Depending on their form and function, flags are variously known as standards, banners, ensigns, or pennants.  The attached edge of the flag is called the hoist; the body of the flag is known as the fly.  The Confederate States of America, also known as the Confederacy, was made up of the 11 Southern states that fought against the U. S. in the Civil War (1861 to 1865).  There were five flags of the Confederate States of America but only three of these were officially adopted by the provisional government.

The Bonnie Blue Flag was flown over the capitol building in Jackson, MS, after the state voted to secede from the Union in 1861.  Shortly thereafter, Harry Macarthy (an Irishman) wrote a song called "Bonnie Blue Flag" that described the secessions of all the states in the Confederacy and set it to the tune of an old Irish folk melody.  Although the Bonnie Blue Flag was never an official flag of the Confederacy, the popularity of Macarthy's song throughout the South during the Civil War made the flag a well-known symbol of the Southern people and the secessionist cause.

The best-known symbol of the Confederate States of America, the Battle Flag and Navy Jack is often mistakenly regarded as the official national flag of the Confederacy.  The Battle Flag and Navy Jack was the flag used by the Army of Northern Virginia; it was a square having a red ground with a blue saltire bordered with white and emblazoned with white five-pointed stars corresponding in number to that of the Confederate States.  The flag was designed in 1861 as a battlefield alternative to the First National Flag (the Stars and Bars), which was frequently confused with the flag of the Union.  Actually, Texan and other Confederate soldiers fought under a wide variety of battle flags because the Confederate Army never adopted a single battle flag for use by all troops.  The Battle Flag came in several sizes, depending on the army that carried it, and was traditionally square.  The rectangular version of the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, which is the best-known today, was actually the Navy Jack as it appeared after May 26, 1863 and was flown only on Confederate ships; it was similar to the battle flag issued to the Army of Tennessee in 1864.  The popular misconception that a standard battle flag existed was perpetuated when the United Confederate veterans-related organizations designated the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia be used as the standard battle flag in 1906.

The First National Flag of the Confederacy, also known as the Stars and Bars, was adopted by the Confederate Congress as the national flag and ensign.  It was first raised over the Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, on March 4, 1861 at the inauguration of the only Confederate President Jefferson Davis (who was born June 3, 1808 and died December 6, 1889).  Its specifications were "a red field with a white space extending horizontally through the center, and equal in width to one-third the width of the flag.  The red space above and below to be the same as the white.  The union blue extending down through the white space and stopping at the lower red space.  In the center of the union a circle of white stars corresponding to the number with the States in the Confederacy."  At first, the flag featured seven stars, one for each state in the Confederacy, but as more states joined the Confederacy, the number of stars on the flag was increased.  The Stars and Bars was never officially adopted by legislation, but served as the Confederate flag for more than two years.  Many of the Stars and Bars flags flown in Texas during this period featured unions with a single star surrounded by a circle of stars.  At a distance and in the heat of battle, the flag confused the Confederate soldiers because it could be easily mistaken for the Union flag, so it was deemed not suitable for use as a battle flag or regimental flag.

After several cases of battlefield confusion, the Stars and Bars was replaced by the Second National Flag, also known as the Stainless Banner, in 1863.  This flag is sometimes also called the Jackson Flag, because in one of its first official uses it was draped over the coffin of Confederate General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson at his funeral in 1863.  (Stonewall Jackson was born January 21, 1824 and died May 2, 1863 after he was accidentally shot and fatally wounded by his own men.)  The design of the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia was also used in the Stainless Banner; the Second National Flag consisted of a white field with a square Confederate Battle Flag in the upper corner of the hoist.  This flag flew from May 1, 1863, to March 4, 1865.  The Confederate Navy shortened the length of the Stainless Banner and authorized its use as the national ensign on May 26, 1863.  The Second National Flag was replaced by the Third National Flag in 1865.

The Stainless Banner was revised on March 4, 1865, because on windless days it could be mistaken either for a white flag of surrender or the British White Ensign.  The Third National Flag was identical to the Second National Flag except for a vertical red stripe added to the outside edge of the flag's fly.  The Confederate Navy apparently did not authorize the revised Stainless Banner's use as the national ensign.  The third national flag was short-lived, as the Confederacy surrendered the month after it was adopted.

Sources

"FLAGS OF TEXAS." The Handbook of Texas Online. <http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/view/FF/msf1.html> [Accessed Fri May 9 17:15:05 US/Central 2003 ].

"Flags of the Confederacy" Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2003. © 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation.

"Flag (symbol)" Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2003. © 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation.