The Grand Union flag, also called the Continental Colors, was the first national flag of Colonial America. It was first hoisted on the American Colonial warship Alfred in the harbor at Philadelphia on December 3, 1775, by newly appointed Lieutenant John Paul Jones of the new Continental Navy. The flag served Continental Army forces as both a naval ensign and a garrison flag throughout 1776 and early 1777. On January 1, 1776, the Grand Union flag was displayed on Prospect Hill.