Stars and Bars

Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
1

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mconfederate.html

This report perpetuates the misconception that “Stars and Bars” refers to the Confederate Battle Flag, the controversial flag with a red background and a blue cross with white stars. In fact it refers to a different flag, a national flag of the Confederacy, that had a blue field with stars in the upper left, much like a U.S. flag, but with bars instead of stripes.

2

If this is such a misconception, could you provide a few cites for your version, please?

Cecil seems to provide several cites in the column you referred to.

Are we expected to accept your version as correct simply because you said so?

3

Here are a few links:

http://www.jlkstamps.com/webpage/starbar.htm

http://www.usflag.org/confederate.stars.and.bars.html

http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-csa1.html
http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/starsbar.htm
http://www.bartleby.com/61/23/S0712300.html

You can find “Stars and Bars” erroneously applied to the Battle Flag too. It’s a common misconception.

4

This is one of the things that drives historians crazy. Yes, the expression “Stars and Bars” referred to the First Confederate National Flag. Unfortunately, for every person who knows that, there are a hundred who think it meant the battle flag. The column really should be updated to clarify this. It could also use the statement somewhere that the First Confererate National Flag had exactly three stripes, red, white, and red, which were the “bars” of the name. (Which is incorrect heraldry, but never mind.)

5

Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards, Josh, glad to have you with us.

This has been discussed before, at Slight misinformation on Confederate Battle flag

I’ll ask SDStaffers Ken and John Corrado if they’d like to revise the Staff Report.