The Southern
Cross
The battle flag was never adopted by the
Confederate
Congress, but it was adopted by the War
Department
on October 1,
1862. The western armies never adopted
the flag to
the extent that eastern forces did. Each
western
corps tended to
have its own design, although some
adopted designs
similar to the eastern battle flag.
In the smoke and dust of battle, the
1st
Confederate national flag, the "Stars
and Bars,"
could sometimes not be
distinguished from the "Stars and
Stripes." To
remedy the problem, Confederate Gen.
P.G.T.
Beauregard recommended a
design for a distinctive square battle
flag to be
used in the field. That square flag has
become the
most enduring
symbol of the Southern nation. The
design,
reportedly similar to a design for the
national flag
submitted by South
Carolinian William Porcher Miles, was
accepted by
General Joseph E. Johnston, and the
quartermaster's
department soon
began issuing the flag to the forces
that would one
day be called the Army of Northern
Virginia. The
infantry received
flags that were 4 by 4 feet, the
artillery flags
were 3 by 3 feet, and the cavalry's 2.5
by 2.5
feet.
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