Full Thread: Happy Lee-Jackson Day
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Old January 13th, 2018 #7
Ironguard1940
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Default You are correct

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Allan View Post
Why is Stonewall Jackson in a US army uniform? Must be a battle very early in the war before the Confederacy adopted gray uniforms, like First Manassass, or Bull Run as it's also called.
Many of the US Army and Navy officers that resigned their commissions and joined the Confederate side kept their old uniforms until they could get new Confederate ones. Some Union militia units at the Battle of First Manassas also wore gray. Also, the First National Confederate Flag, called the Stars and Bars, looked very similar to the US flag, especially from a distance, through the smoke and haze of battle. You can imagine the confusion created by these factors. This is why the armies adopted standard colors for their uniforms, although the Confederate Army wore butternut as well. This is also why the Confederate Battle Flag was created in September/October of 1861 in Fairfax Courthouse. I have read that it was General Joseph E. Johnston's idea to make the Battle Flag square.