Speaker shares flags of confederacy with Lions
By Angie Long
Wednesday, January 17, 2007Flags are state and national symbols that conjure up feelings both positive and
negative, says Dr. Mike Daniel, history professor at LBWCC-Greenville.Patriotism, love, fear, controversy. All are deep emotions stirred by flags
throughout history, whether it’s the Nazi emblem, the Lone Star of Texas, the
Stars and Stripes, or the Confederate Battle Flag.In honor of General Robert E. Lee’s 200th birthday this week, Daniel presented
a slide show program on “The Flags of the Confederacy” to the Greenville
Lions on Monday. The historian shared some little-known facts and little-seen
emblems with the audience.“One of the early flags used by the Confederacy was the ‘Bonnie
Blue,’ a simple blue flag with a single white star in the center,” Daniel
explained.“You may have seen this one on car tags and wondered what it symbolized.
Now you know.”According to Daniel, the Confederate song, “Bonnie Blue Flag,”
was extremely popular during the war and was as well known in its day as “Dixie.”“The Bonnie Blue Flag symbolized the independent nature of these states.
The popularity of this song and flag is seen in ‘Gone With the Wind.’
Scarlett and Rhett name their child Bonnie Blue Butler,” Daniel said.Another little-known flag from the Confederacy was an Alabama flag briefly
adopted after the state seceded from the Union.The “Republic of Alabama” flag is unusual in that it featured a
design on both sides, Daniel said.The front of the flag features the goddess of Liberty holding a star and a
sword, “indicating Alabama was willing to fight if need be,” Daniel
said.The words “Independence Now and Forever” are emblazoned across
the flag.“On the back of the flag, you see a cotton plant, certainly an emblem
of Alabama, and a coiled snake; again, showing the state’s willingness to fight.
The Latin phrase, ‘Noli Me Tangere,’ means ‘Don’t tread on me,’”
Daniel said.The complexity of its design was one of the factors leading to Republic flag’s
demise – “it was just too expensive to mass produce.”The professor also shared the stories of a number of flags of the various Confederate
States as they evolved throughout the war.“Note how similar these early flags were to the Stars and Stripes. The
Confederates felt they had as much right to that part of their history as anyone,”
Daniel explained.“After all, many of those who had governed the nation were southerners;
(the Union flag) was part of their culture and history, too.”Another little-known fact: battle flags were invariably square, not the rectangles
we see nowadays.“You don’t want a lengthy flag that’s going to catch on trees or drag
the ground when you are in battle,” the professor explained.The mass-produced Confederate flag commonly seen today is actually the Confederate
naval flag. “Its rectangular design makes it fly much better than the
square design.”Daniel also showed images of various southern state flags created in the 1890s.
The professor said some historians have suggested the reason so many of these
flags feature the Saint Andrew’s Cross in their design is the Celtic influence
on the South and the flags of Scotland and Ireland.“Flags represent our country, our people, our culture. They do stir our
emotions, good and bad, and that’s the way it should be,” Daniel said.Anyone wanting to hear all the details of the Daniel’s informative “Flags
of the Confederacy” presentation is encouraged to attend this Friday’s
celebration of Robert E. Lee’s 200th birthday.The event will begin with a 4 p.m. re-dedication ceremony at the Confederate
Monument (weather permitting) and continue indoors at the First United Methodist
Church.“We have a 90-minute presentation planned on aspects of Civil War history.
We’ll also have youngsters from Fort Dale dressed up as Civil War characters.
I am eager to see a fourth grader decked out as Robert E. Lee,” Daniel
said with a smile.Copyright © 2007 The Greenville Advocate
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