First National
From Dixiepedia: The PC-Free Encyclopedia
First flown in March of 1861, the first official flag of the Confederate States of America was nicknamed the "Stars and Bars" and depicted seven stars in the canton, symbolizing the seven Gulf States of the original Southern Confederacy. The number of stars was increased later in 1861 to eleven when the States of Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Tennessee seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy. Some versions of the flag included an additional two stars for the States of Missouri and Kentucky, although officially seceded from the union and adopted by the Confederacy, those two States remained under occupation for most of the war. The similarity of the flag's design to the Stars and Stripes caused confusion on the battlefield, necessitating the design of a new battle flag, patterned after the St. Andrews cross of Scotland. The First National flag was finally replaced in May of 1863 by the Second National flag, or "Stainless Banner."
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