This flag was adopted but never officially enacted. For twenty five days the Confederate States of
America had no officially approved flag. In their haste to have a flag prepared for the flag raising
ceremony on March 4, 1861, Congress neglected to formally enact a flag law. When this flag was first
raised over the capitol building in Montgomery, it contained seven stars, representing the
Confederate States. By the third week of May two more stars were added representing Virginia and
Arkansas. In July the addition of North Carolina and Tennessee increased the number to eleven and
finally the admission of Kentucky and Missouri in December brought the circle of stars to thirteen.
During battle this flag was sometimes confused with the Union Stars and Stripes, therefore it was
replaced by the 2nd National flag in 1863.
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