River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-01-21
SOLDIERS INSIGNIA.
HabiIinents and Markings WhiSb
Have Been Prescribed by New
Regulations.

| Although the general order prescrib-
ing the new uniform for the soldiers of
the United States regular army was is
sued a year ago last July and went into
effect on the first Of the year, the men
one sees about the streets are still clad
in the traditional blue. But that is be-
cause there is still supply of such
cloth on hand and the government eco
nomically determined to use it up, says
the New York Commercial Advertiser.
The enlisted men do not get new suits
until their old ones are worn out.
In some months time we will no
| longer see the lads in army blue. They
will wear the blue only on dress occa-
sions; on service they will wear olive
drab and on fatigue duty they will wear
brown cotton duck. On some occasions.
In tropical service they will wear a uni
form of white cotton duck.
The stripes on the trousers of the nom
commissioned officers are Of the follow
| ing colors Cavalry, yellow; artillery
scarlet; infantry, light blue; engineers,
scarlet piped with white; ordnance,
black piped with scarlet; post quarter
master sergeants, buff; the hospital
corps, maroon piped with white; the
signal corps, orange. Sergeants' stripes
are one inch wide. A corporal wears
stripe half an inch wide. Musicians wear
two stripes half an inch wide.
Thus by the color one can tell the arm
of the service in which the enlisted man
serves and the stripe shows his rank.
By the dress cap one can tell at glance
the regiment and the company of the en-
listed man. also his arm. Thus the cav
alryman wears crossed sabers, the ar
tilleryman crossed cannon, the Infantry
man crossed rifles, the engineer castle.
Ordnance men wear the shell and flame,
post commissary sergeants crescent OF
white metal electrician sergeants
symbol resembling forked lightning,
hospital corps men a caduceus, which is
the snake-entwined rod that Mercury
carried. The men of the signal corps
wear two crossed flags and & torch.
Band musicians wear Tyre of white
metal, while field musicians Of infantry
and the engineers and trumpeters OF
cavalry wear bugle.
There are many kinds Of sergeants
and many ranks. The chevrons on the
sleeves tell what the bearer is. The
regimental sergeant major, for instance,
wears three bars and an arc Of three
bars The regimental quartermaster
sergeant also has three bars, but they
are joined by three straight bars The
regimental commissary sergeant has the
same insignia with crescent in the
angle. Squadron or battalion sergeant
majors have three bars with an arc Of
two bars The chief musician wears a
bugle in his chevron, 50 does the chief
trumpeter The drum major wears two
embroidered crossed batons. In the ord
nance department the shell and flame
are borne The hospital corps and the
signal corps also bear the insignia Of
their corps. First-class privates of en-
gineers wear a castle of red cloth piped
with white.
The chevrons of the sergeants of the
line all have three bars. The first SER
geant bearsa lozenge also, quarter
master sergeant a til of one bar, color
sergeant star, stable sergeant of field
OIL tAliC1y a 1OA 90 . 4Coo' n vi pOA al
wears two bars and lance corporal one
bar
A cook wears on his arm the insignia
of a cooks cap, farrier bears horse
shoe, saddler saddler's knife and
mechanic or artifcer two crossed ham
mers. A first-class gunner wears an in
sigma of scarlet cloth representing a
cannon nrOjectile
Besides these chevrOns of rank there
are chevrons for service and for service
in war. The first is diagonal half chew
ron of cloth of the color Of the mans
corps. For service in war the men wear
a diagonal half chevron of white cloth
piped with the color Of the arm of serv-
ice in which the man won the distinc-
ton. Men may wear as many Of these
chevrons as they earn.
The general order which prescribes
the change of uniform goes into the mi
nutest details regarding the dress of the
officers and men of the United States
army. When certain dress must and
must not be worn is laid down in the reg
ulations. The very braids on the
swords hits are subject to rules of po-
sition and tying.