| VERY RARE CONFEDERATE NAVAL ENSIGN IN THE FIRST NATIONAL (STARS & BARS) PATTERN, IN AN EXTRAORDINARY, SMALL SIZE, WITH 11 WHIMSICAL, SINGLE-APPLIQUÉD STARS AND A CURIOUSLY WIDE RED BAR, ENTIRELY HAND-SEWN, MADE BETWEEN MAY - NOVEMBER OF 1861: |
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| Web ID: | fcj-953 |
| Available: | Sold |
| Frame Size (H x L): | Approx. 40" x 50" |
| Flag Size (H x L): | 27.75" x 37.75" |
| Description: | |
| This strikingly bold, First National pattern Confederate flag (a.k.a., Stars & Bars) was discovered as part of a group of three notedly beautiful, as well as unusual examples, presumably made for service aboard a ship in service of the CSA. The rare trio was comprised of two, small, 28” x 38” ensigns—of which this is one—plus a 14.7-foot commission pennant, each bearing a complement of 11 stars, to signify the number of states that seceded from the Union by way of official, legislative means. The 11 star count on a First National design suggests early war manufacture, probably between the months of May - November, 1861. Although the order in which states seceded can be based upon various dates, such as the day upon which its legislative body voted in favor of secession, or when the general populous ratified the vote (if necessary), or when the measure took effective (if not immediately),or when it the state was formally accepted by the CSA. On May 20th, 1861, the North Carolina legislature voted unanimously in favor of secession, becoming one of just two states to do so, the other being South Carolina. Curiously, while South Carolina led the charge, on December 17th, 1860, North Carolina was the last of the 11 legislatures to put the measure to vote, holding out until, save the Atlantic coast, it was fenced in on all sides, sharing no borders with Union States. The decision to wait was probably a sound one, for several reasons, lacking the folly of haste and diverting unwanted federal attention. In some states a popular vote of the people was necessary for ratification of the legislative measure. Because no such requirement existed in North Carolina, it was ratified by default on the same day and took immediate effect. Because popular votes in Virginia and Tennessee took place after North Carolina’s vote, it became No. 9 in this line-up, with Virginia and Tennessee as No.’s 10 & 11. Some states also specified a future date, upon which the approved act of secession would take effect. Because North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee did not, they maintained the same order tendered by the popular vote. The fourth means by which dates of secession could theoretically be measured across states was the order in which they were officially accepted into the Confederate States of America (CSA) by President Jefferson Davis and the CSA legislature. This did not precisely measure secession, so much as it did admittance into the new entity. Nonetheless worth noting, on this list North Carolina was No. 10, followed by Tennessee as No. 11. The 11TH star was officially added in July, 1861. Because two other states, though they did not officially secede (Missouri & Kentucky), were nonetheless accepted by the CSA in November and December, 1861, the count was once again updated on December 10th of that year. First National pattern flags made after that date can thus be expected to have 13 stars, terminating use of the 11 star count. This particular example of an 11-star First National flag is interesting for various reasons. For one, only a tiny handful of Confederate Navy small boat ensigns are known to survive in such an extraordinary, small size. At 28” x 38”, the scale is not far off that of the guidons carried by Union Army cavalry, which, by regulation—though actual examples vary—were to be 29” x 41.” Tiny among their sewn counterparts of the Civil War era, flags of this size saw very little use on U.S. Navy craft. Though the smallest, by way of the first regulations for U.S. Navy “boat flags,” in 1854, were to be 3.25 x 6 feet, and were, in 1862, 2.5 x 5 feet, 4-footers are nonetheless encountered. Another fact to be considered is that Confederate flags of all sorts tended to be smaller than their Union counterparts. Regulation, Union infantry battle flags were 6 x 6.65 feet, or about the size of smallish quilt, while Confederate battle flags were generally 4 x 4 feet. This sort of disparity in the size of various CSA colors is encountered throughout the South. Because flags needed to be seen and identified from a distance, the smaller they were, the less effective they were. Among flags with pieced-and-sewn construction (as opposed to printed parade flags) examples from either side that are roughly 3’ long on the fly, are both rare and highly coveted by collectors; small enough to yield lots of flexibility in terms of indoor display, yet large enough to allow for strong visual impact. Due to the lack of available materials during wartime, especially in the impoverished and rural South, both the Confederate Army and Navy needed to be very mindful of resources. In the South, transport by rail was extremely limited by an inferior system of track, that often didn’t match in size from one railway to another. The North had serious advantage, with two thirds of the available track and far superior infrastructure. Though there were more waterways in the South, there were far fewer ships, especially those capable of wartime action. Flags made for ships of the Confederacy are thus far scarcer in the antiques marketplace than Union examples. It could be that both this flag and the matching First National were intentionally made for flexibility of use, to be taken ashore by a Marine unit, for example, and carried as guidons (flank markers), or to be carried on horseback. But perhaps the best thing about this particular flag Confederate relic is its bold, visual presentation. Note the huge size of the stars with respect to that of the blue canton—especially apparent on the reverse. Haphazardly placed, in rows of 4-3-4, note how these point in various directions on their vertical axis. Bent this way and that, note the wide variation in both the size and shape of the arms of each star, many of which are pointed and bent, with an overall effect like that of starfish, whimsical and artistically profound. The flag is entirely hand-sewn throughout. The canton and bars are made of wool bunting. The stars are made of cotton and are single-appliquéd, which means that they were applied to one to side, then the blue fabric was cut from behind each star, folded over, and under-hemmed, so that one appliquéd star would be visible on both sides of the flag. This type of appliqué work almost always leads to stars that are cruder in their visual appearance and thus more interesting, which is certainly the case here. Note how the two rows hand-stitching, instead of one, adds to the homemade quality of the flag. Another reason why this flag is so compelling can be readily seen in the wide girth of the lower red bar, which is twice that of the first two bars combined. Typically the three bars are of like size, with the canton made to fit within the top two. There is a heavy, sailcloth canvas sleeve, with two unusually large, hand-hammered, brass grommets. Though unusual in Southern flags, the presence of metal grommets is ramped in wool flags of the North during the Civil War, widely employed by commercial makers of flags, tents, awnings, etc. In terms of nautical use, a flag of this nature would sometimes be flown at the stern, from a gaff, or from the yard-arm on a larger vessel, or used as the primary flag on a skiff or other small craft that carried sailors back and forth to shore. The flag and its two companions were found many years ago in an Indiana collection. It is of interest to note that the commission pennant, like the two flags, was certainly made by the same person, of the same fabrics, and with similarly large stars, appliquéd in the same manner. The pennant represents the only surviving example, that I am aware of, that was likely produced under military contract. The only other known Confederate commission pennant is said to have been modified by way of adding a red bar to a Union Navy pennant, the design of which has just one red over one white stripe. All-in-all, a rare and beautiful example of Confederate, Civil War flag-making and a wonderful addition to any collection. Brief History of Confederate Flag Design: For those unfamiliar with the history of Confederate flag, know that the most widely recognized design, with 13 stars upon St. Andrew's Cross (a.k.a., the Southern Cross), was not actually one of the three successive national flags of the Confederate States of America. In other words, the pattern known to most people as the Confederate flag, was not, to the Confederacy, what the American national flag was to the Union. Nor was it the flag commonly known as the "Stars & Bars," despite the fact that the Southern Cross prominently displayed both of these features. The Stars & Bars was instead a nickname for the flag that is the subject of this narrative, with a blue canton and three stripes, termed “bars,” in red-white-red. Approved by the Confederate congress on March 4th, 1861, this initially bore 7 stars to reflect the 7 states that left the Union in the initial wave of secession. This would later grow to 8, 9, 10, and 11, as 4 more states followed suit. The count of 13 stars present on this particular flag includes the two border states of Kentucky and Missouri, which had split governments, but were determined to have a significant enough population in support of the Southern position, with commensurate strength and leadership. For this reason, the two states were accepted by the Confederacy in November and December of 1861. Because it looked so much like the Stars & Stripes, use of the Stars & Bars on the same battlefield created great confusion. For this reason, the national design would eventually change. The second national Confederate flag was adopted on May 26th, 1863. Known as the Stainless Banner, it was white in color, with the Southern Cross (a.k.a. the Confederate Battle Flag) serving as its canton. Soldiers and officers alike disliked this design because it looked too much like a surrender flag, especially if a unit that was carrying it was headed straight at you and there was no cross wind. If given the opportunity, so the story goes, soldiers would dip the fly end of the flag in blood. 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 called the “blood stained banner”, but officially the red did not represent blood, but rather paid homage to the French, which lent aid to the South during the war. If one were to replace the first third portions of the third Confederate national flag with a blue vertical bar, the result would be the French tri-color (the national flag of France). Changes in the flag on the battlefield, for the most part, occurred far more quickly. General Joe Johnston became the first Confederate officer to approve a Southern Cross style flag for use by ground forces, in the Fall of 1861. The design would not become the battle flag of every unit. It would, however, go on to be carried by many units, with tons of variation, throughout all states in the Confederacy. Johnson's approval followed the suggestion of General P.G.T. Beauregard, who complained to the Confederate government that the First Confederate National Flag, (a.k.a., the Stars & Bars,) looked too much like the Stars & Stripes. Beauregard's request was denied, but after conferring with Johnston, and General G.W. Smith, Johnston approved use of the Southern Cross style Confederate battle flag at the field level. Provenance: With All Due Ceremony Antiques; An Indiana collector. 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 background is 100% cotton twill, black in color, that has been washed and treated for color fastness. The black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed molding is Italian. The glazing is U.V. protective acrylic. Condition: Excellent. There are extremely minor losses in the wool fabrics, accompanied by minor instances of the same in the top and middle bar. There is minor to extremely minor staining in the white fabrics. Overall exceptional among its wool counterparts of the Civil War period. |
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| Video: | |
| Collector Level: | Flags for the truest Patriots. My best offerings |
| Flag Type: | Sewn flag |
| Star Count: | 11 |
| Earliest Date of Origin: | 1861 |
| Latest Date of Origin: | 1861 |
| State/Affiliation: | The Confederacy |
| War Association: | 1861-1865 Civil War |
| Price: | SOLD |
| E-mail: | info@jeffbridgman.com |
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