The flag, which is commonly called the Fort Bedford Flag was a standard British Red Ensign.
In 1707, Queen Anne presided over the Act of Union which united England and Scotland. As part of the Act of Union, Queen Anne decreed that the British Red Ensign, albeit a naval flag, was to be flown over all land fortifications throughout the British Empire. So the thing that needs to be clearly understood is that the Fort Bedford Flag was not of a unique design ~ it was the standard British Red Ensign. The British Red Ensign consisted of a Union Jack in the canton on a field of solid red damask. (Note: 'Damask' is the name given to cloth with a repeating floral design woven into it.)
In 1901, Dr. Charles N. Hickok sent a letter to the Editor of the Bedford Gazette titled That "Old Flag". And the thing about Dr. Hickok was that as one of the most noted historians in Bedford County, no matter what he said was taken as history gospel by many of his peers and historians who came after him. The letter gave Hickok a platform to make an authoritative comment on an historical subject, as he often did.
The subtitle of the letter in the newspaper was "Dr. C. N. Hickok Says It Never Floated Over Fort Bedford." Frederic Nawgel, owner of the Nawgel Inn on Pitt Street, according to the letter, served in the War of 1812. He went to Canada under General William H. Harrison. Upon his return to Bedford County, Nawgel had the flag with him. It was, according to Dr. Hickok, a "spick, span, brand new" flag which had never been unfurled. He noted that "The eyelets, for unfurling it, had evidently never had cords drawn through them."
Dr. Hickok noted that he once attempted to sell the flag "and was met by the stunning remark as to its identity, by one versed in archeological and heraldic matters, that it was not an army flag at all and its age could not have antedated the American Revolution for the reason that it was a Union Jack of the British navy of a design that was not adopted by the admiralty until the year 1804." His ignorance of Queen Anne's Act of Union, and the ensign she directed to be flown on all British land fortifications led Dr. Hickok to deny the flag's authenticity.
The particular flag which has been maintained by various entities in Bedford County, whether or not is was the one specifically commented on by Dr. Hickok, was analyzed by the Textile Preservation Associates of Sharpsburg, Maryland in the summer of 1998. The flag was sent on behalf of the Bedford Borough Council to the attention of Fonda G. Thomsen, director of the Textile Preservation Associates, Inc. As a result of her analysis, Ms. Thomsen's conclusion was that the flag appeared to be of original 1758 construction and not a later reproduction. She also noted that the condition of the fabric suggested some, but not continuous, use. The creases evident in the fabric suggested that it had been folded for a long period of time in storage.
So, despite Dr. Hickok's pedigree as a historian, his declaration in 1901 was in error. The flag that is currently displayed in the Fort Bedford Museum is indeed one dating from the French and Indian War. Whether it is the particular flag flown over Fort Bedford in the 1750's and 60's can never be proven conclusively, but it is definitely of the type and age as the one that would have flown over Fort Bedford.
