Is there a nuance of the recent flag controversy that you think the general public is missing but should know about?

On another note, how does this most recent campaign for the symbol's removal stack up against past campaigns? Is this the most concerted effort to scrub it away?

Just a note for our readers. Given the topic of this AMA, and the post-1995 events concerning the flag, *we are relaxing the rules regarding Twenty Year Limit" for questions. We still will of course be enforcing other rules, so this is not an excuse to start soapboxing about your position on recent events. This isn't a debating society.

Thank you!

Hi all! James Brooks here. I'm really excited to have Mr. Coski here and wanted to ask a question of my own: Why did this one particular Confederate battle flag become a symbol? Why not one of the many other flags or the national ensign?

Good afternoon, everyone. It's just before 5 p.m., EDT and I'm outta here so that I can get to a Richmond Flying Squirrels baseball game tonight. Thank you all for some excellent questions and your patience with my tardy answers (I was trying to multi-task).

I was tempted to answer a few of the questions by simply writing "read my book." If you do, in fact, wish to read my book, it's available widely. If you would like an autographed copy, you can order one through the Museum store at our website: www.ACWM.org

John

Thanks for being here today!

I've seen the battle flag flying all over the United States, even places like northern New Hampshire and Maine where it seemed particularly out of place.

Have you noticed a trend in your research about the reasons behind flying the flag in areas outside former Confederate territory? Does this behavior have more to do with family history, or a specific interpretation of the meaning behind the flag outside of consideration of the Civil War?

I have been trying to recall any significant use of the flag before the Civil Rights era and the Dixiecrats. Allen Tate, one of the Fugitive Poets ( and, like them, not a Progressive southerner) liked to have one around. But who else? Was it something paraded by Confederate veterans groups, or the Daughters of the Confederacy?

Mr. Coski-

Why did the KKK and some post-War local and state governments choose the flag that we all know as the "Rebel Flag" today? Was it not just the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia? Why not choose the actual official flag of the CSA Government that flew for most of the War?

Thank you for taking the time. I have a question I hope you can answer. How did the Confederate Battle Flag become such a "normal" flag in the US for many people, especially in the South? To me it seems strange that a flag associated with racism, slavery and civil war has become a such a important cultural icon for many Americans. I know many other flags of defeated regimes, such as the Swastika, has some users today, in their respective countries, but they seem to be used mostly by irredentist or nationalistic groups, not the population at large.

So if you don't mind, what's the story behind the monument in South Carolina? Why is there a separate monument that the flag cant be removed from?

What is your opinion of the removal of the stained glass portraits of Confederate Generals from the Washington National Cathedral?

http://abcnews.go.com/US/washington-national-cathedrals-dean-remove-stained-glass-windows/story?id=32072532

I've always been perplexed about the resurgence of the flag in American culture during the Civil Rights movement, but I'm curious that if before that resurgence if there was ever a time beyond reconstruction that there was nearly as much animosity towards the display of the flag as there was during the Civil Rights era through today?

For example, there's a photo of a Confederate flag that was planted on the grounds of Shuri Castle by a company commander. From what I can tell, it did not raise any serious objections or ramifications for that company commander beyond a Lieutenant General (who ironically enough was the son of a Confederate general) ordering the flag removed two days after it was raised.

Why did Southern politicians use the Confederate battle flag as a symbol, rather than the Confederate state flag? Why have there not been protests to the use of the Confederate state flag (such as Georgia's current state flag) similar to those for the battle flag?

When I think of symbols of the CSA, the first two things I think of are the battle flag and the song Dixie. 150 years ago, in the immediate aftermath of the war, would those be the main symbols associated with the CSA?

When the the Battle Flag start to be flown north of the Mason Dixon Line? Today it is not unheard of in rural areas, even as far north as northern New England.

Mr. Coski,

Thanks for stopping by!

The sudden reopening of debate over the meaning of the Confederate battle flag seems to have given historians a platform much closer to the center of public discourse than we're usually afforded. How do you think historians have handled (or mishandled) the spotlight in weeks since the tragedy at the Emmanuel church? What do you think we can do to make sure we continue to provide context for public debate?

In contemporary times we use the American flag to drap the coffins of fallen service members. Was the battle flag used in a similar fashion for Confederate soldiers during burial or reinternments?

I understand that some folks in southern Italy have flown the Confederate flag as a symbol of their own "Southern" identity. Can you say anything about the international understanding of this flag?

Along those lines, if a flag can be used in such original ways, can it really be said to symbolize anything? We like to make blithe statements like "the flag is a symbol of racism," but surely that's not how these Italians are employing it.

Was the classic Confederate flag everybody knows ever actually used as the official CSA flag?

I've heard that the version of the Confederate Battle Flag that is currently being "debated" was the Confederate Naval Battle Flag, more specifically.

I have two questions: A) Is that correct? B) How many other "Confederate Battle Flag" designs are known/estimated to exist?

Would you be willing to talk about the use of Confederate symbolism outside of the United States?

Hi John, I'm very appreciative of your time today on this topic. I am very thankful for the work you and other historians are doing to increase awareness of this subject. My question to you John is, what are your thoughts around the impact of the myths created and propagated during the Lost Cause era on our current understanding of the Confederate battle flag and other Confederate symbols? On a personal level, I have young nieces and nephews residing in Texas. I'm worried about their exposure to revisionist history via the education provided through the public school system. I don't want them growing up believing in myths and lies.