The Confederate Battle Flag: America's Most Embattled Emblem

by John M. Coski

In recent years, the Confederate flag has become as much a news item as a Civil War relic. Intense public debates have erupted over Confederate flags flying atop state capitols, being incorporated into state flags, waving from dormitory windows, or adorning the T-shirts and jeans of public school children. To some, this piece of cloth is a symbol of white supremacy and enduring racial injustice; to others, it represents a rich Southern heritage and an essential link to a glorious past. Polarizing Americans, these "flag wars" reveal the profound--and still unhealed--schisms that have plagued the country since the Civil War.

"The Confederate Battle Flag" is the first comprehensive history of this contested symbol. Transcending conventional partisanship, John Coski reveals the flag's origins as one of many banners unfurled on the battlefields of the Civil War. He shows how it emerged as the preeminent representation of the Confederacy and was transformed into a cultural icon from Reconstruction on, becoming an aggressively racist symbol only after World War II and during the Civil Rights movement. We gain unique insight into the fine line between the flag's use as a historical emblem and as an invocation of the Confederate nation and all it stood for. Pursuing the flag's conflicting meanings, Coski suggests how this provocative artifact, which has been viewed with pride, fear, anger, nostalgia, and disgust, might ultimately provide Americans with the common ground of a shared and complex history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Civil War, American Civil War, American History, Social Issues

448 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2005

Reviews

[Charles van Buren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of the history of Confederate flags. In depth look at how the battleflag has been viewed over the years since the war by various people and groups. Here is, I think, an excellent quote, "...the Confederate flag means many different things to many different people. Recognize that the flag has significance beyond racism. Try to understand that the message you receive when you see the flag may not be the message the person displaying it intends to send.” (Quoted in Coski, pp. 304)

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific book that takes one of the most divisive symbols in America - the Confederate battle flag - and tries to make sense of the debates that have taken place regarding it over the last few decades. Coski presents the history of what is commonly (and mistakenly) referred to as the "Stars and Bars" (Stars and Bars actually refers to the first Confederate National Flag) and shows how its use and purpose evolved over time from an objection of reverence to Southern valour to one appropriated by racist groups and marketers as an object of kitsch. Although rather sympathetic to the flag defenders (not surprisingly since he serves as a historian and chief librarian at the Museum of the Confederacy), he does present a balanced view of both sides of various debates that have taken place over the years in venues such as public schools, universities, and state buildings and flags. He sums up with a rather preachy epilogue directed to flag defenders and naysayers alike designed to deliver common sense to both. A great read for someone wanting to understand both sides of one of the most divisive issues of recent times

[Porter Broyles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a flag guy---I currently own about 50 different flags!

I was interested in this book because it was about the Confederate Battle Flag---arguably one of the most controversial symbols in modern America.
I have become an avid consumer of non-fiction history. My resurrection of my love for history was resurrected with the Charleston shooting in 2015. After the shooting, the symbolism of the Confederate Battle Flag became the subject of the day. Did the battle flag represent oppression of blacks or did it stand for (independent of modern connotations) Southern Heritage?

This question spurned a deep interest in me that has lasted for over 5 years and 400+ books.
Had I read this book in 2015, I may not have become the student of history I am today. This book answers the questions that sparked my renewed love for history.

I share that so that you can understand where this review comes from.

I loved this book. It is probably not for everybody, but for me I learned something new on almost every single page.

If you want to learn more about the history of the Confederate Battle Flag, then this is the book for you. If you read this book thinking, “Oh, it’s evil” then you will probably not like it. If you read this book thinking, “Oh, it’s been a part of Southern Pride and Heritage for the past 150 years”, then you definitely will not like it.

This book presents the history of the flag---right or wrong---the history.
ith

[Debbie Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Confederate Battle Flag is a fascinating read by John M Coski, historian and Library Director at the Museum of the Confederacy; published by Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. This Confederate flag never represented the Confederacy as a separate nation; never flew over any confederate buildings. Square and never rectangular in its official state, it was one of many battle flags, rejected as a battle flag among some Confederate troops that preferred the Stars and Bars or other flags. After the Civil War, it was resurrected by the Daughters of the Confederacy who wanted a flag to drape the caskets of deceased, former Confederate soldiers. Although many argue that it symbolises rebellion, it is impossible, hard as some try, to extract it from the legacy of slavery in the South. Filled with detailed research, none of which bog down the examination of this flag in every way.

[Jj Kwashnak · Rating 5 out of 5]

The past few months has seen a renewed discussion (and opposition) to the use and display of the Confederate Flag, most specifically the use of the Confederate Battle Flag (often erroneously referred to as the 'Stars and Bars'). Coski's book, which is about a decade old, is more relevant now for understanding how we got to where we are in our arguments about the flag, and its meaning. [Ironically, I couldn't purchase this book for a while when I first tried to because the Confederate flag and related material were pulled from Amazon's site for a bit.] The first part of the book traces the history of the flag (and how the battle flag came to represent the Confederacy over the official state flag), and it's uses in the subsequent 75 years after the war. The second part looks at how the flag's meaning and perception started to be changed, and fought over, in the era of the civil war centennial and the battles over integration and civil rights. Finally he goes over some of the major fights in the 1980's to 2000's over the display and use of the flag, including statehouse flying of the flag in South Carolina and Alabama and the use of the flag as part of the state flags of Georgia and Mississippi. A thorough book which the author tries to cover from all perspectives (though he does clearly have his own opinion of the flag's use) and is an important book to understand how we have gotten to where we are in terms of the flag, it's meaning and display, and the arguments used for and against, which still echo in our debates today. Very accessible reading for those who are just interested.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since moving to Charleston, South Carolina a decade ago, I’ve become fascinated by the Civil War. To me, it was always just a chapter in American history; but here, the “War of Northern Aggression” continues to reverberate.

No more so than in 2015 when a white supremacist, who posed with the Confederate flag in photos, killed nine African Americans at a Bible study group. Afterward, the SC legislature voted to remove the Confederate flag from atop the State House, where it had flown since 1961. To my surprise, furling the flag wasn’t a unanimous decision. Many people vehemently argued that history is being “erased” or “rewritten,” and that the flag's about “heritage, not hate.” I knew very little about the heritage, outside of the Dukes of Hazzard, so I found The Confederate Battle Flag: America’s Most Embattled Emblem by John M. Coski to provide some background.

Despite being ten years old, the book is still relevant to current discussions about Confederate symbols and monuments. It’s a well-researched and thoughtful account that provides the full history of the flag.

It begins with the flag’s conception as the battle flag of Gen. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, then shows how it became the primary Confederate symbol, despite never being the national flag of the Confederacy. (That was the Stars and Bars, which fell out of favor due to its similarity to the American flag.) After the war, the flag became a symbol in the Lost Cause ideology, in which southerners maintained that despite losing, their cause was just and moral, and although slavery was abolished, white supremacy was still a noble part of southern life. They romanticized the Old South and myths such as the benevolent master and content slaves developed.

Then, as southern soldiers fought alongside northern in the Spanish American War and WWI, it was determined that southerners could be patriotic Americans and be proud of the Confederate ideals at the same time, a sort of dual citizenship. This reconciliation of white America was achieved at the expense of African Americans, resulting in disenfranchisement and a legacy of racial conflict.

After WWII, advertisers and college students popularized the flag as a symbol of the entire South and rebelliousness in general. The flag became common at fraternities, football games, stock car races, and as a symbol of the Southern good ole boy. As African Americans increasingly organized and fought for equal rights, the flag also became a potent symbol of white supremacy, used by groups as varied as the Dixiecrat political party, the KKK, and parents opposed to the desegregation of schools.

As African Americans gained political and economic power, they began to challenge the public uses of the Confederate flag. The final section of the book describes controversies over where the flag flies, state flag designs, school mascots, and dress codes, then outlines what the courts have decided.

Coski concludes that the Confederate flag’s use through time determines its various meanings and the way people perceive it. The symbol is too complicated to claim pure heritage or pure racism. He advocates relegating it solely to museums and war memorials, where it can be given context. Unfortunately, this even-handed compromise would involve empathy and understanding by all, which is in short supply these days.

[Stuart · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to be positive to begin with, because I will say some unkind things in this review. This was a deeply frustrating book to read and at times a labor just to get to the very end. However, I learned a lot about the history of the Confederate flag from reading it. I feel much more informed about its history and better qualified to examine its role in American society than I was before I read it. In that regard this book was an unqualified success - I got out of the experience what I most hoped to when I started reading it. However, getting there was something of a chore. I don’t mean in terms of the writing, which is largely fine even if it can drag at times with the inclusion of too many case studies with too much superfluous detail. Instead, it is in Coski’s analysis of the history of the flag that the problems begin to arise.

Many of my frustrations with this book are arguably best summarised by this passage:

"The motives of each state for embracing the St. Andrew’s cross battle flag as part of its official symbollism are murky and open to debate. Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina did so during the eventful 1950s and 1960s. The coincidence of the Civil War Centennial and the civil rights movement makes it difficult to discern whether the states intended the battle flag as an historical war memorial or as a gesture of defiance to federally mandated integration"
— John Coski, The Confederate Battle Flag, p. 237

This is not the only time Coski expresses an opinion in this vein and it is made particularly baffling because throughout the text Coski emphasises the links between the adoption and wider use of the Confederate battle flag and opposition to the Civil Rights Movement. While there may not be a smoking gun showing that the incorporation of the battle flag into several southern states’ flags was a racist reaction to federal pressure to provide equal rights to black Americans, the evidence is still overwhelming and to deny it is to be deliberately obtuse. Coski’s reluctance to see what is clearly before him was a particularly stark contrast with my recent reading of Ty Seidule’s Robert E. Lee and Me. Seidule was able to see what was happening in similar cases with perfect clarity. In fact, at times Coski is able to clearly identify the issue, such as in this passage:

"Confederate symbols in public spaces - often vestiges of the flag fad era - can exist unnoticed for decades. They are tangible reminders of the former prominence of Confederate veterans and their progeny in southern life - and, not coincidentally, of the exclusion of African Americans from mainstreem public life during the Jim Crow era."
— John Coski, The Confederate Battle Flag, p. 275

The book thus frequently comes across as in conflict with itself. Coski is reluctant to acknowledge what seems obvious for pages and then will do so in a paragraph before going back to denying it in the next chapter. It does not help that the book contains little to no information about Reconstruction or the Jim Crow south. In fact, the book is almost entirely lacking in wider context for any of the anecdotes or case studies contained within it. Readers will really need to already be steeped in the history of neo-Confederate movements of the 20th century to get much out of this book, because you will have to provide your own analysis to supplement or correct what is contained within its pages. While no expert myself, I have read enough to have noticed the glaring absences in Coski’s text.

A particularly worrying trend that runs through the book but most prominently emerges in its concluding chapters is the indication that Coski believes, on some level, that the cause of the American Civil War was a dispute over states’ rights. While it is clear from the text as a whole that he does not deny slavery’s role in causing the war, it seems that he believes - or at least argues - that the issue of states rights was at least of comparable importance to slavery in causing the war. This factors into his explanations as to why individuals might wave a Confederate flag as a non-racist symbol. In my eyes, this ignores vast amounts of research on the origins of the American Civil War and engages in a level of Lost Cause-ism.

This is aggravated even further by the fact that discussion of the Lost Cause is almost entirely absent from the book. One would think that an account of the changing meaning of the flags of the Confederacy would tackle how the Lost Cause shaped American’s understanding of the war but in this case you would be wrong. The book skips over most of the early twentieth century and spends far more time on free speech disputes during the 1990s than it does to Jim Crow or the Lost Cause. The analysis of a case study of a black man shooting and killing a white man for, apparently, waving the Confederate flag on his truck is given far more prominence than cases of lynching and repression of Black Americans during the Jim Crow era.

The book also seems to overly emphasise white voices and those of neo-Confederate heritage groups over those of black Americans who have suffered under the white supremacist policies that have dominated America and particularly the southern states that made up the Confederacy. These voices are not entirely absent, but the book does not really engage with scholarship on racism in America and skips past the Jim Crow era with very little description. It often takes a framing that steps very close to the line, without fully embracing it, of suggesting that Black people were fine with Confederate flags before the 1950s, so why all the fuss in the 1990s? It makes little effort to consider the context under which Black Americans lived their lives in those preceding decades and what these symbols might mean to them.

While Coski insists in the introduction that he is adopting a purely relativist approach, i.e. that the Confederate flag has no objective meaning but means what supporters/detractors think it does and can contain these many meanings simultaneously, he does periodically engage in the notion that historical commemoration of the flag is an objective and unobjectionable use of it. Thus the use of the flag by neo-Confederate groups like the Sons of Confederate Veterans or the United Daughters of the Confederacy should be seen as neutral and only perverted by groups like the KKK. While some passages contradict this notion, a common theme in a book full of self-contradiction, it is nevertheless present and frustrating.

I also resent the notion presented periodically that the Confederate battle flag as an emblem of white southern identity. While I acknowledge that Coski is framing it this way to clarify that most black southerners would not identify with the flag, it also concedes to the idea that all southerners were Confederates or are Confederate sympathisers. Parts of the South didn’t secede, some key Union generals were southerners, and not every modern southerner is a neo-Confederate and I think this framing erases that internal conflict in favour of portraying the South and the Confederacy as being almost the same thing. This is the perspective that neo-Confederate groups want, and I don’t intend to concede that position to them.

Fundamentally, Coski has done an excellent job at pulling together many threads of how the Confederate flag has been used by historical actors from the Civil War through the turn of the 21st century. However, the pattern he has woven with those threads is of a more questionable quality. In terms of analysis this book was a very frustrating read, swaying wildly between interesting points and analysis that seemed to fly in the face of the obvious. Coski bends over backwards to make this an issue where “both sides” can be in the wrong, and in so doing delivers an unsatisfying and limited analysis of the Confederate Flag’s role in modern society. I learned a lot from this book and it helped expand my understanding of the flag’s history, but I also found myself frequently annoyed and frustrated by it and would not recommend it to pretty much anyone. If you feel you need to know more about the context of the Confederate Battle Flags’ resurgence after the war then this book will give you that, but that is some very niche knowledge and unless you have a reason for needing that knowledge I wouldn’t recommend reading this book to acquire it.

[TheHappyHaunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the author asserts near the book’s end, “Just because someone views the flag as a symbol of racism does not give him the ethical right to assume that someone who displays it is a racist.” This may be true, but I think it’s apt to label anyone who flies this flag as incredibly misguided and ignorant. This flag may have been ascribed “different meanings” over its 150 year plus existence, coming to be aligned with the second coming of the KKK or with segregationists, but at its inception it stood to represent the soldiers of the Confederacy and the cause they were fighting for, which was principally the preservation of slavery. As the author illustrates, the flag should only be used as a memorial symbol (or a historical symbol, which is where it should be relegated to; museums), but its use as a memorial symbol is precisely what I call “incredibly misguided and ignorant.” The reverence for the flag is steeped in lost cause ideology, a fundamentally incorrect interpretation of history. And it doesn’t seem lost on the author that the lost cause is an abomination of historical fact, but he seems to forget that, as he literally says, the flag symbolizes virtues of independence and states rights…which is precisely what the lost cause agenda tries to perpetuate, that the Confederacy fought for these values and not for the preservation of slavery. The author’s use of the word “innocent” to describe post-Civil War flag use through the early 1950s flag fad is a flagrant example of ignorance. What was the purpose of these Confederate memorial services? They were to justify their defeat and that of its fallen soldiers, to lessen the blow as it were, and this was done by revising the true motives for the war and that of its participants. This is the very basis of the lost cause! And we’re calling flag use for this purpose “innocent?” This book is certainly well-written and I learned a lot, but its main argument is wrong. If you would like to read this book, it is imperative that you have an established understanding of why this flag was created in the first place: to represent the soldiers of a traitorous nation who, however bravely they fought, knowingly and willingly took up arms in order to preserve the institution of slavery.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Variously offering reasonable (and sometimes very correct) arguments well-supported by evidence discussed and also sometimes opinions not well-supported by adequate argument. Coski is honest and sensible enough to acknowledge the truths about slavery and white supremacy fundamental to the Confederacy but is also clearly (and unsurprisingly, considering his role with the Museum of the Confederacy) sympathetic to many people's attachment to the flag and goes beyond explaining the history of the flag's use to advocating for acceptance of "the inevitability of the Confederate flag as part of America's cultural landscape."

"If the public dialogue about the flag were," he writes in his conclusion, "intelligent and free of dogma and unrestrained emotion, it might generate genuine insights into the complex issues of race and states' rights in the American past, present, and future." To use "states' rights" here uncritically, as if it's not a euphemism for segregation and worse, obscures genuine insight rather than aiding it. Further, it's hard for me anymore to see generally how "issues of race" aren't ultimately about racism. But Coski would probably deem such a judgment as too dogmatic and emotional.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ironic thing about the Confederate flag controversies is that, as Coski's title states, the iconic flag is not the flag of the CSA but a military flag; indeed, during some flag disputes "take down the flag" groups were sometimes willing to accept the "Stars and Bars" official Confederate flag because racists hadn't been waving it after Brown vs. Board of Education (the book gets into how the battle flag became the famous one).
A remark early on in the book about how just because black Americans take offense at the flag doesn't define its meaning made me wonder if I'd picked the wrong book but no. Coski isn't ducking that the flag has been embraced by racists and white supremacists, but he points out its embraced for other reasons: a shorthand for "the South," a symbol of rebellion, an American symbol (a lot of Europe just treats it as a convenient American image). As he points out, the KKK and segregationists carried the US flag but not everyone who waves the Stars and Stripes is doing so for that reason.
There are also many contradictory moments such as Confederate organizations protesting public display of the flag (flying it at football games is disrespectful to our ancestors!).
A good job with a tricky topic.

[Kathy (McDowell) Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

To sum it up in a few words, I think Confederate battle-flag-wavers are a bunch of racist white supremacists. If they are really honoring dead veterans of the Civil War, then they should learn their history and fly the correct Confederate flag (the Stars and Bars), not the Confederate battle flag or the most-oft seen Naval Jack.
From the book: One careful student of the subject has concluded that "the Confederate (battle) flag has become one of the last means of expressing racial attitudes no longer acceptable to verbalize." I agree.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was interesting, and I learned a lot about the history of the confederate flag, and more importantly, why it now has so many negative connotations for so many people. But I bogged down a bit because it seemed very repetitive and definitely read more like a thesis paper than a book. But I would still recommend it for anyone interested in broadening their knowledge and understanding of this controversial symbol.

[Joe Mojoguzzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This amazing book is THE definitive source for any discussion of the Confederate battle flag. Please read this. Edited you expound on "heritage not hate," "tear them down," or "states' rights, not slavery."

[Paula Martin]

I did miss swaths of this book (some of it was really dry for a non-historian), but it was a great, well-researched, objective story about how this flag came to be and a key to understanding the debate. There are some things about the flag that people toss around (like "Stars and Bars") that are not accurate, so it was interesting to learn about these inaccuracies.

Toward the end of the book, he advocates some middle ground, that flag supporters should keep the flag only in historical contexts, and not on t-shirts, trucks, etc., and that flag critics should be more tolerant toward any use of the flag in historical contexts. "Historical contexts" could be pretty broadly defined, but I catch his drift. This book was written in 2005, and I feel like in the last 10 or 11 years, people are using the flag more and more to prove a point, shoving it into situations with the clear message of racism.

It's hard to give this book a star rating, and I might not, but I did learn a lot to help me understand why people feel so strongly about it. It was a clear-headed tour of the history of this symbol.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential reading, lackluster digital transfer

Even though this book has been out for quite a while, the Confederate battle flag still evokes strong feelings in its supporters and opponents. Especially after Dylann Roof murdered nine black parishioners, and those photos of him were released to the public. Of course, the flag has a complex, storied history and John Coski did an excellent job navigating some very deep water. It managed to be both informative and balanced, pointing out what each side got/gets right and wrong, and presenting a deluge of evidence as to the flag's uses over the years. The only drawback to this is the Kindle edition, which doesn't have linked notes or any of the photos/illustrations of the print edition. For the best experience, I would recommend purchasing a physical copy. Other than that, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in American history.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a well-researched look at the Confederate Battle Flag from the Civil War to present day. It was presented with balance. Coski went through the issues associated with the flag and how we got to where we are today. The book was published in 2005 but remains relevant. The discussion of the flag on Capitol grounds in South Carolina was, of course, outdated, but the historical discussion showed how we came to where we are now regarding this symbol. To some, it is a symbol of heritage and to others a symbol of hate. Both sides are discussed to give the reader a chance to make up her or his own mind about the issue.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I'm still reading this book I have serious doubts that I'll ever get around to finishing it so I'll just post this now. Coski's book is informative and, despite being really dry in parts, gives a great history of the Confederate flag, tracing its meanings and symbolism from the Civil War to the present. As an added bonus, Coski manages to avoid the rabid extremism and insanity associated with many supporters of the Confederate flag today. He takes a controversial subject and manages to write about it in a truly impartial way, a sure sign of a fantastic scholar.

[Sarah Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thoroughly researched, objective work on the history and use of what we consider today to be the Confederate flag. Coski does not argue what the flag should stand for, but rather everything it has been used to represent over the decades since the Civil War. Great for anyone studying Civil War memory or Southern commemoration. My only criticism is that the organization can make his arguments a bit murky at times. This book could benefit from cleaner, clearer divisions between chapters.

[Isa · Rating 1 out of 5]

There can be no "states' right's" argument when it comes to causes of the Civil War that is not implicitly racist by design. If one invokes a right that one claims on the basis of being a man, and denies that same right to another, the implication is that that "other" is not a man. This book attempts to do just that, and I read it as a disturbingly arrogant example of the New Racism (the racism that denies itself).

[Julie H. Ernstein]

I can't think of a better example of a symbol that people love to hate, hate to love, or love to love. Flags are powerful symbols, and this one no less so than any other. Will post more when I'm done.

[Kate Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone who has an opinion, good or bad, about this emblem need to read this book.

[AskHistorians]

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorian...

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my themes this year -- I'm reading as much as I can about the South. Fascinating read, if a bit wordy. I wasn't always sure I followed his organization either.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very objective and will challenge both sides of the argument