Southern Cross Down Under

The Confederate commerce raider CSS Shenandoah visited Melbourne in 1865 for repairs and provisions, the only port-visit on its around-the-world mission: a journey that became famous for the Shenandoah being the ship that fired the last shot of the American Civil War. The paper focuses on its Australian visit and the Shenandoah’s use of the Stainless Banner and the naval use of other Confederate flags. The paper is sourced from extensive contemporary local newspaper articles and illustrations, archives, memoirs and several books. The visit created a considerable impact in Australia that indirectly led to the development of the Victorian colonial navy, which required a navy ensign. The Victorian flag evolved to become the current Australian national flag.

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