Robert E. Lee Headquarters Flag

Measures 3×5 feet

This is a flag of tough, durable and long-lasting nylon fabric, with solid brass grommets. You won’t find nylon flags with higher tensile and tear strength. It has excellent strength retention under UV exposure, and high resistance to UV fading. The colors are deep, bright, and last over time due to the aniline dye process. They have better wash-fastness and light-fastness than nylons of similar fabric construction. One inch double edge fold around flag, with four rows of stitching on the fly edge. There is 1 1/2 inch reinforced stitching vertically at the fly corners, and 3 1/2 inch reinforced hem stitching (horizontal) at top of bottom of the fly.

Lee’s distinctive flag was preserved by his family, and many today honor R.E. Lee by displaying it still.

As the Army of Northern Virginia moved from one location to the next, its commanding officer Robert E. Lee moved with it, and his headquarters was marked by the Confederate National Flag. This flag is the Confederate 1st National design, but with a distinctive star pattern. It is thought to have been sewn by Lee’s wife, Mary Custis Lee, and the couple’s daughters. The original is in the Museum of the Confederacy, located in Richmond, in remarkably good condition to this day.

The information we have indicates that Lee began using this flag in mid-1862, and continued flying it until late 1863 or early 1864. It was retired and replaced by the new 2nd National flag (adopted by the Confederacy in May of 1863). It was customary for the official Confederate National Flag to be flown by commanding officers, so Lee switched to a new flag issued by the Richmond Clothing Depot.