The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-12-11
u;,4orv Of the Confederate Flag

one .a; "y Confederate States of Amer
a na'i F,ee and independent. But our flag
lea history, and the time has come when
has aos n that history from oblivion some
ref Tha author of the new design adopted
. i tSo Confederate Congress was Major
y W. ROGERS, Confederate States Artillery,
q. = While disabled from active service in
WIZ soId devoted some of his leisure hours
the ho onroye the national emblem. After
10 III ln'p attention to the subject, and the
n Il,ua # heraldry, Major Rogers, in January
l lNss :. admitted his design to Congress;
1907 ~ the 18th of that month, Mr..
anu m a. of Louisiana, submitted the fol-
SSowins bill in the Senate;
"a Bill to Establish the Flag oftAe Con-
Tolerate States"
orho Congress of the Confederate States
,america do enact, That the flag of the
oGi.aedarate States shall be as follows: The
o ;ath two-thirds of its length, with the
WON now used as the battle flag to be
=: an, w;dtb three-ffths of the width fthe flag
~ ,a 30 nroportioned as to leave the length
as s.b 20 Seld on che side Of the union twice
~ .sa w. width of field below it; to have the
Wv aouod red, and blue saltier thereon, bor-
GGeeed with white and emblazoned with
u outlets or five-pointed stars, corresponding
u number to that the Confederate States;
~ ~ ILL sal5 n he white except the outer half
s.om the union to be red bar extending
t width of the flag" :,
'DI BEFORE offering the bill, Mr. Semmes adj
a,assed a letter to Gen. Lee, Commanding
me Army Of Northern Virginia. and re-
n o Ills views on the proposed altera-
tinn General Lee replied that he thought
it"yery pretty and" that it certainly added
S;stinctaess to the Aag;% but, with his usual
modesty. said he mistrusted his own judg.
ment in such matters, and that the Naval
Committee were the proper gentlemen to
he consulted. The bill was accordingly
rssarred to the Committee on Naval Affair:
and various plans had been submitted, and
fine opinions ofleading officers OF the navy
attained, said committee unanimously re
commended its adoption. ~.
Among the distinguished Confederate
officers who approved the design OF MaJol
Rogers, and recommended his proposed al
teration in the national symbol Of the Con
lederate States, were Genetal }. E. John
ston, General s. Cooper, Lieutenant Gener
al Ewel, Lieutenant General Longstreet
INSPECTOR General, Major Generals Fit
Les, Rosser and Lomax of cavalry; Brlga
dier Generals Pendleton and Long of Artll
lery; Major General Heth, Major Genera
Smith, Gov. of Virginia; Major Genera
Smith; superintendent of the Virgin
Military Institute; Captain n. W. Barke1
Acting Chief of Signal Bureau; Captal
Wilbourn, of Signal Corps; Brlgadier Ger
eral Wharton, Colonel Us. Mosby, an
many other distinguished officers OF til
army. :.
AS descriptive of the flag we subjoi
some extracts from letter of Major Roge
addressed to Hon. Edward Sparrow, Chal
man of the Committee on Naval Affair
Confederate States Senate:
aThe portion of the flag proposed to
changed to red bar Is the part too, mo
rapidly defaced. 1t is strongly urged
naval officers of high standing, that Q
FAC, is liable to be mistaken for flag
truce, particularly in calm, when it han
dead against the mast and the union Is 0
scured by the white bunting. When Sc
at q distance. flags are generally display
against the white clouds beyond, and hen
want Of distinctness is great defect in
present flag, the union being the only p'
rtion seen. -
"The battle flag selected by Gene
johnson aud recommended by himself a
General Beauregard, under which so mu
blood has been spilled in our struggle
independence, is fully displayed as
union of the proposed flag, which can o.
be done by surrounding it with white, 9
the white bar, forming the outer halt OF
field from the union, is suggested as
best design for its Improvement. | am
posed to all stripes, many or few, red
blue. Instead OF "the stars and STRIPE
LET Ms have "1he Stars and Bars"
colours of the new flag would be che
white and red, with as little as possible
the Yankee blue.
aThe heraldick significance OF these
ors is deemed especially appropriate
the Confederate States--the white large
being emblematic Of purity and innoce
ardtAe red (gpIesl of fortitude and &C
ono In the adoption of ensigns by V
Gus nations of the world, it is noticed
Captain Hamilton, in the history OF
United States flag, that they generally
tate the ensigns Of the nations from WI
they sprung. This rule is compiled, y
in the asg as proposed, for our people
chiefly descended from the British and
French, and we get the union and eros
St. Andrew from the former, and the
bar from the flag Of the latter nation, "
the idea Of having stars to represent
States respectively is taken from the
ofthe Union, mainly founded by our
fathers. The new flag is easily made,
is without the complication Of any p
ting, which, besides the difficulty OF cor
execution, soon rots the bunting.
proportions, while most pleasing to the
possesses the virtue of simplicity
/ white below and on the side of the Ill
being the same width as the red bar. l
4 have been approved by some of the
4 artists in the Uonfederacy, and after
Il determination, have been pronounced
Il rect by some of the most experienced
4 cars Of the navy, such as Commodore
4 rest, Captain Raphael Semmes, Capital
i :, Lee, Captain Mason and w. h. Pa
4 the latter having been at the head O
4 Confederate Naval Academy"
4 The bill adopting the new design pa
/ both branches Of Congress-the Sc
l unanimously -and was signed by Presl
i Davis February I'D, 1865, thus becol
II alaw on the birth day OF the great vi
Il ian, George Washington, and the ann
II aary ofthe day that gave birth to the
II nanent government of the Coined
II States.
H Alsigns, omens and coineidents Sc
4 y ortall the speedy success of the
X uontederacy and it's new symbol so au
lousy unfurled, but doomed to be quer
i and lost on the night of disaster that
= oe'Orethe ides Of April Of that same i'll
a year. t
Eur. that banner for It's weary,