page_title: American Civil War Corps Badges
section_title: IX Corps, Army of the Potomac
hierarchical_section_title: American Civil War Corps Badges / Corps flags / IX Corps, Army of the Potomac
caption_attribution_description: IX Corps, Army of the Potomac, 3rd Division Badge
context_page_description: Corps badges in the American Civil War were originally worn by soldiers of the Union Army on the top of their army forage cap, left side of the hat, or over their left breast. The idea is attributed to Maj. Gen. Philip Kearny, who ordered the men in his division to sew a two-inch square of red cloth on their hats to avoid confusion on the battlefield. This idea was adopted by Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker after he assumed command of the Army of the Potomac, so any soldier could be identified at a distance.
  Maj. Gen. Daniel Butterfield, Hooker's chief of staff, was assigned the task of designing a distinctive shape for each corps badge. Butterfield also designated that each division in the corps should have a variation of the corps badge in a different color. Division badges were colored as follows:
  Red — First division of corps
  White — Second division of corps
  Blue — Third division of corps
  These were used in the United States' Army of the Potomac. For the most part, these rules were adopted by other Union Armies, however it was not universal.
caption: Union Army 3rd Division Badge, IX Corps
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