Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-10-09
BRIGHT BRASS BUTTONS
woas az OFFICERS or TIE UNITED
STATES ARMY AND NAVY.

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When people talk about tn Hurry q
brass buttons they often do % In iguorAncs
Of the Importance that attacks fs,eA 70
these useful, il ornamental. arncieA In ths
army, particularly. the button b - easrnfaA
and Distinguishing part OF the uniform =
the shoulder straps. the stripe o. NJ sm
bruidery on the coat s3eeve- Nos only
true that each branch Of the service has m
peculiar button, but it IS also true that the
arrangement Of these buttons indicates the
rank Of the wearer indeed, the army regu-
la,ions are very exact on this bead. and it d
part Of every mans duty TO learn what such
and such arrangement means
ALL IN 4 now.
According 10 Article IS Of the army regu-
larions at present in force, the general muss
wear two rows Of buttons on the breast OF
his frock coat, twelve in eacn row. placed BY
fosirs More than this the distance between
each row must be just 20, that Is nve AND
one-half inches at the top and three and one
calf inches at the bottom.
Coming down grade the lieutenant gen
ernl can only wear ten buttons In each row,
the upper and lower arranged by groups OF
threes and the middle groups by focrs- The
major general only reaches the dignity Of
nine buttons in each row, placed by threes
A 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 ma ior wear nine buttons in each row,
but they are placed at equal distances apart
and are not grouped The captain, first and
second lieu,enants wear seven buttons in each
row. sswe,i on at equal distances. The non-
commissioned officers all wear a single row OF
seven buttons set at equal distances
Then comes the difference in the designs Of
the buttons. these being as follows: For gen
eral officers and officers Of the general STAN
the buttons are of gilt, convex in shape, seven
eighths Of AN inch in exterior diameter in sire.
and bearing a spread eagle and row OF twenty
four stars within plain FURNISHED border
For officers OF artillery. infantry and cav
airy the button is of gilt, convex in shape and
bears as device spread eagle bearing
shield, on which stands the letter for ar
tillery. for infantry and c for cavalry. The
button is seven-eigh'hs of an inch In exterior
diameter and is made without border. 1t
NAV be mentioned here that all the enlisted
men and non commissioned officers wear .
button of this pattern, but of yellow metal
and without the letter in the shield. The
officers OF the corps OF engineers wear very
pretty button. Ii is OF gilt, nine-tenths OF
an inch In exterior diameter, Is but slightly
convex, has u raised brim one-thirtieth OF an
inch wide, and for device has an eagle
holding in his beak a scroll with the word
"Essayonsn Diet It's t-vl, bastion with EN-
brasures in the distance. surrounded by
water, and a rising sun-all the figures being
Of dead gold upon IA bright field.
The officers Of the ordnance department
also have very distinctive button 1t -
gilt, convex, has a plain bright border, the
body Of the button. however, being dull and
lined On this groundwork there are two
crossed cannon. s'lrmounted by bombshell.
with circular scroll over and across the
cannon, bearing the words Ordinance Corps.
Aids-de-canip may wear the button OF the
general staff or corps at their option.
HANpsoMEsT OF THE SET
The custom house button, or rather that
worn by the revenue service, is cleverly EN-
blematical 1t is IA small button, not more
than three-fnurths Of an inch in exterior
diameter, the border being OF rope pattern,
within which lies a narrow bright band The
device consists of the treasury shield, sur
mounted 10y all anchor as a crest, and with
the letters Z s. a. supporters
Lastly comes the navy button, the hand
soonest. perhaps, of the lot. It 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 u marrow
rope pattern The device consists Of an ca
gle in IA 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 a row Of thirteen stars
One popularity of this button is that, not
withstandmg the fact that 1t 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 vet found out the secret Of pre-
pairing 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 I'M the army
buttons were of white metal, but in the last
mentioned year Washington ordered that the
regulation fN-tunt WIS W ttusisl Vi "a tdi n
blue or biack coat reaching to the knee, and
full trimmed the upes fastened back, with
ten open WORKED nu;tuniloles in yellow silk
on the hfcat of &c III lapel and ten large regi
ineni.u yellow bi.t.ois at equal distances on
each sid =, thrc, lug- yellow regiiiental but
tons ~ each cuff and a ike number on each
pocket Zap The navy officers were also or
derei t. wear velt,u buttons, the officers
BAL, 20 h
red farin-s. rt4l wais,coats and blue brooches,
beln, a very guy and attractive affair On
the Other hand. the marine officers wore q
green coat with white facings, white brooches.
edgel " IN green, white vests, silver epaulets,
blars e; tiers and white buttons
In I1.a the uniform Of the army was
changed r.ain The coat was ordered to he
hli.e, tn. taciu;s white, buff or red, while
the cavalry hail white buttons In l7S2 the
infantry also were put into white buttons,
the rest of the uniform being Of blue ground
with red facings and white Innings In l706
the infantry still wore white buttons, with
dark blue coats reaching to the knee and full
trimmed scarlet iapels. cuffs and standing
capes, white trimmings, white underdress,
black stocks and cooked hats with white
binding A number OF changes iii the uni
form of the army were made in 1910, by one
OF which officers of the general staff wore
cooked hats without feathers, vest and
breaches or pantaoons, white or butt, high
military boots and gilt spurs, and single
breasted blue coats with ten gilt buttons
When the clyll war hroke out in 1861 some Of
the volunteer trppis were dressed in gray
with white hnttons. hut a. the CUnfederates
adopted the same color for their regulars the
United State> troops were clad IN blue with
yellow buttons. IN much the same fashion as
they wear them today The regulations con
corning the arrangement or grouping "f but
tons as indications OF rank are. however, Of
much more recent date. - Sau Francisco
Chronicle