The Confererate Battle Flag

I Am the Confederate Battle Flag

My design is based upon the St. Andrews Cross of Scotland. Some prefer to call me the " rebel flag", either name I will wear with honor. There is certainly no shame in being called a Confederate, as the people who bore that same honorable title are remembered for their bravery on the battle field, a Southern culture built upon hard work and faith in God. As for the name "rebel" it was the Revolutionary War soldier Thomas Paine, in his series, " The American Crisis" who said " Let them call me Rebel and welcome. I feel no concern from it ".Because, you see, it was George Washington and his Colonial Army who were the original Rebels. My boys in Gray were the second to wear that name.

My soldiers were so proud of me and held me in high esteem. Many songs and poems were written to praise me. Southern ladies especially loved me and often I was hand made and presented to Dixie's heroes at formal ceremonies. My folds still bear the brown stains of the blood of young heroes.

A poem by Abram Ryan said. "Once ten thousand hailed me gladly and ten thousand wildly, madly swore I should never wave. For, though conquered, they adore me. Let the cold, dead hands that bore me weep for those who fell before me". I was carried high on Memorial Day and "Dixie" was included in July 4th ceremonies. On Veteran's Day my men marched along with those from other wars. I waved proudly beside state flags in front of every state building in the South. The great grandcildren of my soldiers put me in tag form on their vehicles and posted me proudly in front of their homes. At some universities I became the rallying cry at athletic events.The decendants of my warriors remebered both them and me with honor and reverant pride.

But history began to be revised and things such as hard work, personal responsibility, chastity, civility, even Christian symbols such as the Cross, the Nativity and the Ten Commandments became unpopular as society became more crude and coarse. I find that I, the once honored flag of the Confederacy, have become the primary target for the speech police.

I have heard of this thing called "diversity", and if I understand it corectly, it means that this country is working toward the inclusion of and equal treatment for all ethnic groups. Then why is MY group singled out not only for omission but for slander?

The saddest part for me is that a great number of Confederate descendants have let the liberal media world convince them to be ashamed of who they are. Others have become ashamed to display me. How I wish they could have seen their grandfathers hold my colors proudly at Shiloh or witnessed the calm reserve at Gettysberg as General Pickett sent them forward into cannon and minnie balls while I floated above their brave heads. There were no cowards in those places, only the valliant willing to die for the Constitution and their beloved homes.

Perhaps my people need to be reminded of who they are and what I am. I am a Christian symbol based on the St. Andrew's Cross, the native flag of Scotland. According to tradition St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland was crucified on an X shaped cross. The X shaped cross is also the Greek letter for chi, which has long been an abbreviation for Christ. 19th century military tactics required perfect alignment in order to fire effectively on an enemy. This rigid formation depended on being able to align troops on the flag. Therefore, I was a "rallying point" for the boys in gray. But I was respected by the Union too. Union troops received a Congressional Medal of Honor for the capture of a Confederate Flag. Because of the confusion between the similarity of the 1st National flag of the CSA and the National flag of the USA, General P.G.T. Beaurgard and Joseph E. Johnston adopted my design for their battle flag. I was first known as the "Southern Cross" and today I am generally reffered to as the Confederate Battle Flag. Even the gaping bullet holes that appeared in me after every engagement were pointed to with pride, as being further indication of valor for the men of the unit.It further reminds me of the courage and dedication that were needed. Confederate soldiers had only to look at the bloodstains of their fallen comrades which the battle action placed on my colors.

Even in the twentieth entury I have been carried into battles for freedom. As the United Nations fought to protect South Korea from the aggression of North Korea, I flew over the front lines with the US 7th Marines, 3rd Battalion, E Company. When the TV cameras scanned the fall of a Communist dictatorship in Eastern Europe with the destruction of the Berlin Wall, I was seen waving in many hands in that sea of humanity. In Lagar Province, Afgan freedom fighters placed me on a pole in a barrel of a captured Soviet tank, as they struggled to remove Russian control of their nation. During Operation Desert Storm, a British unit took me with them into their zone of responsibility as they worked to lift the aggression of Iraq over Kuwait. Somehow, across the years, I think I heard again "Rebel Yells" in approval as brave men once more carried me into battle for freedom. In the War for Southern Independance, Corp. T.J. Carlisle of the 37th Alabama Infantry said this about me, "Hail thou flag of the brave. We lift our hats in reverence as we behold the speechless but unmistakeable evidence that you have passed through the fiery ordeal of war in all it's fury. We are proud of your history, proud of your scars and venerate you for all ages to come and when time and it's inevitable changes shall disolve your sacred folds into dust, may the patriotic emotions which actuated us in that memorial struggle pervade American hearts and live in vivid memories of Southern heroism and Southern chivalry.

Why do my people not still love me? Why do they not display me on their governemtn buildings and other businesses? Above all, why do they not fly me on occasions of Confederacy Memorial Day (4th Monday of April), Gen. Lee's birthday (3rd Monday of January) and President Davis's birthday (June 3rd)? Perhaps they just need to become reaquainted with who I REALLY AM, not what those who hate me SAY I AM. Remember me and honor me openly, my children. I was based on a Christian symbol, represented a fight for independance, carried by fearless men and loved by your grandparents. I am the Confederate Battle Flag. Fly me proudly, I am your inheritance.

I Am the Conferderate Battle Flag