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."
Straight to all photos of cockades.
Alabama: The Constitutional Union, 16 November 1860 "Senator Toombs was in the streets of Columbus, on Saturday, the "blue cockade" given him by the fair ladies of Montgomery. God bless them! We are for them and a union with them, where love, harmony, and good feeling exists, but are opposed to any other sort of Union."
Arkansas: The Arkansas True Democrat, 9 May 1861 "received, from a young lady in Burrowsville, Searcy County, a tasteful presentation in the shape of a rosette. It is so simple and pretty that we will endeavor to describe it. A grain of corn is fastened, by means of a hole drilled through it, to a floss of cotton, spread so as to form a circle; this is also attached to a light blue circle, and the whole to a deep blue, of the usual size of a rosette. By using a grain of red corn, we have the colors of the Confederacy flag; red, white and blue, while the corn and cotton are emblematical of the Confederacy. The design and execution are both excellent."
Florida: The Athens Post, 2 November 1860. "The "blue cockade" is familiar to many of the citizens of Florida, and the Palmetto State is not the only section where that emblem will be worn and appreciated. From the tone and temper of the people of Florida, we confidently expect the organization of "Minute Men" will pervade every portion of the State, and embrace within its ranks our best and most patriotic citizens. Success to it!"
Georgia: "There were frequent political meetings, the making and presentation of flags; ladies forming societies. Everything seemed to be preparing for active service; and on all sides the cockade was visible."
Kentucky: Sam Watkins who wrote "Co. Aytch" reported, “Everywhere could be seen Southern cockades made by the ladies and our sweethearts.” And “I saw then what I had long since forgotten – a ‘cockade.’ The Kentucky girls made cockades for us, and almost every soldier had one pinned on his hat.”
Louisiana: In reference
to the cockade "This badge is a perfect encapsulation of our resistance;
simple, visible and drenched in history. The whole of the South will be sporting
a cockade by the end of the year, mark my words." 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.”
Fannie A.
Beers in "Memories" wrote "Who does not remember the epidemic of blue
cockades which broke out in New Orleans during the winter of 1860 and 1861, and
raged violently throughout the whole city? The little blue cockade, with its
pelican button in the centre and its two small streamers, was the distinguishing
mark of the "Secessionist."
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.'
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.' 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."
Missouri: Utica Daily Observer, 16 January 1860 "One of our citizens showed us yesterday a disunion cockade worn by the Missouri Minute Men. It is a small and neat rosette of blue ribbons, with a silver star in the center and three pieces of ribbon pending there from. The pendant ribbons are two blue and one white. They are about 4 inches long, and on the white ribbon is printed, "Missouri Minute Men."
North Carolina: "Patriotic individuals were sporting secession badges on their lapels and bonnets. Described as folded blue ribbons, some badges were red, white, and blue ribbons. Others wore a flower posy called a Southern badge, which consisted of a cluster of hyacinths and arborvitae tied with red/white/blue ribbons. Other men preferred a rosette of pinecones. Both men and women wore blue cockades during secession in Rockingham County, N.C."
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.' Baton Rouge, LA Daily Advocate, 22 October 1860 "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. Let the important work go bravely on, and let every son of Carolina prepare to mount the blue cockade."
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.'
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.' The Indianola Courier, 24 November 1860 "We have observed, for a few days past, a number of blue cockades, surmounted by metalic five-pointed stars, worn on the hats or coats, of many of our citizens. The cockade is the badge common to the citizens of the Southern States. The star is peculiar to Texians. The combination of the two emblems seems particularly appropriate to the times."
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.''
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."'
In Fannie Beers memoirs
"Memories" she mentions other cockades
, “Hats and
bonnets of all sorts and sizes were made of straw or palmetto, and trimmed with
the same. Most of them bore cockades of bright red and white fashioned of strips
knitted to resemble ribbons. Some used emblems denoting the State or city of the
wearer, others a small Confederate battle-flag.”
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 '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.
What follows are all possibly
Confederate, some definite, just follow the links for a larger
picture and any information that is available on the photo.
