The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-03-13
THE CORPS BADGES.
How and When They Originated and What They
Symbolic.

ulVlSlonS. 1hey were not only worn Dy
officers and soldiers, but placed upon flags
and wagon covers, indicating by their
form the corps and by their color the di-
vision to which the wearer or the wagon be-
longed. In the movement of large armies,
composed of several hundred regiments of cav
airy and infantry and batteries OF artillery,
with their baggage and supply trains cover
ing all the roads for many miles, it early be-
came necessary to adopt some means of desig-
mating the organization to which the men and
wagon trains belonged. In Anecdotes of the
Civil War by Breyet Major General E. D..
Townsend, late Adjutant-Generalo of the IT, s.
Army, is an interesting chapter on the Le-
gend and Description of Badges" in which the
author gives credit TO General Phil Kearney
for first adopting corps badge: The adoption
OF the badge originated with kearney who
saw some officers standing by the roadside one
day, and thinking them to be straggiers, began
to rebuke them. After listening for time TO
the voley of expletives, one of them saluted
him and stated that they did not belong to his
command. Kearney at once exclaimed, Par
don me; | will take steps to know how to rec
ognize my own men hereafter and soon after
ward ordered ali his officers and men to wear
eonspicuously in front of tkeir caps round
pieca of red cloth to designate them. This soon
became known as Kearney's patch After the
W
every officer, beside the Grape on the left arm,
to continue to wear on his cap piece of scar
let cloth, or have the top or crown-piece OF cap
made of scarlet clothn
The battle of Fredericksburg, in December,
probably demonstrated the Importance of the
wearing of some distinguishing mark for the
soldiers of the army, and soon after the retire
ment OF General Burnside from command of
the Army of the Potomac, his successor, Gene
1862 prescribing the device for badge for
each corps, for the purpose of ready reeogni-
ton of corps and divisions of this army and
to prevent injustice by reports of struggling
and misconduct through mistakes as TO their
organizations They were to be fastened on
the center Of the top Of the cap. General
Hooker's army at that time consisted Of the
1st, ID, Sd, 9Th, 9Th, 18th and 18th corps.
The badges, arbitrarily chosen, with no spe-
cial Specification, were as follows:
First corps, sphere; I'd corps, a trefoil; Sd
corps, lozcnge; 9TH corps Maltese cross;
9Th corps, a Greek cross; 18th corps, crescent
and 18th corps, ye-pointed star. The 4th
corps and It'll corps were serving In the Depart
ment of Virginia. These corps were discon-
tiBued as corps organizations IN August, 1863
before the adoption OF a badge. The 9Th corps
or Middle Department, adopted star with
six rays, in the latter part of 1863. The 9th
CDIlioi BdSIHS S6ENtu dllO5G on GHe DuFHSiCS
expedition adopted as its choice, in April 1864
a shield, with the figure Gin the center crossed
with foul anchor and q cannon. The 10th
corps, by general orders, dated July %, 1854
in commemoTation of its service against forti.
fed positions on the seaboard chose the trace
OF four Fashioned fort.
In the reorganization of the Army of the
Cumberland in October, 1868, after the battle
of Chickamauga, the old Doth and 21st army
4 Il
which took the number left vacant by the
discontinuance of the 9TH corps, Department Of
Virginia, and on the 26th of April. 1864
adopted the design of an equilateral triangle
The 14th corps adopted the acorn, and the new
both, formed by the consolidation of the 11tf
and 18th corps, retained the five pointed star o.
the 18th corps.
General Sbeele's corps in Arkansas, formed
in January 1864, was designated the eth, tina
number having been vacated by the discontIn
nance of the 9TH corps, Department of Virginia
and the badge, adopted by circular issued
from headquarters, June /, 1865, was crescen
encircling the upper rays of a fve-pointed star
The 18th corps, discontinued July 20, 1865
adopted no badge. The 18th corps adopted q min
iature cartridge-boz. black, set transyersely or
a square; above the cartridge plate, stamped
u. s., was the legend, Forty Rounds" Yh,
Cd division of the 18th corps {Corse's) appear
ions, under General A. j. Smith, adopted as it
badge q circle with four mimic balls point
towards the center) cut out of it. The It'll
corps badge was an arrow; the 18th corps,
cross, with foliate sides; the 18th corps, a fan
1eaved cross, with octagonal center; the p,
corps, quinouefoiiate in shape, with a circl
inscribed in the center; the 23d corps, plail
shield; the 24th, a heart; the 25th, a squar
with smaller one inside, with corners oppo
III
veteran corps badge, beautiful in design,
thus described lit was designed by his chief o
staff, General c. II. Morgan: A circle is sur
rounded by a double wreath of laurel wild
red band passes vertically through the cente
| of the circle, outside the laurel wreath ray
form a figure with seven sides of concav
curves: seven hands, springing from the cir
conference of the laurel wreath, grasp spears
| the heads of which form the seven points O
| the external radiated figure.
The design of Sheridan's cavalry corps wa
| also handsome ornament; few, however. wer
| worn by enlisted men. 1t consisted of gol
! crossed sabers on an oblong blue field sur
roanded by silver rays
| Wilson's cavalry corps badge was rifle O
/ carbine, from which was suspended by chain
! the red swallow tail guidon of the cavalry
bearing design of two gilt crossed sabers.
| The badge of the frontier cavalry servin
/
Arkansas was spur with curb-chain; hang
| ing down between the shanks of the spur, a Gre:
cent and star were suspended.
Clusters cavalry, in imitation of their com
mander, wore a red seraf about their neck
1 tied with sailors knot.
The badge of the engineers and pontoniel
corps was very elaborate. 1t consisted of tw
oars crossed over an anchor the top of whic
| was encircled by a scroll snrmounted by eastl
the castle being the badge of the United Stat,
corps of engineers.
The signal corps badge was two flags crosset
| with flaming torch between them.
A spread eagle was the insignia on the heat
/ quarter flags of the Department. OF West vi
ginia.
The badge of the Department of the Curnbe
1 land consisted of the Union Of the three corr
badges composing it: the star Of the goth Il
base, the triangle of the 9TH reduced in size la
| upon surnounted by the miniature acorn
the 14th corps.
Many legends, more or less fictitious, attach
the selection of the various badges.
The 14th corps had an acorn, selected becau
they were called The Acorn Boys" This mar.
was given them, because after the battle
Chickamauga Rosecranss army made s.ar
around Chattanooga, and as supplies were q
tanned with difficulty, the corps encamped
an oak grove, roasted acorns, which were plel
tifu, and ate quantities of them.
The 18th corps had miniature cartridge-bo
black, set transversely on q square; above Il
cartrdge-box plate was the motto, "Tor
Rouhds." The device resulted from a suggestit
that grew out of the following incident: The Ii
J and 12tl corps were transferred from the Arm
of the Potomac 10 the Army OF the CHAMBERLAIN
They were better dressed than the ether tYoo
, of that department., and little rivalry spraJ