First Confederate National Flag
notes: label: Description
content: Physical Description
label: Description
content: Blue cloth with a circle of eight stars, two wide red stripes and one wide white stripe.
label: Description
content: General History
label: Description
content: The Confederate States of America’s first national flag was known as the “Stars & Bars.” This flag flew from 1861 to 1863. Each of the eight stars represented a Confederate state in March 1861 when the flag was adopted. The similarity of the design of the Confederate flag and the Union “Stars and Stripes” made it difficult to distinguish between the two in the heat of battle, most notably during the First Battle of Bull Run (known to Confederates as First Manassas). This resulted in troops firing on their own men—or “friendly fire”—and in the capture of a number of prisoners of war.
topic: label: Subject
content: Flags
label: related event
content: Civil War
label: related event
content: Civil War and Reconstruction
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
label: See more items in
content: Military
label: See more items in
content: ThinkFinity
label: Exhibition
content: Price of Freedom
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AF.42724 [dup1]
label: catalog number
content: 42724
label: accession number
content: 165001
objectType: label: Object Name
content: flag
label: Other Terms
content: flag; Military; CSA, Navy
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wool (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 36 in x 57 1/2 in; 91.44 cm x 146.05 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 35 1/2 in x 58 in; 90.17 cm x 147.32 cm