American Military Insignia 1800-1851 Part 11

_USNM 60455-M (S-K 211). Not ill.u.s.trated._

Nearly identical to the infantry officer's plate above, this buckle, in bra.s.s, has the artillery "A" on the eagle's breast s.h.i.+eld.

-- Although the regulations for this period do not mention shoulder-belt plates for enlisted men (officers had none as they wore their swords on their waist belts), it can be a.s.sumed that they were worn. The two specimens described below must be dated later than 1812-1821 because of the belt attachments. The earlier specimens had rudimentary bent-wire fasteners, but these, more refined, have two round studs and a hook soldered to the plate proper.

SHOULDER-BELT PLATE, INFANTRY, C. 1821

_USNM 604316 (S-K 472). Figures 70, 71._

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGURE 70]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGURE 71]

This plate, of silver on copper, is plain oval and slightly convex.

SHOULDER-BELT PLATE, ARTILLERY, C. 1821

_USNM 604315 (S-K 471). Not ill.u.s.trated._

This specimen is identical to the preceding one except that it is in plain bra.s.s.

-- The 1832 uniform regulations brought some well-defined changes.

General and staff officers were to wear gilt waist-belt plates "having the letters U S and a sprig of laurel on each side in silver," and the bottom of the skirts of officers' coats were to bear distinctive devices--a gold-embroidered star for general officers and officers of the general staff, a sh.e.l.l and flame in gold embroidery for artillery officers, and silver-embroidered bugles for infantry officers.

WAIST-BELT PLATE, GENERAL AND STAFF OFFICERS, 1832

_USNM 664. Figure 72._

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGURE 72]

The plate and the belt to which it is attached formerly belonged to Capt. Charles O. Collins, an 1824 graduate of the Military Academy.

The belt is of patent leather, as specified for undress wear, and is 1-1/2 inches wide. The plate is cast in bra.s.s and has raised edges.

Rather than having "a sprig of laurel on each side," it has a wreath of laurel enclosing the letters "U S," in Old English, in silvered metal affixed to the front. It is attached on the right side by a rectangular belt attachment with a flat hook on the left rear.

-- The 1832 regulations specified for engineer officers a waist-belt plate to be "gilt, elliptical, two inches in the shortest diameter, bearing the device of the b.u.t.ton." Such a plate (fig. 73) is in the collections of the Valley Forge Chapel Museum. It is entirely possible that this plate is even earlier than 1832, for the 1821 and 1825 regulations state that the engineer b.u.t.tons were to contain "the device and motto heretofore established."

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGURE 73]

In the collections of the West Point Museum is a b.u.t.ton, carrying the "Essayons" device, that was excavated in the area behind the "Long Barracks," which burned in 1825. Another such b.u.t.ton excavated at Sackets Harbor on the site of an 1812-1815 barracks bears a maker's name (Wishart) of the 1812-1816 period.

WAIST-BELT PLATE, GENERAL AND STAFF OFFICERS, 1832(?)-1850

_USNM 604145-M (S-K 301). Figure 74._

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGURE 74.--Specimen in Valley Forge Chapel Museum, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.]

This buckle is similar to the one (shown in fig. 73) that belonged to Capt. Charles O. Collins, but it is different in that the letters "U.S." are enclosed not by a laurel wreath but by a sprig of laurel on the right side and a sprig of palm on the left. The 1841 uniform regulations specified such a belt plate for officers of the Corps of Engineers, but with a "turreted castle, raised in silver" rather than the letters "U.S." This places the probable date of manufacture of this specimen in the 1840's.

COAT-SKIRT ORNAMENT, GENERAL STAFF, 1832

_USNM 8040. Figure 75._

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGURE 75]

This skirt ornament, on buff cloth, is from a coat worn by Capt.

Thomas Swords when he was a.s.sistant quartermaster general in 1838. The design consists of three 6-pointed stars of gold bullion cord: a line star of twisted cord superimposed upon a larger star of closely st.i.tched cord that in turn is superimposed upon a still larger star of sunburst type.

COAT-SKIRT ORNAMENT, GENERAL STAFF, 1832

_USNM 62057-M (S-K 181). Figure 76._

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGURE 76]

Like the preceding specimen, this ornament, on buff cloth, is comprised of three stars. A star made of lines of sequins secured by two strands of twisted bullion is superimposed upon a 6-pointed star of gold embroidery that in turn is superimposed upon a 6-pointed star made up of gold sequins secured by gold bullion cord.

COAT-SKIRT ORNAMENT, ARTILLERY OFFICER, 1832

_USNM 15929. Figure 77._

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGURE 77]

This specimen, on red cloth, is on a coat worn by William Tec.u.mseh Sherman when he was a lieutenant in the 3d Artillery. The bomb is made of whorls of gold bullion cord, while the flames are composed of curving lines of twisted bullion. The lowest flame on either side terminates in arrow heads.

There are a number of gold-embroidered sh.e.l.l and flame devices in the national collections, all varying considerably in size and composition. Some are skirt ornaments for artillery officers, both Regular Army and Militia, while some are cap ornaments for ordnance officers. Indeed, two coats formerly belonging to Maj. Levi Twiggs, U.S. Marine Corps, carry the same device.

COAT-SKIRT ORNAMENT, INFANTRY OFFICER, 1832

_USNM 59861-M. Figure 78._

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGURE 78]

The silver coat-skirt horn ornaments of infantry officers varied almost as much as the sh.e.l.l and flame devices, generally in relation to the affluence of the individual concerned. Unlike such ornaments of the other services, the horns were paired in rights and lefts on the coat.

This specimen, of silver bullion cord, is on a coat that once belonged to Lt. William Williams Mather, an 1828 graduate of the Military Academy who left the service in 1836. The horn is looped, and it is suspended by twisted bullion from a simple 3-leaf-clover knot. The whole is backed on blue cloth.

COAT-SKIRT ORNAMENT, INFANTRY OFFICER, 1832