Though as compared to the Confederate Battle Flags, stars and bars were less known, this first flag was used as the official flag of the Confederacy from March 5, 1861, to May 26, 1863. [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. Neither state voted to secede or ever came under full Confederate control. [citation needed]. The union blue extending down through the white space and stopping at the lower red space. 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. [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. The ANV was never the official flag of the Confederacy and was not called The Stars and Bars. Unit abbreviations on two of the surviving flags were applied with separately cut and applied red cotton letters. 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. Pinterest. Unauthorized use is prohibited. [44][45][46], The fledgling Confederate States Navy adopted and used several types of flags, banners, and pennants aboard all CSN ships: jacks, battle ensigns, and small boat ensigns, as well as commissioning pennants, designating flags, and signal flags. The result was the square flag sometimes known as the . The Confederacy's first official national flag, often called the Stars and Bars, flew from March 4, 1861, to May 1, 1863. "A surviving Georgia flag in the collection of the, Bonner, Robert E., "Flag Culture and the Consolidation of Confederate Nationalism. 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. It was flown forward aboard all Confederate warships while they were anchored in port. This would serve to show the world the South was truly sovereign. 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. 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. 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. The groundbreaking promise of cellular housekeeping. by the flag committee on March 4,1861. He described these changes and his reasons for making them in early 1861. [50][51][52] It is also known as the rebel flag, Dixie flag, and Southern cross. [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. The Stars and Bars' resemblance to the U.S. flag, combined with similarities between the two sides' uniforms and the general confusion of battle, contributed to an incident at First Manassas in which Confederate forces fired on a Confederate infantry brigade commanded by Jubal A. The winner of the competition was Nicola Marschall's "Stars and Bars" 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. 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. The garrison flag of the Confederate forces 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. Our acid dye process saturates right through the flag producing deep and vivid colors that never crack or peel. 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. Twitter. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Three horizontal stripes of equal height, alternating red and white, with a blue square two-thirds the height of the flag as the canton. 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. The second national flag was later adapted as a naval ensign, using a shorter 2:3 aspect ratio than the 1:2 ratio adopted by the Confederate Congress for the national flag. 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". Solar max fabric also has a special UV resistance built right into the weave of the fabric to minimize sun fade and chemical deterioration. The stars represent the seven seceded states of the U.S. 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. 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. 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. Email. 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. Our historical flags are unsurpassed in quality and authenticity. 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. THE CONFEDERATE 1ST NATIONAL FLAG (THE STARS & BARS) AS A MILITARY FLAG. The official version was to have the stars in a circle, with the number corresponding to the States actually admitted to the Confederacy. This flag saw action in the battles in the west. It was never the official flag of the Confederacy. The museum is also known as Louisianas Civil War Museum at Confederate Memorial Hall. Confederate monuments soondotted the South, and the battle flag was added to the state flag of Mississippi. 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. 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. ), led to the assumption that it was, as it has been termed, "the soldier's flag" or "the Confederate battle flag. 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. During the Civil War, some of the units from Louisiana and Texas adopted the Bonnie Blue flag as their official banner of the Confederacy. The result was anything but uniformity in the colors carried by the armies that coallesced in the Shenandoah Valley and around Centreville in June. [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]. Van Dorn was relieved of command after the Battle of Corinth in 1862. 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. This caused major problems at the July 1861 Battle of First Manassas and during other skirmishes as some troops mistakenly fired on their own comrades. The identification stuck, and the flags use proliferated. When does spring start? Because of the large number of Tennessee regiments in this corps the flag is sometimes referred to as the Tennessee Moon flag. Photograph courtesy the Library of Congress, Photograph by Flip Schulke, CORBIS/Corbis/Getty, Photograph by Kris Graves, National Geographic. More than double that number (12), however, bore eleven stars, with all but two arranged in a circle that included all eleven stars. 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 firm, on open market purchases, supplied Confederate 1st national flags to at least seven units in the District of South Carolina between 8 August 1862 and 10 February 1863. Just under half of these flags (18) bore eleven stars, of which 8 bore a center star with the other ten stars surrounding it. Please be respectful of copyright. The chairman was William Porcher Miles, who was also the Representative of South Carolina in the Confederate House of Representatives. Even though the national flag changed in 1863, this flag saw continued use until 1865. The stars are usually arranged in a circle and number seven or more. The flag adopted by the delegates to the Louisianas secession convention in January of 1861 represented Louisianas historical roots. Taking this into account, Miles changed his flag, removing the palmetto and crescent, and substituting a heraldic saltire ("X") for the upright cross. Bats and agaves make tequila possibleand theyre both at risk, This empress was the most dangerous woman in Rome. The first national flag of the Confederacy was the Stars and Bars (left) in 1861, but it caused confusion on the battlefield and rancour off it "Everybody wants a new Confederate flag,". It existed in a variety of dimensions and sizes, despite the CSN's detailed naval regulations. This was replaced again in 2003 with a flag resembling the Stars and Bars. 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. 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. Men fly a massive Confederate flag during a Black Lives Matter protest in Charleston, South Carolina, in August, 2020. "[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. 1861 until 1 May 1863. Today, alongside the nations growing acknowledgment of systemic racism and widespread Black Lives Matterprotests, the Confederate flag predictably makes appearances at white supremacist gatherings. A National Geographic team has made the first ascent of the remote Mount Michael, looking for a lava lake in the volcanos crater. As the crowd of President Trumps supporters rioted, many hoisted the symbol of a short-lived splinter nation that tore the Union apart. How a zoo break-in changed the life of an owl called Flaco, Naked mole rats are fertile until they die, study finds. The "Stars and Bars" flag was only selected by the Congress of March 4, 1861, the day of the deadline. The . 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. 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 red space above and below to be the same width as the white. What is wind chill, and how does it affect your body? The song was sung by Mr. McCarthy in a New Orleans theater before a packed house. The battle flag of Gen. Polks Corps saw action from Shiloh through the final surrender of the Army of Tennessee. The largely residential area and its neighbors still have excellent bars to choose from that cater to different scene preferences. 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. The results were mixed. FIRST NATIONAL FLAGS FOR THE CONFEDERATE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC. [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. It is historically also known as Memorial Hall. Heres why each season begins twice. [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. But how did the battle flag, also known as the Southern Cross, come to represent the Confederacy in the first place? Can we bring a species back from the brink? Why wetlands are so critical for life on Earth, Rest in compost? The design of the Stars and Bars varied . Three of the flags from Alabama units bore a circle of seven stars. Early flags contain seven stars for the original seven states of the Confederacy. All rights reserved. The Committee began a competition to find a new national flag, with an unwritten deadline being that a national flag had to be adopted by March 4, 1861, the date of President Lincoln's inauguration. Regiments carried flags to help commanders observe and assess battles in the warfare of the era. Those inspired by the Stars and Stripes were discounted almost immediately by the Committee due to mirroring the Union's flag too closely. If Miles had not been eager to conciliate the Southern Jews, his flag would have used the traditional upright "Saint George's Cross" (as used on the flag of England, a red cross on a white field). [31] Gray stated that the white field represented "purity, truth, and freedom. Bar, Cocktails, $ $$ Facebook. They resemble too closely the dishonored 'Flag of Yankee Doodle' we imagine that the 'Battle Flag' will become the Southern Flag by popular acclaim." And both South Carolina and Alabama began flying it over their capitols. Deep South. In 1816, the command operated in Missouri and Arkansas but was transferred to Northern Mississippi. The Stars and Bars served as the first national flag of the Confederate States of America from 4 Mar. 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. It was distinct from the Unions flag. The Confederate Congress specified that the new design be a white field "with the union (now used as the battle flag) to be a square of two-thirds the width of the flag, having the ground red; thereupon a broad saltire of blue, bordered with white, and emblazoned with mullets or five-pointed stars, corresponding in number to that of the Confederate States. Stars and Bars (final version) The Audience went wild, and the song was an instant success. In the U.S. Army the garrison flag (flown on special occasions) was 20 feet on the hoist by 36 feet on the fly, while the storm flag (flown during inclement weather and less formal occurences) was directed to measure 10 feet on the hoist by 20 feet on the fly. The Adopt-A-Flag Program was initiated. Four flags with nine stars (eight around a center star) emanated from Louisiana but two also were made in Mississippi in the same style. The protesters were demanding diverse hiring and were boycotting the area's stores. Measures: 3 feet by 5 feet FLAG QUALITY AND USES Standard Quality Construction: Super-weave polyester - Our most popular quality level 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. The flag was issued in the fall of 1861. READ MORE On 4 March 1861 the Confederate States of America adopted its first national flag, the "Stars and Bars", and raised it over the dome of the temporary capitol in Montgomery, Alabama.. Stars and bars may refer to: Stars and Bars (flag), the first (1861-1863) flag of the Confederate States of America Stars and Bars (1988 film), 1988 comedy starring Daniel Day-Lewis Stars and Bars (1917 film), 1917 silent film comedy directed by Victor Heerman Across the South, Citizens Councils and the Ku Klux Klanflew the battle flag as they intimidated Black citizens. The 1879 flag was introduced by Georgia state senator Herman H. Perry and was adopted to memorialize Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. 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. STARS AND BARS Images of 8, 9 and 10 Star versions of the first Confederate national flag. 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. But as secession got underway, the Confederate States of America adopted a flag that riffed off the Unions stars and stripes. Their cantons bore eleven white, 5-pointed stars arranged in a circle. 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). STARS AND BARS Images of the first Confederate national flag with more than 13 stars. This flag proposal was the first variant submitted by William T. Riddle of Eutaw, Alabama. 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' of the United States." Even a few fourteen- and fifteen-starred ensigns were made to include states expected to secede but never completely joined the Confederacy. View. Hundreds of proposed national flag designs were submitted to the Confederate Congress during competitions to find a First National flag (FebruaryMay 1861) and Second National flag (April 1862; April 1863). Generals Beauregard and Johnston and Quartermaster General Cabell approved the 12-star Confederate Battle Flag's design at the Ratcliffe home, which served briefly as Beauregard's headquarters, near Fairfax Court House in September 1861. Although Tennessee did not join the Confederacy until the middle of 1861, four of its unit flags bore seven stars and another three had eight (all seven stars surrounding a central star). 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. In the early summer of 1861, the army was renamed the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) commanded by Gen. R.E. "[1][5] Confederate Congressman Peter W. Gray proposed the amendment that gave the flag its white field. This new flag spread quickly in use across the South, even beyond the borders of the seven States of the CSA. Although the officially designated design specified a rectangular canton, many of the flags that ended up being produced utilized a square-shaped canton. 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. Miles also told the Committee on the Flag and Seal about the general's complaints and request that the national flag be changed. In such cases, one of the company flags would be chosen to serve as the regimental flag. The flag had become big businessand led a double life both as a nostalgic symbol and a deeply evocative banner of racism. LEE. The design that was rejected early in 1861 as the Confederate national flag was adopted by Joseph E. Johnson and P.G.T. 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. 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. Within the blue saltire were seven white stars, representing the current seven states of the Confederacy, two on each of the left arms, one of each of the right arms, and one in the middle. Currently 24 Flags are on display, while 9 conserved flags await framing, and several others are being considered for conservation. So Gen. Pierre G. T. Beauregard decided that he needed to design a different national flag so that it would .