Shoulder-Belt and Waist-Belt Plates

Figure 147

The Jackson Artillerists of Philadelphia, after the appearance of the regular dragoon cap plate in 1833 and the large crossed cannon of the regular artillery one year later, lost no time in combining these two devices to make their distinctive cap device.[117]It seems probable, however, that the plate was adopted by other artillery units and eventually became more or less of a stock pattern.

USNM 604608-M (S-K 755). Figure 148.

Figure 148

The Washington Grays of Philadelphia wore a diamond-shaped plate with a likeness of GeorgeWashington in the center (see fig.139), but this plate, for some other "Washington" unit, bears his likeness in silver metal on a brass sunburst background. This silver outline of the head of Washington is also known on cartridge-box flaps of the period.

USNM 60288-M (S-K 46). Figure 149.

Figure 149

This uncut, brass cap plate may have been a manufacturer's die strike sent out as a sample, with others, so that a distant Militia organization could select a pattern. The finished plate is known on a bell-crown cap of the pattern of the 1820's, but its design indicates that it probably should be dated after 1834 when the Regular artillery first adopted the crossed-cannon device. The eagle is distinctly similar to the one adopted by the Regulars in lieu of cap plates in 1821, and the modified sunburst background probably was taken from the 1833 dragoon device.

USNM 60292-M (S-K 50) Figure 150.

Figure 150

This cap plate is a somewhat wider variation of the 1833 dragoon device than most of the Militia plates of that type popular in the late 1830's and the 1840's. While the brass sunburst has the usual 8-pointed form, the eagle, applied to the center, is unusually small (1-3/8 by 1 in.) and gives every indication of having been originally designed as a cockade eagle at a somewhat earlier period.

USNM 60274-M (S-K 32). Figure 151.

Figure 151

This pattern of the 1833 dragoon eagle on a half-sunburst, struck in brass and silvered, was worn by the Washington [D.C.] Light Infantry[118]and possibly by other units of the period. Both the eagle and the half-sunburst were obviously stock items.

USNM 604606 (S-K 753). Figure 152.

Figure 152

This silver-metal plate can be accurately identified by reading its devices. The center device is from the seal of the State of Georgia. During the period that the plate was worn, one of the best known of the State's Militia organizations was the Republican Blues—the "RB" on the plate—of Savannah.[119]The silver color of the plate also agrees with the other trimmings of the uniform of that unit.

USNM 604605 (S-K 752). Figure 153.

Figure 153

This three-quarter-sunburst plate with the monogram "I D" applied in silver is identical to one on a brass-bound dragoon cap in the national collections carrying in its crown the label "Irish Dragoons, Brooklyn, N.Y." (USNM 604691, S-K 837). It is typical of the two-piece sunburst-type plates and was probably worn until the 1850's. The plate was attached by means of two looped-wire fasteners that were run through holes in the helmet and secured by leather thongs.

USNM 604688-M (S-K 834). Figure 154.

Figure 154

With no regulations but their own to restrain them, Militia organizations designed their uniforms to suit their fancies, although generally following the regulationsfor the Regulars. This often led to odd and unusual cap shapes and trimmings and bindings on clothing, and to somewhat garish horse furniture in in some mounted units.

The illustrated cap and plate is very similar to the ones worn by the Boston Light Infantry[120]about 1839-1840 except that the upper or "mortar board" portion is beige instead of red and the plate is a full instead of a three-quarter sunburst. The mortar board form is that introduced by the Polish lancers in Europe in the early years of the 19th century and worn by most European lancer regiments of the same period. Lancer units in the British Army adopted this type cap in 1816 when they were first converted from light dragoons.[121]The large, brass, eagle-on-sunburst plate was obviously patterned after the one prescribed for the Regular dragoons in 1833.

USNM 60377-M (S-K 133). Figure 155.

Figure 155

As an example of more than a dozen known variants of the eagle, this silver-on-copper specimen is illustrated to show the general form and size of Militia cockade eagles that became distinct types in the 1830's and continued until about 1851. All such eagles were obviously stock patterns.

USNM 604960-M (S-K 1104). Figure 156.

Figure 156

This gold-embroidered cockade eagle with a wreath of silver lamé about its breast appears to have been patterned directly after the eagle on the 1833 Regular dragoon cap plate (see fig.38). It possibly is one of a type worn by general officers of Militia. On this specimen, both the eye and mouth of the eagle are indicated with red thread.

USNM 604959-M (S-K 1103). Figure 157.

Figure 157

This gold-embroidered eagle, with wings and tail of gold embroidery and gold sequins, was worn by staff and field officers, and possibly general officers, of Militia. A duplicate on an original chapeau is in the collections of the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore, Maryland. Eagle ornaments such as this were generally centered on a round cloth cockade about 6 inches in diameter. The eagle's mouth is indicated by embroidery with red thread. Similar eagles of a smaller size are known on epaulets of the same period.

USNM 60451l-M (S-K 658). Figure 158.

Figure 158

The flaming grenade, adopted by the Regulars in 1832 after long usage by the British and other foreign armies, was quickly adopted by the Militia. This specimen, of silver-on-copper, was worn as a cap plate either in conjunction with another device below it on the cap front or as a lone distinctive ornament. It cannot precisely be identified as an artillery plate, but since some Militia artillery units are definitely known to have worn silver buttons of the artillery pattern, such is highly probable. Also known in brass and in smaller sizes, it is a stock pattern.

USNM 604526 (S-K 673). Figure 159.

Figure 159

Although this plate appears to be of possible French or British origin, close examination indicates that it is probably an American Militia device of the 1840's. Its looped-wire fasteners indicate that it is a cap plate. The design of the modified Napoleonic-type eagle is almost exactly that used in the 1833 Regular dragoon cap plate and other Militia plates; and the period of apparent manufacture coincides with the early use of the flaming grenade as an American device. Incorporating two devices common to the period, it would have been a stock pattern.

USNM 60432-M (S-K 188). Figure 160.

Figure 160

The 1840 button for the Ordnance Corps bears a flaming grenade over crossed cannon, devices that date from 1832 and 1834 respectively. Consequently, it seems likely that this combination emerged as a stock pattern for Militia artillery early in the 1840's. This specimen, struck from a single piece of brass, is a copy of the French artillery device of the same period, and, while it is believed to be American, it may be a foreign insignia. Confusion arises in the case of foreign designs, for die sinkers often used as a model either an actual imported badge or a scale drawing of one.

USNM 604548-M (S-K 695). Figure 161.

Figure 161

This is a variation of the pattern of the preceding specimen in which silver-metal devices have been placed on a small, gilt, half-sunburst plate. This was probably a stock pattern available to any Militia organization beginning about 1840 and worn for the next 20 or 30 years.

USNM 604533-M (S-K 680). Figure 162.

Figure 162

The palmetto of South Carolina in outline form first appeared as a large cap ornament about 1840, after having been worn in smaller size as a cockade ornament and on the side of dragoon caps. A Huddy and Duval print shows it on the caps of the DeKalb Rifle Guards of Camden, South Carolina.[122]The illustrated specimen was worn into the 1850's, and it is highly probable that some South Carolina troops wore plates such as this in the early days of the Civil War.

The palmetto was adopted as the principal heraldic device of South Carolina in commemoration of the defeat of Admiral Sir Peter Parker's fleet by the garrison of Sullivan's Island under Col. William Moultrie in June 1776. The defenses of the island were constructed primarily of palmetto logs. The devices comprising this brass plate are all taken from the state seal, including the mottosAnimis Opibusque ParatiandDum Spiro Spero Spes. The date "1776" alludes to the year of Moultrie's victory and not to the organization date of any particular unit.

USNM 604532-M (S-K 679). Figure 163.

Figure 163

Struck from a different die, with broader fronds and a wider base, this brass plate is of the same period as the preceding one.

USNM 60295-M (S-K 53). Figure 164.

Figure 164

This grenadier-type plate, struck in brass, is one of the most beautiful examples of the die maker's art in the national collections. On a sunburst-over-cloudsbackground is an eagle grasping the top of the Federal shield superimposed on panoply of arms and colors. The national motto is on a ribbon below. Certainly not from a stock pattern, this plate obviously was made for a specific Militia unit of considerable affluence. Three simple wire fasteners soldered to the reverse provide means of attachment.

This specimen is one of the scarce examples of military plates bearing the maker's name "BALE," which may be seen just above the raised lower edge and below the "UNUM." This was probably Thomas Bale of New York who is first listed in New York directories, in 1832, as an engraver at 68 Nassau Street. The 1842 directory lists him as a die sinker at the same address in partnership with a Frederick B. Smith. He is last listed in 1851.

USNM 604672 (S-K 819). Figure 165.

Figure 165

The plate on this cap uses only the shield of the Pennsylvania seal without crest or supporters. It is surrounded at the sides and bottom with a wreath carrying a ribbon with the unit designation "first artily." Equally interesting and unusual is the small separate insignia at the pompon socket. It is based on the 1840 flaming grenade ordnance device with crossed cannon superimposed.

USNM 60394-M (S-K 150). Figure 166.

Figure 166

This eagle is of a rather odd design, and the five arrows in its left talon is an even more unusual variation.It is believed to be a cockade eagle because of its form and size, but it may well have been used elsewhere on the person as a piece of uniform insignia.

USNM 60259-M (S-K 17). Figure 167.

Figure 167

The State Fencibles of Philadelphia were originally organized as "Sea Fencibles" in 1812 for duty at the port of Philadelphia. This cockade, with brass eagle, was first worn about 1840 and it continued in use for many years thereafter. Dates incorporated as parts of devices are generally the original organizational dates of the units concerned—as is the case in this instance—and bear no necessary relation to the age of the badges. Some Militia cap plates bear the date "1776," and there are waist-belt plates bearing organization dates of 100 years earlier than the dates at which the plates were made.

¶ The transition to composite plates in the late 1830's was a tremendous step forward in the field of military ornament. Handsome insignia could be manufactured less expensively and individual units were able to have plates distinctive to themselves at relatively low cost; however, only gold and silver colors could be used. In the mid-1840's there was introduced a new manufacturing technique which opened this field even wider. In this innovation, various stock patterns were struck with a round center as a part of the design. In either the initial strike, or a second, this round center was punched out, leaving a hole. Then pieces of colored leather or painted tin, carrying distinctive numerals, letters, monograms, or other devices were affixed to the reverse of the plate, in effect filling the hole. Although this added a step in manufacture, it permitted the incorporation of bright colors, which added zest and sparkle to the finished product. Such plates remained popular until the 1890's, and a few are still worn on the full-dress caps of some units. This type of insignia came into use at the time when many of the independent companiesof the larger states, such as New York and Pennsylvania, were starting to become elements of regiments and brigades within the over-all Militia structure of the state, thus the use of distinctive numbers and/or letters on the badges. Many of these units, however, retained their original designation[123]and continued to wear insignia distinctive to themselves on full-dress uniforms.

USNM 604559-M (S-K 706). Figure 168.

Figure 168

The first of the stock patterns, with basic wreath and 8-pointed starlike sunburst, has the numeral "1" on black leather as a center device. Other specimens in the national collections have single numerals, single letters, branch of service devices, and state coats of arms. This plate, and those following, were worn through the 1850's on the dress cap copied after the pattern adopted for the Regular Establishment in 1851. It is struck in brass.

USNM 604617-M (S-K 764). Figure 169.

Figure 169

This stock pattern, in brass, is very definitely military in composition, employing cannon and flag-staff spearheads radiating from a beaded center and superimposed on a sunburst background. The metal letter "1" is backed with black leather.

USNM 604681-M (S-K 827). Figure 170.

Figure 170

This unusually ornate and distinctive plate is that of the Albany [New York] Burgesses Corps that was founded, as stated on the plate itself, October 8, 1833. The arms and the motto "ASSIDUITY", appearing above the ribbon with the letters "A B C," are those of the city of Albany.

USNM 604666-M (S-K 813). Figure 171.

Figure 171

The original buttons on the sides of this cap have the eagle with the letter "R" (used by both Regulars and Militia) on the shield. The brass plate proper, however, includes no device indicative of any particular branch of service; combining flags and a Federalshield surmounted by an eagle, it may well have been a stock pattern.

USNM 604551 (S-K 698). Figure 172.

Figure 172

The type and form of this eagle plate give no clue to its age, or to the identity of the unit that wore it other than the numeral "1" in the eagle's beak and the letter "E" in the shield. It is a type more apt to have been made about 1850 than later. The eagle is struck in brass, and the stippled inner portion of the shield, product of a separate strike, is soldered in place; thus, the plate proper must be considered a stock pattern.

USNM 604552-M (S-K 699). Figure 173.

Figure 173

A companion piece to the preceding plate, this specimen differs in that the letters "R G" and their stippled background are struck integrally with the plate proper—indicating that two dies were combined for a single strike—and in that the shield, ribbon, and numeral "1" have been silvered.

USNM 60358-M (S-K 114). Figure 174.

Figure 174

This plate is of a type form worn on Militia dress caps prior to the Civil War. There is little doubt that plates such as this continued in use for several decades after their initial appearance. This brass specimen, surmounted by elements of the Massachusetts seal, is struck as a stock pattern for Massachusetts troops with the center left blank. The numeral "10" is applied to a black-painted metal disk affixed with simple wire fasteners.

USNM 604545-M (S-K 692). Figure 175.

Figure 175

This plate and the one following are of Militia types worn on caps in the 1850's and perhaps earlier. Such plates are known to have been in use with little or no change almost to the present day on military school dress shakos and dress caps worn by some National Guard units. The plate proper, which is of brass, is the well-known half-sunburst device so popular in the 1830's and 1840's. The Georgia state seal, also in brass, is applied with wire fasteners. The plate is dated later than a similar one of the Republican Blues (fig.152) because of the "feel" of the piece and the fact that it cannot be ascribed to a particular unit whose existence can be dated.

USNM 604547-M (S-K 694). Figure 176.

Figure 176

This plate differs from the preceding one only in that it substitutes the coat of arms of Virginia for that of Georgia. The backgrounds, although very similar, are products of different dies.

USNM 60323-M (S-K 79). Figure 177.

Figure 177

Undoubtedly one of the most interesting of all the Militia plates of the War of 1812 period is this rectangular one worn by John S. Stiles of (as indicated by the engraving) the "First Marine Artillery of the Union." Engraved in brass, it bears an unusual combination of military and naval devices—the familiar eagle-on-cannon of the Regular artillery and the eagle with oval shield that appears on naval officers' buttons of the period.[124]Actually, the devices befit the character of the organization. The following quotation fromNiles Weekly Registerof Baltimore, June 26, 1813, tells something of the unit:

The First Marine Artillery of the Union, an association of the masters and mates of vessels in Baltimore, about 170 strong all told, assembled on Sunday last and proceeded to the Rev. Mr. Glendy's church in full uniform, where they received an address suited to the occasion; which, as usual, done honor to the head and heart to the reverend orator. We cannot pass over this pleasant incident without observing that the members of this invaluable corps are they who, of all other classes of society, feel the burthens and privations of the war.

Obviously, this organization was one of the state fencible units enlisted for defense only, but little else is known about it. In 1814 there was in Baltimore, a Corps of Marine Artillery commanded by a Capt. George Stiles. The roster of this unit, however,does not include the name John S. Stiles. Other records do indicate that a Lt. John S. Stiles commanded a section of the Baltimore Union Artillery at the Battle of North Point in 1814.[125]It is probable that John Stiles, originally a member of the 1st Marine Artillery of the Union had transferred his commission to the Baltimore Union Artillery.

¶ An example of Militia officers' shoulder-belt plates of the period 1812-1816 is a solid silver oval plate (fig.178) engraved with an eagle and elements of the arms of Massachusetts within a shield suspended from the eagle's neck. Being silver, the plate probably was worn by infantry or possibly dragoons. Many suchplates were locally made, as was this one, and examination of a number of specimens gives reason to believe that many were made by rolling out large silver coins into thin ovals, which were then engraved and fitted with fasteners on the reverse. The fasteners on all pieces studied indicate that the plates were intended to be ornamental rather than functional.

Figure 178.—Specimen in Campbell collection.

In the Pennsylvania State Museum there is a similar oval plate that was worn by Col. Philip Spengler of that State's Militia in 1812-1816. Ornamented with an eagle, with the initials "PS" within an oval below, it generally follows the construction of the illustrated plate, differing only slightly in size. Since plates of this general type were made locally by hand, each is unique in itself. Identification must depend upon an interpretation of the devices engraved on the face. The initials of the officer for whom the plate was made are often included.

USNM 604310-M (S-K 466). Figure 179.

Figure 179

A second example of a Militia officer's plate is this engraved brass specimen with the design placed along the longer axis of the oval. Since there probably were many "Volunteer Rifle Companies," it is impossible to determine precisely which one wore this plate. The initials of the officer may be read either "I. B." or "J. B.," for many of the early-19th-century engravers used the forms of the letters "I" and "J" interchangeably. The two small hooks on the reverse indicate that the plate was for a shoulder belt rather than for a waist belt, and that it was ornamental rather than functional.

USNM 60325-M (S-K 81). Figure 180.

Figure 180

This brass buckle, obviously made for a sword hanger, has an eagle in flight above, a 13-star flag below, and four 5-pointed stars on either side. The spearhead on the pike of the flag is definitely of military design, and, in the absence of nautical devices in the engraving, the buckle must be considered an army item.

USNM 604121-M (S-K 278). Figure 181.

Figure 181

Cast in silver and then carefully finished, this rectangular plate with beveled edge is one of the most ornate and beautiful known. In the center is an officer's marquee with an eagle, wings spread, perched on top. In front of the marquee are a field piece with bombs, cannon balls, and drum; the whole on grassy ground and superimposed on a trophy of colors and bayonetted muskets. The canton of one color has, instead of stars, an eagle with a shield onits breast and a ribbon in its beak. It has been suggested that the eagle-in-canton flag would tend to date the piece after 1820 when many Militia units had the design in its colors;[126]however, flags of such design are known to have been used as early as the last year of the Revolution.[127]In addition, the "feel" of the specimen is early, and it is included here as a possible Militia dragoon officer's plate since the dragoons of the War of 1812 period generally wore their swords attached to a waist belt rather than to a shoulder belt.

USNM 60449-M (S-K 205). Figure 182.

Figure 182

This plate is typical of the early waist-belt plates, which generally were more square than rectangular. It bears the over-all design of the 1814-1821 series of "common" cap plates. Struck in copper and silvered, it would have been appropriate for either infantry or dragoons, as both wore "white metal" trimmings during this period. There are as many die variations known for this type belt plate as for the matching cap plates.

The wide latitude allowed officers in selecting their own insignia makes it quite possible that this design was worn by some officers of the Regular Establishment, particularly those in the high-numbered regiments, which were organized during the course of the War of 1812. A third use of this basic design is indicated by a museum specimen at Fort Ticonderoga, N.Y.: cut into its outline form, it was worn on the side of Militia dragoon caps.

USNM 60451-M (S-K 207). Figure 183.

Figure 183

This brass plate is one of several similar examples made of both brass and silvered copper that differ only in small die variations and the use of either 5-pointed or 6-pointed stars. The arc of 17 stars in this specimen may or may not be significant, because there were 17 states in the Union from 1802 until 1812 when Louisiana was admitted. Not until 1816 did the 19th state, Indiana, come into the Union. After thinking in terms of and working with 17 stars for a 10-year period, die sinkers may well have overlooked the inclusion of a star for Louisiana. Buttons for the Regular rifles made after 1812 but before 1821 show an arc of 17 stars.[128]As in the case of the preceding plate, there is a good possibility that this one was worn by Regular officers in 1814-1821. It is also probable that the pattern was made and sold to Militia for many years after 1821.

USNM 60453-M (S-K 209). Figure 184.

Figure 184

While this plate could have been worn by an officer of the Regular artillery in the period 1814-1821 when uniform regulations were vague and seldom enforced, it is more probable that it was a Militia item of about 1821-1835. The reason for this is that the eagle-on-cannon device was adopted quickly by Militia units when it was discarded by the Regulars in 1821, and the over-all design of the plate itself follows the pattern adopted by the Regulars in 1821 (see fig.68). Several artillery organizations of the Massachusetts Militia wore the discarded button pattern (eagle-on-cannon with the word "Corps" below) until the 1840's,[129]and this plate would have been an ideal match.

The whole is cast in brass, the inner ring rather crudely so. The outer ring is embossed with zig-zag fretwork enclosing a circle of 5-pointed stars; the rectangular belt attachments have a floral design.

USNM 604123 (S-K 279). Figure 185.

Figure 185

This plate, struck in copper, contains the basic devices of the State of Maine seal enclosed by a curled ribbon border embellished with 5-pointed stars. The specimen is more square than rectangular, a characteristic of waist-belt plates of the early 1800's. It was probably worn by Maine Militia no later than the 1820's, possibly a few years earlier. The method of attachment also is indicative of this early period: the heavy vertical wire is brazed to one end of the reverse, and the L-shaped tongue to the other. This plate obviously was a stock pattern.

USNM 60329-M (S-K 85). Figure 186.

Figure 186

This plate, cast in brass, is typical of the small plates, both round and rectangular, that were worn with light-weight, full-dress staff swords. It is an example of the early, hand-made, bench-assembled types. The outer ring carries the wreath typical of the period, while the inner ring carries the eagle with its head to the right, shield on breast, arrows in left talon, and olive branch in right talon. The whole lies within a ring of 13 5-pointed stars; the uppermost five stars are mixed with a sunburst rising from the eagle's wings.

USNM 60466-M (S-K 222). Figure 187.

Figure 187

This brass, bench-assembled plate is similar to the Regular artillery belt plate of 1816 (fig.56) in that the design on the inner ring is struck with a series of separate hand-held dies on a piece of blank round stock. The floral design on the belt attachments is cast. In many of the early bench-made plates, the final assemblyman marked the matching pairs so that they could readily be re-paired after buffing and plating. In this specimen, each ring bears the numeralXXVIII.

USNM 60467-M (S-K 223). Figure 188.

Figure 188

This plate, with the center ring struck in medium brass and the belt attachment cast, was worn by Militia of New York State, as indicated by the eagle-on-half-globe device taken from that state's seal. Of brass, it is assigned to the artillery. The quality of the belt to which it is attached and the ornateness of the plate itself indicate that it was made for an officer. The left-hand belt attachment is missing.

USNM 60470-M (S-K 226). Figure 189.

Figure 189

This small, cast-brass plate is another example of the plates made for social or full-dress wear with the light-weight staff sword. The design on the inner ring is unusual in that the eagle, with upraised wings, is standing on the Federal shield. The plate is a bench-made product, with the inner and outer ringsbearing the numeralVII. It was very probably a stock pattern for officers.

USNM 60414-M (S-K 300). Figure 190.

Back to Index Next