The Confederate Battle Flag (United States)

Last modified: 1997-11-25 by rob raeside
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• The Civil War
• Stars and Bars
• Stainless Banner
• Use of the Confederate Flag
• Battle flags
• Southern Cross
• Flag of Stanhope Watte
• Variation of the number of stars
• Popularity of the different flags
• Recent history of the flags as a symbol for neo-groups

See also:

• Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia
• Legislation regarding the display of the Confederate flag
• United States of America
• Historical flags of the United States
• Battleflags of the Confederacy site by Al Sumrall

Editor's note: Topic included in order to give non-Americans a context for these flags.

The Southern states of the USA exercised their constitutional right to secede from the Union in 1861. A War Between The States followed that rersulted in the loss of over half a million soldiers. Many of the citizens of these states still wave the flags that their forefathers used during the brief period of independence. Some others object to this display of affection for what is known as the "Lost Cause".

William M. Grimes-Wyatt, 1996-JUL-22

Rob Raeside, 25-NOV-97

The first offical flag of the confederacy was the Stars and Bars, and was reported to the provisional congress of the C.S. by the flag committee on March 4,1861. It appears to have not had a recorded vote. It was written into the journal of the congress. It is said to have been designed by Nicola Marschall, a Prussian Artist and to have been inspired by the Austrian flag. It appears in many variations with stars ranging from 7 to 15 stars. 11 states that seceeded from the Union, 2 (Kentucky and Missiouri that had confederate and union governments), 1 (Maryland) that attempted to seceed but whose legislature was disbanded by federal officals and was unable to join the confederacy, even though it furnished more troops to the cause then at least one member of that country and 1 slave state (Delaware) that remained loyal to the union.

William M. Grimes-Wyatt, 1996-APR-29

Because of its similiarly to the Stars and Stripes, the Stars and Bars were replaced with the Second National, also called the Stainless Banner on May 26, 1863. This flag had a square canton with the familiar Southern Cross on a white field. The specs were not very strickly adhered to and in many cases the canton was rectangular.

Because it could be mistaken for a flag of truce, this flag was modifed to include a red bar on the fly. It was to be 1/4 of the area of the flag beyond the now rectangular canton. The width was to be 2/3 of length. The canton was to be 3/5 of width and 1/3 of length. This was signed into law on March 4, 1865. Few flags of this version were issued and few survived.

William M. Grimes-Wyatt, 1996-APR-29

The Union troops were not authorized to fly the national flag until 1842 and flew their regimental flags with the national one after that time as per the British practice. They had no distinctive battle flag for the army.

William M Grimes-Wyatt, 1996-JAN-24

It was common practice till long after the Civil War to have a distinct Battle flag. The idea was that the red battle flags were highly visible on the field, and the troops could orient on them. Usually the national flag was also visible, at least on a battalion level. Remember, the rectangular red flag is not the battle flag, but the navy flag. The battle flag was square.

The Union had also such a thing. Each regiment had its own flag, but there was no standardized format for the regimental flags. Few were red, for obvious reasons. The Irish Brigade had green flags, for instance. Most Union regimental flags were blue, and most Union regiments also carried the national flag.

Sandy, through Josh Fruhlinger, 1996-JAN-24

Steve Jacquot

This flag of the American Civil War is also known as the "Southern Cross". It succeeded the "Stars and Bars" which had proved difficult to distinguish from the Union's "Stars and Stripes" in the heat of battle.

Duane Streufert

One of my favorite flags was that used by the last confederate General to surrender, Stanhope Watte. It was based on the Stars and Bars, which was in turn based on the austrian flag of red, white, red horizontal stripes. The blue canton contained 11 white stars in a circle representing the 11 white governments that had left the union and five red stars representing the five indian nations that joined the confederacy. Across the central bar was inscribed "CHEROKEE BRAVES".

William M. Grimes-Wyatt, 1996-MAY-22

The five red stars on the 1st Cherokee Regiment flag were for the nations of the Seminoles, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Cherokees and Creek indians - who - all being given the shaft at some point or another by the US government - chose to ally themselves with the Confederacy, who pledged them a "we'll leave you alone" plan for their help in the Civil War.

Biggsk@aol.com, 1996-MAY-22

The reason for the variations in number of stars in the Stars and Bars was due to lack of centralized purchasing. The original ones had 7 stars and more were added as additional states joined and the flag makers became aware of the number of states.

In Oct. 1861, a rump legislative body in Missouri dissolved the bond to the union and joined the confederacy. Kentucky was recognized as neutral at first but later was represented in the Confederate congress, bringing the stars to 13. However many flagmakers only recognized those states that were able to maintain state governments within their own territory, so that 41% of the over 300 surviving STARS AND BARS have only 11 stars. Missouri and Kentucky were overrun by the union and maintained representation in the federal government.

One interesting variation is the 12 star version, used by Nathan Bedford Forest, who swore not to include the star for Georgia, "as long as a yankee remains on Georgia's soil."

Of the survivors those having eight stars, 9%; nine stars, 5%; ten stars, 4%; twelve stars, 9%; fourteen stars, 0.6%; and 15 stars, 5%. The fourteenth star was for Maryland, whose governor was under house arrest and whose legislature was disbanded until the jailed members were replaced in a election where all voters had to take an oath of alliengance to the federal government. The 15th star was for Delaware, the other slave state. Unlike Maryland, who raised a number of regiments in exile from citizens who escaped across the river into Virginia and actually had more troops in the field for the confederacy then Florida, Delaware, the first state in the union, remained loyal to the federals.

The most interesting (at least to me) version of the Stars and Bars is the 18 star version used by Gen. Stand Watie, the last confederate general to surrender his command, the Cherokee Brigade. It had 13 white stars in a circle and 5 red ones for the "five civilized nations", the five indian tribes that joined the confederacy.

William M Grimes-Wyatt, 1996-JAN-24

The Stars and Bars looked too much like the Stars and Stripes. The Stainless Banner looked too much like a surrender. The last red-barred flag was used for only a week or two, so no one knew about it. Basically, the Confederacy's national flags were flops, and so the battle flag has prospered post-war. Also, one of the major sources of pro-Confederate feeling after the war were veterans' associations, who naturally associated the Confederacy with the military and with the battle flag.

Sandy, through Josh Fruhlinger, 1996-JAN-24

At least as early as 1948, the year Gov. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina ran for U.S. President on the "States' Rights Party" (or "Dixiecratquot;) ticket. A copy of the South Carolina Legislative Handbook from that year, which I happen to have, depicts on its cover a statue of Robert E. Lee on horseback in front of a backdrop of the Confederate battle flag. This was clearly an anti-federal-government, pro-racial-segregation message on the part of the state legislature.

In approximately 1953, one Southern state (Georgia, I think) added the Confederate battle flag design to its state flag, presumably to send the same political message. There have recently been attempts to remove it.

In recent years, some organizations such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans, in an attempt to look more respectable and less racist, have adopted the "Stars and Bars" (one of the Confederate national flags), instead of the familiar battle flag, as their emblem, along with the slogan "Heritage, not Hate," which, for some, is probably a sincere belief, but for others is probably a public-relations cover up.

In some Southern states, the Confederate flag is still flown over the state capitol on Confederate Memorial Day and/or Lee's birthday. I believe this is still done here in North Carolina, though over the protests of many citizens. I seem to recall that a Confederate national flag (which, from a distance, looks much like the U.S. flag) was substituted for the more inflammatory battle flag for the past few years.

Bruce Tindall, 1996-JAN-23