By spring of 1861 seven states had left the Union, but majority sentiment in North Carolina was not in favor of secession. Then came April 12th and the bombardment of Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The Confederate cannon fire resulted in no deaths and only minor injuries, but three days later came an announcement from […]
North Carolina Republic: 1861 – 1865 Read More »
In Part II of this story we looked at how the design of the famous Southern Cross was conceived. Here we look at how the first flags were made. Once the design of the Confederate Battle flag had been worked out, the army needed some prototypes made. This task fell to three ladies of Richmond,
The Battle Flag Takes the Field: Part III Read More »
By the summer of 1861 there was a pressing need for a Confederate Battle Flag that was distinctly different from the flag of the North. In Part I of this series we covered how catastrophe was narrowly averted for the Confederacy at Manassas, the first major battle of the Civil War. Here are the words
The Battle Flag Is Born, Part II of the Series Read More »
Signaled by a cannon’s roar at 5:30 AM, General McDowell’s Union army attacked across a Virginia stream known as Bull Run (a run is a small stream or brook). It was still dark and the green troops had a hard time making their way, but soon the battle was in full rage. It was July
Manassas: Birth of the Battle Flag, Part I Read More »
It was June of 1863, in Mississippi, and “…rain fell in torrents flooding the streams, the roads became impassable, and country bridges were washed away. Vicksburg was being besieged by Grant, and reinforcements were ordered…  Chunkey River intervened and the bridge across the river was submerged…. The engineer was under military orders, and his long
Confederate Choctaw Nation Soldiers Read More »
Flags were a vital part of the Civil War battlefield. They guided soldiers into and through a battle, and identified other groups of men as friend or foe. Commanders used them to help know what was going on in the disorder and chaos of the field. Loss of a flag might mean troop confusion, and
No Man Can Take These Colors and Live Read More »
We all know about the Southern rebellion we now call the Civil War. And many know and love the Bonnie Blue Flag, cherished as a symbol of the rebellious and freedom-loving spirit that still lives in so many in the South – and yes, other Americans across our land. It is best known as a
The First Southern Rebellion Read More »
