stars and bars confederate flag stars and bars confederate flag

Although the creating legislation for the national flag adopted by the Confederate Provisional Congress on 4 March 1861 did not specify the proportions that the new national flag was to follow, the Confederate War Department shortly afterward determined on the sizes for the military garrison and storm flags. James B. Walton submitted a battle flag design essentially identical to Miles' except with an upright Saint George's cross, but Beauregard chose the diagonal cross design.[41]. 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. Four camp colors or flank markers accompanied each of these national colors. Many soldiers wrote home about the ceremony and the impression the flag had upon them, the "fighting colors" boosting morale after the confusion at the Battle of First Manassas. J. Hardee. [50][51][52] It is also known as the rebel flag, Dixie flag, and Southern cross. 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. "Neither Arkansas nor Missouri enacted legislation to adopt an official State flag" (Cannon 2005, p. 48). 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. It is commonly referred to as the Rebel Flag, and often mistakenly called the Stars & Bars. William Miles delivered a speech supporting the simple white design that was eventually approved. Moise liked the design but asked that "the symbol of a particular religion not be made the symbol of the nation." Nonetheless both were still represented in the Confederate Congress and had Confederate shadow governments composed of deposed former state politicians. Please be respectful of copyright. Beauregard and Joseph Johnston urged that a new Confederate flag be designed for battle. 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. General Johnston suggested making it square to conserve material. How did this mountain lion reach an uninhabited island? But despite recurrentdebates about its meaning and appropriateness, the flag never really disappeared. were conserved soon after. On May 1, 1863, the Confederacy adopted its first official national flag, often called the Stainless Banner. The "Sibley Flag", Battle Flag of the Army of New Mexico, commanded by General Henry Hopkins Sibley. Stars and Bars (First National Flag) image by Wayne J. Lovett, 24 June 2001 The flag which first flew over Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, SC in 1861. (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.) Known as the Stars and Bars, the flag featured a white star for each Confederate state on a blue background, and three stripes, two red and one white. In addition to the 112 1st national flags from states east of the Mississippi, a number of Confederate 1st national flags from the trans-Mississippi region have also been surveyed. Eco-friendly burial alternatives, explained. Although this design was never a national flag, it is the most commonly recognized symbol of the Confederacy. 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 Stars & Bars flag, also known as the First Confederate, is fully printed and has 2 brass grommets on the left used for hanging. 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. In the center of the union a circle of white stars corresponding in number with the States in the Confederacy. 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 Confederate battle flag was born of necessity after the Battle of Bull Run. 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.. The design that was rejected early in 1861 as the Confederate national flag was adopted by Joseph E. Johnson and P.G.T. The union blue extending down through the white space and stopping at the lower red space. These skeletons may have the answer, Scientists are making advancements in birth controlfor men, Blood cleaning? How a zoo break-in changed the life of an owl called Flaco, Naked mole rats are fertile until they die, study finds. But the battle flag has since been claimed by white supremacists and mythologized by others as an emblem of a rebellious Southern heritage. 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". 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. 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. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Stars and Bars, the name of the first national Confederate flag. Can we bring a species back from the brink?, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. 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. Unit abbreviations on two of the surviving flags were applied with separately cut and applied red cotton letters. 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. Not according to biology or history. The 'extreme cruelty' around the global trade in frog legs, What does cancer smell like? But given the popular support for a flag similar to the U.S. flag ("the Stars and Stripes" originally established and designed in June 1777 during the Revolutionary War), the "Stars and Bars" design was approved by the committee.[17]. 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. From this bunting Ruskell assembled at least 43 flags, for which he was paid $11.50 each. 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. 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 trend continued with local reenactment groups raising the necessary funds to conserve flags. The ensign of the Confederate States Revenue Service, designed by Dr. H. P. Capers of South Carolina on April 10, 1861. 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 1st National Confederate Flag 7 Star Stars and Bars Confederate Cotton Flag 5 x 8 ft. $ 149.95. Unauthorized use is prohibited. When does spring start? The Stars and Bars served as the first national flag of the Confederate States of America from 4 Mar. Even though the national flag changed in 1863, this flag saw continued use until 1865. What changed?). 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. 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. Johnston also specified the various sizes to be used by different types of military units. This design has become commonly regarded as a symbol of racism and white supremacy or white nationalism, especially in the Southern United States. For use of Confederate symbols in modern society and popular culture, see, Flags of the Confederate States of America. These Confederate national colors seem to have measured 4 feet on their hoist by 5 1/2 feet on the fly. 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 . This bunting was placed in the hands of Richmond military goods dealer, George Ruskell. Then, as Confederate veterans began to die in the early 20th century, groups like the United Daughters of the Confederacy pushed to commemorate themand make their version of history the official doctrine of Southern states. Hundreds of examples were submitted from across the Confederate States and from states that were not yet part of Confederacy (e.g. Native American Flags. [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 museum is also known as Louisianas Civil War Museum at Confederate Memorial Hall. 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. [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]. 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. 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. Even a few fourteen- and fifteen-starred ensigns were made to include states expected to secede but never completely joined the Confederacy. 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. A National Geographic team has made the first ascent of the remote Mount Michael, looking for a lava lake in the volcanos crater. In 2000, the NAACP began a 15-year-long economicboycott of South Carolina because of its use of the flag. These two designs were lost, and we only know of them thanks to an 1872 letter sent by William Porcher Miles to P. G. T. Beauregard. 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. When their backs are against the wall, they turn to the flag, he says. The federal dark state is creating laws without congress. March 4, 1861 The first national flag of the Confederate States of America (the "Stars and Bars") is adopted. These authentic cotton flags are hard to find and may disappear at some point. Miles described his rejected national flag design to Beauregard. THE CONFEDERATE 1ST NATIONAL FLAG (THE STARS & BARS) AS A MILITARY FLAG. STARS AND BARS Images of 11 Star versions of the first Confederate national flag. The official version was to have the stars in a circle, with the number corresponding to the States actually admitted to the Confederacy. But it didnt look like that from a distanceand in the thick of battle, it was hard to tell the two apart. 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 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." When a mob of armed insurgents flooded the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, they brought an accessory: the Confederate battle flag. STARS AND BARS Images of the first Confederate national flag with more than 13 stars. What is wind chill, and how does it affect your body? Battle Flags in the Trans-Mississippi Department, Battle Flags of the Army of Northern Virginia, Battle Flags of the Army of Tennessee, late 1863 to 1865, Photos and Images of Army of Tennessee Augusta Depot Battle Flags, Battle Flags of the Army of the Mississippi / Army of Tennessee, 1861 to late 1863, Battle Flags of the Army of the Peninsula, Battle Flags of the Confederate Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana, Battle Flags of the Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, Secondary Flags of the Confederate States Army, Confederate States Navy Regulations Involving Flags, Navy Ensigns, Pennants, and Jacks, 1861-1863, Navy Ensigns, Pennants, and Jacks, 1863-1865. 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. Realizing that they quickly needed a national banner to represent their sovereignty, the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States set up the Committee on Flag and Seal. Although the officially designated design specified a rectangular canton, many of the flags that ended up being produced utilized a square-shaped canton. The Confederate flag had three bars, red, white, red and a blue field with stars on it. Robed Ku Klux Klan members watch Black demonstrators march through Okolona, Mississippi, in 1978. 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. 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. The Stars and Bars Flag is the first official flag of the Confederacy. More than double that number (12), however, bore eleven stars, with all but two arranged in a circle that included all eleven stars. A Confederate battle flag distinct from the flag of the Confederacy, the "Stars and Bars," was created following the first major battle of the Civil War, at Bull Run near Manassas, Virginia, in July 1861, because in the heat of battle soldiers and commanders confused the Stars and Bars with the Union army's "Stars and Stripes." These flags show a high preponderance of flags with thirteen and fifteen stars, with most arranged in a circle around a center star, either of the same size or larger than the balance of the stars. Soon after, the first Confederate Battle Flag was also flown. A young . Though it hassome Black supporters, it remains shorthand for a defiant South and all that implies. The Adopt-A-Flag Program was initiated. Their cantons bore eleven white, 5-pointed stars arranged in a circle. The largely residential area and its neighbors still have excellent bars to choose from that cater to different scene preferences. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The red Saint Georges cross is symbolic of the Episcopal church of which Gen. Polk was Bishop of Louisiana. Since it is known that Hayden & Whilden from Charleston provided eleven star unit flags for the Confederate Quartermasters Department, the number of eleven star flags made in this region undoubtedly was even larger. Van Dorn was relieved of command after the Battle of Corinth in 1862. The "Stars and Bars" flag was adopted on March 4, 1861, in the first temporary national capital of Montgomery, Alabama, and raised over the dome of that first Confederate capitol. NOTE: The 4"x6" size is mounted to a 10" staff with a spear top. It was flown forward aboard all Confederate warships while they were anchored in port. 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. Pinterest. [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. The First National Flag of the Confederate States of America, 13 Stars and Bars Flag was used during the Civil War. LEE. Of 23 identified 1st national flags from Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, most (16) bear eleven stars; and of these, 7 are arranged in a circle of eleven, while 5 have ten stars surrounding a center star. 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. The red space above and below to be the same width as the white. This pattern was embellished with the same 13 white stars that the original flag had. After images of the shooter, Dylann Roof, carrying Confederate battle flags emerged, multiple states bowed to pressure to remove them from memorials. 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). The stars are usually arranged in a circle and number seven or more. Measures: 3 feet by 5 feet FLAG QUALITY AND USES Standard Quality Construction: Super-weave polyester - Our most popular quality level Regiments carried flags to help commanders observe and assess battles in the warfare of the era. 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. 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. The "Stars and Bars" flag was only selected by the Congress of March 4, 1861, the day of the deadline. The first official flag of the confederacy was the Stars and Bars, and was reported to the provisional congress of the C.S. Heres why each season begins twice. Just under half of these flags (18) bore eleven stars, of which 8 bore a center star with the other ten stars surrounding it. Bar, Cocktails, $ $$ Facebook. The First Official Flag of the Confederacy. The Atlantic. The committee rejected the idea by a four-to-one vote, after which Beauregard proposed the idea of having two flags. So Gen. Pierre G. T. Beauregard decided that he needed to design a different national flag so that it would . flag. Copy link. "A surviving Georgia flag in the collection of the, Bonner, Robert E., "Flag Culture and the Consolidation of Confederate Nationalism. Miles' flag and all the flag designs up to that point were rectangular ("oblong") in shape. To remedy this inadequacy, General Beauregard caused a number of Confederate 1st national flags to be made from the bunting that had been seized at the former Gosport U.S. Navy Yard near Portsmouth, Virginia. ", The square "battle flag" is also properly known as "the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia". First National Confederate Flag - "Stars and Bars" However, Miles' flag was not well received by the rest of the Congress. 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). It existed in a variety of dimensions and sizes, despite the CSN's detailed naval regulations. Congress did not adopted a formal Act codifying this flag, but it is described in the Report of the Committee on Flag and Seal, in the following language: The flag of the Confederate States of America shall consist of a red field with a white space extending horizontally through the center, and equal in width to one-third the width of the flag. But as secession got underway, the Confederate States of America adopted a flag that riffed off the Unions stars and stripes. Miles received various feedback on this design, including a critique from Charles Moise, a self-described "Southerner of Jewish persuasion." 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) In 2000, the flag over the state house was removed, at the . Over the course of the flag's use by the CSA, additional stars were added to the canton, eventually bringing the total number to thirteen-a reflection of the Confederacy's claims of having admitted the border states of Kentucky and Missouri, where slavery was still widely practiced. On the border of Fairfax, Beverly Grove, and La Brea, Blue Collar serves up Art Deco and noir vibes. The white stars on the blue field represent the original Confederate States of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas. During the Civil War, some of the units from Louisiana and Texas adopted the Bonnie Blue flag as their official banner of the Confederacy. He also argued that the diagonal cross was "more Heraldric [sic] than Ecclesiastical, it being the 'saltire' of Heraldry, and significant of strength and progress. Were most of the flags made in the Confederacy sewn by hand or by sewing machine? The pattern and colors of this flag did not distinguish it sharply fom the Stars and Stripes of the Union. 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. Blue Collar. Such flags had been part of United States Army Regulations since 1835. [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). "[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. Bats and agaves make tequila possibleand theyre both at risk, This empress was the most dangerous woman in Rome. The Audience went wild, and the song was an instant success. 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 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,". A crowd of white teenagers protest school integration in Montogmery, Alabama, in 1963. 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. From the heartland of the Confederacy (Tennessee and Kentucky) 18 identified flags were surveyed. The ANV was never the official flag of the Confederacy and was not called The Stars and Bars. Available for both RF and RM licensing. 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. 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. There are over 140 flags in the collection of Memorial Hall, most of which are from Louisiana regiments. Three of the flags from Alabama units bore a circle of seven stars. In such cases, one of the company flags would be chosen to serve as the regimental flag. [59][60], Drawing in the United Confederate Veterans 1895 Sponsor souvenir album. Those inspired by the Stars and Stripes were discounted almost immediately by the Committee due to mirroring the Union's flag too closely. This flag was known as the 'Stars and Bars', though ironically the Stars and Bars have a completely different design as compared, to the rectangular Confederate flag. 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. [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. 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. 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]. The flag was issued in the fall of 1861. by the flag committee on March 4,1861. Its continued use by the Southern Army's post-war veteran's groups, the United Confederate Veterans (U.C.V.) It was designed by Prussian -American artist Nicola Marschall in Marion, Alabama, and is said to resemble the Flag of Austria, with which Marschall would have been familiar. Although the officially specified proportions were 1:2, many of the flags that actually ended up being produced used a 1.5:1 aspect ratio. 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. [37] Also, Confederate regiments carried many other flags, which added to the possibility of confusion.