Betsy Ross, the American who stitched the Stars & Stripes, was also known as a reputed wartime seductress.

Betsy Ross, the flagmaker, is widely recognized as a prominent figure of the American Revolution.

In the summer of 1776, a young seamstress from Philadelphia stitched the original Old Glory at the request of Gen. George Washington, according to a popular but unverified national tale.

"Despite the skepticism of many Americans towards the legend and romance of Betsy Ross, her popularity remains unwavering, as Marla R. Miller stated in her 2010 biography, "Betsy Ross and the Making of America.""

The true tale of Betsy Ross is more impressive than the widely believed narrative of America's first flag sewer.

One of the most captivating tales of wartime love and mystery in American history revolves around a patriot from Pennsylvania.

Ross initially left her Quaker family to marry a man in the local militia. Tragically, both he and her second husband were killed during the American Revolution.

Ross bravely refused to flee the city during its occupation by the British. She worked throughout the war by making supplies for the colonial army, according to numerous accounts.

It is believed by scholars that the renowned flagmaker, who is cherished by the nation, may also be the enigmatic figure who captivated a ruthless Hessian officer on Christmas night during the American Revolution's critical moment when Washington led a daring crossing of the Delaware River to salvage the faltering revolution.

Some of the Americans marched barefoot. Two of them froze to death.

In Trenton, New Jersey, Washington's under-equipped colonial troops defeated the Hessian garrison, with some Americans even marching barefoot. Despite this, two of them tragically froze to death.

The Hessian regiment, with their commander possibly in the arms of an American femme fatale, did not participate in the battle.

Neither Betsy Ross's role as America's first flagmaker nor her alleged secret alliance with Washington has been definitively established by historians.

Evidence suggests that Betsy Ross was the ideal person in the right place at the right time in American history, twice.

Twice-widowed war bride

On January 1, 1752, in Gloucester City, New Jersey, Elizabeth "Betsy" Griscom was born to a Quaker family.

Young Elizabeth was still a child when the Griscoms relocated from across the Delaware River to Philadelphia.

Against the wishes of her family, the young Quaker woman from Pennsylvania ran away with John Ross, a man who was not a member of the Society of Friends.

John Webster, a renowned upholsterer in Philadelphia, took Ross under his wing as an apprentice. In 1773, the young lovers fled to Hugg's Tavern in Gloucester City to secretly tie the knot.

In January 1776, a member of the Philadelphia militia, who was also the husband, perished in a gunpowder explosion.

In June 1777, Betsy Ross remarried. Meanwhile, at sea, Joseph Ashburn and his crew were captured by the British.

Ashburn died as a prisoner of war in Britain in 1782.

The widow built a thriving business as a renowned seamstress.

"They had been appointed to prepare a flag, and asked her if she thought she could make one."

According to the Ross family's later flag origin story, three men entered her shop in May or June 1776.

In 1870, William Canby reported to the Historical Society of Philadelphia that he had visited the shop of his grandmother many times, both professionally and socially, and knew the dignified, yet graceful and polite commander in chief, who was Colonel Washington at the time.

"A committee of congress was announced, and they stated their purpose of preparing a flag. They then asked her if she believed she could create one."

The American flag, completed by Ross, had 13 alternating red and white stripes and 13 white stars on a blue field, representing each American colony.

It was the first flag of the United States of America.

The American flag is commonly referred to as Old Glory or the Stars & Stripes.

The Betsy Ross Flag, which features 13 stars arranged in a circle, remains widely recognized.

The Continental Congress codified the design on June 14, 1777, which is now celebrated annually as Flag Day.

Gen. Washington's secret weapon

For those who endured 1776, the "Spirit of '76" symbolizes American triumph today, making it the darkest year in the nation's history.

In "The Crisis," Thomas Paine wrote on Dec. 23, 1776, "These are the times that try men’s souls."

In 1776, Washington's army suffered a series of defeats in Brooklyn and Manhattan, ultimately being chased out of New Jersey.

In December, the general's defeated army, which was camped in Pennsylvania on the west bank of the Delaware River, experienced low morale and shortages. Additionally, conscription for many troops expired at the end of the year.

"Washington's brave soldiers would win a series of victories at Trenton and Princeton that were glorious indeed."

The American Revolution needed a miracle.

The daring raid across the Delaware River by Washington on Christmas night 1776 led to the rout of the Hessians in Trenton, altering the trajectory of American history.

According to the American Battlefield Trust, between December 25, 1776 and January 3, 1777, Washington's soldiers achieved a string of victories in just 10 days at Trenton and Princeton, which were truly triumphant.

"The ten crucial days played a vital role in reviving patriot morale and maintaining the cause for American independence after early losses."

If Hessian Colonel Count Carl von Donop had not been occupied with other duties, he could have led his regiment from Mount Holly to the battle in Trenton and possibly changed the outcome.

According to Hessian Captain Johann Ewald's testimony, the officer spent three nights at Christmastime in his headquarters entertaining an "exceedingly beautiful young widow."

There is suspicion and evidence that Betsy Ross was the temptress who ignited von Donop's passion while also reigniting the cause of American independence.

In his Pulitzer Prize-winning 2004 history, "Washington's Crossing," David Hackett Fischer presents a theory.

Fischer describes a young and beautiful widow who was a "Free Quaker" and strongly sympathetic to the American cause in Philadelphia in December 1776.

She had family ties in Gloucester County, New Jersey, where she got married and frequently returned. She was familiar with George Washington.

He credits historian Joseph Tustin for naming Betsy Ross the possible seductress.

Stars & Stripes forever

On January 30, 1836, Elizabeth "Betsy" Ross, at the age of 84, passed away.

She led an extraordinary life following the "trial of men's souls" in 1776.

John Claypoole, who served time with Ross in the British prison where he died, informed Ross of his second husband's death.

"According to the National Women's History Museum, Claypoole and Ross became friends and got married a year later. They enjoyed a 34-year marriage and had five children."

"Betsy Ross comes to us today in story, song and pageantry as the maker of the first United States flag,"

According to the museum, Ross continued working until he was 76 years old and eventually became blind by the age of 81.

The museum reports that she narrated to her children and grandchildren the tale of creating the first American flag.

Ross spent decades creating flags, but the first-flag origin story has a significant flaw. It was created more than 30 years after her death and relies solely on her family as its source.

The image of the "gorgeous young widow" sewing the first Stars & Stripes for the Founding Father in 1776 captivated the American people.

In 2005, William C. Kashatus of the Chester County (Pennsylvania) Historical Society wrote for the U.S. Department of State that the public's desire for a national matriarch to join the ranks of Founding Fathers was strong enough.

"In 1892, Betsy Ross's townhouse in Philadelphia was so significant that residents protested its deterioration."

Philadelphia's Liberty Bell and Independence Hall are among the city's top three historical attractions, alongside her home.

Neither the maternal seamstress nor the conniving vixen has been proven correct, but both are plausible and neither has been proven wrong.

In her 2010 biography, Miller portrays Betsy Ross as the creator of the first United States flag through story, song, and pageantry.

"Ross, a female figure in our national origin stories, was widely accepted by teachers, schoolchildren, civic leaders, artists, and authors of children's literature."

On the night that saved the American Revolution, she could have been captured by the enemy.

In "The Crisis," Paine wrote that the summer soldier and sunshine patriot would shrink from their country's service during a crisis, two days before the Battle of Trenton.

The patriot who stands by it now deserves love and thanks from man and woman.

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