Flags of the Confederate States of America
The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and the "Blood-Stained Banner", used in 1865 shortly before the Confederacy's dissolution. A rejected national flag design was also used as a battle flag by the Confederate Army and featured in the "Stainless Banner" and "Blood-Stained Banner" designs. Although this design was never a national flag, it is the most commonly recognized symbol of the Confederacy.
First national flag of the Confederate States of America, with seven stars. | |
| "The Stars and Bars" | |
| Use | National flag |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 5:9 |
| Adopted | March 4, 1861 (first 7-star version) December 10, 1861 (final 13-star version) |
| Design | Three horizontal stripes of equal height, alternating red and white, with a blue square two-thirds the height of the flag as the canton. Inside the canton are seven, eleven, or thirteen white five-pointed stars of equal size, arranged in a circle and pointing outward. |
| Designed by | Nicola Marschall |
| "The Stainless Banner" | |
The second national flag of the Confederate States of America | |
| Use | National flag |
| Proportion | 1:2 |
| Adopted | May 1, 1863 |
| Design | A white rectangle two times as wide as it is tall, a red quadrilateral in the canton, inside the canton is a blue saltire with white outlining, with thirteen white five-pointed stars of equal size inside the saltire. |
| "The Blood-Stained Banner" | |
The third national flag of the Confederate States of America. | |
| Use | National flag |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | March 4, 1865 |
| Design | A white rectangle, one-and-a-half times as wide as it is tall, a red vertical stripe on the far right of the rectangle, a red quadrilateral in the canton, inside the canton is a blue saltire with white outlining, with thirteen white five-pointed stars of equal size inside the saltire. |
| Designed by | Maj. Arthur L. Rogers |
Since the end of the Civil War, private and official use of the Confederate flags, particularly the battle flag, has continued amid philosophical, political, cultural, and racial controversy in the United States. These include flags displayed in states; cities, towns and counties; schools, colleges and universities; private organizations and associations; and individuals. The battle flag was also featured in the state flags of Georgia and Mississippi, although it was removed by Georgia in 2003 and Mississippi in 2020. However, the new design of the Georgia flag still references the original "Stars and Bars" iteration of the Georgia flag. After the Georgia flag was changed in 2001, the city of Trenton, Georgia, has used a flag design nearly identical to the previous version with the battle flag.
It is estimated that 500–544 flags were captured during the civil war by the Union. The flags were sent to the War Department in Washington.