Were you wondering about how the Confederate flag is supposed to be displayed? Here's a little something from the official records. Headquarters, United Confederate Veterans, New Orleans, Louisiana June 03, 1906 General Orders, No. 56 THE FLAGS OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA Official Announcement The Commander-in-Chief promulgates for the information and guidance of all persons, the following Resolution, and an Abridgment of the Report of the Committee on Flags, of this Organization. I. RESOLUTION "WHEREAS, owing to incorrect representations in historical works, incorrect reproductions and representations by manufacturers of flags and badges, and in pictorial publications of all kinds; to frequent inquiries in the press and the erroneous answers thereto; and to general lack of exact information regarding the flags of the Confederate States of America, it has been deemed necessary that a committee of this Organization should be empowered to make diligent investigation and report their finding to this body assembled in convention, at Nashville, Tennessee, in 1904, and "WHEREAS, the Committee thus empowered has, this 16th day of June, 1904, made full report of its labors, which report, upon careful examination by the Committee on Resolutions, is found to be complete and exhaustive, and in all respects satisfactory; therefore, be it "Resolved, by this Association of United Confederate Veterans, in convention assembled at Nashville, Tennessee, 1904, that in order to give the impress of authority for the guidance of all persons, it is hereby declared to be the conclusive judgment of this Organization, that the Flags of the Confederate States of America were established by legislation of the Congresses of the Confederate States, and otherwise, in the manner fully set forth in the accompanying report of the Committee on Flags of this Organization, and that said report is hereby adopted." Stephen D. Lee, General Commanding. Official: Wm. E. Mickle, Adjutant General and Chief of Staff. II. ABRIDGED REPORT (1) THE STARS AND BARS The flag recommended by the "Committee on a Proper Flag for the Confederate States of America," appointed by the Provisional Congress, in its report of March 4th, 1861, is as follows: "That the Flag of the Confederate States of America shall consist of a red field with a white space extending horizontally through the center, and equal in width to one-third the width of the flag. The red spaces above and below to be of the same width as the white. The union blue extending down through the white space and stopping at the lower red space. The the center of the union a circle of white stars, corresponding in number with the States in the Confederacy." NOTE.--The union is square; the stars five pointed. The length of the flag one and a half times the width. (2) THE BATTLE FLAG. The Battle Flag is square, having a Greek Cross (saltier) of blue, edged with white, with thirteen equal white five pointed stars; upon a red field; the whole bordered with white. There are three sizes: Infantry, 48 in. square; Artillery, 36 in. square; Cavalry, 30 in. square. The proportions for an Infantry Flag are: 48 in. by 48 in. (exclusive of the border); the blue arms of the cross, 7 ½ in. wide; the white edging to the cross ½ in. wide; the white border around the flag proper 1½ in. wide. Total outside measurement, 51 inches. The stars are five pointed, inscribed within a circle of 6 in. diameter, and are of uniform size. There should be five eyelet holes in the hoist, next the pole. The Artillery and Cavalry Flags are correspondingly reduced in all proportions. (3) THE NATIONAL FLAG established by Congress, May 1, 1863, is as follows: "The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That the Flag of the Confederate States shall be as follows: The field to be white, the length double the width of the flag, with the union (now used as the Battle Flag) to be a square of two-thirds the width of the flag, having the ground red; thereon a broad saltier of blue, bordered with white, and emblazoned with white mullets or five pointed stars, corresponding in number to that of the Confederate States." (4) THE NATIONAL FLAG established by Congress, March 4, 1865, is as follows: "The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That the Flag of the Confederate States shall be as follows: The width, two-thirds of its length, with the union (now used as the Battle Flag) to be in width three-fifths of the width of the flag, and so proportioned as to leave the length of the field on the side of the union twice the width of the field below it; to have the ground red and a broad, blue saltier thereon, bordered with white and emblazoned with mullets or five pointed stars, corresponding in number to that of the Confederate States; the field to be white except the outer half from the union to be a red bar extending the width of the flag." THE COMPLETE REPORT -- approved by the United Confederate Veterans Convention, at Nashville, 1904, is signed by the Committee on Flags, as follows: Samuel E. Lewis, M.D., of Washington, D.C. Chairman Fred L. Robertson, of Tallahassee, Fla. J.F. Shipp, of Chattanooga, Tenn. J. Taylor Ellyson, of Richmond, Va. A.C. Trippe, of Baltimore, Md. III The Commander-in-Chief urges all Confederate Veterans, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Daughters of the Confederacy, the Confederated Southern Memorial Association, and other Confederate Memorial Associations, to exert their utmost influence in support of the Resolution and the Abridged Report, as above given, to the end that manufacturers of flags, designers, engravers, and others, may hereafter be required to conform therewith in all respects. By command of Stephen D. Lee, General Commanding. Official: Wm. E. Mickle Adjutant General and Chief of Staff Editor note: The above represents the regulations for display of the Confederate flag after the Civil War when standardization was possible. Flags used during the war did not necessarily adhere to the above policies as anyone and everyone sewed Confederate flags. They used whatever material they could find and in whatever proportions their eyeball measurements came up with. Consequently, don't rip the flags off your flag bearers if they seem to be odd shaped or have funny looking stars. Back to Rebel Yell No. 7 Table of Contents Back to Rebel Yell List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1997 by HMGS South This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com