3rd Confederate National Flag  "Too Late To Fly"  March 4, 1865

In the smoke and confusion of Civil War battlefields, it was quite common for the masses of troops to mistake their enemies and their allies for each other. In many instances, batteries of cannon fired into the ranks of their fellow countrymen, or generals rode into the midst of enemy troops thinking they were members of their own command. Two of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's best lieutenants, Gen. James Longstreet and Gen. Stonewall Jackson, were both wounded by mistake, Jackson fatally, by units of their own army. The variety of uniforms worn by both sides added more confusion to the swirling smoky haze of war, and the soldiers could be sure of the allegiance of a mass of troops only by the colors flying above them.

The Stars and Bars, the 1st Confederate national flag, proved to resemble too closely the Union's Stars and Stripes when hanging limp or when viewed at a distance through the smoke of battle. The Rebel armies replaced the Stars and Bars on the battlefield with their distinctive red battle flag, and the Confederate Congress adopted a new national flag- the 2nd Confederate national flag, known as the Stainless Banner- that could no way be confused with the Union flag. The Stainless Banner also proved unsatisfactory, however. The flag was twice as long as it was wide, much longer than the standard 3:2 ratio, making it difficult for the wind to open it out. When it was hanging limp, its great expanse of white resembled a white flag of truce or surrender.

On March 4, 1865, less than a month before the capture of Richmond, the Confederate Congress adopted the third and last Confederate national flag, a distinctive design that would not be confused with any other. This new flag was created by shortening the Stainless Banner to the standard ratio and by adding a broad vertical red bar to the outside edge.

Fascinating Fact:  Because the war ended shortly after the adoption of the 3rd Confederate national flag, it never acquired a nickname, and very few were ever produced.


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