1895 Union & Confederate Civil War Uniforms, Insignia, Buttons & Rank Plate
DESCRIPTION
Among the most visually appealing plates from the Official Records Atlas, this remarkable illustration brings together the uniforms, insignia, and military dress of both Union and Confederate armies on a single sheet.
Published by the U.S. War Department in Washington, D.C., in 1895 as Plate CLXXII of the Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 1861–1865, it served as an official reference illustrating the uniforms, insignia, ranks, and military equipment used by both armies. The plate accompanied the government's comprehensive compilation of Civil War military reports, correspondence, and battlefield records.
Unlike the atlas's well-known battle maps, this plate serves as a visual reference for identifying military dress and rank. Uniformed figures representing officers and enlisted personnel from both armies are arranged across the sheet, including infantry, cavalry, artillery, engineers, medical staff, mounted troops, and general officers. Each figure is depicted in regulation dress with carefully rendered details of hats, coats, weapons, equipment, and insignia.
The central panels expand upon these illustrations with reference diagrams of epaulettes, shoulder straps, sleeve badges, chevrons, collar devices, buttons, and cap insignia. Together they demonstrate the organizational structure and visual distinctions between the opposing armies, making the plate an invaluable resource for historians, collectors, reenactors, and students of Civil War militaria.
The Official Records Atlas was compiled under the direction of Major George B. Davis, Leslie J. Perry, Joseph W. Kirkley, and Calvin D. Cowles, and printed by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. While the atlas is best known for its campaign maps, its illustrated reference plates have become highly sought after in their own right for both their historical importance and decorative appeal. Because relatively few depict military uniforms in such comprehensive fashion, this plate enjoys crossover interest among map collectors, military historians, and collectors of Civil War uniforms and insignia.
CONDITION
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