Union Army Company-Grade Rank Insignia

An abstract from our feature on Union Army rank and grade insignia appearing in our 
January/February 2000 issue. For the whole article, which covers both officers 
and enlisted men in various branches of the service, see that issue.

Above left, a company-grade officer photographed by Fredericks, New York, in the full dress epaulettes. Right, Capt. DeWitt C. Lewis, 97th Pennsylvania, in the typical field dress of a frock coat with shoulder straps.

The text below, which explains the general uniforms seen, and in each section is taken from the Revised Regulations of the U.S. Army, Lippincott, Philadelphia, 1863, and the numbers are the paragraph numbers of each regulation.

1442. All officers will wear a frock-coat of dark blue cloth, the skirt to extend from two-thirds to three-fourth of the distance from the top of the hip to the bend of the knee; single-breasted or Captains and Lieutenants; double-breasted for all other grades.

1448. For a Captain - the same [coat] as for a Colonel, except that there will be only one row of nine buttons on the breast, placed at equal distances.

1449. For a First Lieutenant - the same [coat] as for a Captain.

1450. For a Second Lieutenant - the same [coat] as for a Captain.

1451. For a Brevet Second Lieutenant - the same [coat] as for a Captain.

1531. For a Captain - the same [epaulettes] as for a Colonel, according to corps, except that the bullion will be only one-fourth of an inch in diameter, and two and one half inches long, and substituting for the eagle two silver-embroidered bars.

1532. For a First Lieutenant - the same [epaulettes] as for a Colonel, according to corps, , except that the bullion will be only one-eighth of an inch in diameter, and two and one half inches long, and substituting for the eagle one silver-embroidered bar.

1533. For a Second Lieutenant - the same [epaulettes] as for a First Lieutenant, omitting the bar.

1534. For a Brevet Second Lieutenant - the same [epaulettes] as for a Second Lieutenant.

Above, left, a patented captain's shoulder strap made with metal stamped parts that can be placed on and removed to change ranks. Right, a regimental quartermaster first lieutenant's shoulder strap. The letters are not regulation, but quite commonly worn by staff department officers. The shoulder strap ground was the branch-of-service color: sky blue for infantry, scarlet for artillery, yellow for cavalry, and black for staff branches.

1543. For a Captain - the same [shoulder straps] as for a Colonel, according to corps, omitting the eagle, and introducing at each end two gold-embroidered bars of the same width as the border, placed parallel to the ends of the strap; the distance between them and from the border equal to the width of the border.

1544. For a First Lieutenant - the same [shoulder straps] as for a Colonel, according to corps, omitting the eagle, and introducing at each end one old-embroidered bar of the same width as the border, placed parallel to the ends of the strap, at a distance from the border equal to its width.

1534. For a Second Lieutenant - the same [shoulder straps] as for a Colonel, according to corps, omitting the eagle.

1535. For a Brevet Second Lieutenant - the same [shoulder straps] as for a Second Lieutenant.

General Order No. 286, November 22, 1864

“Officers serving in the field are permitted to dispense with shoulder-straps and the prescribed insignia of rank on their horse equipments. The marks of rank prescribed to be worn on the shoulder-straps will be worn on the shoulder in place of the strap. Officers are also permitted to wear overcoats of the same color and shape of those of the enlisted men of their command. No ornaments will be required on the overcoats, hats, or forage caps; nor will sashes or epaulettes be required.” In fact, these metal rank badges were more often seen on the collar, as worn by the Pennsylvania first lieutenant above, than the shoulder, although they were worn there from time to time, too. Rank badges were often worn on plain strips of facing color cloth without the edging as plain shoulder straps, too.

The sack coat: Officers in the field often wore custom versions of the enlisted man's fatigue blouse, usually single breasted with five buttons down the front, a functioning cuff, and several outside pockets, and often with black velvet collars. These were never regulation dress, but quite common, worn by officers as high in grade as U.S. Grant when a lieutenant general in 1864.

Veteran Reserve Corps: General Order No. 124, May 15, 1864: Frock coat - of sky-blue cloth, with dark-blue velvet collar and cuffs - in all other respects, according to the present pattern for officers of infantry. Shoulder straps - According to present regulations, but worked on dark-blue velvet. Pantaloons - Of sky-blue cloth, with double stripe of dark-blue cloth down the outer seam, each stripe one-half inch wide, with space of three-eighths of an inch.

Light Artillery Officers: 1453. A round jacket, according to pattern, of dark blue cloth, trimmed with scarlet, with the Russian shoulder-knot, the prescribed insignia of rank to be worked in silver in the centre of the knot, may be worn on undress duty by officers of Light Artillery.

OVERCOAT For Commissioned Officers

1558. A “cloak coat” of dark blue cloth, closing by means of four frog buttons of black silk and loops of black silk cord down the breast, and at the throat by a long loop a echelle, without tassel or plate, on the left side, and a black silk frog button on the right; cord for the loops fifteen-hundredths of an inch in diameter; back, a single piece, slit up from the bottom, from fifteen to seventeen inches, according to the heights of the wearer, and closing at will, by buttons, and button-holes cut in a concealed flap; collar of the same color and material as the coat, rounded at the edges, and to stand or fall; when standing, to be about five inches high; sleeves loose, of a single piece, and round at the bottom, without cuff or slit; lining, woolen; around the front and lower border, the edges of the pockets, the edges of the sleeves, collar, and slit in the back, a flat braid of black silk one-half an inch wide; and around each frog button on the breast, a knot two and one-quarter inches in diameter of black silk cord, seven-hundredths of an inch in diameter, arranged according to drawing; cape of the same color and material as the coat, removable at the pleasure of the wearer, and reaching to the cuff of the coat-sleeve when the arm is extended; a\coat to extend down the leg form six to eight inches below the knee, according to height. To indicate rank, there will be on both sleeves, near the lower edge, a knot of flat black silk braid not exceeding one-eighth of an inch in width, arranged according to drawing, and composed as follows:

1564. For a Captain - of two braids, single knot.

1565. For a First Lieutenant - of one braid, single knot.

1566. For a Second Lieutenant and Brevet Second Lieutenant - a plain sleeve, without knot or ornament.

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