Osprey Men-at-Arms 252 : Flags of the American Civil War (1) : Confederate

The very heart of the Confederate fighting unit was its flag, which came in a variety of designs and colours. The flag was the rallying point on the field of battle; it marked the unit headquarters in camp. In the South in 1861, at the outbreak of the Civil War, Private Sam Watkins of the 1st Tennessee infantry Regiment recalled: 'Flags made by the ladies were presented to companies, and to hear the young orators tell of how they would come back with the flag or come not at all, and if they fell they would fall with their backs to the field and their feet to the foe, would fairly make our hair stand on end with intense patriotism, and we wanted to march right off and whip twenty Yankees.' And in 1865, at the war's end, it was the furling of the defeated Confederate banners that marked the final closing of that episode in history. 'For want of strength', sang Confederate veterans in their song Wearing of the Grey, 'we yield them up the day, and lower the flag so proudly borne, while wearing of the grey.'. Philip Katcher explores the Confederate flags of the American Civil War with plenty of illustrations, including eight full page colour plates by Rick Scollins.

Contents

• Introduction
• The First National Flag
• The Second National Flag
• The Third National Flag
• Battle Flags - Battle Honours
• Other Commands
• Other Flags
• The Plates