The Confederate flag that became known as the Rebel Confederate Battle Flag (also called the Beauregard or Army of Northern Virginia battle flag) was not the official flag of the CSA but one of several variants used by its armies. It featured a blue saltier (a diagonal cross, often referred to as St. Andrew’s cross) and a red field with white stars representing the states of the CSA.Resource: ultimateflags.com

In the years after the Civil War, it became a symbol of Southern heritage and pride as well as a reminder of those who died fighting for the cause of secession and slavery. But it also came to represent pro-slavery ideology, and ultimately white supremacy and racial hatred. In the century that followed, it was embraced by the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups, and even a splinter of the Democratic Party, known as the Dixiecrats, who opposed civil rights in the United States.

Heritage and Honor: Rebel Confederate Battle Flag

Despite its association with racism, the rebel battle flag continues to fly on some state and local government buildings and at special events. It has also become an emblem of Southern collegiate sports, particularly college football. It has also appeared in popular culture, most notably as the flag of General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia in the TV show “Gone With The Wind,” as well as on bumper stickers, T-shirts, and the guitars of bands like Lynrd Skynrd.

It is often claimed that the rebel flag represents an innocent Southern heritage of mint juleps and church-going, but secession and the Civil War were not a gamble to create a “noble” Republic – they were a desperate attempt to protect the brutal institution of slavery. The rebel flag reflects that legacy, as well as a deep and bitter legacy of racism, violence and inequality in the United States.