Description
This engraving by John C. McRae, published in 1867, shows the second Confederate national flag against a night sky. Adopted on May 1, 1863, and popularly known as the Stainless Banner, the flag incorporated the Confederate battle flag in its canton. Here, the flag is surrounded by battle scenes: the Battle of Hampton Roads (1862), in the lower left; the Battle of the Wilderness (1864), in the upper left; the Battle of the Crater (1864), in the upper right; and the surrender at Appomattox (1865), in the lower right.
