The first image that comes to mind of an American Civil War flag is usually the Union Jack that the Confederate States of America carried into battle. This flag is a cross of thirteen stars set into a blue frame on a red background. This flag still flies proudly throughout the southern states as a remembrance of, and tribute to losses that their families sustained.

The American Civil War Flag Is Typically Confederate

The United States of America flag during the war was a 35-star version of the standard flag of today, but is never really called an American Civil War flag. The United States of America fought to maintain the union that the Confederate States of America rejected. Therefore, the flag of the country did not change, but the flag that became a symbol of the states that wanted succession is what is known as an American Civil War flag.

The first Confederate flag was known as the stars and bars. It was very similar to the United States of America flag in that it had two red stripes and one white stripe to the right, and a blue field of seven stars in the upper left. Many confused it with the United States flag on the battlefields, so the Confederacy changed it to the one that most people of today recognize. The stars and bars lasted from March of 1861 to May of 1863.

One American Civil War flag that wasn't deemed official to the southern states, but was used to show independence was the Bonnie Blue. This was a blue background flag with one single white star in the center. It was used briefly in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Of course there were individual flags during the war that signified every battle group, regiment, and general, but they aren't really considered an American Civil War flag to anyone other than the most diehard Civil War buffs or historians.