Shoulder Boards on Mounted Artillery Shell Jackets

[Jeffrey Cohen]

I've seen some officers wearing enlisted men's shell jackets with officer's shoulder boards. Did such a thing exist?
Regards,
Jeffrey Cohen

[Redbeard]

I am confused by the question. Do you mean you've seen re-enactors do this or that you've seen first person photos, ambros, etc. of it being done by the original cast? If it's the later, there is your answer. If it's the former, maybe ask those guys directly if they have any first person images of that or other evidence ( a letter, mentioning how cleverly he mounted shoulder boards to an enlisted coat, for instance).

[Jeffrey Cohen]

To clarify, I've sen reenactors wearing them I was wondering if such an impression really existed.

[rmilstead]

Jeffrey,
There is an old saying that it is very difficult to prove "the negative" so I have learned 'never to say never,' but from how you stated the question I believe the answer is that it is highly unlikely.

First, if you are referring to soldiers wearing Mounted Service Jackets (MSJ) with red trim for Light Artillery, then most likely they would be Federals. Assuming that is the case, then those jackets would have been the "dress' jackets for enlisted men in the Federal Army scheme of things although they were quite commonly worn in general service. Officers wearing enlisted jackets is very unlikely and, in fact, would actually have been considered against Army regulations.

Second, by "shoulder boards" I further assume you are referring to the common rank insignia worn mainly by Union officers but also occasionally seen on CS officers uniform coats not the brass shoulder scales that were 'regulation' for Federal enlisted men for their "dress" uniform coats, but which were rarely ever worn in the field during the war. Shoulder scales on enlisted Light Artillery MSJs are certainly correct, however, and would be appropriate perhaps for portrayals of garrison troops or early in the war. USCT soldiers are also often seen in period pictures wearing coats with them as well.

If the reenactors you saw were Federals and they weren't brass shoulder scales then, no I would be very skeptical that that such an impression ever existed, but again "never say never."

Now if those reenactors were "playing" Confederates, maybe, possibly, yes depending upon the nature of the "shell jackets." Some level of Branch of Service (BOS) colored trim was often seen on CS officers' coats and jackets and as I said above US Army style shoulder boards are also occasionally seen on CS jackets but the standard, regulation rank insignia is, as I am sure you know, quite different.

As Ned said in his response above, if you are talking about "reenactors" my best advice is ask them where they came up with the idea!

Dick Milstead
The Company of Military Historians
Liberty Rifles

[rmilstead]

Jeffery,
I am afraid that my comment about never saying "never" has come back to 'bite' me.

I when back to check the source materials. The 1857 US Army regulations for uniforms do not specify anything but frock coats for commissioned officers of all branches of the service, but there was a change made in the "Revised" 1861 Regulations which, heretofore I had not noticed and wasn't aware of. In Article LI (Army Uniforms) there is a new paragraph:

"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 center of the knot, may be worn on undress duty by officers of Light Artillery.

Also in Echoes of Glory - Arms and Equipment of the Union on page 111 there is a period photograph which supposedly shows two officers wearing such a jacket with the caption:

"In 1860, the government authorized a special jacket for light artillery officers. These new undress jackets incorporated "Russian shoulder knots to replace the fringed epaulets found on earlier models. The officers above have modified their jackets by adding breast pockets."

The picture in the book is too small to pick up much detail and apparently was from a private collection so isn't on-line as far as I know. How many of these actually made it to the field is obviously unknown.

The question is whether these were trimmed in the same way as the enlisted MSJs were, using the same materials (not probable in my estimation) or individually trimmed to the wishes of the officer (more likely), Officers were responsible for providing their own uniforms and sometimes went to extravagant lengths in what they wore (think George Custer, for instance.) There is no specification of how they were to be trimmed in the Regulations, but neither is there such a specification for the enlisted jackets.

The MSJ was actually added to the 1851 Army Regulations in the 1855-1856 timeframe as a more appropriate garment than a frock coat for mounted troops but the officer version for light artillery wasn't part of the change. Light Artillery in the Federal service seems to have been particularly style conscious as is also seen from their demands for a special "Light Artillery cap" (really more like a shako") with red trimmings including a red horsehair "plume." Those weren't used much in the field either

The use of "shell jackets" by officers of each of the service branches is not all that rare but usually they were without BOS decoration trimming.

Anyway, I guess I was proven mistaken again. Certainly it isn't the first time and probably won't be the last!

Dick Milstead
The Company of Military Historians
Liberty Rifles

[rmilstead]

Folks,
As a follow-up I am posting a recent photograph I ran across of another Union Artillery(?) officer wearing what might be a jacket made to that 1860 Quartermaster's Department authorized officer's "special" jacket specification. Pretty soon we will be seeing them everywhere! The Cavalry sword may or may not be either a prop or say he wasn't Artillery, but the jacket seems to conform in terms of the "Russian" shoulder knots and has piping of indeterminate color but is without the described breast pocket. Not sure about the insignia on his hat either.
Dick Milstead