 The
first recorded use of the Bonnie Blue lone star flag dates to
1810. On September 11, 1810 a troop of West Florida dragoons set
out for the provincial capitol at Baton Rouge under this Bonnie
Blue flag. They were joined by other republican forces and
captured Baton Rouge, imprisoned the Governor and on September 23,
1810 raised their Bonnie Blue flag over the Fort of Baton Rouge.
Three days later the president of the West Florida Convention,
signed a Declaration of Independence and the Bonnie Blue became
the emblem of a new republic. By December 10, the flag of the
United States replaced the Bonnie Blue after President Madison
issued a proclamation declaring West Florida under the
jurisdiction of the Governor of the Louisiana Territory. With this
rebellion in mind, this Bonnie Blue flag was used by the Republic
of Texas from 1836 to 1839. On January 9, 1861 the convention of
the People of Mississippi adopted an Ordinance of Secession. With
this announcement the Bonnie Blue flag was raised over the capitol
building in Jackson. Harry McCarthy was so inspired that he wrote
a song entitled "The Bonnie Blue Flag" which became the second
most popular patriotic song of the Confederacy. The Confederate
government did not adopt Bonnie Blue, but the people did and the
lone star flags were adopted in some form in five of the southern
States that adopted new flags in 1861. The lone star concept of
the Bonnie Blue was twofold. Some states looked at it as a
reversal of the US Flag Act of 1818, which is still in effect
today. That allows a new star to be added to the flag the 4th of
July following the admission of a new state to the Union. Hence,
some states looked at single star flags, like the Bonnie Blue, as
"taking their star out of the Union".
Put the Bonnie Blue on your
computer desktop with some
Bonnie Blue wallpaper! |
