Flags of the Confederate States of America

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The following flags were used by the Confederate States of America. Although they have not been in official national use since the end of the American Civil War, personal and official use of some of these flags and their decendents has continued under considerable controversy. Until recently the Confederate Navy Jack flag (see below) was flown over the South Carolina State House. A Confederate Battle Flag now flies over the SC Confederate Soldier Monument which is on the state house grounds. The design of the Confederate Battle Flag was also incorporated into the state flags of Mississippi, Georgia, and in variant form, Arkansas. Georgia's flag has recently been changed as described below.

Contents 1 National flags 1.1 First National Flag, "The Stars and Bars" 1.2 Second National Flag, "The Stainless Banner" 1.3 1863 Ensign 1.4 Third National Flag 2 Other flags 2.1 The Battle Flag 2.2 The Navy Jack (colloquially called the "Rebel Flag") 3 After the War 4 Controversy 4.1 Displaying the flag 4.2 Use in pop culture 4.3 Usage in state flags 4.4 License plates 5 See also 6 External links 7 Notes

[edit] National flags

[edit] First National Flag, "The Stars and Bars"

The first official flag of the Confederacy was The Stars and Bars, which was flown from 5 March 1861 to 26 May 1863. One of the first acts of the Confederacy's Provisional Congress was to create a "Committee on the Flag and Seal", chaired by William Porcher Miles. The committee asked the public to submit thoughts and ideas on the topic and was, as historian John M. Coski puts it, "overwhelmed by requests not to abandon the 'old flag'." Miles had already designed a flag that would later become the Battle Flag, and he favored his flag over the Stars and Bars proposal. But given the popular support for a flag similar to the Stars and Stripes, the Stars and Bars design was approved by the committee. When war broke out, the Stars and Bars caused confusion on the battlefield because it was so similar to the Stars and Stripes of the Union forces. Eventually, a total of thirteen stars would be shown on the flag. Its first public appearance was outside the Ben Johnson House in Bardstown, Kentucky.

[edit] Second National Flag, "The Stainless Banner"

The second national flag of the Confederacy was The Stainless Banner, which was put into service on May 1, 1863. To avoid battlefield confusion between the Stars and Bars with the Union's Stars and Stripes, this new flag was designed with the battle flag placed in the first quarter. This flag, however, had its own problem: when the battlefield was windless, it was sometimes mistaken for a flag of truce or surrender because the white field often concealed the first quarter.

In the South, the nickname "Stainless" was held to refer to "the unspotted virtue and honor of Southerners and their fight for independence from the tyranny and aggression of northern states." The flag is often referred to as the "'Stonewall' Jackson Flag" due to its inaugural use of covering General Stonewall Jackson's coffin at his funeral.

According to the Flags of the Confederacy website, the flags actually made by the Richmond Clothing Depot used the 1.5:1 ratio adopted for the Naval ensign rather than the official 2:1 ratio. The flag had thirteen stars [1], one for each of the eleven Confederate states and one each for Missouri and Kentucky. (Alternately interpreted as 13 stars for each of the original colonies.)

[edit] 1863 Ensign

The Second National Flag for shipboard use, using a shorter 1.5:1 ratio than the 2:1 ratio adopted by Congress for the national flag.

[edit] Third National Flag

This is the third official flag, adopted March 4, 1865, very shortly before the fall of the Confederacy. The red vertical stripe was added to dispel confusion with the flag of surrender when the flag was not unfurled. It was sometimes called the blood-stained or blood-dipped banner. The official dimensions of the union also were altered, but according to the Flags of the Confederacy website, most, if not all, actually produced during the war continued to use the square union of the 1863 flag.

The Flag Act of 1865 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 few examples of the Third National Flag actually made prior to the end of the war were modifications of the 1863 ensign with a red bar added.

[edit] Other flags

In addition to the national flags, a wide variety of flags and banners were flown by Southerners during the War. Most famously, the "Bonnie Blue Flag" (which actually dated from the short-lived Republic of West Florida in 1810), was used as an early flag of Texas in 1836, and was used as an unofficial flag during the early months of 1861. In addition, many military units had their own regimental flags they would carry into battle. Other notable flags used are shown below.

[edit] The Battle Flag

The battle flag of the Confederacy is square, of various sizes for the different branches of the service: 48 inches square for the infantry, 36 inches for the artillery, and 30 inches for the cavalry. It was used in battle from November 1861 to the fall of the Confederacy. The blue color on the Saltire in the battle flag was navy blue, as opposed to the much lighter blue of the Naval Jack.

At the First Battle of Bull Run, the similarity between the Stars and Bars and the Stars and Stripes caused confusion and military problems. Regiments carried flags to help commanders observe and assess battles in the warfare of the era. At a distance, the two national flags were hard to tell apart. In addition, Confederate regiments carried many other flags, which added to the possibility of confusion. 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." (Coski, pg. 8) He turned to his aide, who happened to be William Porcher Miles, the former chair of Committee on the Flag and Seal. Miles described his rejected national flag design to Beauregard. Miles also told the Committee on the Flag and Seal about the general's complaints and request for the national flag to be changed. The committee rejected this idea by a 4 to 1 vote, after which Beauregard proposed the idea of having two flags. He described the idea in a letter to his commander 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. 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." (Coski, pg. 8)

The flag that Miles had favored when he was chair of the Committee on the Flag and Seal eventually became the battle flag and, ultimately, the most popular flag of the Confederacy. Miles' design was, according to Coski, inspired by one of the many "secessionist flags" flown at the South Carolina secession convention of December, 1860. That flag was a blue St George's Cross (an upright or Latin cross) on a red field, with 15 white stars (for the 15 states) on the cross and, on the red field, palmetto and crescent symbols. Miles received a variety of feedback on this design, including a critique from Charles Moise, a self-described "Southerner of Jewish persuasion". Moise liked the design, but asked that "the symbol of a particular religion not be made the symbol of the nation." Taking this into account, Miles changed his flag, removing the palmetto and crescent, and substituting a diagonal cross for the upright one. The number of stars was changed several times as well. He described these changes and his reasons for making them in early 1861. 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." 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." (Coski, pg. 5)

Although Miles described his flag as a heraldic saltire, it has been described since its creation as a cross, specifically a Saint Andrew's Cross. According to Coski, the Saint Andrew's Cross had no special place in Southern iconography at the time, and if Miles had not been eager to conciliate the Southern Jews his flag would have used the tradition Latin, Saint George's Cross (Coski, pg. 6). Later, Beauregard favored Miles' design and the Saint Andrew's cross. A colonel named James B. Walton submitted a battle flag design essentially identical to Miles' except with an upright Saint George's cross, but Beauregard chose the diagonal cross design.

Miles' flag, and all the flag designs up to that point, was rectangular ("oblong") in shape. General Johnston suggested making it square instead. Johnston also specified the various sizes to be used by different types of military units. Beauregard agreed to this and soon prototypes were made. On November 28, 1861, the Army of Northern Virginia (which was then called the Army of the Potomac) assembled and formally received the first set of new battle flags. Beauregard gave a speech encouraging the soldiers to treat this new flag with honor and that it must never be surrendered. Many soldiers wrote home about the ceremony and the impression the flag had upon them, the "fighting colors" boosting morale after the confusion of the first Battle of Bull Run. From that point on, the battle flag only grew in its identification with the Confederacy and the South in general (Coski, pg. 10).

The flag is also properly known as the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia. It was sometimes called "Beauregard's flag" or "the Virginia battle flag".

This flag proved so popular, that it became basis for the Second National flag of the Confederacy (see above). Some prefer the square proportions of this flag over Miles' original rectangle as more sonorous and more distinct.

[edit] The Navy Jack (colloquially called the "Rebel Flag")

The Confederate Navy Jack, also called "The Southern Cross," is a rectangular precursor of the Battle Flag, usually about 5×3 feet. The blue color in the saltire (the diagonal cross) is much lighter than in the Battle Flag, and it was flown only on Confederate ships from 1863 to 1865.

The design was originally made by South Carolina Congressman William Porcher Miles with the intent to be the first national flag, but it was rejected by the Confederate government. Some critics supposedly scoffed at the design, saying it looked too much like crossed suspenders. While the square battle flag was widely used, the oblong version was also used by some army units, including the Army of Tennessee as their battle flag from 1864-1865. (After General Joseph Johnston took command of the Army of Tennessee from Braxton Bragg, he ordered its army-wide implementation to improve morale and avoid confusion.) Today, it is the most universally recognized symbol of the South, where it is commonly called the rebel or Dixie flag. This flag is often erroneously called "the Confederate Flag". (This Flag is often incorrectly referred to as the Stars and Bars; the actual Stars and Bars is the First National Flag.)

Sometimes, the saltire is described as a "Saint Andrew's Cross." But it is unclear if this was the original intent, since Miles' proposals never mentioned this. He refered to it by the heraldic term "saltire" and argued that it was not a religious symbol. "St. Andrew's cross" refers either to the national Flag of Scotland (a white saltire over a blue field), or the naval jack of Russia (a blue saltire on a white field). St. Andrew is said to have been martyred on a diagonal cross and is a patron saint of both Russia and Scotland. A legend dating from medieval times held that Saint Andrew's remains and relics washed up on Scottish shores, after a ship intended to convey them for safe keeping in a remote monastery was lost at sea. Most of the white Southern elite at the time of the War traced their ancestry to Britain, and Southern elites tended to identify their heritage as Anglo-Saxon, although much of the white population were in fact either Scots or Scots-Irish during the 19th century.

[edit] After the War

For some time in the Reconstruction period, public display of any of the Confederate flags was illegal in the states occupied by Federal troops.

In the early to middle 20th century the Confederate flag underwent a boom of popularity. During World War II some units with Southern nicknames made the flag their unofficial emblem. Some soldiers carried confederate flags into battle. After the Battle of Okinawa a confederate flag was raised over Shuri Castle by a soldier from the self-styled "Rebel Company" (Company A of the 5th Marine Regiment). It was visible for miles and quickly taken down and replaced with the Stars and Stripes.^[1]

The use of the flag by soldiers came under investigation after some Black soldiers filed complaints. By the end of World War II the use of the confederate flag in the military was rare.^[2]

[edit] Controversy

[edit] Displaying the flag

What is usually called "The Confederate Flag" or "The Confederate Battle Flag" (actually the Navy Jack as explained above) is still a widely recognized symbol. The display of the flag is a controversial and very emotional issue, generally because of disagreement over exactly what it symbolizes. To many in the US South it is a symbol of their heritage and pride in their ancestors who held out during years of war under terrible odds and sacrifice. Others see it as a symbol of the institution of slavery, or of the Jim Crow laws established by the many Southern states enforcing racial segregation within their borders for almost a century later. As a result, there have been numerous political fights over the use of the Confederate battle flag in Southern state flags, at sporting events at Southern universities, and on public buildings. According to Civil War historian and southerner Shelby Foote, the flag traditionally represented the south's resistance to northern political dominance generally; it became racially charged during the Civil Rights Movement, when protecting segregation suddenly became the focal point of that resistance.

Over time the flag has acquired a wide range of meanings, some apparently contradicting one another. Since the CSA was fighting for independence during the Civil War, much as the United States did during the Revolutionary War, the Confederate Flag has always had connotations of rebellion, patriotism, self-determination, dissent, freedom, and liberty. Since the issues of slavery and, later, segregation, are deeply intertwined with the CSA and the Civil Rights Movement, the Confederate Flag has connotations of racism and slavery.

On April 12, 2000, the South Carolina state senate passed a bill to remove the flag of the former Confederate States of America from on top of the statehouse dome by a majority vote of 36 to 7. Placed there in 1962, according to one local news report, "the new bill specified that a more traditional version of the battle flag would be flown in front of the Capitol next to a monument honoring fallen Confederate soldiers." The bill then went to the House, where it encountered some difficulty. But on May 18, 2000, after the bill was modified to ensure that the height of the flag's new pole would be 30 feet, it was passed by a majority of 66 to 43, and Governor Jim Hodges signed the bill five days later. On July 1, the flag was removed from the South Carolina statehouse. Current state law prohibits the flag's removal from the statehouse grounds without additional legislation. Police were placed to guard this flag after several attempts by individuals to remove it. Some regard the flag as easier to see in that location than when it was atop the State House Dome.

More recent studies, however, show changing attitudes toward the Confederate battle flag, particularly among blacks—perhaps due to media reports of the issue stemming from legislative battles regarding the flag's official use in Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina. In 2005, two Western Carolina University researchers found that 74% of U.S. African-Americans polled favored removal of the flag from the South Carolina Capitol building. Cooper & Knotts, 2005 As battle lines over the use of the flag have (again) hardened, the NAACP and many civil rights groups have attacked the flag. Other groups such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans have actively protested the use of any Confederate flags by the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups, stating that the hate groups are blemishing the memory of the ancestors of the SCV. Some members of the SCV have even faced down Klansmen at their rallies and marches, to protest the inappropriate usage of these flags.^[3] The NAACP maintains an official boycott of South Carolina, citing its continued use of the battle flag on its Statehouse grounds.

[edit] Use in pop culture

The Confederate flag frequently appears in pop culture, in various contexts:

• A Confederate Battle Flag adorned the interior of the Delta house in National Lampoon's Animal House.
• It is often seen in various war movies, such as Platoon.
• Many southern rappers such as Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz and OutKast use the flag to show that they're proud to come from the south.
• In the episode "To Your Health" of the HBO drama series Oz, one of the characters is coerced into wearing a shirt bearing the Confederate flag as a sign of hostility towards the African-American inmates.
• Comedian Larry the Cable Guy wears a confederate patch on his baseball cap.
• While the popular TV show "The Dukes of Hazzard" aired in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the prominent rebel flag on the roof of the 1969 Dodge Charger, "General Lee" was not big news. When the movie version of the show came out in summer 2005, the issue was directly addressed in the movie when the car received a mixed reaction from residents of Atlanta.
• The flag is worn on a tee-shirt by animated Gorillaz character Murdoc in the video clip DARE, but it was replaced with a Jolly Roger in the American released video.
• Musician "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott of Pantera fame played a Dean ML shaped guitar with rebel flag painting
• The Confederate Battle Flag can be seen hanging from the wall in the video for Toby Keith's "I love this bar" song.

[edit] Usage in state flags

In 1955, the Georgia state flag was redesigned to incorporate the Confederate Battle Flag. In January 2001, Georgia's Governor Roy Barnes and a cadre of members of the Georgia’s legislature changed the design of Georgia's State Flag by removing the Confederate Battle Flag from its design. This move by Barnes and company deeply angered a large segment of Georgia’s electorate. In November of 2002 (the very next gubernatorial election following the “Barnes episode”), Governor Barnes suffered a political upset of monumental proportions, resulting in the election of Georgia's first Republican governor since Reconstruction. In 2003, amidst cries of demand for the return of the 1956 design (“Battle Flag” version), on one hand, and demands for the continued use of the new “Barnes’” design, on the other hand, a "compromise" was reached among Georgia's legislators by adopting yet a third design based largely on the First National Flag of the Confederacy (known as the "Stars and Bars"). No ballot initiative regarding the 1956 “Battle Flag” design has yet occurred, despite the numerous demands of many Georgia voters for such an initiative.

The Confederate Battle Flag became a part of the Mississippi state flag in 1894, whereupon a strange series of events ensued. In 1906, the flag statutes were omitted by error from the new legal code of the state, leaving Mississippi without an official flag. The omission was not discovered until 1993, when a lawsuit filed by the NAACP regarding the flag was being reviewed by the Mississippi Supreme Court. In 2000, the Governor of Mississippi Ronnie Musgrove issued an executive order making the flag official. After continued controversy, the decision was turned over to citizens of the state, who, on April 17, 2001, voted 2-1 to keep the Confederate Battle Flag emblem on the state flag [2].

Also at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) the Rebel Flag was very prevalent at the football games because of the team's name, the Rebels. However, the administration banned sticks at football games in an attempt to rid the stadium of the flags, which they believed hampered them in recruiting black athletes and they also believed they were discriminatory and were bad for the public image of Ole Miss (which had already had its share of bad experiences with race relations, e.g., James Meredith).

The flags of Alabama and Florida both contain a red saltire, which some view as representing the blue saltire of the "Southern Cross". The Arkansas flag also uses a design that is reminiscent of the Confederate Battle Flag. Incidentally, the Cross of Burgundy Flag (carried by Pedro Menedez) was a red saltire on a field of white. This is Florida's official explanation of the red saltire on the state flag.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] License plates

In Georgia[3], North Carolina [4], Alabama[5], Maryland [6], Mississippi [7], South Carolina [8], Tennessee[9], Virginia [10] and Louisiana vehicle owners can request a license plate from the state featuring the Sons of Confederate Veterans logo, which incorporates the square Confederate Battle Flag. The North Carolina appellate court upheld the issuance of such license plates in SONS OF CONFEDERATE v. DMV (1998) and noted: "We are aware of the sensitivity of many of our citizens to the display of the Confederate flag. Whether the display of the Confederate flag on state-issued license plates represents sound public policy is not an issue presented to this Court in this case. That is an issue for our General Assembly."

[edit] See also

• Flags of the U.S. states
• Grand Union Flag
• Bonnie Blue Flag

[edit] External links

• 1860s Harper's Weekly Images Containing Confederate Flag
• A Brief History of the Confederate Flags from Mississippi History Now
• Flags of the Confederacy website
• Georgia secession flags

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Coski, John M. (2005) The Confederate Battle Flag: America's Most Embattled Emblem. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-01722-6, pg. 91
2. ^ Coski, John M. (2005) The Confederate Battle Flag: America's Most Embattled Emblem. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-01722-6.
3. ^