The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-05-29
THE STARS AND BARS.
A scRAP-BooK OF DESIGNS FOR A
CONFEDERATE FLAG.
A General Disposition Manifested to Cling
to q Modification OF the Old Stars
and stripes-Design Of the
Battie-Flag.

Prior to March S, 1861, the seeding states
had no national flag. The day President
Lincoln was inaugurated at Washing
ton the southern congress adopteu
the stars and bars, and on that
day it was first flung to the breeze from the
state house at Montgomery. Prior to this
the state flags had been used by the several
seeding states The first flag raised In the
Confederacy Is in the flag collection Of tho
war department at Washington 1t Is a
palmetto flag, and it is said to have waved
over Charleston in 1851 pal
metto tree Of eight branches is sewed upon
its center, and it has eleven red stars sur
rounding ii, with rising red moon at tue
top.
On Feb 4. 1861. the secession convention
of South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama,
Louisiana, Georgia, and Florida met In the
old state house at Montgomery, Ala, and
proceeded to organize the Southern Confed-
eracy. jefferson Davis was elected presi-
dent and Alexander Stephens vice president,
and tho convention adopted a constitution
and chose the Confederate flag. When max
ing their selection they received designs and
letters from oil parts Of the south, and these
are now hidden away in an old scrap-book
among the Confederate archives in the war
department at Washington.
1t Is a ragged volume. eighteen inches
long, twelve inches wide, and four inches
thick. Its paper, originally white, is now
faded pink. Its covers are worn, and Its
corners are dog -eared. In it are pasted l29
designs for a Confederate flag, which were
presented to the Montgomery convention,
and by their sides, or on the opposite pages,
are the numerous letters which accompa-
MED them. Some Of these letters are ad-
dressed to jefferson Davis, some to Alex
ander II. Stephens some to Robert Toombs,
and a great number to Robert Porcher
Miles, who was the chairman of the COM
mittee on flags.
The designs are of all sizes, shapes, and
colors. Some of them, especially those sent
by ladies, are of silk, the different colors
neatly sewed; some are Of bunting, rudely
painted; and a large number are made up
of pieces Of different colored pssteboard or
paper together into the design desired.
There is little originality shown in these de-
vices. Most Of them are combinations OF
the colors and form Of the stars and stripes,
while not a few are modelled after the flags
Of other nations now in use. In de-
sign No. Al, for instance, sent to Jefferson
Davis from Coffeeville, Ala, the very colors
sswear at each other" The device Is two
feet by three in size, with one-haf OF the
ground blue and the other half a dirty
yellow. On this broad blue half which Is
nearest the pole, a big black eye is painted,
looking toward the yellow. and around this
In the shape Of crescent which faces the
front of the flag, are seven white stars.
From the eye eight bright stripes radiate.
running out Of the blue and losing them
selves in the yellow.
Four designs directed to Hon. Robert
Toombs represent q phoenix as rising from
the ashes, painted upon white field, with
borders Of red and blue. One Of the largest
designs has fifteen large stripes of alternate
white and red. 1t has a blue union, from tho
upper corner Of which, almost resting against
the staff, looks out great eye, below which
is painted red hand grasping q wreath OF
green. The most beautiful designs are those
sent by women. One device sent by the Ia
dies Of Charleston was made Of red, white
and blue put together with many deli
cate stitches 1t Is eighs sesn inches
long, and consists OF two series OF
three stripes of red, white and red above
and below a broad stripe Of blue, upon
which are sewsd seven white stars Six OF
the stars represented the states then in con.
vention, the seventh, Texas, which was
about to secede. From the designs and the
| letters it can be seen how general was the
| desire throughout the south to retain al
that was possible Of the old flag.
or the long report Of the committee OF
flags March 5, 1861, fully one-half Is giver
up to an explanation why more Of the star
and stripes could not be embodied in th'
flag presented. The report then states tina
the committee humbly think the following
design combines the above requisites, ano
they submit it as 'the flag of the Confed
| crate States of America" ut shall consis
of red field with white space extending
horizontally through the center and equa
in width to ore-third the width Of the flag
the red spaces above aud below to be the
same width as the white. The union blue
extending down through the white spac'
| stopping at the lower red space. In the cen
| ter OF the union O circle of white stars cor
| responding in number with the states OF the
confederacy. This report was adopted, ant
| the above design became known as the star
and bars.
The stars and bars were, however, fail
| ure as battle flag. Its similarity to the
stars and stripes made it useless; and thii
was painfully apparent at the battle OF Bull
Run, where the colors OF the two armies
could not be distinguished from each other
"After the battle" writes Gen. Beauregard
1it was found that many persons in boil
armies firmly believed that each side hat
used as strategem the flags Of his opponent
| and Gen. Joseph Johnston and myself de
cided to adopt battle flag for our forces.
Designs were asked for, and one
presented by Col James B. Walton, OF Lou
isiana, was chosen. This design was origin
ally oblong, but Gen. Johnston modified 4
by making 1t square, and, SO modified 1t be
came ths battle-fag Of the Confederacy. !
was in September, 1861, adopted by th'
rebel army Of the Potomac, and shortly
afterward, with slight modification, by tn
other armies. In 1868 the Confederat
states adopted it as the union of its new ma
tiopal ensign.
This battle flag had red field, with tw
wide blue bars running diagonally from on
corner to the other, thus forming the Gree
cross On these bars were whit
states Of the Confederacy. The design wa
substantially the same as the one pressnte
to the Montgomery convention by William
Porcher Miles when the stars and bars wer
chosen. Il /, known as "The Southern
Cross" IL was the only flag In genera
use bv uthern troops during the war
The ConTr erate congress- in adopting 1t q
the national flag in May, 1858, added th
white field. that it might be OF use upon th'
sea- But square as it was, this design wa
such that it could not be reversed as q sig
nal Of distress The white field, on trial
was also found open to objections It mad
the flag liable to be mistaken for . flag o
truce, and at distance it looked much Liz
the English white ensign. To remedy thes
faults broad red stripe was added to th
end OF the flag, and this, the last nationn
nag Of the Confederacy. was adopted by th
senate at Richmond In February. 1855.
|