Shoulder Board

[MosbyCSA1863]

Pards,

I am looking to the authenticity of Confederates wearing Union shoulder boards for rank.
This would be for an early war impression. I have searched the web and the AC files, but have had no such luck. If anyone could point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank You,

[hta1970]

Re: Federal style Shoulder Straps

My great great great grandfather served as a officer and later company commander in the 1st NC Cavalry. I have a photo of him in his uniform as a Second Lieutenant and he is clearly wearing federal style shoulder staps. The uniform does not have Confederate regulation collar or sleeve rank. It conforms to North Carolina State Regulations.

The following is from "State Troops"

http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/troops/troops.html

REGULATIONS FOR THE UNIFORM DRESS AND EQUIPMENTS, OF THE VOLUNTEERS AND STATE TROOPS OF NORTH CAROLINA.
GENERAL ORDERS, NO. 1
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA. ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, Raleigh, May 27th, 1861.


SHOULDER STRAPS.
42. The shoulder straps will be of cloth one and three fourth inches wide by four inches long, broidered with an embroidery of gold one-fourth of an inch wide. The cloth for the straps will be, for General Officers and Officers of the General Staff, buff; for Artillery, red; for Cavalry, yellow; for Infantry, black.
On the cloth within the strap will be embroidered:
43. For a Major General.--Two silver stars of five rays.
44. For a Brigadier General.--One silver star of five rays.
45. For a Colonel.--One silver embroidered eagle.
46. For a Lieutenant Colonel.--A silver embroidered leaf at each end.
47. For a Major.--A gold embroidered leaf at each end.
48. For a Captain.--Two gold embroidered bars at each end.
49. For 1st Lieutenant.--One gold embroidered bar at each end.
50. For a 2nd Lieutenant.--The straps will contain nothing.

The frock coat of Captain Cary Grimes also has federal style artillery shoulder straps. It is adorned with Union Staff buttons and red piping. Captain Grimes was in command of Grimes Battery, formerly the Portsmouth Light Artillery. Captain Grimes was shot from his horse at Sharpsburg while directing the fire of his guns and died shortly thereafter. He was buried at Sharpsburg and after the war brought back to Portsmouth where he was buried in Oakwood Cemetery near Portsmouth. His uniform is at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum.

[Silas]

Nah. It's a reenactorism. Never happened in the war.


Lt. John B. Love
Co. A, 15th Miss. Inf.


Theodrick "Tod" Carter
Co. H, 20th Tenn. Inf.


Capt. John S. Gooch
Co. E, 20th Tenn. Inf.
wounded at Fishing Creek


Capt. Abraham L. Gammon
Co. G, 19th Tenn. Inf.

These photos were all copied from the Confederate photos section of theMill Springs Battlefield Association webpages.

[MosbyCSA1863]

Re: Shoulder Board

Thats what i was looking for. One more thing how long would this have lasted 63 maybe 64?
Thank you for your help with this.

[johnnyreb43nc]

Re: Shoulder Board

Kenneth,
One of my pards has a book full of pictures of North Carolina Troops.
Most of the pictures of Nc Officers show them wearing shoulder boards.
I will post the title and serial number of the book within a couple of days when i get the chance to see him.

Hope this will be of some help.

Jason Tailford
18th Va Infantry
Temperance Mess.

[MosbyCSA1863]

Re: Shoulder Board

Jason,

That would be great help thank you.

[lthull3rdla]

Re: Shoulder Board

I was wearing 1st Lt. Shoulder rank on my columbus Depot jacket at the first big Springhill event. A yankee gal asked me "why would a confederate wear federal rank on his coat?"
I side tracked her by asking her to the dance and one year later I married her

foraged her from the 6th OVI I did..

thanks for all those fine pictures y'all. I had seen some in the past and hence the reason for having worn it myself. But this has really opened my eyes to how much they were used.

Ronnie

[johnnyreb43nc]

Re: Shoulder Board

Hi Kenneth,
Here are the details of some books that will help your research:

State troops and volunteers
Greg Mast
Isbn 0-86526-264-0

Confederate Faces
William A.Albaugh III
Isbn 1-56837-260-4

Still more Confederate Faces
D.A.Serrano
Isbn 0-9632275-0-5

I hope these books help if you can get copies

Jason Tailford
18th Va
Nottoway Grays
Temperance Mess.

[MosbyCSA1863]

Re: Shoulder Board

Jason,
Thank you very much for that info. I will be checking on those today.

Cheers,

[Enfield]

Re: Nah. It's a reenactorism. Never happened in the war.

These photos were all copied from the Confederate photos section of theMill Springs Battlefield Association webpages.

Yes, and MSBA lifted them all without credit from the Battle of Mill Springs webpage, http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Qu...64/Default.htm, whose page author (yours truly) has spent a long time gathering these images.

OK, away from ranting ... yes, Confederate officer shoulder boards were common in 1861-62, at least in the West - I have seen many in Tennessee and Kentucky images. Some insignia boards also went along the length of the shoulder, like a large epaulette. There are notes on my webpage above about other early types of Confederate officer insignia (not copied on the MSBA page).

Geoff Walden