By Craig L. Barry
the Civil War erupted, the U.S. military updated its insignia. The War Department introduced metal insignia for U.S. accoutrements, while the Ordnance Department issued insignia for soldiers’ uniforms.
During the war, hat insignia were indeed used, but not to the extent seen at modern living history events. Some period photographs depict Union infantry privates wearing the brass insignia on their forage caps in the commonly accepted style. However, there are also images showing the infantry horn insignia in unusual positions, possibly one of the so-called “false metallic” horns with tassels at the bottom, originally intended for officers. The enlisted men’s branch insignia, typically stamped in brass, were designed to be worn on the front of the 1858 enlisted dress hat—often referred to as the Jefferson Davis hat, though less accurately as the Hardee hat (See Figure 1).
The design of the forage cap made it difficult to affix insignia directly above the brim. Some soldiers took to fastening brass insignia on the top of the forage cap, as seen in Figure 2 and 3, though this practice was not sanctioned by U.S. Army regulations. Officially, the regulations specified that forage caps should only have “…yellow metal letters in front to designate companies.” The brass infantry horn, regimental number, and company letter were meant for the enlisted dress hat only.
Different branches of the military had their own insignia: engineers used a castle, cavalry
he images accompanying this column are straightforward, chosen to highlight a specific historical point. A decade before
