RedRover
1st Lieutenant
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2019
Simple answer, in uniform, or full or regulation uniform yes, from 1832-47 the dragoon corporals wore rank chevrons on their coats. But they wore no insignia on their fatigue jackets. Dragoon Veteran of the 1830s Fayette Robinson noted the fatigue dress was distinct from the uniform:
Somewhat longer attempt at explanation.
In the 1832 uniform the dragoons were the only branch to wear points down chevrons to indicate NCO rank on the coat sleeves. That included sergeants and corporals. Corporals wore two chevrons on their uniform coat, points down.
Otherwise, like the other branches of the army, from 1832-47, Dragoon corporals in fatigue dress wore privates' jackets.
Consequently, from 1832-ca. 1847 in fatigue with the jackets instead of their coats, the dress of the corporals and privates was identical.
This was not odd, as the corporals and privates combined were the "rank and file" of their units.
However, unlike the other branches, dragoon sergeants from 1832 were issued fatigue jackets with rank chevrons. Artillery and infantry sergeants and corporals just wore the private's jackets in fatigue.
From 1847 Army sergeants and corporals generally, especially artillery/infantry were to wear sleeve rank chevrons (points up) on their fatigue jackets. As noted, to this time, only dragoon sergeants wore rank chevrons (points down) on their fatigue jackets. And we see from Sam Chamberlain's Mexican war paintings the corporals of dragoons added dragoon (points down) chevrons on their jackets from about 1847 as well. Other illustrations representing the same.
Here's a dragoon jacket with the late 1840s onwards corporal chevrons...
There was at that time no other alteration to the 1832 pattern uniform coats. So in full uniform the dragoons NCOs (sergeants and corporals) continued to wear the points down rank chevrons, while the artillery and infantry did not employ rank chevrons until the change of uniform coats in 1851.
General Orders of the Army of June 12, 1851 adopted the new uniform, with blue frock coats, and points down N.C.O. rank chevrons for all branches. The pre-1851 sky-blue fatigue jackets of the foot soldiers still in hand, or in store from the War with Mexico, were retained for fatigue wear into the mid-1850s (along with the 1839-51 forage caps). N.C.O.s of artillery/infantry evidently put the new 1851 rank chevrons (now points down for foot troops) on them.
From a Frank Mayer sketch, 1851:
Here's 5th US Infantry Sergeant major Martin Mullins, ca. 1855 in the old pattern fatigues but with the infantry's 1851 points-down rank chevrons...
Last edited:
Bringing the