Did You Know That Both Sides Used Red, White and Blue Flags?

Did You Know That Both Sides Used Red, White and Blue Flags?. . During the Civil War, both the Union and the Confederacy carried flags into battle. Commanders and units also carried their own battle flags and banners so that their men could rally “round the flag.” The battlefield was a colorful place , but during the Civil War the colors were mostly red, white, and blue., The United States of America's Flag (the Yankees) , The Stars and Stripes of the Union then held 35 stars along with its 13 stripes. Although 11 states officially left the Union to join the Confederacy, the United States government did not recognize this action. So the flag stayed at 34 stars until a 35th was added on 4 July 1863 to recognize the state of West Virginia (joined on 20 June 1863). This flag represented the US both in peace and in war., The Confederate States of America's Flag (the Rebels) , The Confederate States of America had a series of flags. Their first national flag – called the Stars and Bars , started with seven stars and added stars as other states joined the Confederacy. They even added stars for Kentucky and Missouri , these two neutral states had many citizens that sided with the Rebels. On 1 May 1863, two years into the war, the Confederacy adopted a new flag , the Stainless Banner , because their first flag looked too much like the US Stars and Stripes, especially on the battlefield. At the same time, the Confederate States adopted the Southern Cross as their battle flag., Captions: , Bottom left, clockwise from top left: , . Second National Confederate States flag, the Stainless Banner. It flew at the Battle of Resaca. , . Third National Confederate States flag, the Blood Stained Banner (adopted 4 March 1865) , . Confederate Battle flag, the Southern Cross, appeared on battlefields in both the rectangular and square versions. , Top right: Battle of Resaca, engraving by Louis Kurz , Bottom right: Succession of Confederate States of America's Stars and Bars