Confederate First National Flag – CSA 13 Stars and Bars | Ultimate Flags Store (Confederate States of America) was adopted on March 4, 1861. Known as the “Stars and Bars” due to its close resemblance to the Union’s Stars and Stripes, it was designed by Prussian artist Nicola Marschall in Marion, Alabama. The original version contained seven stars representing the initial seven States to secede from the Union; the number increased to 11 when Kentucky and Missouri were admitted as CSA states by acts of Congress on 28 November and 10 December 1861 respectively.
Even though the committee that chose the design for the flag had been chaired by William Porcher Miles, who favored his own flag design, the majority of the members voted for a design similar to the Union’s – a red flag with a diagonal St. Andrew’s cross of blue punctuated with white stars. This version, which became known as the “Stars and Bars” because it resembled the Union flag’s stripes, was approved by the Provisional Confederate Congress.
Remembering History: Confederate First National Flag – CSA 13 Stars and Bars
During the war the Confederate Quartermaster Department supplied CSA 13 Stars and Bars to units east of the Mississippi. A survey of these flags has shown a preponderance of thirteen and fourteen star versions, including some with a central star that is either larger or the same size as the remaining eleven. The fact that both Smith and Marschall claim to have conceived the Stars and Bars design is somewhat suspicious. Both claimed to have submitted their designs to the committee, but a review of the notes taken by the committee shows that neither of their names appear in the notations.