The Washington Light Infantry (WLI), organized in 1807, is one of the nation’s oldest militia units. Anticipating a second war with Britain, the citizens of Charleston planned for a number of volunteer corps, one of which was the Washington Light Infantry. It alone survives.
The Corps was named in honor of George Washington. Annually, on his birthday, February 22, a military banquet is observed by the Corps. The famous Eutaw Flag (the story of which follows) was borne by another Washington, Colonel William Washington, a cousin of General George Washington.
The flag commonly known as the Eutaw flag, now in the possession of the Washington Light Infantry of Charleston, S.C., is a relic of the Revolutionary War.
It formerly belonged to Colonel William Washington, a cousin of General George Washington. John Randolph compared the Colonel, in one of his speeches in Congress, to the “Sword of Marcellus.”