New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-13
Confederate ReGimenfaI CoIors.

ing. opposite the War Department. in 1Ith-st.
in Washington ana now to be returned TO the
respective Southern States. Since then that
collection of sketches has been enlarged by pict-
ures and drawings made In Washington and
in Richmond where, in the Confederate Mu-
scum. are preserved great many colors carried
by Southern regiments during the Rebellion.
To any who sees the list of the many regi-
mental histories written year by year or the re-
ports published perpetuate the history of par
ticular States regiments or books Ike our own
State Commissioners reports on our Gettysburg
monuments to any one who attends meeting
OF a Grand Army post or OF Confederate vet
Grams association. it must be apparent that the
bitterness Of the Civil War has died away. and
that in its place has come not only an historic
interest much keener than ever before existed,
but also deeper sentiment for certain relics
connected with that war. First OF all is the
of the resting places of the dead soldiers
be they simple cross to mark grave or the
far sadder monuments, like that at Chatta-
noosa to ten thousand Unknown Dead" The
next relics most treasured are probably the old
flags
The excuss for this article. if it needs one. is.
therefore, that the writer believes there must
be many who do not know what the colors Of
the Southern regiments looked like, and that
there may be many who will be glad to see in
gotten by many whose memory goes back to
1s61-65, and known to probably very few Of a
newer generation.
Neither has the memory of the fierce days Of
fighting, when the flags here referred to were
carried in battle. faded. nor has the romance
which clusters around these torn pieces of silk
and other even more common materials been
forgotten. A colleague OF the writer in the New
York Legislature said. with intense feeling.
Ct,O
writer: They are pretty enough. but they
looked mighty sight different when we saw
them coming at US over a row of bayonets!
And many times I've seen them in battle"
If this mans feelings were stirred. perhaps
some one who reads these words south of Mason
and Dixon's line may recall with feelings of
another kind the day when, a generation ago.
she gave up her best silk dress to make the
colors for the regiment which came from her
town. For in Washington and in Richmond
flags can be found which are clearly made OF
dress materials. One which the writer saw. a
tattered color. has a white centre evidently
made from silk dress. for it shows the seams
Of the dress and the wrong side, in faint
colors the figuring OF the material. Most OF
the Confederate flags, however, were made OF
merino or other simple materials. In fact, 1t
is evident that those who made the flags took
whatever they had at hand, and. singularly
enough, the commoner the material the better
the colors to have lasted. The silk flags
which are few in number, have faded most.
But not only in materials is there variety; there
is even greater variety in the designs OF the
flags. The colors of our armies. so far as the
national flag is concerned, were quite uniform,
except that sometimes the stars were gold and
sometimes white and that some had an eagle
and some a spear on the staff. But in the Con-
federate armies no such uniformity existed, al
though the flag most generally carried was the
battle flag described below In both armies
there were colors like those presented to special
organizations and there were, in addition, State
colors etc, in connection with which there was
apparently no general rule or military regula-
ton Some of these from the Confederate ar
mics will be referred to.
AS is we'll known the first Confederate colors
were the Stars and Bars, a flag upon which
appear three stripes two red and one white,
with a blue union the width Of two stripes.
This was, of course. an adaptation Of the United
States flag, the stars being arranged usually IN
a circle, as were the stars on the earliest United
States flags during the Revolution. They vary
in number, and there is sometimes star in the
centre of the circle but usually they are all
placed in a circle, and, as far as the writer has
observed. never in lines. This flag was carried
at Bull Run, and it was quickly noticed that at
a
so much as to cause trouble, Nevertheless the
Stars and Bars were used all through the war,
and at least one such flag was captured at APP
pomattox Station by the Sth New-York Cavalry
Regiment There was then designed the we'll
known rebel battle flag" flag Of correct
heraldic blazoning decidedly handsome and very
distinctive, as it did not resemble flag in any
respects. The new flag red, with blue
satire g. e. a ST. Andrews Crosse. edged with
white and bearing usually. thirteen stars.
There appears to have been no rule as to how
the stars should stand; in some they all have
one point upward; in other flags some or the
stars are so placed, while others have two points
inward But the general design was closely
held to- the variations being mostly in the shape
Of the flag which ought TO have been square,
hut which was sometimes made oblong and the
tint of the border which many colors. like those
of Virginia Georgia and Florida, TOR example
had in place of a fringe. This border from one
70 two inches wide, was white. as rule, but was
sometimes orange or dark yellow General
Reauregard is generally credited with the de-
signing of this color which, by regulation, was
to be four feet square.
There are a vast number of these flags in the
War Department at Richmond. and elsewhere,
and many are quite perfect. Others. again.
show the ravages of time and moth. add
al "a the injury caused by shot and shell. the
branches of trees and all of the other destrue-
tive agents of war times. Very few OF these
Naes are silk, but there are few. The colors or
most of them have faded to pale pink and an
even naler blue OF course, it is useless to look
for handsome stats, rich embroidery or
tassels or even spearheads, such as are usu-
aIly seen on our old Union cOlors, most or winch