I see and hear a lot of folks referring to the Confederate Battle Flag as the Stars and Bars. Just in the general interest of historical accuracy, I wanted to point out that the actual Stars and Bars was the First National Flag, pictured below. One might note that it closely resembles Georgia's current state flag. The Confederate Battle Flag, on the other hand, features a Saint Andrew's cross. The Battle Flag was, primarily, a soldiers' flag. A goodly number of my ancestors fought, bled, and died for North Carolina and the Confederate States. Some were POWs, suffering in the needlessly cruel and horrific conditions of Yankee prison camps. I've been to some of their graves at Elmira. To do less than honor their struggle, sacrifice, and devotion to duty in the defense of their homes, would, for me, be unthinkable.
