Flags of the Confederate States of America

The Confederacy's first official national flag, often called the '''''', flew from March4, 1861, to May1, 1863. Twomen claim to have designed the flag. While it has been traditionally attributed to Prussian-American artist Nicola Marschall from Marion, Alabama, evidence now shows that OrenRandolph from Louisburg, NorthCarolina likely also designed a similar flag at the same time. Alabama and NorthCarolina both certified that theirs was the first design, but an investigation into both men's claims has revealed evidence that supports both men. The flag is very similar to the flag of the United States, and is said to resemble the flag of Austria, with which Nicola Marschall would have been familiar. The original version of the flag featured a circle of seven white stars in the canton, representing the seven states of the South that originally composed the Confederacy: SouthCarolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. The "Stars and Bars" flag was adopted on March4, 1861, in the first temporary national capital of Montgomery, Alabama, and raised over the dome of that first Confederate capitol. Marschall also designed the Confederatearmy uniform. One of the first acts of the Provisional Confederate Congress was to create the Committeeof the Flag andSeal, chaired by WilliamPorcher Miles, a Democratic representative and "Fire-Eaters|" from . The committee asked the public to submit thoughts and ideas on the topic and was, as historian JohnM. Coski puts it, "overwhelmed by requests not to abandon the 'oldflag' of the UnitedStates." Miles had already designed a flag that later became known as the Confederate BattleFlag, and he favored his flag over the "Stars and Bars" proposal. But given the popular support for a flag similar to the U.S.flag ("the Stars and Stripes"), the "Stars and Bars" design was approved by the committee. As the Confederacy grew, so did the numbers of stars: two were added for Virginia and Arkansas in May1861, followed by two more representing Tennessee and NorthCarolina inJuly, and finally twomore for Missouri and Kentucky. When the American Civil War broke out, the "Stars and Bars" confused the battlefield at the because of its similarity to the U.S. (orUnion) flag, especially when it was hanging limply on its flagstaff. The "Stars and Bars" was also criticized on ideological grounds for its resemblance to the U.S.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. As early as April1861, 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.flag. The first showing of the flag was outside the BenJohnson House in Bardstown, Kentucky; the design was also in use as the Confederatenavy's battle ensign. The design uses the same starformation as the . == Second flag: the "Stainless Banner" (1863–1865)==

Many different designs were proposed during the solicitation for a second Confederate nationalflag, nearly all based on the Battle Flag. By1863, it had become well-known and popular among those living in the Confederacy. The Confederate Congress specified that the new design be a white field "...with the union (now used as the battleflag) to be a square of the width of the flag, having the groundred; thereupon a broad saltire of blue, bordered with white, and emblazoned with mullets or stars, corresponding in number to that of the ConfederateStates." The Confederate Congress debated whether the white field should have a blue stripe and whether it should be bordered in red. William Miles delivered a speech supporting the simple white design that was eventually approved. He argued that the battleflag must be used, but it was necessary to emblazon it for a nationalflag, but as simply as possible, with a plain white field. When Thompson received word the Congress had adopted the design with a blue stripe, he published an editorial on April28 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." Gray stated that the white field represented "purity, truth, and freedom." 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 May1, 1863. The flags that were actually produced by the Richmond Clothing Depot used the adopted for the Confederatenavy's battle ensign, rather than the official . The observed that it was essentially a battle flag upon a flagof truce and might send a mixed message. Due to the flag's resemblance to one of truce, some Confederate soldiers cut off the flag's white portion, leaving only the canton. The first official use of the "Stainless Banner" was to drape the coffin of General ThomasJ. "Stonewall" Jackson as it layin state in the , May12, 1863. As a result of this first usage, the flag received the alternate nickname of the "JacksonFlag". == Third flag: the "Blood-Stained Banner" (1865)==

Rogers lobbied successfully to have this alteration introduced in the Confederate Senate. Rogers defended his redesign as symbolizing the primary origins of the people of the Confederacy, with the saltire of the Scottishflag and the red bar from the flagof France, and having "as little as possible of the Yankeeblue" the UnionArmy wore blue, the Confederatesgray. The Flag Act of 1865, passed by the Confederate Congress near the very end of the war, describes the flag in the following language: Due to the timing, very few of these third national flags were actually manufactured and put into use in the field, with many Confederates never seeing the flag. Moreover, the ones made by the Richmond Clothing Depot used the square canton of the second nationalflag rather than the slightly rectangular one that was specified by the law. ==State flags==

Alabama and Arkansas are not on this list because they did not have flags during the American Civil War. Although Alabama had a secession flag in 1861, it does not count as a state flag due to it not being flown again, after being placed in the state archives. ==Indian Territory==

, , and , surrounded by bust portraits of Jefferson Davis, Alexander Stephens, and various Confederate army officers, such as James Longstreet and . 1895 Sponsor souvenir album reunion in NewOrleans, 1903 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. Regiments carried flags to help commanders observe and assess battles in the warfare of the era. At a distance, the two nationalflags were hard to tell apart. Also, 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 [ourflag] changed if possible, or to adopt for my command a 'Battleflag', which would be Entirely different from any State or Federalflag". and, on the redfield, palmetto and crescent symbols. Miles received various feedback on this design, including a critique from Charles Moise, a "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 heraldic saltire('X') for the upright cross. The number of stars was changed several times as well. He described these changes and his reasons for making them in early1861. 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 than Ecclesiastical, it being the 'saltire' of Heraldry, and significant of strength and progress." According to Coski, the Saint Andrew's Cross (also used on the flagof Scotland as a white saltire on a bluefield) had no special place in Southern iconography at the time. If Miles had not been eager to conciliate the SouthernJews, his flag would have used the traditional upright "SaintGeorge's Cross" (as used on the flagof England, a redcross on a white field). JamesB. Walton submitted a battleflag design essentially identical to Miles' except with an upright SaintGeorge's Cross, but Beauregard chose the diagonal cross design. Miles' flag and all the flag designs up to that point were rectangular ("oblong") in shape. General Johnston suggested making it square to conserve material. Johnston also specified the various sizes to be used by different types of military units. Generals Beauregard and Johnston and Quartermaster‐General Cabell approved the Confederate BattleFlag's design at the Ratcliffehome, which served briefly as Beauregard's headquarters, near Fairfax CourtHouse in September1861. The 12thstar represented Missouri. President JeffersonDavis arrived by train at FairfaxStation soon after and was shown the design for the new battleflag at the RatcliffeHouse. and her sister, along with her cousin, ConstanceCary Harrison, made prototypes. One such flag resides in the collection of Richmond's Museumof theConfederacy and the other is in the Confederate MemorialHall Museum in . On November 28, 1861, Confederate soldiers in General 's newly reorganized Armyof NorthernVirginia received the new battleflags in ceremonies at Centreville and Manassas, Virginia, and carried them throughout the CivilWar. Beauregard gave a speech encouraging the soldiers to treat the 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 at FirstManassas. From then on, the battleflag grew in its identification with the Confederacy and theSouth in general. The flag's stars represented the number of states in the Confederacy. The distance between the stars decreased as the number of states increased, reaching thirteen when the secessionist factions of Kentucky and Missouri joined in late1861. The Army of Northern Virginia battle flag assumed a prominent place when it was adopted as the copyrighted emblem of the United Confederate Veterans. Its continued use by the SouthernArmy's veteran's groups, the United Confederate Veterans(U.C.V.) and the later Sonsof Confederate Veterans(S.C.V.), and elements of the design by related similar female descendants organizations of the (U.D.C.), led to the assumption that it was, as it has been termed, "the soldier's flag" or "the Confederate battleflag." The square "battle flag" is also properly known as "the flag of the Armyof NorthernVirginia". It was sometimes called "Beauregard'sflag" or "the Virginia battleflag". A marker declaring Fairfax, Virginia, as the birthplace of the Confederate battleflag was dedicated on April12, 2008, near the intersection of Main and OakStreets, in Fairfax, Virginia. To boost the morale of the Army of Tennessee, GeneralJohnston introduced a new battleflag for the entire army. This flag bore a basic design similar to the one he had contributed to creating in Virginia in1861 and had been commissioned in Mobile while he was in command in Mississippi in1863. These flags for infantry and cavalry were to measure . The white edgingcross was about wide and was often filled with battle honors. The stars were from , with a cross. Flags for artillery were overall. ==Naval flags==

The fledgling Confederate States Navy () adopted and used several types of flags, banners and pennants aboard all CSNships: jacks, battleensigns and smallboat ensigns, as well as commissioning pennants, designatingflags and signalflags. The first Confederate Navy jacks, in use from 1861 to1863, consisted of a circle of seven to fifteen white stars against a field of "mediumblue." It was flown forward aboard all Confederate warships while they were anchored in port. One jack still exists today (found aboard the captured ironclad CSSAtlanta) that is actually darkblue. The first ConfederateNavy jack closely resembles the navyjack of the UnitedStates. The second Confederate Navy Jack was a rectangular cousin of the ConfederateArmy's battleflag and was in use from1863 until1865. It existed in a variety of dimensions and sizes, despite the 's detailed naval regulations.There is a claim that the bluecolor of the diagonal saltire's "" was much lighter than the battleflag's darkblue.But in fact the museum exhibits have the dark blue color on the cross. Other navy flags File:Stainless Banner (CSS Atlanta variant).svg|The second Navy Ensign of the ironclad CSSAtlanta File:Ensign of the Confederate States (9 stars).svg|The 9-star first Naval ensign of the paddlesteamer CSSCurlew File:Ensign of the Confederate States (11 stars).svg|The 11-star ensign of the Confederate privateer JeffersonDavis File:Ensign of the Confederate States (12 stars).svg|A 12-star first Confederate Navy ensign of the gunboat CSSEllis, File:ConfederateRevenueServiceEnsign11stars.png|The command flag of Captain WilliamF. Lynch, flown as ensign of his flagship, CSSSeabird, 1862 File:2011-10-1 Pennant, Personal, CSN, Admiral Buchanan (5375014875).jpg|Pennant of Admiral Franklin Buchanan, , at the , August5, 1864 File:Admiral Flag of the Confederate States of America.svg|Digital recreation of AdmiralBuchanan's pennant File:Admiral's Rank flag of Franklin Buchanan.svg|Admiral's rank flag of Franklin Buchanan, flown from CSSVirginia during the firstday of the and also flown from the CSSTennessee during the Battleof MobileBay File:Confederate Naval Flag, captured when Sherman took Savannah - Wisconsin Veterans Museum - DSC02988.JPG|Confederate naval flag, captured when General William Sherman took Savannah, Georgia, 1864 File:Flag of Louisiana (February 1861).svg|Ensign of the Louisiana StateNavy The first national flag, also known as the "Stars and Bars" , served from1861 to1863 as the ConfederateNavy's first battleensign. It was generally made with a 2:3aspect ratio, but a few verywide ensigns survive today in museums and private collections. As the Confederacy grew, so did the number of white stars on the ensign's darkblue canton: seven-, nine-, eleven-, and groupings were typical. Even a few 14- and ensigns were made to include states expected to secede but that never completely joined the Confederacy. The second national flag was later adapted as a naval ensign, using a shorter 2:3aspect ratio than the 1:2ratio adopted by the ConfederateCongress for the nationalflag. This particular battleensign was the only example taken around the world, finally becoming the last Confederateflag lowered in the CivilWar; this happened aboard the commerce raider CSSShenandoah in Liverpool, England on November7, 1865. ==National flag proposals==

Hundreds of proposed national flag designs were submitted to the ConfederateCongress during competitions to find a first and second (April1862; April1863) nationalflag. First national flag proposals When the Confederate States of America was founded during the Montgomery Convention that took place on February4, 1861, a nationalflag was not selected by the convention, as no proposals had been submitted. President JeffersonDavis's inauguration took place under the of Alabama, and the celebratory parade was led by a unit carrying the of Georgia. Realizing that they quickly needed a national banner to represent their sovereignty, the the set up the Committeeon Flag and Seal. The chairman was WilliamPorcher Miles, who was also the SouthCarolina representative in the Confederate Houseof Representatives. The committee began a competition to find a new national flag, with an unwritten adoption deadline of March4, 1861, the date of PresidentLincoln's inauguration. This would serve to show the world that theSouth was truly sovereign. Hundreds of examples were submitted from across the ConfederateStates and from states that were not yet part of theConfederacy (e.g.Kentucky), and even from Unionstates (such as NewYork). Many of the proposed designs paid homage to the "Stars and Stripes", the result of a sense of nostalgia in early1861 that many of the new Confederate citizens felt toward theUnion. 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. Those inspired by the Stars and Stripes were discounted almost immediately by the committee because they mirrored the Union'sflag too closely. While others were wildly different, many of which were very complex and extravagant, they were largely discounted because of the complexity and expense that would be involved in their production. The winner of the competition was Nicola Marschall's "Stars and Bars" flag. This flag was selected by theCongress on March4, 1861, the day of the deadline. The firstflag was produced in a rush, as the date had already been selected for an official ceremony; credited the speedy completion of the first "Stars and Bars"flag to "fair and nimble fingers". This flag, made of , was raised by Letitia Tyler over the Alabama State Capitol. TheCongress inspected two other finalist designs on March4. One was a "Blue ring or circle on a field of red", while the other consisted of alternating red and blue stripes with a bluecanton containing stars. These two designs were lost, and their existence is known only from an 1872letter sent by Miles to . Miles was not pleased with any of the proposals. He did not share in the Unionnostalgia, believing that the South'sflag should be completely different from that of the North. He proposed a flag design featuring a bluesaltire on white fimbriation with a field of red. He had originally planned to employ a blue St.George's Cross similar to that of the SouthCarolina SovereigntyFlag, but was dissuaded from doing so. Within the bluesaltire were seven white stars representing the current seven states of the Confederacy, two on each of the leftarms, one on each of the rightarms and one in the middle. However, Miles'sflag was not by the rest of theCongress. Onecongressman even mocked it as looking "like a pair of suspenders". Miles'sflag lost to the Stars and Bars. ==Flag variants==

In addition to the Confederacy's national flags, a wide variety of flags and banners were flown by Southerners during the CivilWar. Most famously, the was used as an unofficialflag during the earlymonths of1861. It was flying above the Confederate batteries that first opened fire on in Charleston harbor, beginning the CivilWar. The "Van Dorn flag" was carried by several Confederate regiments from Arkansas and Missouri fighting in the Trans-Mississippi Theater| and Westerntheaters ofwar and were, or had been, a part of the Army of the West in 1862. Many military units also carried their own regimentalflags into battle. Though there are only three officialflags with the correct number of stars. {{gallery ==Controversy==

Though never having historically represented the Confederate States ofAmerica as a country, nor having been officially recognized as one of its nationalflags, the BattleFlag of the Armyof Tennessee and its variants are now flagtypes commonly referred to as the "Confederateflag". It is also known as the "rebelflag", "Dixieflag" and "''''''". It is sometimes incorrectly called the "Stars and Bars", the name of the first national Confederateflag. The "rebel flag" is considered by some to be a divisive and polarizing symbol in the UnitedStates, while its supporters maintain that it is a symbol of regional cultural pride. A YouGov poll in 2020 of more than 34,000 Americans reported that 41% viewed the flag as representing racism, and 34% viewed it as symbolizing Southern heritage. A July2021 Politico–Morning Consultpoll of 1,996 registered voters reported that 47% viewed it as a symbol of Southern pride while 36% viewed it as a symbol of racism. In a 2017scientific article about the psychology of the Confederateflag's supporters, the authors found the primary reasons for the flag's support to be Southern regional patriotism, political conservatism, or White American racial biases against African-Americans. However, the authors indicated that the majority of the flag's supporters did not tend towards racial biases as the reason for their support. ==Gallery==

Arkansas File:22nd-ark-inf-flag.jpg|Flag of the 22nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Possibly ) Alabama File:Flag of Hilliard's Legion.png|Flag of Hilliard's Legion File:1st Alabama Infantry flag.jpg|Flag of the 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment File:1st Alabama Cavalry flag.jpg|Flag of the 1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment File:PrattvilleDragoonFlag.jpg|Recreated flag of the Prattville Dragoons File:6th Alabama Cavalry flag.jpg|Flag of the 6th Alabama Cavalry Regiment File:Florence Guards (Company K, 7th Alabama Infantry) flag.png|Flag of the Florence Guards (CompanyK, 7th Alabama Infantry Regiment) File:8th Alabama Infantry Flag.jpg|Flag of the 8th Alabama Infantry Regiment File:10th Alabama Infantry flag.jpg|Flag of the 10th Alabama Infantry Regiment File:11th Alabama Infantry flag.jpg|Flag of the 11th Alabama Infantry Regiment File:13th Alabama Infantry flag.jpg|Flag of the 13th Alabama Infantry Regiment File:14th Alabama Infantry flag.jpg|Flag of the 14th Alabama Infantry Regiment File:15th Alabama Infantry flag.jpg|Flag of the 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment File:18th Alabama Infantry flag.jpg|Flag of the 18th Alabama Infantry Regiment File:18th Alabama Infantry flag (Hardee pattern).jpg|Flag of the 18th Alabama Infantry Regiment (Hardee Version) File:20th Alabama Infantry flag.jpg|Flag of the 20th Alabama Infantry Regiment File:22nd Alabama Infantry flag (Polk's and Bragg's Corps pattern).jpg|Flag of the 22nd Alabama Infantry Regiment File:23rd Alabama Infantry flag.jpg|Flag of the 23rd Alabama Infantry Regiment File:24th Alabama Infantry flag (Company E, Dickinson Guards).jpg|Flag of the 24th Alabama Infantry Regiment (Company E, Dickson Guards) File:26th Alabama Infantry flag.jpg|Flag of the 26th Alabama Infantry Regiment File:28th Alabama Infantry flag.jpg|Flag of the 28th Alabama Infantry Regiment File:29th Alabama Infantry flag.jpg|Flag of the 26th Alabama Infantry Regiment File:36th Alabama Infantry Regiment flag, issued 1864.jpg|Flag of the 36th Alabama Infantry Regiment File:57th Alabama Infantry Flag.jpg|Flag of the 57th Alabama Infantry Regiment File:59th Alabama Infantry Regiment Flag.jpg|Flag of the 59th Alabama Infantry Regiment Florida File:Guidon of the Company B, 2nd Florida Cavalry, C.S.A.jpg|Guidon of the company B, 2nd Florida Cavalry Regiment Georgia File:Flag of Fort McAllister, GA, US.jpg|Confederate National flag of Fort McAllister File:Fort McAllister battle flag, GA, US.jpg|Battle Flag of the Emmett Rifles Louisiana File:Confederate flag of Fort Jackson, LA, US.JPG|Confederate National Flag captured from Fort Jackson File:Kennedy's Battalion flag.jpg|Flag of Kennedy's Battalion Mississippi File:Battle flag of the 2nd Mississippi Regiment.jpg|Flag of the 2nd Mississippi Infantry Regiment File:History of the Ninth regiment, Connecticut volunteer infantry, "The Irish regiment," in the war of the rebellion, 1861-65. The record of a gallant command on the march, in battle and in bivouac (1903) (14759587101).jpg|Flag of the 3rd Mississippi Infantry Regiment File:11th Mississippi Infantry Regiment battle flag army.mil-2008-09-10-145530.jpg|Flag of the 11th Mississippi Infantry Regiment File:Flag of the 18th Mississippi Infantry.jpg|Flag of the 18th Mississippi Infantry Regiment File:Battle Flag of the 37th Mississippi Infantry.jpg|Flag of the 37th Mississippi Infantry Regiment File:Battle flag of the 48th Mississippi Regiment.jpg|Flag of the 48th Mississippi Infantry Regiment Tennessee File:Battle Flag of the 4th Tennessee Infantry.jpg|Flag of the 4th Tennessee Infantry Regiment File:14th Tennessee Infantry Regiment Battle Flag.jpg|Flag of the 14th Tennessee Infantry Regiment Texas File:Flag of Hood's Texas Brigade.jpg|Flag of Hood's Texas Brigade File:1stTexasFlag.jpg|Flag of the 1st Texas Infantry Regiment File:3rd Texas Infantry flag.jpg|Flag of the 3rd Texas Infantry Regiment File:TSLAC 306-4049 3rd Texas Cavalry Regiment Flag.jpg|Flag of the 3rd Texas Cavalry Regiment File:Fourth Texas Infantry Flag.jpg|Flag of the 4th Texas Infantry Regiment File:Regimental flag of the Fifth Texas Infantry, Hood's Texas Brigade.jpg|Flag of the 5th Texas Infantry Regiment File:Flag of the 6th Texas Infantry and the 15th Texas Cavalry (dismounted) Consolidated, Granbury's Texas Brigade.jpg|Flag of the 6th Texas Infantry Regiment, 16th Texas Cavalry Regiment (dismounted) Consolidated File:Ninth Texas Cavalry Flag (black and white).jpg|First flag of the 9th Texas Cavalry Regiment File:Battle Flag of the 9th Texas Cavalry.jpg|Second flag of the 9th Texas Cavalry Regiment File:10th Texas Infantry Regiment Flag.jpg|Flag of the 10th Texas Infantry Regiment File:Flag of the 11th Texas Cavalry.jpg|Flag of the 11th Texas Cavalry Regiment File:16th Texas Infantry Regiment, Company G flag.jpg|Flag of the 16th Texas Infantry Regiment File:17th and 18th Texas Cavalry (dismounted), Consolidated.jpg|Flag of the 17th and 18th Texas Cavalry Regiment File:20th Texas.jpg|Flag of the 20th Texas Infantry Regiment File:Terry's Texas Rangers Confederate flag.jpg|Flag of Terry's Texas Rangers Virginia File:Battle Flag of the 2nd Virginia Infantry.jpg|Flag of the 2nd Virginia Infantry Regiment File:Battle Flag of the 4th Virginia Infantry.jpg|Flag of the 4th Virginia Infantry Regiment File:Battle Flag of the 8th Virginia Cavalry, CSA.jpg|Flag of the 8th Virginia Cavalry Regiment File:Battle Flag of the 9th Virginia Infantry.jpg|Flag of the 9th Virginia Infantry Regiment File:10th Virginia Infantry Regiment flag carried into the first battle of Manassas, July 20-21, 1861.jpg|Flag carried into battle by the 10th Virginia Infantry Regiment at the First Battle of Manassas File:Battle Flag of the 10th Virginia Cavalry.jpg|Flag of the 10th virginia Cavalry Regiment File:13th Virginia Infantry Flag.jpg|Flag of the 13th Virginia Infantry Regiment File:18VAflag.jpg|Flag of the 18th Virginia Infantry Regiment File:19th Virginia Infantry Flag.jpg|Flag of the 19th Virginia Infantry Regiment File:28th Virginia Infantry Color.jpg|Flag of the 28th Virginia Infantry Regiment File:Flag of the 42nd Virginia Infantry.jpg|Flag of the 42nd Virginia Infantry Regiment File:Battle Flag of the 54th Virginia Infantry, CSA.jpg|Flag of the 54th Virginia Infantry Regiment File:Battle Flag of the 56th Virginia Infantry, CSA.jpg|Flag of the 56th Virginia Infantry Regiment File:61st Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment Battle Flag.jpg|Flag of the 61st Virginia Infantry Regiment ==See also==