Florida (1861–1865)

Florida adopted this flag in 1861 shortly after seceding from the Union. Designed under Governor Madison S. Perry, it used a red saltire on a white field in 2:3 proportion. The design was intended to remain clearly recognizable when hanging limp and to avoid confusion with a surrender flag. The red diagonal cross also reflected Florida’s Spanish colonial associations through the cross linked to Juan Ponce de León and, for contemporaries, echoed the Confederate battle flag during the Civil War.