Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-01-10
The Last Confederate Flag

The Last Confederate Flag
From a late number of THE Southern
Opinion, in an article on ''The History 81
the Confederate Flag, (which, however, re-
fers only to the last fag), We extract the fol.
lowing:
Our flag has history, and the time has
come when to preserve that history from
oblivion some record should be made OF
it.
The author OF the new design adopted
by the Confederate Congress was Major A.
l.. Rogers, Confederate States Artillery.
who, while disabled from active service in
the field, devoted some of his leisure hours
TO improve the national emblem. After
much attention to the subject, and the
laws of heraldry, Major Rogers, in Janu-
airy, 1860, submitted his design to Con
gress and on the 18th Of that month, Nj.
Semmes, Of Louisiana, submitted the fol-
lowing bill in the Senate
8 BILL TO ESTABLISH THE FLAG OF THE
CONFEDERATE STATES.
1.-THE Congress of the Confederate States
of America do enact, That the flag of the
Confederate States shall be as follows The
width two-thirds of its length, with the
union NOW used as the battle iiag) to be in
width three fifths Of the width of the flag,
and so proportional as to leave the length
of the field Oh the side Of the union twice
the width of tie field below it; to have the
ground red, and {. blue saltier thereon, Dor
dered with white and em!,lazoned with
mullets or five pointed stars, corresponding
in number to that of the Confederate
States; the field to be white except the
outer half from the union to be red bar
extending the width Of the flag
Before offering the bill Mr.. Semmes adj
dressed a letter to General Lee, command
ing the army of Northern Virginia, and re-
quested his views on the proposed altera-
ton. General Lee replied that he thought
it Every pretty, and " that it " certainly
added distinctness TO the flag - but, with
| his usual modesty, said he mistrusted his
own Judgment in such matters, and that the
Naval Committee were the proper gentle
men to be consulted. The bill was accord
| ingly referred to the Committee on Naval
Affairs, after various plans had been sub
mitted, and the opinions Of leading officers
of the navy obtained, said committee unani-
mously recommended its adoption.
Among the distinguished Confederate
officers who approved the design of Major
Rogers, and recommended his proposed al
teration in the national symbol of the Con
federate States, were General J. E. John
ston, General S. Cooper, Lieutenant Gen
eral Ewell, Lieutenant General Longstreet's
Inspector General, Major Generals Fitz
Lee, Rosser and Loma1, of cavalry Briga-
der Generals Pendleton and Long, of ar
tillery Major General Heath Major Gen
eral Smith, Governor of Virginia Major
General Smith, Superintendent of the Vir-
ginia Military Institute Captain N. ".
Barker, Acting Chief of Signal Bureau );
/ 1e ~.
General Wharton, Colonel j. S. Mosby,
and many other distinguished officers of
the army.
AS descriptive of the flag, we subioin
some extracts from letter of Major Rogers,
addressed to Hon. Edward Sparrow, Chair
man of the Committee on Naval Affairs,
| Confederate States Senate
! 1.-The portion of the flag proposed to be
changed to q red bar is the part, too most
rapidly defaccd. 1t is strongly urged by
naval officers Of high standing, that our
! flag is liable to be mistaken for a flag Of
truce, particularly IN calm, when it hangs
dead against the mast, and the union is OBJ
scured by the white bunting. When seen
at distance, flags are generally displayed
against the white clouds beyond and hence
want OF di5tinctness is great defect in the
present flag the union being the only por-
| tion seen.
1.-THE battle flag selected 10y General
Johnston and recommended by himself and
General Beauregard, under which so much
blood has been spilled in our struggle for
independence, is fully displayed as the
union of the proposed flag, which can only
be done by surrounding it with white, and
the bar, forming the outer half of the field
from the union, IS suggested as the best
design for its improvement. l am opposed
to all stripes, many or few, red or blue.
Instead of : the stars and stripes let us
the new flag would be chiefly white and
red, with as little as possible of the Yankee
blue.
"The heraldic significance of these col
ors is deemed especially appropriate for
the Confederate States-the white (tugent)
being emblematic Of purity and innocence,
and the red (guLeS) of fortitude and cour-
age. In the adoption of ensigns by vari-
Gus nations of the world, it is noticed by
Captain Hamilton, in the history of the
United States flag, that they generally i'm
itate the ensigns of the nations from which
they sprung. This rule is complied with
III the flag as proposed, for our people are
chiefly descendants from the British and
the French, and we get the union and the
cross Of ST. Andrew from the former, and
the bar from the flag of the latter nation,
while the idea of having stars to represent
the States respectively is taken from the
flags of the old Union, mainly founded by
our forefatherS. The new flag is easily
made, and is without the complication OF
any painting which, besides the difficulty
of correct execution, soon rots the bunting.
The proportions, while most pleasing tc
the eye, possess the virtue of simplicity
the white below and on one side of the
union being the same width as the red bar
They have been approved by some of the
best artists IN the Confederacy, and, after
a careful examination, have been pronoun
ced correct by some Of the most eXperien
ced officers of the navy, such as Commo
dore Forrest, Captain Raphael Semmes
Captain S. S. Lee, Captain Mason and Cap
tain ". Il. Parker, the latter having been
at the head of the Confederate States Nava
IAcademy."
The bill adopting the new design passed
both branches of Congress-the Senate
unanimously-and was signed by Presiden
Davis, February 22d, 1860. thus becoming
a law on the birthday of the great Virgin
ian, George Washington, and the anniver