The history of the Confederate flag has figured prominently in the news as controversy surrounding the flag has heated up since a shooting at a Charleston church.
On July 9, 2015, the South Carolina legislature called for the removal of the Confederate flag that has been flying for years on the
State House grounds, the Washington Post reported. As the topic of exactly what the Confederate flag stands for is hotly debated nationwide, it is clear many Americans are not sure of the history of this controversial flag.
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Although many have said the Southern Cross flag was a symbol of the Confederate Army, that isn't
historically accurate, according to CNN.
Here are five facts about the history of the Confederate flag:
1. Today's design of the Confederate flag was one of more than three designs used by the Confederate Army, with this specific one being flown by Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, CNN reported. It was never the official flag of the Confederate Army.
2. The original Confederate flag looked very similar to the Union’s flag. It held seven stars in a circle on a blue background on the top left corner and then had wide stripes, two red and one white, on the remainder
of the flag, according to The Civil War website. The design was called the "Stars and Bars." As other states seceded, more stars were added.
3. The second Confederate flag was conceived in 1863, after Confederate soldiers found the "Star and Stripes" confusing and too similar to the Union’s flag during battle. A politician, William Porcher Miles, designed a square battle flag that looks like what many today think of as the Confederate flag – a blue cross with 13 stars on a red background. Confederacy leaders took that cross design and added it as a block in the upper left corner of the flag, leaving the remainder white; it would be called the "Stainless Banner," according to CNN.
4. The third installment of the Confederate flag came after the flag again sparked confusion on the battlefield. Due to the flag’s whiteness, if the wind did not blow it and show its Southern Cross, the flag would look more like a white surrender flag rather than a battle symbol, CNN said. In 1865, a vertical red stripe was added to the right edge of the flag. The final installment was known as the “Blood-Stained Banner.”
5. The design of today's Confederate flag was used as a flag by Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia as its battle flag.
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