Confederate flag (second) This flag was the second of the confederate flags flown during the civil war. It was adopted on May 1, 1863. For this design they placed the Battle flag on a white field. This flag was also easily confused; only this one was confused for a white surrender flag when not flying out in the wind. It was replaced on March 4, 1865.

Confederate flag (third) This flag replaced the former flag on March 4, 1865 because it was too easily mistaken for a white surrender flag. The only change made was to add a red stripe on the fly end of this flag to distinguish it. It only lasted a single month before the war ended.

Confederate Battle Flag (Confederate Field Artillery) This is probably the most well known of the confederate flags. It was sometimes called the Southern Cross. It was carried into battle by confederate troops and also used as a " jack" at sea from 1863 onward

Since there was no official flag during the first year of the United States of America there were a great number of home spun flag designs. This flag is without question the most well known of those. There are many reasons why this flag is confused with the first official U.S. flag.

In 1775 Christopher Gadsden was in Philadelphia representing his home state of South Carolina in the Continental Congress. Gadsden and Congress chose a Rhode Island man, Esek Hopkins, as the commander-in-chief of the Navy. The flag that Hopkins used as his personal standard on the Alfred is the one we would now recognize. It's generally accepted that Christopher Gadsden, who felt it was especially important for the commodore to have a distinctive personal standard, presented Hopkins’ flag to him. Gadsden also presented a copy of this flag to his state legislature in Charleston. This is recorded in the South Carolina congressional journals: "Col. Gadsden presented to the Congress an elegant standard, such as is to be used by the commander in chief of the American navy; being a yellow field, with a lively representation of a rattle-snake in the middle, in the attitude of going to strike, and these words underneath, "Don't Tread on Me!"

Navy Regulations, first promulgated in 1865, prescribed the use of the jack. It is displayed daily from the jack staff of all U.S. naval vessels in commission, from 8 a.m. to sunset while the ship is at anchor. Additionally it is flown to indicate a court martial is in progress, and as the President and Secretary of the Navy's personal flag. This powerful American symbol was used by the Continental Navy in 1775 and is being used again by the U.S. Navy in the War on Terrorism.