Embattled Emblem: The Army of Northern Virginia Battle Flag, 1861 to the Present (Review)

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Embattled Emblem: The Army of Northern Virginia Battle Flag, 1861 to the Present (Review)

by Edward L. Ayers
Southern Cultures, Vol. 1, No. 1: Fall 1994

Exhibition at the Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia, through April 1995.

The battle flag of the Confederacy continues to fly over scenes of tumult and conflict. It turns up at Ole Miss football games, over the Georgia capĂ­tol, at German political rallies, and in Harvard dorm rooms. Laid end to end, recent newspaper discussions of the Confederate flag would likely stretch from Alexandria to Austin. Everyone feels pretty sure they know what the flag stands for, but everyone disagrees.

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