The original flag of the Confederate States of America, commonly known as the STARS AND BARS, was approved by the Congress of the Provisional Government of the Confederate States, and first hoisted over the capitol building in Montgomery, Alabama, on the afternoon of the 4th day of March, 1861. Second national flag (May 1, 1863 March 4, 1865), 2:1 ratio, Second national flag (May 1, 1863 March 4, 1865), also used as the Confederate navy's ensign, 3:2 ratio, A 12-star variant of the Stainless Banner produced in, Variant captured following the Battle of Painesville, 1865, Third national flag (after March 4, 1865), Third national flag as commonly manufactured, with a square canton, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 18:54. Unit abbreviations on two of the surviving flags were applied with separately cut and applied red cotton letters. Many soldiers wrote home about the ceremony and the impression the flag had upon them, the "fighting colors" boosting morale after the confusion at the Battle of First Manassas. Early flags contain seven stars for the original seven states of the Confederacy. flag of the Confederate States of America - Encyclopedia Britannica First flag with 7 stars(March 4 May 18, 1861), Flag with 11 stars(July 2 November 28, 1861), Last flag with 13 stars(November 28, 1861 May 1, 1863), The Confederacy's first official national flag, often called the Stars and Bars, flew from March 4, 1861, to May 1, 1863. March 4, 1861 The first national flag of the Confederate States of America (the "Stars and Bars") is adopted. Rogers defended his redesign as symbolizing the primary origins of the people of the Confederacy, with the saltire of the Scottish flag and the red bar from the flag of France, and having "as little as possible of the Yankee blue" the Union Army wore blue, the Confederates gray.[13]. The Confederate flag had three bars, red, white, red and a blue field with stars on it. The very first national flag of the Confederacy was designed by Prussian artist Nicola Marschall in Marion, Alabama. Its meaning has been a taboo for generations in the USA, as many believe it represents 'White Supremacy', pro-racism, slavery and hatred. It existed in a variety of dimensions and sizes, despite the CSN's detailed naval regulations. [54][55] A 2020 Quinnipiac poll showed that 55% of Southerners saw the Confederate flag as a symbol of racism, with a similar percentage for Americans as a whole. Four flags with nine stars (eight around a center star) emanated from Louisiana but two also were made in Mississippi in the same style. There were three bars on the flag, two red and one white, and thus the popular name "Stars and Bars." First Flag of the Confederate States of America, March 4, 1861 The seven stars represent the seven original states: South Carolina; Mississippi; Florida; Alabama; Georgia; Louisiana and Texas. Confederate Flags | Missouri State Parks So Gen. Pierre G. T. Beauregard decided that he needed to design a different national flag so that it would . The battle flag of Gen. Polks Corps saw action from Shiloh through the final surrender of the Army of Tennessee. The First National Flag -- Stars and Bars May 4, 1861 - May 1, 1863 The Confederate States of America solicited designs for a national flag early in 1861. Modern display of the Confederate battle flag - Wikipedia The "Stars and Bars" flag was only selected by the Congress of March 4, 1861, the day of the deadline. These flags show a high preponderance of flags with thirteen and fifteen stars, with most arranged in a circle around a center star, either of the same size or larger than the balance of the stars. Regiments carried flags to help commanders observe and assess battles in the warfare of the era. However, when the war started, the Stars and Bars confused the battlefield. E arly in the war, most regiments carried the Confederate First National flag (the "Stars and Bars") or their state's flag since the Confederacy did not have an official battle flag. Amid the smoke and general chaos of battle, it was hard to distinguish the Confederate national flag, the "Stars and Bars," from the U. S. national flag, the "Stars and Stripes." Confederate Congressman William Porcher Miles suggested that the army have a . At a distance, the two national flags were hard to tell apart. From this bunting Ruskell assembled at least 43 flags, for which he was paid $11.50 each. Ships chandlers, Henry Vaughan in Mobile, Alabama and Hugh Vincent in Charleston, South Carolina, accepted orders to manufacture Confederate 1st national flags of these sizes. Many restored flags are always on display. Confederate flag Meaning | Politics by Dictionary.com The Dixiecrats adoption of the Confederate battle flag as a party symbol led to a surge in the banners popularity, and a flag fad spread from college campuses to Korean War battlefields and beyond. flag. Find the perfect the stars and bars flag stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. Flags Collection - Confederate Museum A crowd of white teenagers protest school integration in Montogmery, Alabama, in 1963. Can we bring a species back from the brink?, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. The red Saint Georges cross is symbolic of the Episcopal church of which Gen. Polk was Bishop of Louisiana. In 1961, South Carolina began to fly the Confederate flag over its state house. The diagonal cross was preferable, he wrote, because "it avoided the religious objection about the cross (from the Jews and many Protestant sects), because it did not stand out so conspicuously as if the cross had been placed upright thus." The Confederacy's first official national flag, often called the Stars and Bars, flew from March 4, 1861, to May 1, 1863. [6] In explaining the white background of his design, Thompson wrote, "As a people, we are fighting to maintain the Heaven-ordained supremacy of the white man over the inferior or colored race; a white flag would thus be emblematical of our cause." BRIDESMAIDS Rejected Proposals for the Confederate Flag, Failed Contestants for the First Confederate Flag (February-March 1861), Proposals that Modified the flag of the United States, FINAL EDITION The Third Confederate National Flag, Photos and Images of Third Confederate National Flags, STAINLESS BANNER The Second Confederate National Flag, Photos and Images of Second Confederate National Flags, STARS AND BARS The First Confederate National Flag. Most contemporary interpretations of the white area on the flag hold that it represented the purity of the secessionist cause. CSA- Flags Only - Ultimate Flags When their backs are against the wall, they turn to the flag, he says. The only change was a substitution of a red bar for one-half of the white field of the former flag, composing the flag's outer end. Top 10 Best Bars With Darts in Brea, CA - December 2022 - Yelp "Stonewall" Jackson as it lay in state in the Virginia capitol, May 12, 1863. The distance between the stars decreased as the number of states increased, reaching thirteen when the secessionist factions of Kentucky and Missouri joined in late 1861. Denounced as a hate symbol, the Confederate flag remains popular among white supremacists and Southerners who claim it as their heritage. Contributions can be made to the Memorial Hall Foundation by sending a check, using a credit card or by contributing through the website. In 2015, the flag came roaring back into the national consciousness when a white supremacist killed nine churchgoers at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. HistorianWilliam Sturkey, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina and author of Hattiesburg: An American City in Black and White, says that racists turn to the symbol again and again when they feel embattled and threatened. [48], The "Bonnie Blue Flag"an unofficial flag in 1861, The "Van Dorn battle flag" used in the Western theaters of operation, Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia or "Robert E. Lee Headquarters Flag", 7-star First national flag of the Confederate States Marine Corps, Flag of the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles, under General Stand Watie, The first battle flag of the Perote Guards (Company D, 1st Regiment Alabama Infantry). In 1956, prompted by the Supreme Courts Brown v. Board of Educationruling that declared segregation unconstitutional, Georgiaadopted a state flag that prominently incorporated the symbol. The garrison flag of the Confederate forces Nonetheless both were still represented in the Confederate Congress and had Confederate shadow governments composed of deposed former state politicians. Jefferson Davis State Historic Site & Museum. After images of the shooter, Dylann Roof, carrying Confederate battle flags emerged, multiple states bowed to pressure to remove them from memorials. The first official flag of the Confederacy, called the " Stars and Bars ," was flown from March 5, 1861, to May 26, 1863. The Republic was short lived and soon dissolved. The first official flag of the confederacy was the Stars and Bars, and was reported to the provisional congress of the C.S. Miles received various feedback on this design, including a critique from Charles Moise, a self-described "Southerner of Jewish persuasion." Replacing the Star and Bars in May of 1863, the first official use was at the funeral of Thomas Jonathan Stonewall Jackson. Historian Gaines M. Foster for Zcalo Public Square writes that its use was regional and tied to the memory of the war. (Toppling statues is a first step toward ending Confederate myths.). Rogers lobbied successfully to have this alteration introduced in the Confederate Senate. The Confederate "Stars & Bars" Is Still the Flag of One US State That flag was a blue St George's Cross (an upright or Latin cross) on a red field, with 15 white stars on the cross, representing the slave-holding states,[38][39] and, on the red field, palmetto and crescent symbols. On April 23, 1863, the Savannah Morning News editor William Tappan Thompson, with assistance from William Ross Postell, a Confederate blockade runner, published an editorial championing a design featuring the battle flag on a white background he referred to later as "The White Man's Flag," a name which never caught on. [13] The Columbia-based Daily South Carolinian observed that it was essentially a battle flag upon a flag of truce and might send a mixed message. In 1989 friends of Memorial Hall paid for the conservation of a Confederate Battle Flag given to the museum by Rene Beauregard, son of General PGT Beauregard. Twitter. Why the Confederate Flag Flew During World War II While no standard proportions or sizes prevailed nationwide in the Confederate States of America, a survey of 112 identified company or regimental flags from the cis-Mississippi states that conform to the pattern of the Confederate 1st national flag does indicate that several regional variations do predominate. The groundbreaking promise of cellular housekeeping. The stars represent the seven seceded states of the U.S. The new year once started in Marchhere's why, Jimmy Carter on the greatest challenges of the 21st century, This ancient Greek warship ruled the Mediterranean, How cosmic rays helped find a tunnel in Egypt's Great Pyramid, Who first rode horses? Because of the large number of Tennessee regiments in this corps the flag is sometimes referred to as the Tennessee Moon flag. [47], The Second Confederate Navy Jack was a rectangular cousin of the Confederate Army's battle flag and was in use from 1863 until 1865. The "Van Dorn battle flag" was also carried by Confederate troops fighting in the Trans-Mississippi and Western theaters of war. [citation needed], The First Confederate Navy jacks, in use from 1861 to 1863, consisted of a circle of seven to fifteen five-pointed white stars against a field of "medium blue." Many different designs were proposed during the solicitation for a second Confederate national flag, nearly all based on the Battle Flag. STARS AND BARS Images of 13 Star versions of the first Confederate national flag. In the early summer of 1861, the army was renamed the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) commanded by Gen. R.E. [47], The First Confederate Navy Jack, 18611863, The First Confederate Navy Ensign, 18611863, The Second Confederate Navy Jack, 18631865, The Second Confederate Navy Ensign, 18631865, The Second Navy Ensign of the ironclad CSS Atlanta, The 9-star First Naval Ensign of the paddle steamer CSS Curlew, The 11-star Ensign of the Confederate Privateer Jefferson Davis, A 12-star First Confederate Navy Ensign of the gunboat CSS Ellis, 18611862, The Command flag of Captain William F. Lynch, flown as ensign of his flagship, CSS Seabird, 1862, Pennant of Admiral Franklin Buchanan, CSSTennessee, at Battle of Mobile Bay, August 5, 1864, Digital recreation of Admiral Buchanan's pennant, Admiral's Rank flag of Franklin Buchanan, flown from CSS Virginia during the first day of the Battle of Hampton Roads and also flown from the CSS Tennessee during the Battle of Mobile Bay, Confederate naval flag, captured when General William Sherman took Savannah, Georgia, 1864, The first national flag, also known as the Stars and Bars (see above), served from 1861 to 1863 as the Confederate Navy's first battle ensign. Four camp colors or flank markers accompanied each of these national colors. Bar, Cocktails, $ $$ Facebook. Flags of the Confederacy - Chamber of Commerce.org Currently 24 Flags are on display, while 9 conserved flags await framing, and several others are being considered for conservation. (Miles had originally planned to use a blue St. George's Cross like that of the South Carolina Sovereignty Flag, but was dissuaded from doing so.) The design that was rejected early in 1861 as the Confederate national flag was adopted by Joseph E. Johnson and P.G.T. In the early months of the War, the Confederate War Department relied exclusively on the patriotic effusion of the ladies of the South for the unit colors of the units that assembled in Richmond during the Spring and Summer of 1861. Taking this into account, Miles changed his flag, removing the palmetto and crescent, and substituting a heraldic saltire ("X") for the upright cross. For use of Confederate symbols in modern society and popular culture, see, Flags of the Confederate States of America. Why on some Southern Cross Battle Flags is the center or thirteenth star omitted? Although the officially designated design specified a rectangular canton, many of the flags that ended up being produced utilized a square-shaped canton. But despite recurrentdebates about its meaning and appropriateness, the flag never really disappeared. Add to Plan. The Audience went wild, and the song was an instant success. During the Civil War, some of the units from Louisiana and Texas adopted the Bonnie Blue flag as their official banner of the Confederacy. It was generally made with a 2:3 aspect ratio, but a few very wide 1:2 ratio ensigns still survive today in museums and private collections. The Confederate States of America used three national flags during the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865, known as the "Stars and Bars" (1861-1863), the "Stainless Banner" (1863-65), and the "Blood-Stained Banner" (1865). However, Miles' flag was not well received by the rest of the Congress. "STARS AND BARS" The First Confederate National Flag Although Tennessee did not join the Confederacy until the middle of 1861, four of its unit flags bore seven stars and another three had eight (all seven stars surrounding a central star). It was also challenged by Black activists and their white allies. These include flags displayed in states; cities, towns and counties; schools, colleges and universities; private organizations and associations; and individuals. The general consensus is that it was designed by Prussian-American artist Nicola Marschall.The design consists of a red-white-red triband (possibly inspired by the Austrian flag, with which Marcschall would . Southern Battle Flags - National Park Service The second national flag was later adapted as a naval ensign, using a shorter 2:3 aspect ratio than the 1:2 ratio adopted by the Confederate Congress for the national flag. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars&qu. Within the blue saltire were seven white stars, representing the current seven states of the Confederacy, two on each of the left arms, one of each of the right arms, and one in the middle. Beaureguard for the battle flag then named the Army of the Potomac. [15], A monument in Louisburg, North Carolina, claims the "Stars and Bars" "was designed by a son of North Carolina / Orren Randolph Smith / and made under his direction by / Catherine Rebecca (Murphy) Winborne. How did this mountain lion reach an uninhabited island? Symbolism and Meaning of the Confederate Flag - Symbol Sage After the battle, General P. G. T. Beauregard wrote that he was "resolved then to have [our flag] changed if possible, or to adopt for my command a 'Battle flag', which would be Entirely different from any State or Federal flag". and the later Sons of Confederate Veterans, (S.C.V. The True History of the Confederate Flag | HistoryNet William T. Thompson, the editor of the Savannah-based Daily Morning News also objected to the flag, due to its aesthetic similarity to the U.S. flag, which for some Confederates had negative associations with emancipation and abolitionism. The original flag of the Confederate States of America, commonly known as the "STARS AND BARS", was approved by the Congress of the Provisional Government of the Confederate States, and first hoisted over the capitol building in Montgomery, Alabama, on the afternoon of the 4th day of March, 1861. Bats and agaves make tequila possibleand theyre both at risk, This empress was the most dangerous woman in Rome. Stars and bars may refer to: Stars and Bars (flag), the first (1861-1863) flag of the Confederate States of America Stars and Bars (1988 film), 1988 comedy starring Daniel Day-Lewis Stars and Bars (1917 film), 1917 silent film comedy directed by Victor Heerman The chairman was William Porcher Miles, who was also the Representative of South Carolina in the Confederate House of Representatives. The winner of the competition was Nicola Marschall's "Stars and Bars" flag. Georgia adopted a new state flag in 2000, which contained a small inset image of the 1956 flag, along with other historical flags. Isnt the Rectangular battle flag really the Navy Jack? William Porcher Miles, however, was not really happy with any of the proposals. [ 1] The Stars and Bars flag was adopted March 4, 1861 in Montgomery, Alabama and raised over the dome of . View. Heritage or no, the Confederate flag retains its associations with centuries of racial injustice. A Virginia Department of Historic Resources marker declaring Fairfax, Virginia, as the birthplace of the Confederate battle flag was dedicated on April 12, 2008, near the intersection of Main and Oak Streets, in Fairfax, Virginia. J. Hardee. The Confederacy adopted a total of three national flags before its collapse in 1865. Of 23 identified 1st national flags from Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, most (16) bear eleven stars; and of these, 7 are arranged in a circle of eleven, while 5 have ten stars surrounding a center star. In 2000, the flag over the state house was removed, at the . [53] The "rebel flag" is considered by some to be a highly divisive and polarizing symbol in the United States. The similarity between the stars and bars and the stars and strips caused many cases of mistaken identity during the first battle of Manassas or Bull Run in July of 1861. NOTE: The 4"x6" size is mounted to a 10" staff with a spear top. These two designs were lost, and we only know of them thanks to an 1872 letter sent by William Porcher Miles to P. G. T. Beauregard. Enterprise. Flag of Georgia (U.S. state) - Wikipedia The editor of the Charleston Mercury expressed a similar view: "It seems to be generally agreed that the 'Stars and Bars' will never do for us. The "Stars and Bars" was unpopular among Confederates for its resemblance to the United States flag, which caused . It was designed by Prussian -American artist Nicola Marschall in Marion, Alabama, and is said to resemble the Flag of Austria, with which Marschall would have been familiar. Our Stars and Bars flags are made from 100% Dupont Solar-Max nylon material or 100% cotton. [18] The "Stars and Bars" was also criticized on ideological grounds for its resemblance to the U.S. flag. On November 28, 1861, Confederate soldiers in General Robert E. Lee's newly reorganized Army of Northern Virginia received the new battle flags in ceremonies at Centreville and Manassas, Virginia, and carried them throughout the Civil War. He also argued that the diagonal cross was "more Heraldric [sic] than Ecclesiastical, it being the 'saltire' of Heraldry, and significant of strength and progress. To remedy this inadequacy, General Beauregard caused a number of Confederate 1st national flags to be made from the bunting that had been seized at the former Gosport U.S. Navy Yard near Portsmouth, Virginia. Efforts to memorialize the Confederate dead also began as soon as the war ended, but they ballooned as white Southerners reclaimed their power after Reconstruction. national flag consisting of seven white stars on a blue canton with a field of three alternating stripes, two red and one white. It was distinct from the Unions flag. by the flag committee on March 4,1861. Deep South. THE CONFEDERATE 1ST NATIONAL FLAG (THE STARS & BARS) AS A MILITARY FLAG. This new flag spread quickly in use across the South, even beyond the borders of the seven States of the CSA. When the American Civil War broke out, the "Stars and Bars" confused the battlefield at the First Battle of Bull Run because of its similarity to the U.S. (or Union) flag, especially when it was hanging limp on its flagstaff. The first Confederate national flag bore 7 stars representing the first seven states to secede from the U.S. and band together as the Confederate States of America: South Carolina, Mississippi . The Atlantic. The "Sibley Flag", Battle Flag of the Army of New Mexico, commanded by General Henry Hopkins Sibley. Lightboxes. The name derived from the blue canton with a circle of white stars and the three red, white, and red bars in the flag's field. at Vicksburg, Mississippi, 1863. Long COVID patients turn to unproven treatments, Why evenings can be harder on people with dementia, This disease often goes under-diagnosedunless youre white, This sacred site could be Georgias first national park, See glow-in-the-dark mushrooms in Brazils other rainforest, 9 things to know about Holi, Indias most colorful festival, Anyone can discover a fossil on this beach. LEE. After taking command of the main Confederate army in the west, Gen. Jos E. Johnson adopted this variation of the Virginia Battle Flag for the Army of Tennessee. ", The square "battle flag" is also properly known as "the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia". (2016). But once Reconstructionended in 1877, white Southerners hastened to restore what they saw as their rightful place at the top of a racially segregated social order. "Everybody wants a new Confederate flag," Bagby wrote. The pattern and colors of this flag did not distinguish it sharply fom the Stars and Stripes of the Union. Though as compared to the Confederate Battle Flags, stars and bars were less known, this first flag was used as the official flag of the Confederacy from March 5, 1861, to May 26, 1863. Because of its similarity to the U.S. flag, the Stars and Bars was sometimes confused with the Stars and Stripes in the smoke of battle. Those inspired by the Stars and Stripes were discounted almost immediately by the Committee due to mirroring the Union's flag too closely.