Confederate Battle Flags |
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| Confederate Battle Flags-Can be considered a Navy Jack (CSA Jack) , the battle flag or Confederate Flag.
The similarity of the Stars and Bars to the Stars and Stripes was not an accident. As the war progressed, however, sentiment for keeping a reminder of the American flag diminished in the South. More importantly, during the first major battle of the Civil War at Bull Run near Manassas Junction, Virginia, it was hard to distinguish the two flags at a distance.
Consequently, Confederate generals P.G.T. Beauregard and Joseph Johnston urged that a new Confederate flag be designed for battle. The result was the square flag sometimes known as the "Southern Cross." The Confederate Battle Flag consisted of a blue saltire reminiscent of the St. Andrew's Cross, on which were situated 13 stars, with the saltire edged in white, all on a red background. Professionally made reconstructions of Battle Flags generally show the central tip of each star pointing up, as shown above. A review of surviving Georgia Confederate Battle Flags in the State Capitol units shows that the stars were of various sizes and arranged in all manner of ways . |
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Bonnie Blue Flags |
On January 9, 1861, when Mississippi's Ordinance of Secession was signed, it was marked by a ceremony in which the 'Bonnie Blue Flag' was raised over the capitol building in Jackson. Among those who witnessed the event was an Irish comedian named Harry Macarthy, who shortly after wrote and performed the famous song, 'The Bonnie Blue Flag' |
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Confederate Battle Flags |
This flag is also known as the "Navy Jack", the "Battle Flag" or simply "The Confederate Flag". |
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First Confederate Flags |
This was the first official flag of the confederacy and also known as the Stars and Bars. It was reported to the provisional Congress of the Confederate States by the flag committee on March 4,1861. It appears in many variations with stars ranging from 7 to 15 stars. Eleven states that seceded from the Union, two of which (Kentucky and Missouri) had confederate and union governments, one (Maryland) attempted to secede and one slave state (Delaware) that remained loyal to the union.
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Second Confederate Flags |
Because of its similarity 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 strictly adhered to and in many cases the canton was rectangular. |
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Third Confederate Flags |
Since the Second Confederate flag could be mistaken for a flag of truce, it was modified to include a red bar on the fly. It was to be one-quarter of the area of the flag beyond the now rectangular canton. The width was to be two-thirds of length. The canton was to be three fifths of width and one-third of length. This was signed into law on March 4, 1865. |
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Confederate Battle Artillery |
The Battle Flag of the Confederacy was originally designed to alleviate the confusion the “Stars and Bars”(bearing strong resemblance to the Stars and Stripes) had caused on the battlefield. To remedy this, General Beauregard used the design of Colonel William Porcher Miles for his forces. The flag features a Cross of St Andrew and 13 stars representing the 13 states to have seceded and joined the Confederacy, though Kentucky and Missouri were officially neutral. The emblem proved so popular it soon became a part of the Confederacy’s national flag, and would be used until its fall. Known as the “Southern Cross”, it remains a powerful symbol of the South, and is generally considered the main emblem of the Confederacy. This is the original version, a square instead of a rectangle, and was used by Artillery and various other units. |
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