"The Stars and Stripes", "Old Glory", or the "Star Spangled Banner"
The flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the American flag, is the national flag of the USA.
It consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red - top and bottom - alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars - also top and bottom - alternate with rows of five stars.
The canton is referred to specifically as the "Union". During the American Civil War, the Union, also known as the North, referred to the United States of America and specifically to the national government of President Abraham Lincoln and the 20 free states, as well as 4 border and slave states that supported it. The Union opposed slavery, but originally was fighting the Civil War simply to keep the nation intact.