stars and bars confederate flag stars and bars confederate flag

The battle flag was also featured in the state flags of Georgia and Mississippi, although it was removed by the former in 2003 and the latter in 2020. As word spread about the conservation program the flag of the 10th Louisiana Infantry was adopted by a Canadian Reenacting Group that portrayed the unit. Just under half of these flags (18) bore eleven stars, of which 8 bore a center star with the other ten stars surrounding it. What changed?). As a result, Confederate military presentation flags made throughout the South in 1861 and 1862 demonstrate no common proportions or sizes. 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. Can we bring a species back from the brink?, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. 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). Inside the canton are seven to thirteen white five-pointed stars of equal size, arranged in a circle and pointing outward. 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. The Adopt-A-Flag Program was initiated. The chairman was William Porcher Miles, who was also the Representative of South Carolina in the Confederate House of Representatives. The flag that Miles had favored when he was chairman of the "Committee on the Flag and Seal" eventually became the battle flag and, ultimately, the Confederacy's most popular flag. Confederate Flags | Missouri State Parks 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. Was there a cavalry size Army of Northern Virginia battle flag? Beauregard and Joseph Johnston urged that a new Confederate flag be designed for battle. 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 first national flag of the Confederacy with thirteen stars was used until May 1, 1863. 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. Flags of the Confederacy: An Overview - All Star Flags Miles also told the Committee on the Flag and Seal about the general's complaints and request that the national flag be changed. [12], 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. Share. Adult Admission: Adult $10.00 Children (under the age of 14) $5:00. The Congress inspected two other finalist designs on March 4: One was a "Blue ring or circle on a field of red", while the other consisted of alternating red and blue stripes with a blue canton containing stars. The trend continued with local reenactment groups raising the necessary funds to conserve flags. Unauthorized use is prohibited. When does spring start? "[11], The flag is also known as the Stainless Banner, and the matter of the person behind its design remains a point of contention. The stars and bars flag Stock Videos - alamy.com 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. Unit abbreviations on two of the surviving flags were applied with separately cut and applied red cotton letters. Though it hassome Black supporters, it remains shorthand for a defiant South and all that implies. Adopted by the provisional Confederate Congress in February of 1861, this was the first of three national Confederate flags. The garrison flag was to measure 18 feet on the hoist by 28 feet on the fly, and the storm flag was to be half that size 9 feet on the hoist by 14 feet on the fly. The Confederacy's first official national flag, often called the Stars and Bars, flew from March 4, 1861, to May 1, 1863. It was also challenged by Black activists and their white allies. [37] Also, Confederate regiments carried many other flags, which added to the possibility of confusion. A National Geographic team has made the first ascent of the remote Mount Michael, looking for a lava lake in the volcanos crater. 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. 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. 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. The very first national flag of the Confederacy was designed by Prussian artist Nicola Marschall in Marion, Alabama. The Stars and Bars served as the first national flag of the Confederate States of America from 4 Mar. Beaureguard for the battle flag then named the Army of the Potomac. Those inspired by the Stars and Stripes were discounted almost immediately by the Committee due to mirroring the Union's flag too closely. June 14, 2020. 1863-1865 version of Confederate Flag. First National Pattern Confederate Flag - Rockingham Community College Pinterest. This is the actual Stars & Bars, first official flag of the Confederate States of America, specifically the 13-star version which flew from 1861 to 1863: Confederate Stars & Bars ( public domain) March 4, 1861 The first national flag of the Confederate States of America (the "Stars and Bars") is adopted. flag. In 1816, the command operated in Missouri and Arkansas but was transferred to Northern Mississippi. Miles had already designed a flag that later became known as the Confederate Battle Flag, and he favored his flag over the "Stars and Bars" proposal. "Neither Arkansas nor Missouri enacted legislation to adopt an official State flag" (Cannon 2005, p. 48). 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. 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 Confederate battle flag was born of necessity after the Battle of Bull Run. PDF The State Flag of Georgia: The 1956 Change In Its Historical Context In the early summer of 1861, the army was renamed the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) commanded by Gen. R.E. 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. [13] The Columbia-based Daily South Carolinian observed that it was essentially a battle flag upon a flag of truce and might send a mixed message. How a zoo break-in changed the life of an owl called Flaco, Naked mole rats are fertile until they die, study finds. The flag was issued in the fall of 1861. This would serve to show the world the South was truly sovereign. Miles received various feedback on this design, including a critique from Charles Moise, a self-described "Southerner of Jewish persuasion." The True History of the Confederate Flag | HistoryNet The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars&qu. 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 . 1st National Confederate Flag - 13 Star - Stars and Bars - Cotton the Confederate States of America began to use its first flag, the Stars and Bars, on March 5, 1861. Add to Plan. Deliveries began on 18 July 1861 and continued until 7 August. But as secession got underway, the Confederate States of America. South Carolina, which had defiantly flown the banner at its capitol for years,retired it that year, and multiple retailers stopped selling merchandise featuring the flag now labeled ahate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League. Due to the flag's resemblance to one of truce, some Confederate soldiers cut off the flag's white portion, leaving only the canton.[33]. [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]. STARS AND BARS Images of 12 Star versions of the first Confederate national flag. In an effort to avoid the visual confusion, General Pierre Beauregardcommissioned a new battle flag design. More than double that number (12), however, bore eleven stars, with all but two arranged in a circle that included all eleven stars. The first national flag of the Confederate States of America (the Also available below is a Vinyl Decal (suitable for outdoor use). Judging from the $12.00 price that Ruskell later received for a bunting Confederate 1st national that was 6 feet long on the fly, it is thought that the 43 flags that he delivered in July and August were 4 feet on their hoist by 6 feet on their fly with eleven white, 5-pointed stars arranged in a circle or ellipse. 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. When rebels fired on Fort Sumter in April 1861, they flew a blue banner with a single white star called the Bonnie Blue Flag. Return to the Confederate Flags Home Page. After images of the shooter, Dylann Roof, carrying Confederate battle flags emerged, multiple states bowed to pressure to remove them from memorials. [56][57] 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. [50][51][52] It is also known as the rebel flag, Dixie flag, and Southern cross. 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. 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. The 7 Best Bars Around La Brea, Los Angeles - Culture Trip 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. And both South Carolina and Alabama began flying it over their capitols. STARS AND BARS Images of 11 Star versions of the first Confederate national flag. Top 10 Best Bars With Darts in Brea, CA - December 2022 - Yelp [53] The "rebel flag" is considered by some to be a highly divisive and polarizing symbol in the United States. 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.). Despite the official pattern and numbers, however, individual examples of the Stars and Bars varied greatly, with numbers of stars ranging from 1 to 17, and star patterns varying greatly beyond the officially sanctioned circle. This action piqued the interest of other members of the Foundation, reenactment groups and family members. 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. Newsome was arrested, but state officials voted to remove the flag from the building the following month. The Truth About Confederate History: Part 1 | Snopes.com -"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. William Miles delivered a speech supporting the simple white design that was eventually approved. This flag saw action in the battles in the west. A modification of that design was adopted on March 4, 1865, about a month before the end of the Read More symbolism of sovereignty Flag officially used: September 1860 Summer, 1861, George P. Gilliss flag, also known as the Biderman Flag, the only Confederate flag captured in California (Sacramento). As historian Caroline E. Janneynotes, the Lost Cause myth came about immediately after the war as Confederates struggled to come to terms with their defeat in a postwar climate of economic, racial, and social uncertainty.. p. 211. The stars represent the seven seceded states of the U.S. How did this mountain lion reach an uninhabited island? ), led to the assumption that it was, as it has been termed, "the soldier's flag" or "the Confederate battle flag. CSA- Flags Only - Ultimate Flags From the heartland of the Confederacy (Tennessee and Kentucky) 18 identified flags were surveyed. On May 1, 1863, the Confederacy adopted its first official national flag, often called the Stainless Banner. The Southern Cross symbolized rebelliousness,writes historian John M. Koskibut now it gained a more specific connotation of resistance to the civil rights movement and to racial integration.. Can we bring a species back from the brink? 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. 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. [48], The "Bonnie Blue Flag"an unofficial flag in 1861, The "Van Dorn battle flag" used in the Western theaters of operation, Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia or "Robert E. Lee Headquarters Flag", 7-star First national flag of the Confederate States Marine Corps, Flag of the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles, under General Stand Watie, The first battle flag of the Perote Guards (Company D, 1st Regiment Alabama Infantry). Confederate Flag History - Civil War The red Saint Georges cross is symbolic of the Episcopal church of which Gen. Polk was Bishop of Louisiana. After taking command of the main Confederate army in the west, Gen. Jos E. Johnson adopted this variation of the Virginia Battle Flag for the Army of Tennessee. Southern Battle Flags - National Park Service national flag consisting of seven white stars on a blue canton with a field of three alternating stripes, two red and one white. 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. Moise liked the design but asked that "the symbol of a particular religion not be made the symbol of the nation." (2016). [49], Though never having historically represented the Confederate States of America as a country, nor having been officially recognized as one of its national flags, the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia and its variants are now flag types commonly referred to as the Confederate Flag. The result was anything but uniformity in the colors carried by the armies that coallesced in the Shenandoah Valley and around Centreville in June. Taking this into account, Miles changed his flag, removing the palmetto and crescent, and substituting a heraldic saltire ("X") for the upright cross. 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. Many of the proposed designs paid homage to the Stars and Stripes, due to a nostalgia in early 1861 that many of the new Confederate citizens felt towards the Union. It was flown forward aboard all Confederate warships while they were anchored in port. The flags were initially prepared bore seven stars in a circle, but at least one 11 star example in the storm size is known with Vaughans markings. Copy link. Why are there 13 stars on Confederate flags? Isnt a battle flag supposed to be square? [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. This pattern was embellished with the same 13 white stars that the original flag had. The blue color of the diagonal saltire's "Southern Cross" was much lighter than the battle flag's dark blue. 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. [3] In January 1862, George William Bagby, writing for the Southern Literary Messenger, wrote that many Confederates disliked the 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. Segregation and oppressiveJim Crow laws soon disenfranchised Black Southernersand members of the Ku Klux Klan terrorized them. 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. When rebels fired on Fort Sumter in April 1861, theyflew a blue banner with a single white star called the Bonnie Blue Flag. [42] The flag's stars represented the number of states in the Confederacy. This particular battle ensign was the only example taken around the world, finally becoming the last Confederate flag lowered in the Civil War; this happened aboard the commerce raider CSS Shenandoah in Liverpool, England, on November 7, 1865. In 2000, the NAACP began a 15-year-long economicboycott of South Carolina because of its use of the flag. Johnston also specified the various sizes to be used by different types of military units. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. The Republic was short lived and soon dissolved. The flag adopted by the delegates to the Louisianas secession convention in January of 1861 represented Louisianas historical roots. Were most of the flags made in the Confederacy sewn by hand or by sewing machine? He argued that the battle flag must be used, but it was necessary to emblazon it for a national flag, but as simply as possible, with a plain white field. The groundbreaking promise of cellular housekeeping. [citation needed]. The similarity between the stars and bars and the stars and strips caused many cases of mistaken identity during the first battle of Manassas or Bull Run in July of 1861. This flag proposal was the first variant submitted by William T. Riddle of Eutaw, Alabama. 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. [18] He turned to his aide, who happened to be William Porcher Miles, the former chairman of the Confederate Congress's Committee on the Flag and Seal. He did not share in the nostalgia for the Union that many of his fellows Southerners felt, believing that the South's flag should be completely different from that of the North. 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 distinct battle flag. Three horizontal stripes of equal height, alternating red and white, with a blue square two-thirds the height of the flag as the canton. Stars & Bars Flag | Confederate Flag - Flagman of America Stars and Bars (final version) It was distinct from the Unions flag. Nonetheless both were still represented in the Confederate Congress and had Confederate shadow governments composed of deposed former state politicians. It houses the second largest collection of Confederate Civil War items in the world. In the center of the union a circle of white stars corresponding in number with the States in the Confederacy. FIRST NATIONAL FLAGS FOR THE CONFEDERATE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC. The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs from 1861 to 1865. HistorianWilliam Sturkey, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina and author of Hattiesburg: An American City in Black and White, says that racists turn to the symbol again and again when they feel embattled and threatened. 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. 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. The red space above and below to be the same width as the white. Stars and bars - Wikipedia The winner of the competition was Nicola Marschall's "Stars and Bars" flag. These include flags displayed in states; cities, towns and counties; schools, colleges and universities; private organizations and associations; and individuals. Over the years the flag was changed by adding and . Confederate flag Meaning | Politics by Dictionary.com Despite the 9:14 proportions established by the Confederate War Department, other civilian makers of the Stars & Bars soon gravitated to different proportions that included 2:3, 3:5, and 1:2. Stars and Bars | Confederate flag | Britannica 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 stars and bars flag Stock Photos and Images - alamy.com (Miles had originally planned to use a blue St. George's Cross like that of the South Carolina Sovereignty Flag, but was dissuaded from doing so.) 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." From then on, the battle flag grew in its identification with the Confederacy and the South in general. What to Know about "Stars And Bars" Confederate National Flag? 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. 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". ", The square "battle flag" is also properly known as "the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia". The Stars and Bars Flag is the first official flag of the Confederacy. Deep South. Its popularity persisted, and over the ensuing decades, the battle flag became a generic symbol of rebellion spotted on TV shows like The Dukes of Hazzardand on stage with bands likeLynyrd Skynyrd. Van Dorn was relieved of command after the Battle of Corinth in 1862. / Forwarded to Montgomery, Ala. Feb 12, 1861, / Adopted by the Provisional Congress March 4, 1861". 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. When a mob of armed insurgents flooded the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, they brought an accessory: the Confederate battle flag. 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. The . [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.