stars and bars confederate flag

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. Return to the Confederate Flags Home Page. [3] In January 1862, George William Bagby, writing for the Southern Literary Messenger, wrote that many Confederates disliked the flag. June 14, 2020. Not according to biology or history. 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 Confederacy adopted a total of three national flags before its collapse in 1865. "[40], According to Coski, the Saint Andrew's Cross (also used on the flag of Scotland as a white saltire on a blue field) had no special place in Southern iconography at the time. As a result, Confederate military presentation flags made throughout the South in 1861 and 1862 demonstrate no common proportions or sizes. Over the years the flag was changed by adding and . The Confederate flag had three bars, red, white, red and a blue field with stars on it. 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. When rebels fired on Fort Sumter in April 1861, theyflew a blue banner with a single white star called the Bonnie Blue Flag. 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. This is the actual Stars & Bars, first official flag of the Confederate States of America, specifically the 13-star version which flew from 1861 to 1863: Confederate Stars & Bars ( public domain) Nonetheless both were still represented in the Confederate Congress and had Confederate shadow governments composed of deposed former state politicians. The groundbreaking promise of cellular housekeeping. 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. It was not unusual to visit a Civil War reenactment and see the groups selling bowls of beans for $3.00 with the proceeds going toward the flag conservation program. The Southern Cross symbolized rebelliousness,writes historian John M. Koskibut now it gained a more specific connotation of resistance to the civil rights movement and to racial integration.. Copy link. ), and elements of the design by related similar female descendants organizations of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, (U.D.C. 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. From then on, the battle flag grew in its identification with the Confederacy and the South in general. 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 . 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. 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. That changed in 1948 with the Dixiecrats, or States Rights Democratic Party, a racist, pro-segregation splinterparty formed by Southern Democrats. 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. The protesters were demanding diverse hiring and were boycotting the area's stores. (2016). Consequently, considerable . The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The design of the Stars and Bars varied . These authentic cotton flags are hard to find and may disappear at some point. 1st National Confederate Flag 7 Star Stars and Bars Confederate 1st National Cotton Flag 4 x 6 ft. $ 109.95. 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. Protesters fought the symbol in public spaces and educational institutions. Available for both RF and RM licensing. ", The square "battle flag" is also properly known as "the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia". All rights reserved. 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. [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. The Dixiecrat-era fad flag stoked its sale on everything from T-shirts to mugs and bumper stickers. ", "Gen. Beauregard suggested the flag just adopted, or else a field of blue in place of the white." Neither state voted to secede or ever came under full Confederate control. They resemble too closely the dishonored 'Flag of Yankee Doodle' we imagine that the 'Battle Flag' will become the Southern Flag by popular acclaim." Our historical flags are unsurpassed in quality and authenticity. Some of the homages were outright mimicry, while others were less obviously inspired by the Stars and Stripes, yet were still intended to pay homage to that flag. 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." [49], Though never having historically represented the Confederate States of America as a country, nor having been officially recognized as one of its national flags, the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia and its variants are now flag types commonly referred to as the Confederate Flag. Contributions can be made to the Memorial Hall Foundation by sending a check, using a credit card or by contributing through the website. The Republic was short lived and soon dissolved. Our acid dye process saturates right through the flag producing deep and vivid colors that never crack or peel. View. Most famously, the "Bonnie Blue Flag" was used as an unofficial flag during the early months of 1861. Hundreds of examples were submitted from across the Confederate States and from states that were not yet part of Confederacy (e.g. The very first national flag of the Confederacy was designed by Prussian artist Nicola Marschall in Marion, Alabama. national flag consisting of white stars (50 since July 4, 1960) on a blue canton with a field of 13 alternating stripes, 7 red and 6 white. 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. A modification of that design was adopted on March 4, 1865, about a month before the end of the Read More symbolism of sovereignty This flag was known as the 'Stars and Bars', though ironically the Stars and Bars have a completely different design as compared, to the rectangular Confederate flag. Hundreds of designs were submitted and on May 4, 1861, the First National Flag was adopted (there would eventually be two others). [ 1] The Stars and Bars flag was adopted March 4, 1861 in Montgomery, Alabama and raised over the dome of . Even a few fourteen- and fifteen-starred ensigns were made to include states expected to secede but never completely joined the Confederacy. What changed?). However, when the war started, the Stars and Bars confused the battlefield. Choose from a wide range of high quality 4K or HD videos and footage. The garrison flag of the Confederate forces The stars are usually arranged in a circle and number seven or more. From the heartland of the Confederacy (Tennessee and Kentucky) 18 identified flags were surveyed. Confederate monuments soondotted the South, and the battle flag was added to the state flag of Mississippi. Miles described his rejected national flag design to Beauregard. It was distinct from the Unions flag. They objected to the Democratic Partys adoption of a pro-civil rights platform and were dismayed when hundreds of thousands of Black Americans registered to vote in Democratic primaries after the Supreme Court declared all-white primaries unconstitutional. Johnstons attempt was met with disfavor by many commands who were reluctant to give up the flags which they had fought under from Shiloh to Chickamauga. [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. 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. Since the end of the Civil War, private and official use of the Confederate flags, particularly the battle flag, has continued amid philosophical, political, cultural, and racial controversy in the United States. This flag proposal was the first variant submitted by William T. Riddle of Eutaw, Alabama. [50][51][52] It is also known as the rebel flag, Dixie flag, and Southern cross. Currently 24 Flags are on display, while 9 conserved flags await framing, and several others are being considered for conservation. Men fly a massive Confederate flag during a Black Lives Matter protest in Charleston, South Carolina, in August, 2020. Quick View. 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. Unauthorized use is prohibited. 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. 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. 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. Today, alongside the nations growing acknowledgment of systemic racism and widespread Black Lives Matterprotests, the Confederate flag predictably makes appearances at white supremacist gatherings. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars&qu. President Jefferson Davis' inauguration took place under the 1861 state flag of Alabama, and the celebratory parade was led by a unit carrying the 1861 state flag of Georgia. Enterprise. Isnt the Rectangular battle flag really the Navy Jack? [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." "[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. 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. The red space above and below to be the same width as the white. Kentucky), and even from Union states (such as New York). 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. 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. 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. Heritage or no, the Confederate flag retains its associations with centuries of racial injustice. Many restored flags are always on display. Judging from the $12.00 price that Ruskell later received for a bunting Confederate 1st national that was 6 feet long on the fly, it is thought that the 43 flags that he delivered in July and August were 4 feet on their hoist by 6 feet on their fly with eleven white, 5-pointed stars arranged in a circle or ellipse. [citation needed]. The union blue extending down through the white space and stopping at the lower red space. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. They traveled to New Orleans from Ontario to unveil the flag. Four camp colors or flank markers accompanied each of these national colors. Flag flown by Confederate Missouri regiments during the Vicksburg campaign. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos. "Neither Arkansas nor Missouri enacted legislation to adopt an official State flag" (Cannon 2005, p. 48). The First National Flag of the Confederate States of America, 13 Stars and Bars Flag was used during the Civil War. Johnston also specified the various sizes to be used by different types of military units. General Johnston suggested making it square to conserve material. ), led to the assumption that it was, as it has been termed, "the soldier's flag" or "the Confederate battle flag. CONFEDERATE 1ST NATIONAL UNIT FLAGS IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA. 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. [18] The "Stars and Bars" was also criticized on ideological grounds for its resemblance to the U.S. flag. As the crowd of President Trumps supporters rioted, many hoisted the symbol of a short-lived splinter nation that tore the Union apart. 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 largely residential area and its neighbors still have excellent bars to choose from that cater to different scene preferences. Offline . [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. Realizing that they quickly needed a national banner to represent their sovereignty, the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States set up the Committee on Flag and Seal. The Confederacy's first official national flag, often called the Stars and Bars, flew from March 4, 1861, to May 1, 1863. . In an effort to avoid the visual confusion, General Pierre Beauregardcommissioned a new battle flag design. So Gen. Pierre G. T. Beauregard decided that he needed to design a different national flag so that it would . After the former was changed in 2001, the city of Trenton, Georgia has used a flag design nearly identical to the previous version with the battle 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. Even though the national flag changed in 1863, this flag saw continued use until 1865. Over the course of the flag's use by the CSA, additional stars were added to the canton, eventually bringing the total number to thirteen-a reflection of the Confederacy's claims of having admitted the border states of Kentucky and Missouri, where slavery was still widely practiced. The song was sung by Mr. McCarthy in a New Orleans theater before a packed house. But as secession got underway, the Confederate States of America. The "Stars and Bars" caused much confusion on the battlefield because of its similarity to the United States flag, the "Stars and Stripes." The Confederate Army never had an official battle flag. The official version was to have the stars in a circle, with the number corresponding to the States actually admitted to the Confederacy. Why on some Southern Cross Battle Flags is the center or thirteenth star omitted? 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. [19] As early as April 1861, a month after the flag's adoption, some were already criticizing the flag, calling it a "servile imitation" and a "detested parody" of the U.S. All rights reserved. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Photograph courtesy the Library of Congress, Photograph by Flip Schulke, CORBIS/Corbis/Getty, Photograph by Kris Graves, National Geographic. With the war over, the South entered Reconstruction, a period during which the now reunified United States ended slavery and gave Black Americans citizenship and voting rights. Battle Flags in the Trans-Mississippi Department, Battle Flags of the Army of Northern Virginia, Battle Flags of the Army of Tennessee, late 1863 to 1865, Photos and Images of Army of Tennessee Augusta Depot Battle Flags, Battle Flags of the Army of the Mississippi / Army of Tennessee, 1861 to late 1863, Battle Flags of the Army of the Peninsula, Battle Flags of the Confederate Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana, Battle Flags of the Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, Secondary Flags of the Confederate States Army, Confederate States Navy Regulations Involving Flags, Navy Ensigns, Pennants, and Jacks, 1861-1863, Navy Ensigns, Pennants, and Jacks, 1863-1865. In the early summer of 1861, the army was renamed the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) commanded by Gen. R.E. Stars and Bars From March of 1861, through April of 1863, during America's Civil War, the Stars and Bars was the official flag of the Confederacy. The chairman was William Porcher Miles, who was also the Representative of South Carolina in the Confederate House of Representatives. There are over 140 flags in the collection of Memorial Hall, most of which are from Louisiana regiments. 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. The first flag was produced in rush, due to the date having already been selected to host an official flag-raising ceremony, W. P. Miles credited the speedy completion of the first "Stars and Bars" flag to "Fair and nimble fingers". 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. Deep South. What if we could clean them out? Variant of the first national flag with 13 stars, The second national flag of the Confederate States of America. "Southern Confederacy" (Atlanta, Georgia), 5 Feb 1865, pg 2. 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. LEE. It resembles the Yankee flag, and that is enough to make it unutterably detestable." Designed by William Porcher Miles, one of the congressmen of the Confederate, the new flag had a blue X-shaped pattern called St. Andrew's Cross against a red background. The "Stars and Bars" was unpopular among Confederates for its resemblance to the United States flag, which caused . Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. 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. 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. Although the creating legislation for the national flag adopted by the Confederate Provisional Congress on 4 March 1861 did not specify the proportions that the new national flag was to follow, the Confederate War Department shortly afterward determined on the sizes for the military garrison and storm flags. [59][60], Drawing in the United Confederate Veterans 1895 Sponsor souvenir album. Isnt a battle flag supposed to be square? The final version of the second national flag, adopted May 1, 1863, did just this: it set the St. Andrew's Cross of stars in the Union Jack with the rest of the civilian banner entirely white. 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. Besides, many military units had their own regimental flags they would carry into battle. 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.

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