March 4, 1861 The first national flag of the Confederate States of America (the "Stars and Bars") is adopted. As many as eight more stars were later added to represent states admitted to or claimed by the Confederacy. The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs from 1861 to 1865. 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. According to one account, these flags were later turned in so that their bunting could be recycled into other flags. 2nd National Confederate Flag 2nd National Confederate Flag - Cotton 12 x 18 inch But as secession got underway, the Confederate States of America. The very first national flag of the Confederacy was designed by Prussian artist Nicola Marschall in Marion, Alabama. The union blue extending down through the white space and stopping at the lower red space. [ 1] The Stars and Bars flag was adopted March 4, 1861 in Montgomery, Alabama and raised over the dome of . When a mob of armed insurgents flooded the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, they brought an accessory: the Confederate battle flag. 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. "[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. 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. "Everybody wants a new Confederate flag," Bagby wrote. [note 4][20] The first showing of the 13-star flag was outside the Ben Johnson House in Bardstown, Kentucky; the 13-star design was also in use as the Confederate navy's battle ensign[citation needed]. Even a few fourteen- and fifteen-starred ensigns were made to include states expected to secede but never completely joined the Confederacy. LEE. While no standard proportions or sizes prevailed nationwide in the Confederate States of America, a survey of 112 identified company or regimental flags from the cis-Mississippi states that conform to the pattern of the Confederate 1st national flag does indicate that several regional variations do predominate. The Confederacy's first official national flag, often called the Stars and Bars, flew from March 4, 1861, to May 1, 1863. That changed in 1948 with the Dixiecrats, or States Rights Democratic Party, a racist, pro-segregation splinterparty formed by Southern Democrats. 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. Beauregard and Joseph Johnston urged that a new Confederate flag be designed for battle. 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." Its a story of rebellion, racism, and disagreement over the true history of the Civil Warand as the controversy over its use during the Capitol riots shows, its divisive even 160 years after it was designed. national flag consisting of seven white stars on a blue canton with a field of three alternating stripes, two red and one white. This pattern was embellished with the same 13 white stars that the original flag had. A flag with a blue field and a single white star was used by the Louisiana Florida Parishes when they formed the Republic of West Florida in 1810. 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 ANV was never the official flag of the Confederacy and was not called The Stars and Bars. It was sometimes called "Beauregard's flag" or "the Virginia battle flag". The first national flag of the Confederate States of America was created in 1861 and had seven stars to represent the breakaway states of South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama,. Perry was a former colonel in the Confederate army during the war, and he presumably based the design on the First National Flag of the Confederacy, commonly known as the Stars and Bars. Hundreds of examples were submitted from across the Confederate States and from states that were not yet part of Confederacy (e.g. William Porcher Miles, a Confederate congressman and Beauregards aide-de-camp, designed it, borrowing an X-shaped pattern known as St. Andrews Cross and emblazoning it with one star for each seceding state. The Republic was short lived and soon dissolved. 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. Was there a cavalry size Army of Northern Virginia battle flag? As a result, Confederate military presentation flags made throughout the South in 1861 and 1862 demonstrate no common proportions or sizes. Denounced as a hate symbol, the Confederate flag remains popular among white supremacists and Southerners who claim it as their heritage. The Dixiecrats adoption of the Confederate battle flag as a party symbol led to a surge in the banners popularity, and a flag fad spread from college campuses to Korean War battlefields and beyond. From this bunting Ruskell assembled at least 43 flags, for which he was paid $11.50 each. In the early summer of 1861, the army was renamed the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) commanded by Gen. R.E. Confederate Memorial Hall is a museum located in New Orleans, Louisiana containing historical artifacts related to the Confederate States of America and the American Civil War. The first official flag of the Confederacy, called the " Stars and Bars ," was flown from March 5, 1861, to May 26, 1863. 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. Eco-friendly burial alternatives, explained. 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.). What if we could clean them out? Isnt the Rectangular battle flag really the Navy Jack? 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 "Stars and Bars" flag was only selected by the Congress of March 4, 1861, the day of the deadline. 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. LEE. [31] Gray stated that the white field represented "purity, truth, and freedom. The stars represent the seven seceded states of the U.S. In 2000, the NAACP began a 15-year-long economicboycott of South Carolina because of its use of the flag. The protesters were demanding diverse hiring and were boycotting the area's stores. Choose from a wide range of high quality 4K or HD videos and footage. 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. Three of the flags from Alabama units bore a circle of seven stars. These skeletons may have the answer, Scientists are making advancements in birth controlfor men, Blood cleaning? It was never the official flag of the Confederacy. The First Official Flag of the Confederacy. Many restored flags are always on display. A National Geographic team has made the first ascent of the remote Mount Michael, looking for a lava lake in the volcanos crater. Miles' flag and all the flag designs up to that point were rectangular ("oblong") in shape. 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. 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. Neither state voted to secede or ever came under full Confederate control. A Virginia Department of Historic Resources marker declaring Fairfax, Virginia, as the birthplace of the Confederate battle flag was dedicated on April 12, 2008, near the intersection of Main and Oak Streets, in Fairfax, Virginia. Miles' flag lost out to the "Stars and Bars". Heres why each season begins twice. 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. The result was anything but uniformity in the colors carried by the armies that coallesced in the Shenandoah Valley and around Centreville in June. In addition to the Confederacy's national flags, a wide variety of flags and banners were flown by Southerners during the Civil War. Why on some Southern Cross Battle Flags is the center or thirteenth star omitted? It is historically also known as Memorial Hall. The committee rejected the idea by a four-to-one vote, after which Beauregard proposed the idea of having two flags. 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. Enterprise. 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. Over the years the flag was changed by adding and . We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. Return to the Confederate Flags Home Page. p. 211. Quick View. 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. 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. Gen. Earl Van Dorn adapted a red banner with stars and crescent moon as the battle flag for his command. For use of Confederate symbols in modern society and popular culture, see, Flags of the Confederate States of America. [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 flag was adopted by the permanent congress on May 1, 1863. NOTE: The 4"x6" size is mounted to a 10" staff with a spear top. Hundreds of designs were submitted and on May 4, 1861, the First National Flag was adopted (there would eventually be two others). Congressional, Richmond, 4 Feb: A bill to establish the flag of the Confederate States was adopted without opposition, and the flag was displayed in the Capitol today. E arly in the war, most regiments carried the Confederate First National flag (the "Stars and Bars") or their state's flag since the Confederacy did not have an official battle flag. 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. Miles described his rejected national flag design to Beauregard. 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). Bats and agaves make tequila possibleand theyre both at risk, This empress was the most dangerous woman in Rome. [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. 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. This would serve to show the world the South was truly sovereign. Note, this is not to be confused with the Confederate Battle Flag. The song was sung by Mr. McCarthy in a New Orleans theater before a packed house. Nonetheless both were still represented in the Confederate Congress and had Confederate shadow governments composed of deposed former state politicians. No seven star Confederate flags survive from these states. 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. Marschall also designed the Confederate army uniform. The First National Flag of the Confederate States of America, 13 Stars and Bars Flag was used during the Civil War. June 14, 2020. The Southern Cross still has plenty of supporters who insist their love of the flag is about heritage, not hate. In a 2019 survey of nearly 35,000 U.S. adults, polling firm YouGovfound that although a plurality of Americans (41 percent) think the flag symbolizes racism, 34 percent think it symbolizes heritage. -"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. 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]. The Bonnie Blue gained popularity throughout the South through the song THE BONNIE BLUE FLAG written by Harry McCarthy in 1861. Find the perfect the stars and bars flag stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. STARS AND BARS Images of 11 Star versions of the first Confederate national flag. Our Stars and Bars flags are made from 100% Dupont Solar-Max nylon material or 100% cotton. William Miles delivered a speech supporting the simple white design that was eventually approved. 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 Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos. The museum is also known as Louisianas Civil War Museum at Confederate Memorial Hall. The design of the Stars and Bars varied . at Vicksburg, Mississippi, 1863. [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. 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. ), led to the assumption that it was, as it has been termed, "the soldier's flag" or "the Confederate battle flag. [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. So Gen. Pierre G. T. Beauregard decided that he needed to design a different national flag so that it would . 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". STARS AND BARS Images of the first Confederate national flag with more than 13 stars. The . Replacing the Star and Bars in May of 1863, the first official use was at the funeral of Thomas Jonathan Stonewall Jackson. According to Museum of the Confederacy Director John Coski, Miles' design was inspired by one of the many "secessionist flags" flown at the South Carolina secession convention in Charleston of December 1860. This action piqued the interest of other members of the Foundation, reenactment groups and family members. The editor of the Charleston Mercury expressed a similar view: "It seems to be generally agreed that the 'Stars and Bars' will never do for us. The first flag was raised over the capitol in Montgomery by Miss Letitia Christian Tyler, the granddaughter of President John Tyler. [18] The "Stars and Bars" was also criticized on ideological grounds for its resemblance to the U.S. flag. 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. [42] The flag's stars represented the number of states in the Confederacy. Old cells hang around as we age, doing damage to the body. Thompson stated in April 1863 that he disliked the adopted flag "on account of its resemblance to that of the abolition despotism against which we are fighting."[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. 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. In Texas, various lone star designs were used during the was for Texas Independence in 1836. 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. When rebels fired on Fort Sumter in April 1861, theyflew a blue banner with a single white star called the Bonnie Blue Flag. Many Confederates disliked the Stars and Bars, seeing it as symbolic of a centralized federal power against which the Confederate states claimed to be seceding. "Stonewall" Jackson as it lay in state in the Virginia capitol, May 12, 1863. Amid the smoke and general chaos of battle, it was hard to distinguish the Confederate national flag, the "Stars and Bars," from the U. S. national flag, the "Stars and Stripes." Confederate Congressman William Porcher Miles suggested that the army have a . The Audience went wild, and the song was an instant success. Johnston also specified the various sizes to be used by different types of military units. 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). 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. Georgia adopted a new state flag in 2000, which contained a small inset image of the 1956 flag, along with other historical flags. The largely residential area and its neighbors still have excellent bars to choose from that cater to different scene preferences. Beauregard gave a speech encouraging the soldiers to treat the new flag with honor and that it must never be surrendered. The trend continued with local reenactment groups raising the necessary funds to conserve flags. 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. In such cases, one of the company flags would be chosen to serve as the regimental flag. And both South Carolina and Alabama began flying it over their capitols. Most contemporary interpretations of the white area on the flag hold that it represented the purity of the secessionist cause. First variant of flag proposal by A. Bonand of Savannah, Georgia, Second variant of flag proposal by A. Bonand, Flag proposal submitted by the "Ladies of Charleston", First variant of flag proposal by L. P. Honour of Charleston, South Carolina, L. P. Honour's second variant of First national flag proposal, Confederate First national flag proposal by John Sansom of Alabama, William Porcher Miles' flag proposal, ancestor flag of the Confederate Battle Flag, John G. Gaines' First national flag proposal, Flag proposal by J. M. Jennings of Lowndesboro, Alabama, Flag proposal submitted by an unknown person of Louisville, Kentucky, One of three finalist designs examined by Congress on March 4, 1861, lost out to Stars and Bars, Second of three finalists in the Confederate First national flag competition, Confederate flag proposal by Mrs E. G. Carpenter of Cassville, Georgia, Confederate flag proposal by Thomas H. Hobbs of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Flag proposal by Eugene Wythe Baylor of Louisiana, Flag proposal submitted by "H" of South Carolina, A Confederate flag proposal by Hamilton Coupes that was submitted on February 1, 1861, The Confederate national flag proposal of Mrs Irene Riddle, wife of William T. Riddle of Eutaw, Alabama. [citation needed]. It was distinct from the Unions flag. Email. At a distance, the two national flags were hard to tell apart. 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. Twitter. The design of the Stars and Bars varied over the following two years. 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.