CSA officer button patterns

[John Winn]

OK, another clarification needed:

I know Union officer's uniforms had designated patterns of the buttons to indicate rank but I can't seem to find a source that denotes the same for Confederate officers. The photos I've seen don't seem to fit a pattern to rank; some are two rows of seven, some two rows of eight arranged in four pairs in each row, some two rows of nine arranged in three groups of three in each row.

Any meaning to Confederate officer button patterns or was it just individual choice ?

Thanks again !

 

[Shadow9216]

IIRC, there was no "official" pattern recognized or prescribed in the Confederate regs, but some generals adopted the Federal pattern of 8 and 9 buttons for Major General and Lieutenant General.

 

[KILLroy1978]

if I recall, they had different groupings. The two button grouping where for Brig Generals and the Three button groupings where for higher rank. Major General and such.

Famous Pic of P.G.T. Beauregard in uniform. He was one of seven people to reach the rank of Full General in the Confederate Army. Notice the grouping of the buttons on his coat.