Confederate Civil War Flags

Confederate Civil War Flags

first-confederate-flag
First Confederate Flag

This ran as the official flag of the Confederacy from March of 1861 to May of 1863, but caused confusion on the battlefield because it was so similar to the Union flag. Exact same concept as the Union flag, just with different numbers representing the seceded states.

 

battle-flag
Confederate Battle Flag

The most recognizable flag, this is the flag commonly associated with the Confederacy today and is the one used in reenactments . Otherwise known as the “Southern Cross,” the stars on the flag represent the seceded states and also include Kentucky and Missouri.

 

 

second-confederate-flag
Second Confederate Flag

This flag was adopted in May 1863 and had added 4 new stars to the traditional Confederate Battle Flag to represent the addition of Virginia, Tennesee, Arkansas, and North Carolina. Unfortunately, the white background made it look similar to a flag of surrender, so it was not widely accepted.

 

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Third Confederate Flag

This flag was initiated in May 1865 and only lasted a little while before the Confederacy was defeated. The red band on the end was supposed to prevent it from looking like a flag of surrender.

 

 

confederate-navy-jack
Confederate Navy Jack

This was the flag used at sea from 1863 onwards and is a very recognizable symbol of the South (Meksikatsi).

Controversy Over Flags

These flags are now symbols of slavery and oppressive racism rather than Southern pride. However, some are trying to change the meaning of these flags to one of resistance of large government rather than a racist symbol, but they have for the most part been unsuccessful. These flags only represent a certain people group and the fact that they exclude a large part of the nation is part of the reason they are so heavily contested. This is very similar to the controversy over Irish flags being flown in Northern Ireland because they dislike what it stands for and feel excluded by that symbol.

Irish Flags

Civil War Art

Irish Rising Art

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