Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1920-10-27
History of Confederate Flag.
Greenville Piedmont.


So many inquiries as to the Con-
federate flag have been received at
the public library that the following
information is supplied by the Ii
brary for the benefit of all interest
ed.
There was during the first year a
very wide variety of flags and stand
ards used by the South, the first Sc
cession convention which was begun
at Columbia, December II, 1860, US
ing the Palmetto flag which consist
ed of a white field bearing a green
Palmetto in the centre and under
meath it the motto of South Carolina,
"Animis opibusque Parati."
March 4, 1862, the day that Lin
coin was inaugurated president of
the United States, the Confederate
convention at Montgomery adopted
as the official flag of the Confederacy
the "Stars and Bars" which was the
first of the three official flags used
This flag consisted of a red field
with white space extending hori-
zontally through the centre and
equal in width to one-third the width
of the flag; the red space above and
below to the same width as the white.
The union to be blue, extending at
the lower red space, in the centre of
the union a circle of white stars COR
responding in number (then seven)
with the states of the Confederacy.
Events showed that the resem-
blance of this flag to the stars and
stripes was too pronounced and oc-
casioned confusion and mistakes. In
the first battle of Bull Run the stars
and bars was several times mistaken
for the stars and stripes and vice
versa. After this battle cc1. Joseph
E. Johnston<adopted the "battle flag"
which was designed by General Beau
regard and this was afterward adopt
ed asjEthe battle flag of the Confed-
erac,< by the Confederate congress.
The flag was "a red or crimson field,
its bars blue, running diagonally
acAoss from one corner to the other,
t& stars being white or gold, the
/blue being separated from the red
by white field"
Similar to British
AS the need of change from the
official flag became apparent, after
much discussion the second flag of
the Confederacy was established by
congress May 1, 1868. This was to
be "a white field, with the union,
now used as the battle flag to be
a square two-thirds the width of the
flag having the ground red; therein
a broad satire (St. Andrews cross)
of the blue bordered with white and
emblazoned with white mullets or
five pointed stars, corresponding IN
number with that of the Confederate
states"
The objections to this flag were
that at a distance it bore close re-
semblance to the British white en-
sign and also that when it fell limp
around the flag pole, it had the. ap-
pearance of a flag of truce. These
objections were so valid that con-
gress decided to add broad trans
verse stripe of red to the end of the
fly of the flag, this change being Of
icially adopted February 4, 1865.
Thirteen States RepreseIted.
The thirteen stars on the Ag rep
tod the E!.sf 81 the
Confederate union which in order of
their secession were South Carolina,
Mississippi. Florida, Alabama, Geor-
gia. Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Ar
kansas, North Carolina, Tennessee,
Missouri and Kentucky.
The "Bonnie Blue flag" which in
spired the rousing battle song of that
name, was, according to Harrison's
authoritive work, "the stars and
stripes and other American flags"
first used in Jackson, Miss 1t was
made of silk by the ladies of that
city and presented to the president
of the convention, w. S. Barry. This
convention adopted the ordinance of
secession January 8, 1861, and the
presentation of the flag occurred al
ter the announcement of the passage
of the ordinance. 1t was waved aloft
by President Barry amid scenes of
wild enthusiasm. The flag is de-
scribed as being a ''iag of white
ground, a magnolia tree in the cen
tire, blue field in the upper left
hand corner with white star in the
center, finished with red border and
a red fringe at the extremity of the
flag" The song, the Bonnie Blue
flag" is of disputed authorship but
the most reliable authorities seem to
agree that it was written by Harry
Mccarthy, an Irish comedian who
was in the hall when the vote on
the ordinance was taken, that it was
sung that evening for the first time
at the Spengler theatre.
~ Grip.