In this section we offer a collection of information on and images of Civil War Flags.
33 Star Flag
One star, representing the state of Oregon, was added in 1859. This brought the total number of stars to 33. The thirteen stripes on the flag represent the thirteen original colonies.
Fort Sumter Flag
The Fort Sumter Flag is the 33-star United States national flag that flew over Fort Sumter during the Confederate bombardment that took place April 12 through 14 of 1861.
34 Star Flag
One star, representing the state of Kansas, was added in 1861. This brought thetotal number of stars to 33. The thirteen stripes on the flag represent the thirteen original colonies.
Old Glory
The name "Old Glory" was first applied to the U.S. flag by a young sea captain who lived in Salem, Mass. On his twenty-first birthday, March 17, 1824, Capt. William Driver was presented a beautiful flag by his mother and a group of Salem girls. Driver was delighted with the gift. He exclaimed, "I name her 'Old Glory.'" Then Old Glory accompanied the captain on his many voyages.
Captain Driver quit the sea in 1837. He settled in Nashville, Tenn. On patriotic days he displayed Old Glory proudly from a rope extending from his house to a tree across the street. After Tennessee seceded from the Union in 1861, Captain Driver hid Old Glory. He sewed the flag inside a comforter. When Union soldiers entered Nashville on February 25, 1862, Driver removed Old Glory from its hiding place. He carried the flag to the state capitol building and raised it.
Shortly before his death, the old sea captain placed a small bundle into the arms of his daughter. He said to her, "Mary Jane, this is my ship flag, Old Glory. It has been my constant companion. I love it as a mother loves her child. Cherish it as I have cherished it."
The originalflag had 24 stars but eventually a total of 34 and an anchor was embroidered in the lower right corner of the canton to commemorate Capt. Driver's sea service. The flag remained as a precious heirloom in the Driver family until 1922. Then it was sent to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, where it is carefully preserved under glass today.
Another Popular 34 Star Flag Design
There were several 34 star flag designs during the civil war. This flag has the stars arranged with one in the center and two concentric rings of stars and one star in each of the four corners. This flag became popular through the Civil War and the late 1800's.
35 Star Flag
One star, representing the state of West Virginia, was added in 1863. This brought thetotal number of stars to 33. The thirteen stripes on the flag represent the thirteen original colonies.
Headquarters Flag of General Custer
This flag was the personal headquarters flag for General George Custer (1839-1876). The flag was made for him by his wife, Libby. The original was lost at the battle of the Little Bighorn. It is believed that this flag was made of silk but no authentic documentation has been found to prove its dimensions. The flag was carried by a sergeant who rode directly behind the General.
7th U.S. Cavalry Guidon
The 7th U.S. Cavalry Guidon was one of the three flags of Colonel George A. Custer and the Seventh Cavalry at the Battle of Little Big Horn. It was the standard Cavalry guidon of that era, 1876. Custer also had a personal headquarters flag, it was swallow tailed of equal horizontal stripes of red over blue with two crossed white sabers in the center. This flag was made by the Colonel's wife. Both the Guidon and the personal flag were carried into the battle. The third flag was the regimental standard. This flag resembled the modern state flag of North Dakota, with the exception of the inscription in gold on the red ribbon which read, 7th U.S. Cavalry. This flag was not carried into the battle.
Headquarters Flag of General Sheridan
General Phillip Sheridan was a brigade and then division commander in the Union Army through 1863. He was brought East with Gen. U.S. Grant to command the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac in 1864. As such a Headquarters flag was designed for him and other prominent officers.
Stars and Bars Flag
The first official 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 seceded from the Union, 2 (Kentucky and Missouri that had confederate and union governments), 1 (Maryland) that attempted to secede but whose legislature was disbanded by federal officials 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.
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 allegiance 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.
One very interesting version of the Stars and Bars is the 18 star version used by Gen. Stand Wa tie, 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.
Stainless Banner
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.
On May 1, 1863 the Confederate Congress authorized the 1863 Pattern National Flag. Officially it was to be in a ratio of 1:2 with the canton to be 2/3 the hiost of the flag. On May 26, 1863 Confederate Secretary of the Navy Stephen Mallory authorized the Jack, Ensign ansd Comission Pennant. The ensign of the Confederate States of America was prescribed to be in the ratio of 1:1.5, thus creating a second "official" flag.
Third National Flag of the Confederacy
Because it could be mistaken for a flag of truce, the Stainless Banner was modified 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.
The flag was published in newspapers in December, 1864 when it was first proposed in the CS Congress. The first example of it that I have tracked down flew over Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond starting in January 1865 - two months before it was officially adopted by law! CS Navy vessels of the Richmond Squadron also flew the Third National before its official adoption. There is little doubt that some government buildings did as well once it was adopted. This was probably due to the pattern having no competition and as such, it was only a matter of time before it was signed into law.
Bonnie Blue Flag
When Mississippi's Ordinance of Secession was signed on 9 January 1861, 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'.
First Naval Jack
It is believed that there is only one surviving example of the first jack. It measures 54 inches on the hoist (1.37 m.) and 69 inches on the fly.
Second Naval Jack
Confederate warships from 1861-63 flew the Stars And Bars/First National flag from the stern while at sea, and the First Naval Jack while in port. This was the blue canton of the First National with the stars in a circle.
After the adoption of the Second National flag in May, 1863, which had the Army of Northern Virginia battle flag as its canton, the Naval Jack changed to the rectangular version of that canton - a version of the Southern Cross. The Second National then replaced the First National flag for the stern.
Headquarters Flag of General Lee
This flag was supposed to have been made for the General by his wife, Mary Custis Lee. I do not know when he began to use it -- Perhaps some time shortly after taking command of the Army of Northern Virginia (June/July 1862). He used it through the Gettysburg campaign (July 1863) and for some time afterward, until the fall of 1863 or winter of 1864 when it was retired and replaced with a new national flag of the pattern adopted by Congress on 1 May 1863.
This flag was used to mark the General's headquarters at any given time. Obviously the unusual star pattern would readily identify the headquarters as those of General Lee. It is said that Mrs. Lee used that pattern to represent the biblical Ark of the Covenant.
The original of this flag is in the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond.
Southern Cross
The battle flag of the famous Confederate Army of Northern Virginia was altered in the design phase in order to make it easier to manufacture.
By tradition, American flags had been rectangular in shape. The design for the ANV battle flag was originally submitted as rectangular - 12 gold stars on diagonally crossed blue bars - on a field of pink or rose (originally) - the Southern Cross. The man who came up with this design, South Carolina Congressman William Porcher Miles, had been inspired by the South Carolina secession banner that was similar but had a St. George's cross rather than a St. Andrews cross. It also had the state coat of arms in the upper left quadrant.
It was originally planned to use versions of that secession flag for military use and to put each state's coat of arms in the upper quadrant. But Miles, who also submitted a design for a National flag to the Committee on Flag and Seal, which he chaired, decided to go with a St. George's cross instead without state coats of arms. His National design was rejected as, at the time, the Confederacy only had 7 states and the star layout looked asymmetrical.
When CS Generals Beauregard, Joseph Johnston and Gustavus Smith met to create a purely military flag for the Eastern army they settled on Miles design - only after failing to get the Confederate Congress to change the First National flag - the Stars and Bars - as it looked too much like the U.S. flag (it was an intentional copy of it).
By this time, the Confederacy consisted of 11 states (October, 1861) and had also recognized the delegation from Missouri. So the flag would have 12 stars on a rectangular field. One idea was for the flag to be blue with crossed red bars but this was shelved in favor on the more well known flag (although that pattern would show up in 1864 for Gen. John Walker's Texas Division in the Trans-Mississippi).
Gen. Johnston suggested that the flag be made square rather than rectangular for two reasons: 1) to save on materials in the construction and, 2) to make it easier to manufacture. A rectangular flag of this design would have to deal with obtuse angles rather than right angles, thus slowing down the construction of the flags. This harkens back to how quilts are made - most are square and have square segments since right angles are easier to sew.
Curiously, in early 1864, the battle flags for Johnston's new command, the Army of Tennessee, would receive rectangular Southern Cross flags from the Atlanta Depot - who evidently erred in making them since Johnston's orders called for "flags like those of the Virginia army." These, of course, as we now know, were square.
The first 120 silk battle flags were issued in November, 1861. They had 12 gold painted stars on blue bars edged with white on fields of pink or rose. The exterior borders of the flags were yellow. The materials used were dress silk bolts purchased from Richmond area merchants in bulk.
Since these colors were popular for ladies dresses (the latter red color of these flags would not be available in silk since that color was for the "ladies of the evening") they were what the later issues of this famous flag were to be. Some CS officers did not care for the colors and were told by Beauregard, in no uncertain terms to, "dye it red sir, dye it with your blood!"
This famous square battle flag would see 8 more variant issues before the end of the war: one cotton (for three brigades only including the famous Texas Brigade) and 7 wool bunting issues that varied from one to the other by sizes, star separations and color of the exterior borders. These latter variants were all the deep red color that we now know best.
