p. 211. The three states with coasts along the Gulf (Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana) accounted for 39 flags in the survey. The ensign of the Confederate States Revenue Service, designed by Dr. H. P. Capers of South Carolina on April 10, 1861. (How the assassination of Medgar Evers galvanized the civil rights movement.). Despite the official pattern and numbers, however, individual examples of the Stars and Bars varied greatly, with numbers of stars ranging from 1 to 17, and star patterns varying greatly beyond the officially sanctioned circle. General Johnston suggested making it square to conserve material. ", The square "battle flag" is also properly known as "the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia". General Pierre T. Beauregard chose a variation on the cross . The design that was rejected early in 1861 as the Confederate national flag was adopted by Joseph E. Johnson and P.G.T. Despite the 9:14 proportions established by the Confederate War Department, other civilian makers of the Stars & Bars soon gravitated to different proportions that included 2:3, 3:5, and 1:2. In 2000, the flag over the state house was removed, at the . But how did the battle flag, also known as the Southern Cross, come to represent the Confederacy in the first place? [18] He turned to his aide, who happened to be William Porcher Miles, the former chairman of the Confederate Congress's Committee on the Flag and Seal. Photograph courtesy the Library of Congress, Photograph by Flip Schulke, CORBIS/Corbis/Getty, Photograph by Kris Graves, National Geographic. Flag officially used: September 1860 Summer, 1861, George P. Gilliss flag, also known as the Biderman Flag, the only Confederate flag captured in California (Sacramento). Its popularity persisted, and over the ensuing decades, the battle flag became a generic symbol of rebellion spotted on TV shows like The Dukes of Hazzardand on stage with bands likeLynyrd Skynyrd. While others were wildly different, many of which were very complex and extravagant, these were largely discounted due to the being too complicated and expensive to produce. 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. "Stonewall" Jackson as it lay in state in the Virginia capitol, May 12, 1863. The stars and bars flag Stock Photos and Images - alamy.com March 4, 1861 The first national flag of the Confederate States of America (the "Stars and Bars") is adopted. Taking this into account, Miles changed his flag, removing the palmetto and crescent, and substituting a heraldic saltire ("X") for the upright cross. Then, as Confederate veterans began to die in the early 20th century, groups like the United Daughters of the Confederacy pushed to commemorate themand make their version of history the official doctrine of Southern states. 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. 80s Bar Brea, CA - Last Updated January 2023 - Yelp Many different designs were proposed during the solicitation for a second Confederate national flag, nearly all based on the Battle Flag. Interestingly, a significant number of Tennessee company and regimental 1st national flags were made of silk and were of very large size, often exceeding 8 feet on their flys. The History of Our American Flags - USA Flag Co. During the command of Major-General John Pemberton, the Confederate Quartermaster Department in the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, (and later Florida) relied on the Charleston military goods dealership of Hayden & Whilden to furnish flags for the Department. [37] Also, Confederate regiments carried many other flags, which added to the possibility of confusion. Stars and Bars flag: Confederate States of America - CRW Flags "Neither Arkansas nor Missouri enacted legislation to adopt an official State flag" (Cannon 2005, p. 48). / Forwarded to Montgomery, Ala. Feb 12, 1861, / Adopted by the Provisional Congress March 4, 1861". Confederate battle flag: What it is and what it isn't | CNN The first national flag of the Confederate States of America (the First National Confederate States of America Flag - Cotton. THE CONFEDERATE 1ST NATIONAL FLAG (THE STARS & BARS) AS A MILITARY FLAG. These include flags displayed in states; cities, towns and counties; schools, colleges and universities; private organizations and associations; and individuals. Add to Plan. There are over 140 flags in the collection of Memorial Hall, most of which are from Louisiana regiments. Confederate National flag of Fort McAllister, Confederate National Flag captured from Fort Jackson, Battle flag of the 11th Mississippi Infantry Regiment used at Antietam, Surrender flag of Army of Northern Virginia. The Confederate War Department chose two similar sized flags for the forts that came under their control as a result of secession. 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? The Stars and Bars served as the first national flag of the Confederate States of America from 4 Mar. Why the Confederate Flag Flew During World War II Teachinghistory.org 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. Thereafter, the number of stars continued to increase until Tennessee gained her seat as the 11th State on 2 July 1861. ISBN978-0-8061-5575-3, modern display of the Confederate battle flag, private and official use of the Confederate flags, Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Provisional Congress of the Confederate States, Modern display of the Confederate battle flag, "What you should know about the Confederate flag's evolution", "The Second Confederate National Flag (Flags of the Confederacy)", "The Third Confederate National Flag (Flags of the Confederacy)", "Nicola Marschall: Excerpts from "The German Artist Who Designed the Confederate Flag and Uniform", "First Confederate Flag and Its Designer O.R. How did this mountain lion reach an uninhabited island? 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. Although the officially specified proportions were 1:2, many of the flags that actually ended up being produced used a 1.5:1 aspect ratio. Most famously, the "Bonnie Blue Flag" was used as an unofficial flag during the early months of 1861. Deliveries began on 18 July 1861 and continued until 7 August. "[32], Regardless of who truly originated the Stainless Banner's design, whether by heeding Thompson's editorials or Beauregard's letter, the Confederate Congress officially adopted the Stainless Banner on May 1, 1863. "A surviving Georgia flag in the collection of the, Bonner, Robert E., "Flag Culture and the Consolidation of Confederate Nationalism. Stars and Bars | Confederate flag | Britannica Activist and filmmaker Brittany "Bree" Newsome climbed a 30-foot pole outside of the South Carolina state capitol to remove the Confederate flag weeks after a shooting at a predominantly Black Charleston church in 2015. A modification of that design was adopted on March 4, 1865, about a month before the end of the Read More symbolism of sovereignty -"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. It existed in a variety of dimensions and sizes, despite the CSN's detailed naval regulations. 1863-1865 version of Confederate Flag. Hetty Cary and her sister and cousin made prototypes. 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.). The red space above and below to be the same width as the white. Marschall also designed the Confederate army uniform. . It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Stars and Bars, the name of the first national Confederate flag. The red Saint Georges cross is symbolic of the Episcopal church of which Gen. Polk was Bishop of Louisiana. 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. 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. 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. Besides, many military units had their own regimental flags they would carry into battle. 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. Notable examples include the flag that adorned the coffin of Confederate president Jefferson Davis, that of the Washington Artillery, famed artillery unit of New Orleans, the First Florida Infantry which saw action along side many Louisiana units at Shiloh, and the Sixth Louisiana (Orleans Rifles) embroidered with the inscription Let Us Alone, Trust In God. There is an active flag restoration program and donors may contribute funds to be used toward the restoration of any flag. June 14, 2020. The version produced even today for the Stars and Bars, or First National Confederate, features the original seven star pattern in the blue canton. In 1961, South Carolina began to fly the Confederate flag over its state house. Our acid dye process saturates right through the flag producing deep and vivid colors that never crack or peel. More than double that number (12), however, bore eleven stars, with all but two arranged in a circle that included all eleven stars. After the war, this design was adopted as the official flag of the United Confederate Veterans and today most people refer to as The Confederate Flag. Moise liked the design but asked that "the symbol of a particular religion not be made the symbol of the nation." Thus, there would have been 7 stars from 4 March 1861 until 7 May 1861, when Virginia became the 8th Confederate State by Act of Congress. The Stars and Bars, which the Confederate Congress had adopted in March 1861 because it resembled the once-beloved Stars and Stripes, proved impractical and even dangerous on the battlefield because of that resemblance. When rebels fired on Fort Sumter in April 1861, they flew a blue banner with a single white star called the Bonnie Blue Flag. As might be expected for unit flags from the eleventh Confederate state, eight of the unit flags from this region bore eleven stars, all but one in a pure circle of eleven stars. STARS AND BARS Images of 13 Star versions of the first Confederate national flag. According to one account, these flags were later turned in so that their bunting could be recycled into other flags. These skeletons may have the answer, Scientists are making advancements in birth controlfor men, Blood cleaning? The first official flag of the Confederacy, called the " Stars and Bars ," was flown from March 5, 1861, to May 26, 1863. However, when the war started, the Stars and Bars confused the battlefield. [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. As the crowd of President Trumps supporters rioted, many hoisted the symbol of a short-lived splinter nation that tore the Union apart. In this image from January 6, 2021, a man flies the flag at the rally for then-President Donald Trump that led to an armed siege of the U.S. Capitol. Heres the technology that helped scientists find itand what it may have been used for. [31] Gray stated that the white field represented "purity, truth, and freedom. Scientists just confirmed a 30-foot void first detected inside the monument years ago. [16], One of the first acts of the Provisional Confederate Congress was to create the Committee on the Flag and Seal, chaired by William Porcher Miles, a Democratic congressman, and Fire-Eater from South Carolina. The Bonnie Blue gained popularity throughout the South through the song THE BONNIE BLUE FLAG written by Harry McCarthy in 1861. It is the most distinctive and popular emblem associated with the Confederacy. Four flags with nine stars (eight around a center star) emanated from Louisiana but two also were made in Mississippi in the same style. At the First Battle of Manassas, near Manassas, Virginia, the similarity between the "Stars and Bars" and the "Stars and Stripes" caused confusion and military problems. Adopted by the provisional Confederate Congress in February of 1861, this was the first of three national Confederate flags. [53] The "rebel flag" is considered by some to be a highly divisive and polarizing symbol in the United States. The thirteen stars stand for the thirteen states that were . Because of the large number of Tennessee regiments in this corps the flag is sometimes referred to as the Tennessee Moon flag. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Most contemporary interpretations of the white area on the flag hold that it represented the purity of the secessionist cause. 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." First National Pattern Confederate Flag - Rockingham Community College Available for both RF and RM licensing. [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.