Confederate Battle Flag  "Jaunty Squares Of Scarlet"  October 1, 1862

"Another incident of note, during the autumn of '61, was that to my cousins, Hetty and Jennie Cary, and to me was intrusted the making of the first three battle-flags of the Confederacy. They were jaunty squares of scarlet crossed with dark blue edged in white, the cross bearing stars to indicate the number of the seceded States. We set our best stitches upon them, edged with gold fringed, and, when they were finished, dispatched one to Johnston, another to Beauregard, and the third to Earl Van Dorn... The banners were received with all possible enthusiasm; were toasted, feted, and cheered abundantly." So remembered Constance Cary, one of the patriotic trio of young Richmond socialites.

In the smoke and dust of battle, the 1st Confederate national flag, the "Stars and Bars", could sometimes not be distinguished from the "Stars and Stripes". To remedy the problem, Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard recommended a design for a distinctive square battle flag to be used in the field. That square flag has become the most enduring symbol of the Southern nation. The design, reportedly similar to a design for the national flag submitted by South Carolinian William Porcher Miles, was accepted by Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, and the quartermaster's department soon began issuing the flag to the forces that would one day be called the Army of Northern Virginia. The infantry received flags that were 4 by 4 feet, the artillery flags were 3 by 3 feet, and the cavalry's 2.5 by 2.5 feet.

The battle flag was never adopted by the Confederate Congress, but it was adopted by the War Department on October 1, 1862.  In 1863, the secretary of the navy adopted the design on a rectangular flag to serve as the "jack" to be flown on Confederate warships. The western armies never adopted the flag to the extent that eastern forces did. Each western corps tended to have its own design, although some adopted designs similar to the eastern battle flag.

Fascinating Fact:  Eastern and western designs differed in that the western flags had no border and were rectangular instead of square. The western design is the most common Confederate flag seen today.


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