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The Confederate Seal was the seal of the government, styled Confederate States of America, of the eleven states that voted to secede from the United States, leading to the American Civil War.
The seal prominently features George Washington on horseback, in the same position as a statue of him in Richmond, Virginia. Washington is surrounded with a wreath, which is made of some of the main agricultural products of the Confederate States: wheat, corn, tobacco, cotton, rice and sugar cane. The margin of the seal features the words "The Confederate States of America: 22 February 1862" and the national motto, Deo Vindice ("Under God, Our Vindicator" or "With God as [our] Champion"). The date on the seal represents when Jefferson Davis was inaugurated after the only Confederate general election, and is also Washington's birthday.
The design of the seal was finalized on 30 April 1863, and a set of embossing dies ordered from an engraver in Great Britain. The seal dies eventually reached Richmond before the end of the war. However, due to the risks of running the naval blockade upon the Confederacy, the accompanying embossing press was only shipped as far as Bermuda. The dies (crafted in silver) were thus unlikely to ever have been used in any official capacity.
Early engraving of Confederate Seal
Early colorized version
Both sets of artifacts initially passed through private ownership before ultimately entering museum collections. The dies now reside in Richmond's Museum of the Confederacy; and the embossing press, equipped with brass replica dies, is in a National Trust Museum in St. George's, Bermuda.
See also[]
- Great Seal of the United States
External links[]
- The Great Seal Of The Confederacy
- From the Museum’s Collections: The Great Seal of the Confederacy
- The Bermuda National Trust Museum at the Globe Hotel
de:Siegel der Konföderierten Staaten von Amerika es:Gran Sello de los Estados Confederados de América fr:Sceau confédéré no:Amerikas konfødererte staters riksvåpen pl:Pieczęć Skonfederowanych Stanów Ameryki pt:Selo dos Estados Confederados da América ru:Печать Конфедеративных Штатов Америки