ENSIGN, in the military art, a banner or colours under which soldiers are ranged, according to the different companies or parties to which they belong.
The Turkish ensigns are horses' tails; those of the Europeans are pieces of taffety, with divers figures, colours, arms, and devices thereon. Xenophon tells us that the ensign borne by the Persians was a golden eagle on a white ground; the Corinthians bore the winged horse or Pegasus on theirs; the Athenians an owl; the Messenians the Greek letter M; the Lacedemonians the A. The Romans had a great diversity of ensigns, the wolf, minotaur, horse, boar, and at length the eagle, where they stopped. This was first assumed in the second year of the consulate of Marius. A military ensign on a medal of a Roman colony denotes it a colony peopled with old soldiers.
ENSIGN is also the officer who carries the colours, being the lowest commissioned officer in a company of foot, subordinate to the captain and lieutenant.