Q: Following the election of Abraham Lincoln, seven states seceded from the Union. Which ones were they?



A: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.

Q: When these 7 states seceded from the Union, were the stars for these 7 states removed from the US Flag?

A: No, President Lincoln refused to remove the stars representing those states which seceded from the Union.

Q: What new organization did these 7 seceded states create?

A: Representatives from these seven states quickly formed a political organization called the Confederate States of America.

Q: What was the first official flag of the Confederacy? Bars and Stars Flag picture

A: The 1st National Flag, also called the ‘Stars and Bars’ Flag, was chosen as the official flag and was flown from March 1861 to May 1863 with 7 stars representing the 7 seceded states.

Q: Were there additional states that seceded from the Union?

A: Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina all seceded for a total 11-state Confederacy.

Q: Who did the Confederate States of America elect as their leader?

A: On February 8, 1861, the Confederate States of America adopted a constitution and within ten days had elected Jefferson Davis as president. Montgomery, Alabama, became the capital.

Q: Why was the Stars and Bars Flag replaced by the 2nd National Confederacy in May, 1863?

A: The Stars and Bars Flag caused confusion on the battlefield because it was so similar to the Union’s Stars and Stripes Flag.

Q: Why does the 2nd National (also called the ‘Stainless Flag’) show 13 stars if there were only 11 states that seceded from the Union?

A: The Confederate State of America chose to include Kentucky and Missouri as stars on this flag as they were slave states and had split legislatures, both Confederacy and Union.

Q: Why was the 2nd National Confederacy Flag replaced by the 3rd National Confederacy in March, 1865? 3rd National Flag picture

A: The 2nd National Confederacy Flag was sometimes mistaken for a flag of truce when no wind was blowing and only white could be seen. A red vertical stripe was added so that it wouldn’t be confused

with a flag of truce.

Q: When and where was the Navy Jack Flag flown? Rebel Flag picture

A: The Navy Jack, also known as the ‘Rebel Flag’ or ‘Southern Cross’ was flown on Confederate ships from 1863 to 1865 and was square in shape compared to the popular rectangular flag of today.

Q: By the end of the Civil War in 1865, how had the US Flag changed?

A: It had 35 stars. One star had been added for Kansas and one star for West Virginia after it separated from Virginia.