The Confederacy adopted a total of three national flags before its collapse in 1865. 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. Although less well known than the "Confederate Battle Flags",the Stars and Bars was used as the official flag of the Confederacy from March 1861 to May of 1863. Similarly the patriotic ladies of the South who prepared most of the company and regimental flags for the military units raised in the Southern states chose whatever proportions and sizes seemed aesthetic. The official version was to have the stars in a circle, with the number corresponding to the States actually admitted to the Confederacy. He argued that the battle flag must be used, but it was necessary to emblazon it for a national flag, but as simply as possible, with a plain white field. It was sometimes called "Beauregard's flag" or "the Virginia battle flag". ), and elements of the design by related similar female descendants organizations of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, (U.D.C. In the early summer of 1861, the army was renamed the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) commanded by Gen. R.E. Their cantons bore eleven white, 5-pointed stars arranged in a circle. This Stars & Bars flag, also known as the First Confederate, is fully printed and has 2 brass grommets on the left used for hanging. The roughly 5,000-year-old human remains were found in graves from the Yamnaya culture, and the discovery may partially explain their rapid expansion throughout Europe. When the Confederate States of America was founded during the Montgomery Convention that took place on February 4, 1861, a national flag was not selected by the Convention due to not having any proposals. Return to the Confederate Flags Home Page. Most famously, the "Bonnie Blue Flag" was used as an unofficial flag during the early months of 1861. This bunting was placed in the hands of Richmond military goods dealer, George Ruskell. The first official flag of the confederacy was the Stars and Bars, and was reported to the provisional congress of the C.S. Unit abbreviations on two of the surviving flags were applied with separately cut and applied red cotton letters. Known as the Stars and Bars, the flag featured a white star for each Confederate state on a blue background, and three stripes, two red and one white. on the subject of Regimental or badge flags made of red with two blue bars crossing each other diagonally on which shall be introduced the stars, We would then on the field of battle know our friends from our Enemies.[18]. The trend continued with local reenactment groups raising the necessary funds to conserve flags. Thompson stated in April 1863 that he disliked the adopted flag "on account of its resemblance to that of the abolition despotism against which we are fighting."[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. -"Letter from Richmond" by the Richmond correspondent of the, Journal of the Confederate Congress, Volume 6, p.477, John D. Wright, The Language of the Civil War, p.284, Healy, Donald T.; Orenski, Peter J. The Stars and Bars Flag is the first official flag of the Confederacy. Also available below is a Vinyl Decal (suitable for outdoor use). 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. In the center of the union a circle of white stars corresponding in number with the States in the Confederacy. The flag had become big businessand led a double life both as a nostalgic symbol and a deeply evocative banner of racism. What is wind chill, and how does it affect your body? Besides, many military units had their own regimental flags they would carry into battle. But though it was extremely popular, this new battle flag which eventually became known as the Southern Crosswasnt adopted as the Confederacys official military or government symbol. The stars represent the seven seceded states of the U.S. According to one account, these flags were later turned in so that their bunting could be recycled into other flags. [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. Scientists just confirmed a 30-foot void first detected inside the monument years ago. . These Confederate national colors seem to have measured 4 feet on their hoist by 5 1/2 feet on the fly. The design of the Stars and Bars varied . Just under half of these flags (18) bore eleven stars, of which 8 bore a center star with the other ten stars surrounding it. The flags that were actually produced by the Richmond Clothing Depot used the 1.5:1 ratio adopted for the Confederate navy's battle ensign, rather than the official 2:1 ratio. 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. The first official flag of the Confederacy, called the " Stars and Bars ," was flown from March 5, 1861, to May 26, 1863. [58] A July 2021 Politico-Morning Consult poll of 1,996 registered voters reported that 47% viewed it as a symbol of Southern pride while 36% viewed it as a symbol of racism. the Confederate States of America began to use its first flag, the Stars and Bars, on March 5, 1861. As the crowd of President Trumps supporters rioted, many hoisted the symbol of a short-lived splinter nation that tore the Union apart. The Flag Act of 1865, passed by the Confederate congress near the very end of the War, describes the flag in the following language: The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That the flag of the Confederate States shall be as follows: The width two-thirds of its length, with the union (now used as the battle flag) to be in width three-fifths of the width of the flag, and so proportioned as to leave the length of the field on the side of the union twice the width of the field below it; to have the ground red and a broad blue saltire thereon, bordered with white and emblazoned with mullets or five pointed stars, corresponding in number to that of the Confederate States; the field to be white, except the outer half from the union to be a red bar extending the width of the flag. Congress did not adopted a formal Act codifying this flag, but it is described in the Report of the Committee on Flag and Seal, in the following language: The flag of the Confederate States of America shall consist of a red field with a white space extending horizontally through the center, and equal in width to one-third the width of the flag. STARS AND BARS Images of 11 Star versions of the first Confederate national flag. Though it hassome Black supporters, it remains shorthand for a defiant South and all that implies. Military officers also voiced complaints about the flag being too white, for various reasons, such as the danger of being mistaken for a flag of truce, especially on naval ships where it was too easily soiled. The result was the square flag sometimes known as the . 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. Robed Ku Klux Klan members watch Black demonstrators march through Okolona, Mississippi, in 1978. Stars and Bars (final version) As word spread about the conservation program the flag of the 10th Louisiana Infantry was adopted by a Canadian Reenacting Group that portrayed the unit. / Forwarded to Montgomery, Ala. Feb 12, 1861, / Adopted by the Provisional Congress March 4, 1861". It houses the second largest collection of Confederate Civil War items in the world. at Vicksburg, Mississippi, 1863. Denounced as a hate symbol, the Confederate flag remains popular among white supremacists and Southerners who claim it as their heritage. 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 Atlantic. A rejected national flag design was also used as a battle flag by the Confederate Army and featured in the "Stainless Banner" and "Blood-Stained Banner" designs. 1861 until 1 May 1863. 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. 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. [43], The Army of Northern Virginia battle flag assumed a prominent place post-war when it was adopted as the copyrighted emblem of the United Confederate Veterans. He described the idea in a letter to his commanding General Joseph E. Johnston: I wrote to [Miles] that we should have 'two' flags a 'peace' or parade flag, and a 'war' flag to be used only on the field of battle but congress having adjourned no action will be taken on the matter How would it do us to address the War Dept. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos. Add to Plan. All rights reserved. Neither state voted to secede or ever came under full Confederate control. It resembles the Yankee flag, and that is enough to make it unutterably detestable." Miles received various feedback on this design, including a critique from Charles Moise, a self-described "Southerner of Jewish persuasion." Our historical flags are unsurpassed in quality and authenticity. "[1][5] Confederate Congressman Peter W. Gray proposed the amendment that gave the flag its white field. Although the officially designated design specified a rectangular canton, many of the flags that ended up being produced utilized a square-shaped canton. 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.