battle flag

noun

plural battle flags

: a flag or banner historically used to mark a rallying point especially in battle or to serve as an emblem

… the Bennington battle flag, a banner associated with a revolutionary battle that took place in Vermont in 1777.

—Gabe Whisnant

… battle flags snapping from the mastheads in the warm Pacific trade winds.

—Doug Pricer

… reenactors donned Confederate gray and unfurled the infamous battle flag.

—Hiawatha Bray

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined above