Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-10-23
The Device Embiazoned Each and It's
Special Sign ificnnce Regulations Regard
Ing Their Arrangement the Uniforms.
The Costume of washington's Time.

fours. More than this the distance between
each row must be just So that is FIVE and
one-half inches at the top and three and one
half inches at the bottom
Coming down grade the lieutenant gen
eral can only wear ten buttons in each row,
the upper and lower arranged by groups of
threes and the middle groups by fours. The
major general only reaches the dignity OF
nine buttons in each row, placed by threes
brigadier general has but eight buttons in
each row ON his breast, these being set out in
groups of twos. The colonel, lieutenant colo
mel and major wear nine buttons in each row,
but they are placed at equal distances apart
and are not grouped The captain, first and
second lieutenants wear seven buttons in each
row, sewed on at equal distances The nom
commissioned officers all wear single row of
seven buttons set Mt equal distances.
Then comes the difference in tine designs OF
the buttons, these being as follows: For gen
eral officers and officers of the general staff
the buttons are of gilt, convex in shape, seven
righths of an inch in exterior diameter in size,
and bearing spread eagle and row of twenty
four stars within a plain FURNISHED border
For officers of artillery. infantry and cav
airy the button is OF gilt, convex in shane and
bears as device a spread eagle bearing a
shield, on which stands the letter for ar
tillery, for infantry and Z for cavalry. The
button Is seven-eigh,hs of an inch in exterior
diameter and Is made without a border II
may be mentioned here that all the enlisted
men and non-commissioned officers wear a
button OF this pattern, but of yellow metal
and without the letter in the shield. The
officers OF the corps of engineers wear a very
pretty button. 1t is of gilt, nine-tenths OF
an inch in exterior diameter, is but slightly
convex, has raised brim one-thirtieth OF an
inch wide, and for device has an eagle
holding in his beak scroll with the word
'ESsayons" let us try) a bastion with en-
brasures in the distance. surrounded by
water, and rising sun-all the figures being
Of dead gold upon bright field
The officers OF the ordnance department
also have very distinctive button. 1t is
gilt, convex, has a plain bright border, the
body of the button, however, being dull ard
lined. On this groundwork there are two
crossed cannon, surnoubted by a bombshell
with a circular scroll over and across the
cannon, bearing the words Ordinance Corps"
Aids-de-camp may wear the button of the
general staff or corps at their option
HANDsoMEST OF THE SET
The custom house button, or rather that
worn by the revenue service, Is cleverly EN-
blematical 1t il q small button. not more
than three-fourths of an inch in exterior
diameter, the border being of a rope pattern.
within which lies a narrow bright band. The
device consists of the treasury shield, sur
mounted 10y an anchor as a crest, and with
the letters .. s. as supporters.
Lastly comes the navy button, the hand
somest, perhaps, OF the lot. IL is of large
size, is quite convex in shape the figures in
the device being in unusually high relief
1t is surrounded by double border first a
bright rim, and within that one q narrow
rope pattern The device consists of an ca
gle in a very wide awake attitude grasping
an anchor in its talons Underneath the an
Choir is a pyramid OF three cannon balls and
around the whole is row of thirteen stars
One peculiarity Of this button is that, not
withstanding the fact that it is the button of
the navy of the United States of America, it
Is of British manufacture The reason given
for this is that no American button manu-
facturer has yet found out the secret of pre-
pairing a bronze that will not tarnish when
exposed to the action of the sea air.
The present brass buttons are by no means
the same as those that have been always
worn in the United States army or the other
branches of service. Up to I777 the army
buttons were of white metal but In the last
,
regulation costume was to consist Of "a dark
blue or black coat reaching to the knee, and
full trimmed, the lapels fastened back, with
ten open worked buttonholes In yellow silk
on the breast of each lapel and ten large regi-
mental yellow buttons at equal distances on
each side three large yellow reginental but
tons ON each cuff aud like number on each
pocket flap. The navy officers were also or
dered TO wear yellow buttons, the officers
uniform, with these buttons, blue coats with
red facings, red waistcoats and blue breeches,
being a very gay and attractive affair. On
the other hand, the marine officers wore a
green coat with white facings, white breeches,
edged with green. white vests, silver epaulets.
black CATERS and white buttons.
In l17p the uniform OF the army was
changed again. The coat was ordered to be
blue, the facings white, buff or red, while
the cayalry had white buttons In 1852 the
infantry also We're put into white buttons,
the rest OF the uniform being Of blue ground
with red facings and white Innings Ia 1896
the infantry still wore white buttons with
dark blue coats reaching TO the knee and full
trimmed scarlet lapels, cuffs and standing
capes, white trimmings, white underdress,
black stocks and cooked hats with white
binding. uumber Of changes In the uni
TORN OF the army were made IN lolO, by one
of which officers Of the general staff wore
cooked hats without feathers. vest and
breeches or pantaloons, white or buff; high
military boots and gilt spurs, and single
breasted blue coats with ten gilt buttons
When the civil war broke out in 1861 some of
the volunteer troops were dressed in gray
with white buttons, but as the Confederates
adopted the same color for their regulars the
initial States trnnps yyaf,a clad in hlta
yellow buttons, in much the same fashion as
they wsar them today The regulations con
cerning the arrangement or grouping of but
tons as indications OF rank are, however Of
much more recent date. - San Francisco
Chronicle.