Quote:Confederate Flags
at Confederate Memorial State Historic Site

The First National Flag -- Stars and Bars
May 4, 1861 - May 1, 1863


Stars and Bars flag with three horizontal stripes (red, white, red) and a blue square in upper left with 11 white stars circling a white star in the middle

The Confederate States of America solicited designs for a national flag early in 1861. Hundreds of designs were submitted and on May 4, 1861, the First National Flag was adopted (there would eventually be two others). Nicknamed the “Stars & Bars,” it originally had seven stars for the first seven states to secede. It would eventually have 13 stars, representing all the states in the Confederacy.


The Second National Flag -- Stainless Banner
May 1, 1863 - March 4, 1865


White flag with red square in upper left with a blue X with 13 white stars in it

In the spring of 1862, the Confederacy solicited proposals for a new flag. Many felt the First National Flag was too similar to the United States flag. The Confederate Congress adopted the Second National Flag on May 1, 1863. The flag combined a canton of a blue saltire emblazoned with stars (a popular design proposed for the national flag and used in battle by many regiments) and a pure white field to symbolize the purity of the cause the Confederacy felt it represented.


The Third National Flag -- Revised Stainless Banner
Adopted March 4, 1865


White flag with red vertical strip on right side and red square in upper left with a blue X with 13 white stars in it

By late 1864, complaints of the Second National Flag looking too much like a flag of truce drove the Confederacy to consider a revision. On March 4, 1865, a red stripe was added to the outer half of the field. This was the third and last national flag of the Confederate States of America.


Battle Flag


Red square flag with a blue X with 13 white stars in it

Military units commonly carried distinct flags for identification on the battlefield. They were used as signals, markers and inspiration for troops. Confederate regiments used a variety of battle flags. The Army of Northern Virginia and several other regiments chose the blue saltire on a red field emblazoned with white stars. It was also adopted as a symbol of the Confederacy by veteran groups in post-wartime.