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The Union Flag
The Union Flag changed very little during the war. It closely resembles the American flag used today. The blue field in the upper left corner was to represent the sky, with each star for each new state placed over that sky as a new constellation. The 13 stripes represented the original 13 colonies. These stripes were to alternate between the colors red representing hardiness and valor, white representing purity and innocence and the blue field representing vigilance, perseverance and justice. The Union Flag had 35 stars representing the 35 states in the Union at the time of the Civil War.
The First Confederate Flag
There were four official Confederate Flags used. The first was a simple design with the familiar blue field in the upper left corner and seven stars representing the seven states that first joined the Confederacy. There were three large stripes: a red one on the top and bottom with a white one in the center. The design earned this flag the name "The Stars and Bars." The similarity in colors, stars and stripes used caused a great deal of confusion on the battle field.
The Second Confederate Flag
The second flag earned the name "The Stainless Banner." Like the Union Flag it used red, white and blue colors, but unlike the Union Flag, this flag was pure white except for the upper left corner in which the more familiar design of the blue "X" with 13 white stars inside the "X" and surrounded by red. Even in the midst of the war, the Confederacy did not want to abandon the red, white and blue basis for the flag. The drawback to this flag was the very large portion of it that was white. In still air, the upper left panel could not be seen and it looked very much like a flag of surrender.
The Third Confederate Flag
The third flag closely resembled the second with the upper left panel and the white background. The only change was in adding a red bar on the right side of the flag. The colors used were still the red, white and blue. The stars still stood for the number of states in the Confederacy in the same way the stars on the Union flag stood for the states supporting the Union.
The Confederate Battle Flag
The battle flag is also known as the "Southern Cross." This is the flag that generates controversy as it is the Confederate flag that is flown today. Iit is square as opposed to the rectangle shap of the Union Flag. The background is entirely red with the large blue "X" in the center. In the "X" is a white star for each state that was in the Confederacy. Despite the differences that led to this war, the flags used the same colors, the same symbolism and both flew over American soil.