Most contemporary interpretations of the white area on the flag hold that it represented the purity of the secessionist cause. Pinterest. Moreover, the ones made by the Richmond Clothing Depot used the square canton of the second national flag rather than the slightly rectangular one that was specified by the law. 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. and the later Sons of Confederate Veterans, (S.C.V. 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. In the wake of the 2017 Charlottesville white supremacist rally, demand for the banner surged across the country. [12], Flag of Alabama (obverse)(January 11, 1861), Flag of Alabama (reverse)(January 11, 1861), Flag of South Carolina (January 26, 1861), Cherokee Braves Regiment (modern-day Oklahoma)[citation needed], Flag of the Choctaw Brigade (modern-day Oklahoma) (adopted in 1860)[citation needed], Flag of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation[citation needed], Flag made for the Confederate Seminole (reconstruction; exact shades and layout unknown)[36]. 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. "The present one is universally hated. All rights reserved. STARS AND BARS Images of Lone Star versions of the first Confederate national flag. For many on the receiving end of hundreds of years of racism, the Confederate battle flag embodies everything from hatred to personal intimidationa far cry from the sanitized Lost Cause narrative that helped fuel its rise. 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. [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." The flag adopted by the delegates to the Louisianas secession convention in January of 1861 represented Louisianas historical roots. [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. As the Confederacy grew, so did the numbers of stars: two were added for Virginia and Arkansas in May 1861, followed by two more representing Tennessee and North Carolina in July, and finally two more for Missouri and Kentucky (while the legality of Missouri's secession is contested, neither states partisan governments achieved substantive territory or population). 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. Scientists just confirmed a 30-foot void first detected inside the monument years ago. By the early 20th century, white Southerners had mythologized an imagined South that fought the war not to uphold slavery but to protect states rights and a genteel way of lifean idyll endangered by Northern aggression and interference. Riddle submitted his flag proposals to Stephen Foster Hale on February 21, 1861. Add to Plan. 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. 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]. Because of the large number of Tennessee regiments in this corps the flag is sometimes referred to as the Tennessee Moon flag. by the flag committee on March 4,1861. 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. A white rectangle, one-and-a-half times as wide as it is tall, a red vertical stripe on the far right of the rectangle, a red quadrilateral in the canton, inside the canton is a blue saltire with white outlining, with thirteen white five-pointed stars of equal size inside the saltire. 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. It was distinct from the Unions flag. Our Stars and Bars flags are made from 100% Dupont Solar-Max nylon material or 100% cotton. Enterprise. [53] The "rebel flag" is considered by some to be a highly divisive and polarizing symbol in the United States. When their backs are against the wall, they turn to the flag, he says. Soon after, the first Confederate Battle Flag was also flown. Return to the Confederate Flags Home Page. 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. [50][51][52] It is also known as the rebel flag, Dixie flag, and Southern cross. 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. Blue Collar. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and the "Blood-Stained Banner", used in 1865 shortly before the Confederacy's dissolution. A Confederate battle flag distinct from the flag of the Confederacy, the "Stars and Bars," was created following the first major battle of the Civil War, at Bull Run near Manassas, Virginia, in July 1861, because in the heat of battle soldiers and commanders confused the Stars and Bars with the Union army's "Stars and Stripes." The first official flag of the Confederacy, called the " Stars and Bars ," was flown from March 5, 1861, to May 26, 1863. In Texas, various lone star designs were used during the was for Texas Independence in 1836. The flag was issued in the fall of 1861. It existed in a variety of dimensions and sizes, despite the CSN's detailed naval regulations. CONFEDERATE 1ST NATIONAL UNIT FLAGS IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA. In an effort to avoid the visual confusion, General Pierre Beauregardcommissioned a new battle flag design. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Hundreds of designs were submitted and on May 4, 1861, the First National Flag was adopted (there would eventually be two others). 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. [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. The Flags of the Old Dominion Guards, 1st Louisiana Infantry (Dreuxs Battn.) Choose from a wide range of high quality 4K or HD videos and footage. The "Stars and Bars" flag was adopted on March 4, 1861, in the first temporary national capital of Montgomery, Alabama, and raised over the dome of that first Confederate capitol. 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 February of 1863 the purchase of these 1st national flags ceased when General Beauregard instituted the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, as modified by Charlston Clothing Depot. 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. [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. What changed?). The third national flag of the Confederate States of America. "[11], The flag is also known as the Stainless Banner, and the matter of the person behind its design remains a point of contention. Introduction: National Flags of the Confederacy . Though it hassome Black supporters, it remains shorthand for a defiant South and all that implies. [30] When Thompson received word the Congress had adopted the design with a blue stripe, he published an editorial on April 28 in opposition, writing that "the blue bar running up the center of the white field and joining with the right lower arm of the blue cross, is in bad taste, and utterly destructive of the symmetry and harmony of the design. Heres why each season begins twice. What if we could clean them out? The blue flag with the circle of white told the Yankees that they facing the troops of Gen. Wm. As might be expected 2 of the flags from Virginia (the eighth state to join the Confederacy) bear seven stars around a larger center star, and 2 of the flags from North Carolina (the tenth Confederate state) bear ten stars. Although future official Confederate banners did incorporate its symbolism in the left-hand corner, they instead added a white field that represented purity. 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". To this end, he proposed his own flag design featuring a blue saltire on white Fimbriation with a field of red. This would serve to show the world the South was truly sovereign. The Republic was short lived and soon dissolved. William Miles delivered a speech supporting the simple white design that was eventually approved. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. They traveled to New Orleans from Ontario to unveil the flag. 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 first flag was raised over the capitol in Montgomery by Miss Letitia Christian Tyler, the granddaughter of President John Tyler. View. At a distance, the two national flags were hard to tell apart. March 4, 1861 The first national flag of the Confederate States of America (the "Stars and Bars") is adopted. "A surviving Georgia flag in the collection of the, Bonner, Robert E., "Flag Culture and the Consolidation of Confederate Nationalism. President Jefferson Davis arrived by train at Fairfax Station soon after and was shown the design for the new battle flag at the Ratcliffe House. Today, alongside the nations growing acknowledgment of systemic racism and widespread Black Lives Matterprotests, the Confederate flag predictably makes appearances at white supremacist gatherings. Many individual companies received splendid flags from the communities from which they were raised, but the regiments into which they were assembled did not necessarily share in this enthusiasm. The Atlantic. These authentic cotton flags are hard to find and may disappear at some point. Adopted by the provisional Confederate Congress in February of 1861, this was the first of three national Confederate flags. 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. [citation needed]. "[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. Of 32 Confederate 1st national flags from the states of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, a surprisingly large proportion of the Georgia flags (5 out of 25- 20%) bore seven stars in a circle. 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. He described these changes and his reasons for making them in early 1861. The "Stars and Bars" flag, now called the Confederate first national pattern, was selected (without a formal vote) by the Confederate government in March 1861. The flags were initially prepared bore seven stars in a circle, but at least one 11 star example in the storm size is known with Vaughans markings. Reviews on Bars With Darts in Brea, CA - Shady Nook, Squire's, The Blue Door Bar, Juke Joint Bar, The Bruery, A&C Billiards and Barstools, Brian's Original Sports Bar, Group Therapy Pub, Shotz Bar & Kitchen, Bigs The "Stars and Bars" The First Confederate National Flag (1861 - 1863) The Confederate Battle Flag (1861-1865) VII. One seven-star jack still exists today (found aboard the captured ironclad CSS Atlanta) that is actually "dark blue" in color (see illustration below, left). Photograph courtesy the Library of Congress, Photograph by Flip Schulke, CORBIS/Corbis/Getty, Photograph by Kris Graves, National Geographic. As the Confederacy grew, so did the numbers of white stars on the ensign's dark blue canton: seven-, nine-, eleven-, and thirteen-star groupings were typical. Though inextricably linked with the Confederacy, the flag was never its official symbol. [37] Also, Confederate regiments carried many other flags, which added to the possibility of confusion. The ANV was never the official flag of the Confederacy and was not called The Stars and Bars. One More Step . Hetty Cary and her sister and cousin made prototypes. Adopted in February 1865, as a result from complaints made by the Confederate Navy that he predominate white color of the second national flag caused it be mistaken for a flag of surrender. 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. 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.