engineers officer question

Hmmmm. So what is the consensus here? Should my engineer officer shoulder straps really be dark blue, like the same shade as the coat it's attached to? Regarding the castles on the regular engineer shoulder straps, since they were all private purchase would some have had the castles?
Dark blue is a pretty relative term so I'm certain there were variances in tone as the officers purchased them. Regarding the castles in the strap, I've never seen any images from the period of straps with them in there. That certainly doesn't mean they didn't exist, but the proper strap (likely the most common) would be bare right up through captain.
 
Billy1977 , this from Don Erickson. He's the preeminent authority on the topos and topography for the period.

"As Chris says (from a prior response I received), they are not regulation. However, there are enough photos of topog straps with shields or TEs (or both in this case) that we made a bunch up for CW. The CW saw the number of topogs increase from 30-odd officers to the vicinity of 300 -- the majority of these were volunteer officers. So, the sutlers evidently offered a wide variety of straps and hat badges to choose from."

I have nothing to indicate the same thing happened with castles for regular Engineers but it would stand to reason. Perhaps since we reenact a Regular Army Engineer unit, I am more inclined to follow the regs as written.
 
Dark blue is a pretty relative term so I'm certain there were variances in tone as the officers purchased them
But it was in fact some shade of dark blue, not black, as the background color for the shoulder straps? I'm going to get rid of the castles on the shoulder straps of the engineer officer in field uniform I've drawn, I don't want him to look farby.
 
But it was in fact some shade of dark blue, not black, as the background color for the shoulder straps? I'm going to get rid of the castles on the shoulder straps of the engineer officer in field uniform I've drawn, I don't want him to look farby.
I know you have already viewed out website for references. Feel free to use any images there if they'll help you. I believe that you will find that our uniforms are very well researched but please remember that we are US Regulars and there might be some variation if you are drawing one of the volunteer regiments. I'm eager to see your finished product and hope you'll post it here. Best of luck.
 
Hello all, I protray a Musician in the Engineer Brigade Band as well as the principal musician for the Co. A re-enacting unit. I can say pretty decisively that the castles on straps are a reenactorism as with many things we know. While other services call for letters or insignia of a sort to be displayed in the center of the strap, but neither the horizontal nor vertical engineers call for it by regulation. I have yet to run across any images or surviving originals of castles on straps-can I prove a set never existed, of course not, but the evidence shows not thus far. As stated, the topographical engineers were a very elite and proud corps, and as a consensus did not like their integration with the “ Lesser corps” as one officer put it, when they became one branch in 1863. Officers of this corps commonly retained insignia and openly defied the 61 regulations for them on their straps and hat devices.

May I ask which belt buckles you are using for your drawings? This is an equally if not trickier detail to nail and I’ve done a fair bit of research on it and am happy to share.
 
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