2nd Confederate National Flag  "The Stainless Banner"  May 1, 1863 - March 4, 1865

The 1st Confederate national flag, the Stars and Bars, proved to be confusingly similar to the Union's Old Glory when viewed at a distance through the smoke of a Civil War battlefield. This problem was alleviated somewhat when, after the 1st Battle of Manassas, the Confederate armies adopted the familiar Rebel battle flag. That bold red flag was less likely to be mistaken for the Stars and Stripes under battlefield conditions. But since the national colors were also proudly displayed on the battlefield and were still easily confused with the U.S. flag, the Confederate Congress decided to retire the Stars and Bars and adopt a new design for the Confederacy's national flag.

The 2nd Confederate national flag, known as the "Stainless Banner", was adopted on May 1, 1863; it was purposely distinctive and could not be confused with the Union army's flag. The new flag was twice as long as it was wide, much longer than the 3:2 ratio of most flags, and had the square Confederate battle flag in the corner of a snow-white filed. By President Jefferson Davis's order, the first Stainless Banner ever made was draped over Gen. Stonewall Jackson's coffin while he lay in state before his May 15, 1863, burial. The 2nd Confederate national flag served the Confederacy for almost two years.

Although it solved the problem of confusion with the U.S. flag, the Stainless Banner had other defects that made it unsatisfactory. It was so long that it was hard for the wind to open it out, and when it was limp, it very closely resembled a white flag of truce or surrender. In October 1864, a design for yet another Confederate flag was proposed to the Senate, and on March 4, 1865, exactly 4 years after the first national flag was first flown over Montgomery, Ala., the 2nd Confederate national flag was retired and replaced with the new design.

Fascinating Fact:  The 3rd Confederate national flag, which was a shortened version of the 2nd with a vertical red bar added on the outside, saw little service because the war ended so soon after its adoption.


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