Confederate Flag

FLAG INFO

American Flag History
Confederate Flag
Texas Flag
Mexican Flag
Jamaican Flag
Garden Flags
Flag Poles

Often called the Southern Cross or the Cross of St. Andrew, the Confederate flag proudly boasts of the Southern heritage. It serves as a reminder of racial discrimination in the United States. The flag has been flown over several war sites and is now being used by several extremist groups to symbolize their ideals.

The Confederate flag has it proud beginnings as the Stars and Bars. It was used from March 1861 to May 1863. It had seven stars that represented the seven states that separated from the Union, namely Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and South Carolina. By the time it was fully developed, it already had thirteen stars with the addition of stars representing Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri.

The most popular Confederate flag is the battle flag called the Southern Cross. It has its history from St. Andrew, crucified on a similarly-shaped cross. It was the Army of Northern Virginia that first used the cross of St. Andrew in their flag but it was then adopted to be the standard battle flag of the Confederate army through Gen. Beauregard’s proposal. The stars in the flag represented the eleven states that were part of the Confederacy, including Kentucky and Missouri.

The second national flag of the Confederacy was called the Stainless Banner. It was called so because of its white field. The Southern Cross was still present in a portion of the Stainless banner. Because it was mostly white, it was usually mistaken as the flag of surrender.

The last version of the Confederate flag was used just a month before the Civil War ended. It was an evolution of the Stainless Banner having a band of red added to the side of the flag to avoid confusion of it being a flag of surrender.

It is with such baubles that men are led.

—Napoleon I