Wearing US Buckles Upside Down

[BobbyHughes]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

Comrades,

Great discussion! I also tend to think the inverted US plates is overdone, but I did find an interesting picture!

On page 37 of CWTIs The Common Soldier of the Civil War by Bell I. Wiley (1973) there is an image of a Confederate cavalryman, wearing white leather sword belt, 1840 dragoon saber and two horsepistols (studio props?). It is interesting in that he is wearing an oval belt plate with an eagle on it (similar to some Mississippi plates,) but the plate is inverted. If I can somehow manage to get a scan, Ill try and post it here. Now, is it a studio thing, or is it his own belt and plate, cant say for sure, but its a great image.

[Rob Weaver]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

I know that picture! I stumbled across it in my stuff while I was looking for photos of Confederates with upside down buckles. IIRC, he's a pretty burly guy, who really fills the image, too.

[BobbyHughes]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

Rob,

Thats the one! I cant get a scan of it, due to lack of resources and time. Anyone else out there know the pic?

[roundshot]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

Here you go.

[Matthew.Rector]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

On page 60 of the May 2007 issue of America's Civil War, there is a photo of Medal of Honor recipient Daniel P. Reigle, 87th PA. Interestingly, he is wearing his US belt upside down. The source provided for the photo is Gettysburg National Military Park.

I wasn't looking for another example of a Federal Soldier wearing an upside down "US" belt plate, but I stumbled upon one. It can be found in the book The Shenandoah in Flames: The Valley Campaign of 1864, from the Time Life Civil War series. The photo is located on page 128 in the lower right corner and depicts 4th Vermont Drummer Nelson O. Wilcox-wearing an upside down US buckle.

[BobbyHughes]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

Mr. Williams

Thats the one! Thank you sir!

[Rob Weaver]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

That's indeed him - I find it interesting that he's even interpreted that the Federal eagle should be worn upside down. "Down with the eagle, and up with the cross!"

[DPSaffer]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

Hello All,

I'm sorry if I'm adding yet another post to a thread that has already gone on too long, but another thought has just occurred to me. Although I have never seen any solid proof myself, I have been told on several occaisions that Confederate guerillas, particularly those in Missouri, were very prone to wearing the Federal US buckles upside-down as most of their supplies came from captured Federal stores. Again, I have no solid proof of this and primary sources for the irregulars are few, but it seems very reasonable and I wondered if anyone else had any thoughts or information on the matter. I don't know how many people portray Missouri bushwhacker impressions, but it is interesting all the same.

Respectfully,

Kyle Wichtendahl

[FloridaConscript]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

All,
In the 2008 Jack Melton Civil War Calender, the August photo soldier is an unknown Jonny wearing a battle shirt, kepi, bowie knife and an inverted US buckle. I'm not sure of Mr. Melton's scanning policy, but will shoot him an email and see if I can post it.

[ILYankee5]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

This is a really neat discussion. Let me see if I am reading this right so far and if someone can straighten me out if I am not. We are still iffy on whether or not the belt buckles were wore upside down simply by accident or on purpose? And if they were wore upside down on purpose it didn't stand for "Southern Nation." I recently overheard a Reb talking to a group of folks at a recent event saying that is why they wore them that way....I was like uh oh. I haven't read of any primary documentation (or heard of any for that matter) stating that was what it stood for.

[Enfilade]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

The reason you don't have any documentation for "Southern Nation" by wearing a US belt buckle upside down is because there is...

A)No documentation whatsoever that a CS soldier would wear a belt upside down meaning "Southern Nation".

B)Some hearsay documentation held by sutlers of mainstreamers selling US belt buckles at Southern events.

C)An easy fix for mainstream re-enactors to change coats and really be fast by just turning their belts upside down for "quick-change galvinizing"; and is a cheap alternative as well.

D)All of the above.

Mark Berrier
North State Rifles

http://www.northstaterifles.com

[Dusty Merritt]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

Just stumbled across another example of a Federal with an inverted US belt buckle. This one's from the famous photograph of the 61st New York's drummers at Falmouth, Virginia in March 1863 (Library of Congress). Not sure what to make of it, but the soldier (drum major?) is also wearing his sword on the right. I wonder if he thought the image would be reversed like in a tintype.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

Hallo!

It is impossible to know intent or context...

However, with the pre War/early large, flat, "U.S." oval plates...

Previously (prior to 1857), the M1839 large plates were worn by dragoons, and small plates by infantry. The dragoon belt plates had the belt hooks reversed so that the hooks were under the "S" and not under the "U" as on the infantry plates.
(With shoulder strap and sabre sling straps in the way, the cartridge box and later cap box had to slide over the end on the belt on the wearer's right- requiring the plate to have studs on the wearer's left behind the "S" and the hook behind the "U." Not so for the infantry.)

I suspect, but do not know, that this lad was issued a (former) 'dragoon' plate that when worn on the infantry waistbelt that caused the belt to be inverted.

On the other hand, he may have just been in a hurry and did not notice he had his belt on upside down.

;) :)

Curt

[FloridaConscript]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

I think that 61NY drummer is secretly a southern sympathizer....

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

Hallo!



Curt