https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...edom-party-guards.450965/page-2#post-17540399
^^^ Actually that's an interesting point to bring up here: What would the Freedom Party Guardsmen's insignia even look like? Would they be inspired by the SS runes or something similar but more Americanized? I like the idea of George Washington, his horse, the Southern Cross and other Confederate symbols being used in their patches decals and stuff. I mean, the SS appropriated and used Nordic runes and shit to their own ends.
http://insignias.wikia.com/wiki/Aggressor_(US_Armed_Forces) - one idea that I've played around with is using some of the ideas employed for the Aggressor Forces in various US Army exercises as a basis for Confederate States uniform symbolism (combined with elements from CS insignia of the Civil War); I do, however, tend to think that Freedom Party would be rather less "mythic" than that of the Nazi Party, due to Featherston's general disinterest in flashiness and the lack of an equivalent to Himmler & all of his "Ghostapo" weirdness.
One tends to imagine the Freedom Party Guards using a minimalist/stripped-back version of pre-existing Confederate insignia (possibly even a variant on US Army insignia as a hint at some twisted "Can't beat 'em, join 'em" mindset).
What do you think the uniforms, equipment, and weapons of Featherston's Freedom Party Guards looked like?
For the record I tend to imagine that the Freedom Party Guards would tend to wear uniforms very reminiscent of Confederate States policemen, whole carrying firepower more reminiscent of the Army; I tend to see them as justified by the need for a Police Force that could operate on an Interstate basis (one imagines that, given the States Rights obsession of the Confederacy, very few peacekeeping organisations other than the CS Army would have had the lawful authority to cross State Borders prior to this) and validated by a line of "We're ALL Freedom Party (or Else)" rhetoric (not to mention a line of argument that suggests all these Stalwarts need SOMETHING to do and if they're not chasing banditos, guerrillas, radicals and other criminals then the Devil might find work for all these idle fists).
With that in mind one imagines that the Party Guards might use some variation on POLICE, rather than Army insignia (since both Party Guards and CSA policemen, at least in urban police forces, are described as using grey uniforms).
In the front cover of Blood and Iron, there is a symbol of literal Grey Eagle that represents either the Confederate Freedom Party or the Confederacy.
I've always been a fan of including an alligator or a pair of alligators alongside the eagle, if not a complete replacement, as the National Animal of the Confederacy/Confederate Freedom Party.
Given how strongly the Eagle-and-crossed-swords is associated with the United States of America, especially in the Remembrance Era, I would expect the Confederate States to avoid featuring that particular Bird of Ill Omen in their National Symbolism; given the presence of a mounted George Washington on their great seal it's quite possible that the Horse/thoroughbred/mustang might be used as their mascot (given it's association with the untamed spirit and rural life).
When it comes to a specifically Freedom Party mascot, however, I think we can safely say that there's only one surefire winner:
https://www.collinsflags.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Gadsden-Flag-for-contest.gif - aggressive, sharply defiant and fundamentally poisonous what could more perfectly symbolise Featherston's Stalwarts? (the fact this is also a flag strongly associated with the American Revolution and more to the point with a South Carolina politician during same, would also tend to count in its favour).
One also vaguely recalls reading somewhere that, during the American Civil War, some areas of the South took to using the phoenix as a symbol (on the understanding that it was easier to turn a US Eagle into a phoenix than any other sort of bird), although one cannot clearly recall which book that tidbit happened to come from - having said that a Phoenix arising from the flames WOULD make a very logical element of symbolism for the Freedom Party to play with, after the Great War (the fact that such a symbol would also have a nicely double-edged symbolism, given the hellfire Featherston leads his Confederacy into on more than one level, makes it extra appropriate).