I Am the Confederate Battle Flag

by Charles H. Hayes 

  I am the Battle Flag
  of the Confederate States of America.

  I am a proud flag.
  I have led great armies to great victories.
  From tall masts I have saluted,
  And been saluted by,
  The ablest generals in history.

  I am a potent symbol.
  I have the power to stir the blood
  Of those who carried me in battle
  Though that blood be continents away
  And generations removed from those battles.

  I am an honorable flag.
  Do not use me for ignoble purposes.
  I am a symbol of pride, not arrogance.
  I represent love of homeland, not hatred toward anyone.
  But no matter who carries me
  Or for what purposes, I cannot be dishonored.
   
   I secured my honor in a hundred battles
  Where good men dying passed me to good men still struggling;
  Where we prevailed against almost impossible odds;
  Where we were beaten by overwhelming numbers;
  Where I was as bloody, torn, tired, and soiled
  As the men who carried me.

  I am a worthy flag.
  I have stood watch over the graves of patriots.
  I have comforted widows in their loneliness.
  As a blood-stained rag I have been passed as a rich legacy
  To the heirs of those who had lost all for my sake.

  I am the Battle Flag of the Confederate States of America.
  Do not forsake me.