in-Chief's Guard (1777-1783), or "Washington's Life Guard" was a company-sized unit of selected men representing all thirteen states.  It was primarily an infantry unit, although it did include some mounted troops.  Its primary purpose was to guard the person, headquarters, papers and effects of the Commander-in-Chief.