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Great Stars in
which the smaller stars are arranged to form a single large star, are among
the rarest patterns found on early American flags. The
height of the use of the Great Star pattern coincides with the period of the American Civil War.
To Northerners, the pattern symbolized their
determination to preserve the Union, and demonstrated
that every state, including the southern states in
rebellion, were still part of the whole of the United
States. This spectacular 34 star flag dates to the
opening years of the Civil War. One would think
that the simplicity of this pattern--a large star made
of smaller stars--would result in designs of the type
that are all uniform, but among the very few surviving Great Star
flags that I'm aware of, each
possesses its own unique variation on the theme.
On this particular
flag, the striking feature is the presence of four large
center stars, surrounded by the Great Star of 30 smaller
stars. In many years of collecting, I've found
that inevitably there are American flags with encoded
symbolism in the designs. There are obvious
symbols, such as stars that form the peace symbol on
protest flags of the late 1960's and early 1970's.
There are more subtle symbols such as three center stars
that seem to form a Masonic compass. When a flag
has an unusual trait, such as this flag, it leads me to
wonder if the maker intended some meaning beyond just an
imaginative and unique design. It's not possible
to know for sure, but in this case it's very possible
the four center stars represent the four "Border States"
of Delaware, Maryland, Missouri and Kentucky. Both
the Union and the Confederacy contended for these
states, hoping to sway them firmly into either camp.
Ultimately, all four remained loyal to the Union, but
some of the states even sent troops to both the North
and the South during the war from region sympathetic to
one side or the other. On many early flags, single
large "Center Stars" often represent the state that is
newly admitted the Union, and they are surrounded by
rest of the field of smaller stars to represent the rest
of the states. Perhaps the symbolism of this flag
is a welcoming, or a hope of unity, with the four
contended states whose loyalties were most strained by
the separation. We will never know for sure what
the flag maker intended by adding the four large center
stars, but even our speculation into its meaning
highlights a little known but historically fascinating
dynamic from this profoundly difficult time in our
nation's history.
The flag has all of the
indications of being a manufactured flag made by any of
a number of cottage industry flag makers at the opening
of the war. Its wool bunting canton and stripes,
fine coloration, cotton stars, and hoist with metal
grommets are all consistent with Civil War period
construction. The entire flag is hand sewn. It is a beautiful and rare example
of the type made some time during the first two years of
the war.
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