Author Topic: Placement of Chevrons  (Read 3570 times)

Offline The Dispatcher

  • Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 11
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Placement of Chevrons
« on: January 23, 2008, 07:08:33 PM »
Does anyone know the proper placement of Chevrons on a sack coat?

Offline Rancid Roy

  • Top Active Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 111
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Placement of Chevrons
« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2008, 07:14:52 PM »
A very good question Dispatcher and I as well would like to know.

According to photgraphs in my small collection of books and "Steffans" on Cavalry it appears that they are centered between the elbow and shoulder.

But there are those more knowledgeable here and maybe they can help us?
Ne'er Do Well    Chicken Thief

Back Shooter     Ambush Expert

"You hold'em and I'll shoot'em."

GAF 104 Scout and Scoundrel

Offline Pitspitr

  • Deputy Marshal
  • Top Active Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 4592
  • 308 214-0082 45551 Rd 816, Sargent NE 68874 USA
    • Grand Army of the Frontier
  • SASS #: 74523
  • NCOWS #: L187
  • GAF #: 147
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 2
Re: Placement of Chevrons
« Reply #2 on: January 23, 2008, 10:04:42 PM »
What period, What country, and what branch?
I remain, Your Ob'd Servant,
Jerry M. "Pitspitr" Davenport
(Bvt.)Brigadier General Commanding,
Grand Army of the Frontier
BC/IT, Expert, Sharpshooter, Marksman, CC, SoM
NRA CRSO, RVWA IIT2; SASS ROI, ROII;
NRA Benefactor Life; AZSA Life; NCOWS Life

Advertising

  • Guest
Re: Placement of Chevrons
« Reply #3 on: Today at 08:30:15 AM »

Offline St. George

  • Deputy Marshal
  • Top Active Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 4827
  • NCOWS , GAF, B.O.L.D., Order of St. George, SOCOM,
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Placement of Chevrons
« Reply #3 on: January 23, 2008, 11:37:24 PM »
This one's been covered in earlier posts.

Essentially - they're placed midway between the elbow and the seam of the upper sleeve - canted slightly 'forward', so they appear 'visible' from the front.

Pretty much exactly like they are today.

Scouts Out!
"It Wasn't Cowboys and Ponies - It Was Horses and Men.
It Wasn't Schoolboys and Ladies - It Was Cowtowns and Sin..."

Offline The Dispatcher

  • Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 11
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Placement of Chevrons
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2008, 03:41:46 PM »
The period is the Civil war 1863, infantry, corporal.

Offline Old Top

  • Top Active Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 893
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Placement of Chevrons
« Reply #5 on: January 25, 2008, 01:49:20 AM »
Dispatcher,

One of the ways that we get the distance from the shoulder seam is to use a dollar bill and use it as a measurement from the seam to the top of the stripe, in this case it would be one of the top legs of the V as the stripes during this time frame were point down, and infantry being light blue in color.  Hope this is helpful.

Old Top
I only shoot to support my reloading habit.

Offline Zouave Officer

  • Carolina Zouave
  • Top Active Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 157
  • Death Or Glory!
    • Palmetto Riflemen & New York Zouaves
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Placement of Chevrons
« Reply #6 on: January 30, 2008, 03:12:40 AM »
This is taken from General August V. Kautz's "Customs of Service for Non Commissioned Officers and Soldiers." Written in 1864.

"Section 1577. The rank of non-commissioned officers will be marked by chevrons upon both sleeves of the uniform coat and overcoat, above the elbow, of silk or worsted binding one-half an inch wide, same color as the edging on the coat, points down, as follows:"

"Section 1584. For a corporal—two bars, in worsted."

I hope that this is helpful in some way, I know the Corporals and Sergeant's in my reenacting unit have asked this question before as well.
- Captain, "Palmetto Riflemen" & "New York Zouaves."
- Charles Devens Jr. Camp No. 10, Sons of Union Veterans.
- Micah J. Jenkins Camp No. 164, Sons of Spanish American War Veterans.

"There’s no use dodging. You will be hit when your body and bullets are at the same place at the same time….
Captain Henry J. Reilly, Battery F, 5th U.S. Artillery, 1898.

Offline Steel Horse Bailey

  • Jeff "Steel Horse Bailey" - BP Warthog & C&B Shooter
  • NCOWS Member
  • Top Active Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 6164
  • A Master of the Sublime & Holy Order or the Soot
  • SASS #: 27463
  • NCOWS #: 1919
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Placement of Chevrons
« Reply #7 on: February 03, 2008, 11:28:41 AM »
As already stated, the placement is pretty much midway between the shoulder seam and elbow, and slightly forward so it is easier to be seen from the front.

Kautz published his directives in 1864, so there were many done before that time.  If you see pictures of soldier groups, it is often interpreted mostly "above the elbow."  They can be seen in many different "versions" and not nearly as standardized as we have today.

Didn't mean to repeat St. George, I just wanted to point out the variations possible.
"May Your Powder always be Dry and Black; Your Smoke always White; and Your Flames Always Light the Way to Eternal Shooting Fulfillment !"

Offline St. George

  • Deputy Marshal
  • Top Active Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 4827
  • NCOWS , GAF, B.O.L.D., Order of St. George, SOCOM,
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Placement of Chevrons
« Reply #8 on: February 03, 2008, 01:41:31 PM »
Then, as now - individuals varied in size.

To say that the chevron was to be worn exactly in the same place on a coat made for a 5'2" bantam as it would be for a strapping 6-footer would lead to some seriously different looking uniforms.

The only time we'd start to really measure placement of anything was after we adopted shoulder sleeve insignia in WWI.

The unit insignia of WWI was placed below the shoulder seam - but the corresponding chevrons, wound stripes and overseas insignia would be placed using the elbow joint as it's placement point - centering the device between that and the edge of the shoulder seam or the cuff - depending.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!







"It Wasn't Cowboys and Ponies - It Was Horses and Men.
It Wasn't Schoolboys and Ladies - It Was Cowtowns and Sin..."

 

SMF spam blocked by CleanTalk

© 1995 - 2023 CAScity.com