Flags were important in Civil War battles because they helped tell which side was which. During the fighting, thick smoke from gunpowder, burning plants, and dust often filled the air, making it extremely hard to see, and even to breathe. Many times only a flag was visible to tell you where your side was, and where your unit was going. The flag represented one's ideals and hopes, and it was considered a disgrace for it to be captured by the enemy.
1. The First Confederate National Flag, "Stars and Bars" 1861
When the Southern states seceded from the Union, each state wanted to use it's own flag, instead of the Union's "Stars and Stripes." Soon it was decided that one flag was needed to represent the whole Confederate Nation, and a national flag was designed. The blue canton (upper corner) of the US flag was kept, a star representing each state. The thirteen stripes were changed to three wide, alternating red and white stripes. The stripes looked like bars, so this flag was called the "Stars and Bars."
2. The Confederate Battle Flag, "Southern Cross" 1861
During the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861, the Confederate commanders had great trouble distinguishing their flag from the Union flag. General P.G.T. Beauregard , whose ships had bombarded Ft. Sumter three months earlier , in April, designed a Confederate Battle Flag. A square flag with 13 stars crossing it to represent the states of the Confederacy, it was far easier to distinguish from the Union flag in battle. Though never authorized by the Confederate Congress, it was used throughout the war.
3. The Second Confederate National Flag, "Stainless Banner" 1863-1865
However, the actual National Confederate Flag, or "Stars and Bars," was widely used in battle, and was still far too similar to the "Stars and Stripes" of the Union, and again, easily confused in battle, so the Confederate flag was modified. The Confederate Battle Flag, or Southern Cross, was placed in the canton, and the rest of the flag was white. This flag was referred to as the "Stainless Banner," but this time it was easily mistaken for the white flag of truce, which created even more confusion on the battlefield. The flag was changed again.
4. The Third Confederate National Flag, March 1865
The only difference between this flag and the second National Flag was the addition of a vertical red bar covering the right half of the white field. This flag was used to represent the Confederacy for the remainder of the war. Under this flag, General Robert Edward Lee surrendered to Lieutenant General Ulysses Simpson Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, in April, 1865.
5. The Confederate Battle Flag, "Southern Cross" Current
The square Confederate Battle Flag is still flown or displayed in a rectangular form by many Southerners and Southern institutions. The Battle Flag was never the National Flag representing the Confederacy and it's ideals, but rather, it represented the Confederacy's intention to literally fight for those ideals, in battle, "to the end."
Revised information from U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service
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