The only thing we can come up with is that the dyes used for them are poorer in quality than the indigo used on earlier issues. Since these flags were made in the field the cloth came from whatever dry goods source they could find for them - probably from Dalton or Atlanta for these flags. I did find a dry goods dealer in Corinth, MS for the May, 1862 Hardee issues and we know that Jacob Gall made 34 such flags in September, 1863. The cloth he used came from some dry goods dealer in either Alabama or Mississippi as he was attached to Gen. Hardee at the time and Hardee was re-training the Vicksburg parolees at Demopolis, AL.

Bob Bradley and I looked under the "moon" of his 33rd Alabama flag of this issue and the cloth is the same blue-green under it as on the exposed field so the lighter color did not come due to fading in the Sun.

Greg Biggs