Banners of Glory

BANNERS OF GLORY

The Flags of North and South

The Significance the Colors

The flag of a regiment was the symbol of its fighting spirit, to be held aloft at all times. In more practical terms, it was an aid to unit identification, a direction marker for the regiment's movement, or the rallying point if the regiment became scattered. It was a great disgrace if the flag was captured by the enemy; but also a great triumph if the opposition's flag fell into the regiment's hands.

The strength of an enemy's force could be estimated by the number of regimental colors he was flying, and of course each one served as a convenient aiming mark. The color bearer's position was the most dangerous in the regiment, and in many hard-fought battles the flag changed hands several times as successive bearers were hit.

The Stars and the Stripes

Since the first official United States flag was adopted on June 14, 1777, displaying 13 stars and stripes for each of the 13 liberated American colonies, our national banner has been through 27 versions, the most recent introduced on July 4, 1960 when Hawaii was admitted as our 50th state.

Four of these official versions, displaying 33, 34, 35, and 36 stars, were in service during the most troubled era of our nation's history, the American Civil War. Because specifications for the size, shape, and precise coloring of United States flags were not introduced until the 20th century, flags of the Civil War period varied greatly. This variation was most evident in the star pattern of Civil War flags, since the application of each individual star was done by hand and no official star pattern existed until 1912.

33 Stars: The Fort Sumter Flag

The 15th official American flag of 33 stars was adopted on July 4, 1859, commemorating Oregon's statehood. This flag was flying over Fort Sumter at the time of its bombardment by Southern forces on April 12-13, 1861.

33 Stars, Fort Sumter Flag

When Sumter fell to the Confederates, Major Robert Anderson hauled down the flag and carried it with him as he and his fellow soldiers marched out of the fort. Four years later, when Federal forces once again occupied this stronghold in Charleston Harbor, Major General Anderson raised over the fort the same flag he had hauled down in 1861.

34 Stars: Kansas Statehood

The 16th official flag was adopted on July 4, 1861 to commemorate the admission of Kansas as the nation's 34th state. One of the key issues precipitating the outbreak of the Civil War was the westward expansion of slavery. Nowhere was this issue more controversial than in the Kansas territory.

34 Stars, Kansas Statehood Flag

Following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill in 1854, violence erupted between antislavery and proslavery groups in what became known as Bleeding Kansas. It was in "Bleeding Kansas" where John Brown first made a name for himself after he and seven others massacred five proslavery settlers at Pottawatomie Creek.

35 Stars: West Virginia Statehood

The 17th official American flag displaying 35 stars was adopted July 4, 1863, when West Virginia was admitted to the Union. The new state of West Virginia was formed from the 35 counties of Virginia west of the Shenandoah Valley. Slaves and slaveowners were rare in this mountainous region of the state and for decades the mountaineers had complained about lack of representation in the state legislature.

35 Stars, West Virginia Statehood Flag

A western newspaper reported that "Western Virginia has suffered more from ... her eastern brethren than ever the Cotton States all put together have suffered from the North. "

36 Stars: Nevada Statehood

The 18th official American flag containing 36 stars was adopted July 4, 1865, to commemorate Nevada's statehood. Nevada became a state on October 31, 1864, in time to lend support to Abraham Lincoln's bid for re-election in November. Though not officially adopted until July 4, 1865, after the surrender of Confederate forces, the new flag of 36 stars was made and flown well in advance.

36 Stars, Nevada Statehood Flag

The Flags of the Confederacy

For the first twenty-four days of the existence of their government, the Confederate States of America had no officially approved flag. When Jefferson Davis was inaugurated President of the provisional government on February 18, 1861, the capitol building in Montgomery flew the flag of the state of Alabama, and the inaugural parade was led by a company of infantry carrying the flag of Georgia.

Nonetheless, the Confederate States were determined to fly a flag which expressed their own sovereignty. The first official Confederate flag was chosen from hundreds of designs submitted by citizens from all over the country. It was adopted on March 4, 1861, the same day that Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated President of the foreign United States. This first official banner was completed within two hours of its adoption and was hoisted over the capitol building in Montgomery by Miss Letitia Christian Tyler, the granddaughter of former President John Tyler.

First National Flag: The "Stars and Bars.

Though the Confederate States had formally seceded from the United States, the elements of their first national flag reflected a sentimental attachment to "Old Glory." The blue canton of the United States flag was retained and stars were used to represent the seceded states. Likewise, the thirteen red and white stripes of the United States flag were replaced by red and white "bars."

First National Flag

The first "Stars and Bars" displayed seven stars for the first seven states that seceded from the Union. After the fall of Fort Sumter, the number of states increased to nine with the admission of Virginia and Arkansas. The circle grew to eleven when North Carolina and Tennessee joined the Confederacy. Although the Confederate states never officially numbered more than eleven, the final version of the first national Confederate flag contained thirteen stars representing the secession governments of Kentucky and Missouri.

Confederate Battle Flag:
The "Southern Cross.

Ironically, it was the "Stars and Bars" resemblance to the "Stars and Stripes" that led to its demise. At the First Battle of Manassas or Bull Run on July 21, 1861, the smoke and dust of battle made it difficult to distinguish between the two red, white, and blue banners. As a result, General P.G.T. Beauregard, who had handled the field operations at Bull Run, proposed that the Confederate soldiers should carry a distinct flag into battle to avoid future confusion. Beauregard contacted the Chairman of the Committee on Flag and Seal, William Porcher Miles of South Carolina, about changing the flag. Chairman Miles suggested the design which he had submitted to be the first national flag of the Confederacy. This now familiar red flag with a blue saltire decorated with white stars was ridiculed as "a pair of suspenders" when first proposed. Nevertheless, Beauregard liked the design and this "pair of suspenders, " also known as the "Southern Cross, " was first issued as the Battle flag of the Confederate Army of the Potomac in November of 1861.

Confederate Battle Flag
(Eastern Theatre)

Confederate Naval Flag
(Eastern Theatre)

Actually, there were a number of different battle flags used by the Confederacy. Those used in the Eastern theatre were fairly uniform, but the flags used in the Western theatre of operations were more diverse in their styles and patterns. Because the "Southern Cross" was never officially established as the battle flag of the Confederacy and due to the remoteness of the Western operations, commanders in the West had already adopted and issued their own distinctive battle flags to avoid the confusion caused by the Stars and Bars.

Bonnie Blue Flag

Second National Flag:
The Stainless Banner.

As the Civil War extended from weeks into months, the sentimental feelings felt for the "Stars and Stripes" began to wane. More and more Confederate citizens came to see what one member of Congress referred to as "the old gridiron" as the symbol of oppression and imperialistic aggression. Consequently, because the "Stars and Bars" was too closely aligned with the enemy's national banner, a second national flag was adopted by the Confederacy on May 1, 1863.

Second National Flag, The Stainless Banner

The Battle Flag or "Southern Cross" was placed in the canton of this new flag and a solid white field was substituted for the red and white bars. This flag was referred to as the "Stainless Banner" because of its pure white field, and was proclaimed emblematic of the purity of the Cause which it represented. Since the first manufactured "Stainless Banner" was used to drape the coffin of Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, who died after tragically being shot by one of his own regiments at the Battle of Chancellorsville, this flag is sometimes referred to as the "Jackson Flag".

Third National Flag

The "Stainless Banner" solved the problem of a clear national identity for the Confederacy, but the second national flag was often mistaken for a flag of truce when it hung limply around the staff. As a result, a new flag was created in which a broad, red vertical bar was added to the fly end of the "Stainless Banner."

Third National Flag

This third and final flag of the Confederacy was adopted on March 4, 1865, exactly four years after the first Confederate flag was approved. Its official life, however, was short-lived. Just thirty-six days later, General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Courthouse and the days of the Confederacy soon drew to a close.