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  CONFEDERATE, SOUTHERN CROSS, BATTLE-STYLE PARADE FLAG WITH A RARE 1935 OVERPRINT IN GOLD LEAF FOR A 1935 REUNION OF THE UNITED CONFEDERATE VETERANS (UCV) IN AMARILLO, TEXAS

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 19.5" x 25.5"
Flag Size (H x L): 11.5" x 17.75"
Description....:
Confederate parade flag, printed on oilcloth-like cotton, in a rectangular version of the Southern Cross format, commonly referred to as the Confederate Bbattle flag or the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia. Overprinted in the red field, in gold leaf, is the following which identifies text the event where it was displayed: “U.C.V.; Amarillo, Texas; 1935; 45th Annual Reunion.”

One reason why this rare little flag was such an exciting find lies in the simple fact that flags of any kind relating to Texas are extremely rare both inside and outside institutional collections. Another note of interest, with regard to scarcity, is the prevailing circumstance that very few Confederate reunion-era flags survive with overprinted text.

The United Confederate Veterans (UCV), formed in 1889 and served as the primary post-war organization for Confederate soldiers. The Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), which was established in 1884, came first and actually preceded the men.

Wikipedia probably gives the best, most concise description of the U.C.V. that I have encountered:

“Prior to 1889, Confederate veterans had no national organization similar to the Grand Army of the Republic [the primary veteran’s association for the Union Army]. Several separate fraternal and memorial groups existed on a local and regional level. Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1889, several of these groups united and formed the United Confederate Veterans Association. The organization was founded to serve as a benevolent, historical, social, and literary association [and was] active well into 1940’s.

The primary functions of the organization were to provide for widows and orphans of former Confederate soldiers, preserve relics and mementos, care for disabled former soldiers, preserve a record of the service of its members, and organize reunions and fraternal gatherings. At its height, membership in the organization was approximately 160,000 former Confederate soldiers organized into 1,885 local camps. The UCV produced a magazine called Confederate Veteran with articles about events during the war and providing a forum for lost comrades to locate one another.”

Brief History of Confederate Flag Design:
The Confederacy had three successive national designs, known as the first, second, and third Confederate national flags. The original looked much like the Stars & Stripes. It consisted of 7 white stars arranged in a blue canton, and three linear stripes instead of thirteen (2 red with 1 white in-between). The star count was updated with the secession of additional states and/or the admission of border states by Confederate President Jefferson Davis. This is the flag known as the "Stars & Bars." Because they were so alike, use of the Stars & Stripes and the Stars & Bars on the same battlefield created great confusion. For this reason, the Second National Confederate flag was adopted on May 26th, 1863. It was white in color, with the Southern Cross (the Confederate battle flag) serving as its canton. Soldiers and officers alike disliked this design because it looked too much like a surrender flag, and, so the story goes, if given the opportunity, would dip the end in blood to provide color.

36 days before the war’s end a red vertical bar was added at the fly end and the result became the third national design. This was the “blood stained banner”, but officially it did not represent blood, but rather paid homage to the French, which lent aid to the South during the war. Note how if you were to replace the first third of the flag with a blue vertical bar, the result would be the French tri-color, the national flag of France.

The Southern Cross battle flag, or the "Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia," as it is often called, was put into use more quickly than the adoption of the Second National Confederate design and was carried simultaneously by various Confederate units for the remainder of the war. The purpose was the same. It was a better signal, being distinctly different than the Stars & Stripes, but many people are surprised to learn that the Southern Cross, by itself, was not the national flag of the Confederate States of America. Officially, in rectangular format, it served as the Confederate Navy Jack. In square format it came to be called “the battle flag”, partly because it was carried in this format, for that purpose, by Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia, as well as by Beauregard’s Army and others. It also received widespread love in the South because it was Lee's flag, and because the second and third national designs were not particularly admired by Confederate soldiers, the second for reasons previously stated and the third because the design was so short-lived.

Mounting: The flag was mounted and framed within our own conservation department, which is led by expert staff. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of flags and have framed thousands of examples.

The solid walnut molding dates to the period between 1870 and 1890 and retains its original gilded liner. The background is 100% hem fabric or a hemp and cotton blend. Spacers keep the textile away from the glass, which is U.V. protective.
Collector Level: Intermediate-Level Collectors and Special Gifts
Flag Type: Parade flag
Star Count: 13
Earliest Date of Origin: 1935
Latest Date of Origin: 1935
State/Affiliation: The Confederacy
War Association: 1861-1865 Civil War
Price: SOLD
 

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