The flag of Cannon County, 
Tennessee, is a plain white background with the Confederate battle flag as the canton, and a red bar on the fly. In the bar is the shape of the county in white, with text surrounding it saying: "CANNON COUNTY TENNESSEE" "1836".
The flag was inspired by the former Confederate States flag.
The flag was officially adopted on July 17, 1993 and designed by an unknown author.
History[]
On July 17, 1993, the Cannon County Commission unanimously voted to adopt an official county flag, with the intention of flying it regularly in front of the courthouse in Woodbury, Tennessee. However, the flag quickly became controversial due to elements in its design and the historical figures it was seen to commemorate.
Following public criticism and media attention, the Commission amended its resolution on October 16, 1993. The revised policy limited courthouse display of the flag to three Tennessee state observance days—Robert E. Lee Day (January 19), Confederate Decoration Day (June 3), and Nathan Bedford Forrest Day (July 13)—while allowing it to fly the rest of the year at a Confederate monument erected in 1926 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Despite the Commission's decision, then-County Executive Harold Patrick refused to fly the flag at the courthouse, citing heightened community tensions. A group of residents, organized as Concerned Citizens of Cannon County, filed a lawsuit challenging the flag's adoption. A judge later ruled that the Commission’s actions were legal. The group appealed but lost in 1995.
Symbolism[]
Local officials claimed the design was a commemoration of General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who in 1862 led a raid that freed Confederate prisoners, including some from Woodbury. The design comes from the most recent Confederate flag.