Flags of the Confederacy

Since I began working at Bentonville Battlefield one of the most common questions that I get has to do with the Confederate flag. Why are there more than one confederate flag? In this post I will share the three national flags of the Confederacy and the Confederate battle flag, which is what most people think of when they think of the Confederate flag. Also note that there were other flags flown by the Confederacy but for today we'll focus on these four.

CSA 1st National

The 1st National Flag of the Confederacy or also known as the "Stars and Bars" was first raised March 5, 1861. It is the only Confederate National flag that was never officially adopted by the CS Congress.  In the upper left corner of the flag are thirteen stars in the formation of a circle. Like the U.S. flag these stars represent the thirteen states that made up the Confederacy. The first time the flag was flown was over the capital building in Montgomery, Alabama. The problem with the flag is that its appearance was too similar to the American flag. As you can imagine this might create just a little bit of confusion on the battlefield.

CSA 2nd National

The 2nd Confederate National Flag was first adopted on May 1, 1863. This version is sometimes refereed to as the "Stainless Banner" due to the field being solid white. The flag made its debut about a week later when it was used to enshroud General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's body after he had died from complications from wounds he had received from friendly fire after the battle of Chancellorsville. The issue with this flag becomes evident when the wind isn't blowing. With no wind the flag can appear as a surrender flag, once again creating the opportunity for confusion.

CSA 3rd National

The 3rd Confederate National Flag was adopted on March 4, 1865. The flag was designed by Major Arthur L. Rogers who added on a red vertical bar on the right end of the flag. This was intended to solve the problem of the 2nd national's appearance. However by the time this version was adapted the war was coming to a close. Odds are that this flag probably never saw action on the battlefield. During the Battle of Bentonville which took place March 19-21, 1865 Confederates were still using the 2nd National. The ones that were flown were most likely flown at garrisons and government buildings.

Confederate Battle Flag

The CS battle flag is what most people associate the confederacy with and is commonly thought to be the national flag. The idea for a battle flag is contributed to General P.G.T. Beauregard on July 21, 1861 at the First Bull Run (Manassas). General Beauregard was the first to notice that the C.S.A. flag looked an awful like the U.S.A. flag. This is a rather large problem, especially when smoke and dust create low visibility and the only way of identifying a group of soldiers was by the flag they were carrying. Thus demonstrating the importance of having a distinct flag for the battlefield. The original design had a blue field, red bars, and gold stars but after much debate the above flag was approved in September 1861 by Commanding General Joseph E. Johnston before receiving final approval from the War Department. From this point forward this would be the flag that Confederates carried into battle for the next four years.