Heavy Sewn Naval Jack Flag - 3' x 5'

The Naval Jack/Army of Tennessee Battle flag is the most commonly recognized Confederate flag.

Nickname: “the Southern Cross”

This rectangular version of the Confederate Battle Flag is the one most widely recognized around the world. Using the Southern Cross from the original Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia …

The Naval Jack/Army of Tennessee Battle flag is the most commonly recognized Confederate flag.

Nickname: “the Southern Cross”

This rectangular version of the Confederate Battle Flag is the one most widely recognized around the world. Using the Southern Cross from the original Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV Battle Flag), this symbol came to represent all Confederate troops.

The Southern Cross was first conceived as a consequence of the difficulties in distinguishing the First National Flag of the Confederacy (Stars and Bars) from the U.S. Stars and Stripes on the battlefield of First Manassas due to the lack of wind. When the flags rested in slack wind, they were practically identical. This revelation led to both the creation of a proper soldiers’ flag for the ANV, and the call for a new national flag.

Due to the popularity of the Southern Cross among the civilian population, it was incorporated into the new, 2nd National flag, as the canton. (The rest of the field was left white to symbolize the purity of the Christian Cause of the Confederacy.)

Per naval traditions, the Confederate Navy based it’s “Naval Jack” on the canton of the national flag—hence, with the formal adoption of the new national flag, the Confederate Navy adopted the Southern Cross as their Naval Jack—but extended to rectangular proportions and without a colored border.

In 1864, the Army of Tennessee also adopted this version of the Southern Cross — the same dimensions as the Navy — as their battle flag.

Due to the popularity of these dimensions on all flags, this version of the Southern Cross remains the most flown. It has been flown around the world, by peoples of all races, most often by those wishing to express Christian resistance to tyranny and oppression.