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**MassVOL** · 06-04-2004, 07:21 AM

Re: Veteran Volunteer Chevron

Joseph N. Hoffman

Residence was not listed;
Enlisted on 5/29/1861 as a Private.

On 5/29/1861 he mustered into "G" Co. PA 42nd Infantry
He was Killed on 5/12/1864 at Spotsylvania Court House, VA

He was listed as:
* POW 12/13/1862 Fredericksburg, VA

THis info is from the Civil War Research Database. Not sure if this helps you. Nothing there about a re-enlistment. Though the search resulted in 18 Joseph Hoffmans from PA.

**thad gallagher** · 02-13-2008, 11:29 AM

Re: Veteran Volunteer Chevron

I was searching the veteran stripe issue and thought I would post this pic. Any thoughts? Not sure of the time it was taken, at discharg perhaps? The stripes are on a sack coat though.

Thad Gallagher

Attached Files

**WoodenNutmeg** · 02-13-2008, 11:36 AM

Re: Veteran Volunteer Chevron

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/...ad.php?t=15625

**PieBoy96** · 02-13-2008, 01:28 PM

Re: Veteran Volunteer Chevron

Another photo showing the stripe on a rather young soldier wearing (what it appears to be) a SA Jacket.

It is a late 1864 image of Pvt. Elias H. Schmick who was transferred to Co. G, 95th Pa. on Oct. 18, 1864 as a Veteran after serving three years with the 96th Pa.

Attached Files

**Boy of '61** · 02-14-2008, 08:59 PM

Re: Veteran Volunteer Chevron

Originally posted by mdbucktail View Post

Comrade,
Also, the Stripe was sewn on sacks, frocks and shell jackets. I have seen pics of veteran soldiers wearing them on all of these garments. On page 57 of the book " Photographic Album of the 42d, 149th and 150th Pennsylvania Regiments", by Patrick Schroeder, there is a photo of a Joseph N. Hoffman wearing these stripes on his shell jacket.
The caption contains some curious information. Stating that he re-enlisted on December 21, 1863. From what I have read the Bucktails were all three year enlistees. Their term of service lasting from May 29, 1861 to June 1. 1864.
The new recruits and re-enlisted veterans transfered to the 190th PVI and would have recieved these stripes then. Joseph Hoffman was killed at Spottsylvania on May12, 1864..... curious.

The service dates you are talking about would be for the 42d PA. The 149th and 150th PA were not formed until the summer of 1862. For the 149th PA, 9 companies had reported to Camp Curtin by August 23, 1862 and were mustered in soon after. Soon after, they were rushed to Washington because of the fear of a Confederate attack during the Antietam campaign. They were then mustered out of service on June 29, 1865 with their last battle being Petersburg, around Dabney's Mill, Feb. 5 - 8 1865. So like I said, I think the dates you were talking about were for the 42d PA, which many of the regimental and staff officers for both the 149th and 150th came from. I'm a ancestor of a officer that was in the 149th PA. I would like to see that picture you were talking about, most of the pictures that I have seen of the 149th, the men are wearing frock coats.

Andy Miller

**GreencoatCross** · 02-16-2008, 08:03 PM

Re: Veteran Volunteer Chevron

Friends,

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (Mansfield, OH) I picked up a CDV of a member of the 203rd Pennsylvania Infantry, also known as "Birney's Sharpshooters." This regiment is believed to have offered it's recruits, as an enlistment incentive, uniforms identical to those of Berdan's U.S. Sharpshooters. As a short lead-in to the point I'll eventually make, I have yet to find evidence that the issuance of green uniforms to this regiment ever occurred. All I've discovered so far have been letters from enlisted men grumbling about not receiving the promised attire; rather, they were issued the same clothing that nearly every other volunteer received.

I'll have to find the image on my other hard-drive, but the unnamed soldier shown was wearing a fatigue blouse with a veteran volunteer service stripe on the sleeves. Being a newly formed regiment in September, 1864, I understand the meaning of the stripes to be that this individual had previously served 3 years in another regiment. I never found out anything more about this man except that he hailed from Lancaster County, PA, which provided, I believe, two companies to the 203rd Pennsylvania Infantry.

In addition to this image, the owner of the gray contract variant Fed. issue shirt that I reproduce also owns a St. Louis manufactured mounted service jacket that he purchased with the shirt. This jacket has the trim removed and shows signs of field use (including other alterations), and has the unit name inked in the sleeve lining. Despite the used state of the jacket, whomever owned it had veteran service stripes on the cuffs.

The unit was the 5th Ohio Light Artillery Battery so I am not certain what the stripes for artillery would be, but the ones on the jacket itself were comprised of a narrow piece of royal blue wool tape hand-sewn to a slightly wider strip of raw-edged red wool broadcloth; this was then hand-sewn to the sleeve. Would this indicate prior service in the infantry, supposing that the jacket was indeed used by an artilleryman?

**Curt Schmidt** · 02-17-2008, 09:54 AM

Re: Veteran Volunteer Chevron

Hallo!

"Would this indicate prior service in the infantry, supposing that the jacket was indeed used by an artilleryman?"

Yes, as I read the 1861 Revised Regulaitons' section 1558, ""...to be the same color as the edging on the coat" would mean that the (five year) service half-chevron would be "color coded" to branch of service.
And, "Service in war will be indicated by a light or sky blue stripe on each side of the chevron for Artillery, and a red stripe for all other corps the stripe to be one eighth of an inch wide."

So yes, ideally, a red edged blue half-chevron would be an infantryman's while a blue edge red half-chevron would have been an artilleryman's.

Curt

**Mike Willey** · 02-28-2008, 02:24 PM

Re: Veteran Volunteer Chevron

Veteran Volunteer Chevrons can be worn on any jacket, coat or blouse, but they are not that common "in the field".

I have multiple images in my collection of guys wearing them. All were taken on veteran furlough....which makes sense. Everybody wanted to dress up and look snazy for the ladies, afterall.

I suspect their use rapidly decreased after their return to the field at the expiration of said furlough.

I also have one image of a soldier with two veteran chevrons on his sleeve. Presumeably he had been in the regular army at some point. This image is not identified, unfortuneately.

Mike Willey
Late of the 49th Ohio and Coffee-coolers

**RN_PAC** · 02-28-2008, 03:12 PM

Re: Veteran Volunteer Chevron

A thread regarding a remarkable photo from June '07 was recently rejuvinated; this is one of the few - maybe the only - I have ever seen of an individual in the field with what appears to be service chevrons.

Here is the thread:

Authentic Campaigner

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11254&highlight=interesting+photo

-Tom Scoufalos

Attached Files

**Poor Private** · 02-28-2008, 05:14 PM

Re: Veteran Volunteer Chevron

Curt,
since you are reading(showing0 that the chevron is to be the same color as the coats trim, I take it to mean that if you stuck one on a Vet Res.Coat that the chevron would be in dark blue?. And what color on a Berdan?

**GreencoatCross** · 02-29-2008, 01:16 AM

Re: Veteran Volunteer Chevron

Cris,

In my decade-long study of Berdan's Sharpshooters I've seen only two images of reenlisted veteran sharpshooters wearing the service stripe. Unfortunately both images are somewhat overexposed CDV's and I could never make out anything other than a stripe that appeared to be only one single color or hue.

The trim on two war-time, provenanced USSS frocks that I've seen started life as a rich medium emerald green color. One of these frocks had arsenal-made chevrons cut from the same material as the coat's own trim. The USSS frock owned by Don Troiani has chevrons cut from dark green velvet. The Schuylkill Arsenal made chevrons on the first coat aside, I'd guess that if any Berdan's Sharpshooters had a service stripe it would have been private purchase and could have been either dark to light green edged with red.

Curt??? Thoughts on service stripes for special service regiments?