Carolina Crescent Moon Over Palm

The crescent moon actually originated from the remains of a knight’s armor. British officers wore a ceremonial metal crescent, often silver or gold plated placed over the heart area. The crescent was also the silver emblem worn on the front of the hats of South Carolina troops in the American Revolutionary War of Independence. The metal crescent is called a gorget. The gorget eventually became discontinued, but the design of the crescent was retained as a unit symbol and inspired the first unit flags used by the troops - blue with a white crescent.