Confederate officer rank insignia

major bill

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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During the lead up to the Civil War there appears to have been several styles of officer rank insignia. Many officers wore U.S. Army rank insignia of their shoulders. The Confederacy officially adopted rank on the collar and knots on the sleeve cuffs. The knots on the sleeve cuffs were not always worn.

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Some units, in some states used locally designed rank insignia. For example some South Carolina units used rank stripes on the outer shoulder. Images of unusual officer rank insignia are seen in period photographs.
 
The knots on the sleeve cuffs were not always worn.
Especially after 1862.

From an earlier thread:

... and of course to further muddy the waters... in 1862 Confederate officers were allowed to dispense with the sleeve braid altogether.... many did... some didn't... mid-late war era many officers jackets and frocks were void of sleeve braiding...

Union sharpshooters were picking off the Confederate line officers like flies.

After the revised CSA uniform regulations of 1862, CSA sleeve braid was for the most part only seen on dress uniforms.
In the "field". . . officers were now trying hard not to draw attention to themselves.
https://civilwartalk.com/threads/sleeve-braid-gullions.113884/
 
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Collar insignia was easy to change with promotions, but adding braid would have been much more of a hassle and impractical....or should I say, impracticable?
 
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Collar insignia was easy to change with promotions, but adding braid would have been much more of a hassle and impractical....or should I say, impracticable?
LOL I'll go with "impracticable"- seems everybody did....
 
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