Learning More About The First Confederate Flag

As you know if you read our blogs regularly or have visited the First White House of the Confederacy in Montgomery, Alabama, we fly the First Confederate Flag, aka the "Stars and Bars" on the grounds of our building.

This flag is thought to have been designed by Nichola Marschall, a portrait painter and artist who was born in Germany, but emigrated to America and spent a great deal of time in Marion, Alabama.

His patron was Mrs. Napoleon Lockett, ancestor of several of our White House Association members. She supposedly asked him to draw several sketch for the flag and one of these was accepted by the Confederate Government.

The Stars and Bars was  first raised in front of the Alabama State Capitol, which at that time was the seat of the CSA on March 4, 1861 by President John Tyler's granddaughter, Miss Letitia Tyler. Descendants of her are also in the White House Association today.

 

Here is the design showing seven stars, representing the original seven states that seceded. Marschall also designed the Confederate Uniform, basing it on the Prussian Uniforms he remembered from his years of living in Germany.