I recently watched the video of a made-for-cable movie, “The Hunley”, about the Confederate experiments with primitive submarine warfare. There was one scene in a theater, during the siege of (I think) Richmond, where Armand Assante’s character suggests to Donald Sutherland that he get everyone singing “The Bonnie Blue Flag” to head off a panic when the explosive shells get too close to the theater. The ploy works, since this song is evidently very patriotic and stirring for the theatergoers.
My question is, since when did the Rebs ever have a “bonnie blue flag that bears a single star”??? As far as I know (and I’m no expert) they adopted the Stars and Bars for the official flag. What is this “bonnie blue flag” that the song refers to, and is it true that the tune is taken from an old Irish drinking song?
No idea when, or maybe it was some kind of unofficial flag. But (shame) I did read “Gone with the Wind” and this bonnie blue flag gets mentioned -in fact I think Scarlett O’Hara named her daughter “Bonnie” because of the flag.
The stars and bars was never the official flag of the Confederacy. It was the battle flag, chosen in part because the official flag, when seen through the smoke of battle, could be mistaken for the American flag.
Thanks, guys, but I still wanna know if the “Bonnie Blue Flag” was a real flag, and who carried it and when, or if it was just a song. Never knew that about the Stars and Bars, though…I guess I’m just an ignorant Yankee!
It looks, from the latter link, like the flag most commonly identified with the Confederacy is the Confederate Navy Jack, the Battle Flag being square. I’m pretty sure I saw a picture of the Bonnie Blue Flag on the web somewhere; will look for it.
I reckon the symbolism of the bonnie blue flag is this: One star = one state, standing by itself. It’s the whole “states’ rights” thing. As the sites about the various flags point out —and as you all will see in the Musuem of the Confederacy in Richomnd, VA.— they had a whole lot of flags in those days. And they would have considered them all “American” flags, although not “Federal” flags.
I would guess that as a general rule, if it didn’t look like the star-spangled banner or a set of regimental colors, then it’d have been a fair target for Union soldiers.
Today, the presence of an Admiral on a ship or base is indicated by a flag a lot like the Bonnie Blue Flag. One star for a one-star “flag” officer, and so on. I can’t say for sure, but I reckon the Army has a similar tradition: they tuck in their shirt tails when a General is on board. (Service humor)
Gunslinger‘s link lists the rectangular battle flag as the naval jack. While I’m sure this is true, the Army of Tennessee used a rectangular flag as well for a battle flag. Apparently they were supposed to be square, like the ones used by the Army of Northern Virginia, but the manufacturer screwed up Joe Johnston’s order. I’m also sure more of these flags saw service in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina, than ever flew from the yardarm of a Confederate ship.