Period Artifacts

Confederate Flags

Although the CSA Naval Jack has survived as the official flag of the Confederacy, the southern states adopted several flags between the time the first seven states seceded to the end of the Civil War.

The Stars and Bars

The first official flag of the Confederate States was called the "Stars and Bars," containing seven stars representing the Confederate States (South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas). The flag became authorized March 4, 1861, although a flag law did not accompany it. As the Confederacy grew, more states were added, first Virginia and Arkansas, then North Carolina and Tennessee, and finally Kentucky and Missouri by the end of the year. Two stars were added later for Maryland and Delaware; however, neither of them joined the Confederacy.

Nicola Marschall, a Prussian artist, designed the flag, and patterned it after the Austrian flag. Several variations of this flag appear, having different numbers of stars. Most of the surviving flags have only 11 stars, representing the official Confederate states. Kentucky and Missouri had both Confederate and Union governments and were not recognized by many Southerners as legitimate Confederate states. Maryland attempted to join, but when its governor was placed under house arrest and its legislature disbanded and then replaced by Union members, it remained loyal to the Union. Delaware never joined the Confederacy, even though it was a slave state.

The Stainless Banner

A year after the Stars and Bars had been adopted, Confederate seamstresses designed a new flag. The new flag was intended to be completely different from the United States Stars and Stripes. The white field represented the purity of the Confederate cause. The flag flew officially for the first time on May 1, 1863.

Third Confederate Flag

As the Confederates realized that the white background on the Stainless Banner looked like a flag of surrender, they added one red bar to the right edge of the flag. The Third Confederate Flag, or Last Confederate Flag, as it was also called, was used the longest during the Civil War and was present during the most battles. The flag originated from Alexander, Virginia, sewn by two sisters. This flag was adopted on March 4, 1865.

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