American Civil War
Confederate Secession
Cockades (Rosettes):
Confederate
"Everywhere could be seen Southern Cockades made
by the ladies and our sweethearts."
"The Kentucky girls made Cockades for us, and almost every soldier had one
pinned on his hat."
"Staid matrons and gaily bedecked
maidens..... pinned upon our lapels the blue cockades."
South Carolina: Before secession people began to wear cockades and '"Minute Men" are organizing in
all the principal districts.....The badge adopted is a blue
rosette—two and a half inches in diameter, with a military button in the
centre, to be worn upon the side of the hat.' And with secession by
South Carolina 'At 1:15 P.M. on 20th December...the blue cockade became
general that day, that color having been chosen as the national color of the new
nation, the convention having adopted ... a blue flag with white Palmetto and
Crescent ... as the national flag of the state. The blue cockade was worn by almost
every one, even the ladies and children joining in showing their devotion to the
Palmetto State.'
Virginia: Took to wearing
that one that 'consists of a double rosette of blue silk, with a pendant of
lemon color, the whole fastened together by a gilt button on which appear in
relief the arms of Virginia, with the name of the State and its motto encircling
it. Its motto is 'Sic Semper Tyrannis.''
Maryland: 'The
cockade is formed of a double rosette of blue silk, with blue pendants, and
fastened the same as that of Virginia, with the State button, and the single
world "Maryland" beneath the arms.'
Texas: The Dallas Herald, 5
December 1860, tells us that 'Many of our citizens appear on the
streets of Dallas wearing the cockade of our national colors, blue ribbon with a
golden star. Some wear cockades of red.'
An
oddity, mentioned in the Dallas Herald, 13 March 1861, is a coin 'We
were shown this morning a very pretty and well executed medal made here, either
in commemoration of the secession of the Southern States, or suggested as a
model for the coin of the future Southern Confederacy—we could not learn
which.
The
medal is the size of a five dollar gold piece. On one side is
a Palmetto tree, with cotton bales, sugar hogsheads, and a cannon at its based,
beyond which appears the rays of the rising sun, and forming a semi circle
immediately outside of the rays, fifteen stars. The motto
"No submission to the North"—1860.
On
the reverse rice, tobacco and cotton plants form a tasteful group around the
graceful sugar cane, and mix their varied leaves. Around are
engraved the words: "The wealth of the South—rice,
tobacco, sugar, cotton."'
Louisiana: The Daily Advocate, 15
November 1860 “What
gave peculiar interest to this grand display of beauty, grace and elegance, was
the exhibition of blue cockades worn on the shoulders of nearly all the ladies
who appeared in public.”
Mississippi: The Mississippian,
a semi-weekly 11 December 11 and 'Cockades were numerous on the streets yesterday. They are blazing out in every
part of the city, are rapidly on the increase and come out in some cases "under
difficulties." We saw a few immense rosettes of blue baize, as big as small
sized cabbages, fluttering around.'
Tennessee: The Memphis Daily
Appeal 9 December, 1860 'The
further down I get, the more secession I see. Not content with wearing the blue
cockade themselves, the people put them up on wagons, carriages, riding horses,
etc. At one place where I stopped, all the negroes had them on. You may safely
put Mississippi down as dead out for secession.'
Both before and after South
Carolina's withdrawal from the Union multitudes of palmetto cockades were to be
seen in the streets of Charleston, it also became a fashion among other Southern
States to do the same to show their support for secession and
then the Rebel Confederacy by pinning their States 'Succession Cockade'
to their hats and jackets. (Many from South Carolina
were made from the palmetto trees leaves.)
The wearing of
the cockade wasn't appreciated by the Federal Government as even in September
1861 the people of Baltimore were still sported the cockade and the Philadelphia,
Pa. 'Public Ledger' tells us
'The Government is determined to put a stop to the Secession cockades and other
emblems which have been so unblushingly exhibited in Baltimore for months past
and those found wearing them in the future will be arrested as traitors against
the Government.'
Other emblems of support for the
Confederacy were used: badges made of silver or ivory, as well as necklaces,
bracelets and even bonnets: 'The Charleston Mercury gives the following
description of a bonnet worn by a South Carolina lady: "The bonnet is
composed of white and black cotton, and streamers ornamented with gold thread,
while the feathers are formed of white and black worsted."'
If anyone has
any photos, drawings etc of any cockades could they please send them to me and
allow me to use them on this page.
Follow the links for a larger
picture and any information that is available on the photo.
