Why Does the Confederate Flag Have 13 Stars?

Statue of Jefferson Davis, first president of the Confederate States

On February 9, 1861, the Confederate States of America was established, led by Jefferson Davis. Just 1 month later, in March 1861, the first official flag of the Confederacy was created.

First Official Confederate Flag

First official Confederate flag flying next to U.S. flag

The first official flag of the Confederacy contained seven stars, representing the seven original Confederate States: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. This flag was in use from March 1861 to May 1863.

Battlefield Flag of the Confederacy

While the first official Confederate flag contained seven stars, the flag carried on the battlefield contained 13 stars, representing the seven original Confederate States and the six other states that were pushing to secede from the United States.

Other States Hoping to Secede

Two Confederate flags fly in background

The additional six states that were seeking to secede from the United States were Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky and Missouri.

Second Official Flag of the Confederacy

Second official flag of the Confederacy on flagpole

On May 1, 1863, the second official Confederate flag was introduced, and this one contained 13 stars. This represented the 11 states that had officially seceded (including Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina) and the two other states (Kentucky and Missouri) that were unsuccessful in their efforts to secede.

Other Confederate Flags

Before the end of the Civil War, a few other flags were used by the Confederate States, including those that contained 15 stars and some that represented specific states.

References

• USFlag.org: Confederate Stars and Bars
• Flags of the World: Confederate Flags
• The History Place: Civil War