Stars and Bars Flag - First National Flag of the Confederacy (1861-1863) #1819891 (License: Personal Use)

The Stars and Bars was adopted as the first national flag of the Confederate States of America on March 4, 1861. It features a blue canton with seven white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle, symbolizing the original seven seceding states, and three horizontal stripes: red, white, and red. Due to its visual similarity to the U.S. flag, it caused battlefield confusion and was replaced in 1863 by the Stainless Banner.

This image is typically used in historical articles, educational resources, museum exhibits, or digital archives discussing the American Civil War and Confederate symbolism; it serves users seeking factual, academic, or contextual understanding of 19th-century U.S. history.