Why local units chose their own flags
At the beginning of the Revolutionary period, the colonies did not yet have one universally established national banner. Military companies, naval forces, communities, and political groups therefore used a range of local and regional designs.
Rattlesnake flags were among the recognizable options. The animal had already appeared in colonial political imagery and conveyed a defensive warning: it remained watchful and would respond when threatened.
The Culpeper combination
The version now identified as the Culpeper Minutemen flag is generally shown on a white field. A coiled rattlesnake occupies the center, accompanied by “Don’t Tread on Me” and a separate liberty motto associated with Patrick Henry’s public rhetoric.
This combination distinguishes it from the familiar yellow Gadsden flag while placing both designs in the same wider visual tradition. Historical reproductions vary in lettering, snake anatomy, spacing, and proportion, so no modern rendering should automatically be treated as the sole original pattern.
How to spell Culpeper
The flag takes its modern name from Culpeper County, Virginia, which uses a two-p spelling. “Culpepper” is an established surname variant, but “Culpeper” is the appropriate spelling when identifying the county and the banner associated with its minutemen.
