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Army of Northern Virginia (U.S.)

by Rick Wyatt, 20 November 1997

Southern Cross
Design of the flag
8th Infantry of the Army of Northern Virginia

See also:

Southern Cross

by Steve Jacquot

This flag of the American Civil War is also known as the "Southern Cross". In battle, it was used in place of the "Stars and Bars" which had proved difficult to distinguish from the Union's "Stars and Stripes."
Duane Streufert

Of particular interest (to me) is the orientation of the stars, according to the blue stripes in the cross, rather than vertically. Other interesting features are the square proportions, which are rarely seen in modern reproductions, and the white border, which seems to have been part of the design. This particular design is unique to the Army of Northern Virginia, and is not representative of other flags, in particular that of the Army of Tennessee, whose flag is closer to what is usually represented as "The" Confederate flag.
Duane Streufert

Only 11 states seceded from the Union, during the Civil War, yet the Southern Cross had 13 stars. Two border states (Kentucky and Missouri) that did not "officially" succeed from the Union nevertheless had strong Southern leanings and formed rump governments in the Confederacy. Hence the extra stars. Like every thing else in the War of 1861 the two sides could not even agree who was in and who was out.
Wayne J. Lovett and John Ayer

Design of the flag

The battle flag of the famous Confederate Army of Northern Virginia was altered in the design phase in order to make it easier to manufacture.

By tradition, American flags had been rectangular in shape. The design for the ANV battle flag was originally submitted as rectangular - 12 gold stars on diagonally crossed blue bars - on a field of pink or rose (originally) - the Southern Cross. The man who came up with this design, South Carolina Congressman William Porcher Miles, had been inspired by the South Carolina secession banner that was similar but had a St. George's cross rather than a St. Andrews cross. It also had the state coat of arms in the upper left quadrant.

It was originally planned to use versions of that secession flag for military use and to put each state's coat of arms in the upper quadrant. But Miles, who also submitted a design for a National flag to the Committee on Flag and Seal, which he chaired, decided to go with a St. George's cross instead without state coats of arms. His National design was rejected as, at the time, the Confederacy only had 7 states and the star layout looked asymmetrical. When CS Generals Beauregard,