I understand the symbolism of the stars and stripes on the modern US flag, however, was there a particular symbolism behind the design of the Confederate flag?

sportsherald

There were several Confederate national flags, plus the battle flag commonly viewed now as the Confederate flag. All of these were inspired somewhat by the "Stars and Stripes" of the original union, and used stars to represent states. Over time, the number of stars shown changed, from 7 to 11 to finally 13 (although Kentucky and Missouri weren't officially seceded). The first national flag, known as the "Stars and Bars," was very similar in form to the post-2003 state flag of Georgia, i.e. red, white and red bars running horizontally across the flag, with a blue canton containing a circle of white stars. There seems not to have been a particular meaning attached to the bars, other than to remind one of the stripes of the Union flag. The similarity between this Stars and Bars to the Stars and Stripes was deliberate, but it did cause confusion in the battlefield. To counteract that, a different battle flag was adopted (based on a design previously considered and rejected for the national flag), which is the now-familiar red field with a blue saltire (X-shaped cross) outlined in white, with white stars on the cross. The battle flag was later incorporated as a canton into the Confederate States of America national flag, on a white field. This information is provided in detail at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_the_Confederate_States_of_America, where the shape of the cross was said to have been chosen to AVOID associations with Christianity. I have seen it said elsewhere (I recall in a TIME magazine article in the 1970s, for example) that the Scottish background of many Southerners was an influence in choosing the X-shaped cross, known as the St. Andrew's Cross (the patron saint and flag of Scotland). This is mentioned at http://www.seiyaku.com/customs/crosses/andrew.html. Aug 19 12, 10:03 AM