Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag
Early Southern Banner Still Flies in Louisiana
The Bonnie Blue flag, featuring a single white star on a field of blue, was a popular Southern symbol before the star-crossed Battle Flag eclipsed it as the emblem of the Confederate cause. The song was a roll-call of seceding states that were “fighting for our liberty with treasure, blood and toil.”
Flag of the Republic of West Florida
The flag was first flown in 1810, when inhabitants of a region stretching from western Louisiana into neighboring parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida proclaimed their independence as the Republic of West Florida.
Spain claimed that it never relinquished control of West Florida to France, and it refused to recognize it as part of the Louisiana Purchase. So the non-Spanish citizens raised the Bonnie Blue Flag and proclaimed their independence. The republic lasted 74 days -- long enough for the United States to annex it.
Symbol of Texas Independence
But the flag lived in memory. Texans raised it in their fight for independence from Mexico. After the election of Abraham Lincoln triggered an exodus of Southern states from the union, the Bonnie Blue Flag became an early symbol of secession. Harry McCarthy, a well-known comedian of the day, saw it raised over Jackson as Mississippi proclaimed its independence, and penned the words of the patriotic ditty.
Under the headline, “Crossing the Rubicon,” The Beacon, of Greensboro, Ala., recorded the cannon-roaring celebration as independence was proclaimed in the Heart of Dixie:
“The moment the first gun was fired, we by chance looked in the direction of the palatial residence of our noble-hearted fellow citizen, Col. Thomas H. Watts, and perceived that he had thrown to the breeze a beautiful little flag on which a lone star stood out in bold relief.”
Never the Official Confederate Flag
The Bonnie Blue Flag never became the official flag of the Confederacy. The first national flag to fly over the original Capitol in Montgomery was the Stars and Bars, an unabashed imitation of the Stars and Stripes. It looked so much like the Union flag that Confederate troops adopted a more distinctive banner to avoid confusion on the battlefield. That flag, the Confederate Battle Flag, is the most recognizable of Confederate emblems. It became a visual Rebel yell that still shouts brashly from porches, auto antennas, and truck grilles across the South.
Battle Flag Did Not Fly Over Confederate Capitol
The Battle Flag was never officially adopted by the Confederate Congress and did not fly over the original national Capitol (now the Alabama state Capitol) in Montgomery until George Wallace hoisted it during his battle against desegregation. The Stars and Bars – three broad stripes and a circle of stars -- was flown as the national symbol until it was retired in May 1863 in favor of the “Stainless Banner.”
Stainless Banner Resembled Flag of Truce
The Stainless Banner featured the Battle Flag's familiar star-studded diagonal cross in the upper hoist corner of a plain white field. When that banner hung limp, however, it resembled a flag of truce. So on March 4, 1865, the Confederate Congress added a broad, vertical red bar to the flying end of the banner. Just 36 days later, the Confederate cause died at Appomattox.
Bonnie Blue Flag Still Flies
The Bonnie Blue Flag no longer quickens the Southern pulse, but in Louisiana, it is still flown at courthouses in eight parishes that were once part of the Republic of West Florida.
Don't Mistake It for Somalian Flag
If you’re looking for one to fly for yourself, make sure the background is dark blue, not sky blue. The almost-identical flag with the sky-blue background is the national flag of Somalia.
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