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The battle flag of General Earl Van Dorn was flown over the troops under his command. The General was known as an artist and that designation included being a painter and being known for drawing. It was Van Dorn who designed the Van Dorn Flag which has a quite unusual look from others of its day. The flag is a red field depicting a white crescent moon in the canton and thirteen white stars. It is trimmed with gold cord. In February, 1862, General Earl Van Dorn ordered that all units under his command use this flag as their regimental colors.
The Van Dorn flag was a popular flag of the Arkansas troops and for local businesses to fly even after Van Dorn moved on to lead elsewhere. Regiments that carried this flag were the Northwest Fifteenth Regiment Arkansas Volunteer Infantry, the Seventeenth Regiment Arkansas Volunteer Infantry, and the Nineteenth Regiment Arkansas Infantry. It became especially popular to carry after General Van Dorn defeated General Grant to successfully and preemptively protect Vicksburg.
A few of Van Dorn’s flags may have been ready in time for the Battle of Elk Horn Tavern which occurred in 1862 and was also called the Battle of Pea Ridge. Van Dorn’s troops officially adopted his flag in June of 1862.
In August, the rest of the army received these flags which first saw use at Luka and Corinth where some examples of it were captured. The crescent is taken from the Missouri state Coat of Arms was was designed to inspire troops from Missouri as they crossed east of the Mississippi River. The design that was used on this flag is known as the Van Dorn Pattern.
The use of the crescent moon was commonly used as a symbol for rebellion against tyranny and the stars represented the number of states of the Confederacy. Even Van Dorn’s successor, General Sterling Price, continued to fly the Van Dorn Flag.