Federal Engineer Officer impression

[Rusk County Avengers]

Due to an unforeseen, but fortunate set of circumstances, it looks like I may need to put together this impression. Perhaps "need" is a strong word, but due to a nitwit led reenacting organization that's run more events into the ground in one town than anyone can reasonably think, I've got control over a small local event's future. Was it the endless promises of help cleaning up the property the battle is held on and me being literally the ONLY one to keep the promise, or me being the only one who could come up with a scenario that has a story and showmanship the landowner and event organizers want? Who knows...

I just know right now I'm exhausted from running around a swamp with a chainsaw all day.

Needless to say, since I'm building makeshift earthworks in the style of hastily dug ones right before a fight, and for next year we're Vicksburging that event. I've thought about putting together a Federal Engineer officer's impression for the officer's meetings laying out plans, LH's before I go back into the ranks to have fun as it were.

What advice can anyone give?

 

[Dan Kohli]

What rank were you thinking of portraying? The shoulder straps are of the staff officers variety. The hat insignia is a castle surrounded by a wreath. Otherwise I believe that their uniform is similar to other officer uniforms of the same rank.

 

[Dan Kohli]

It also wold be good idea to look through photographs of the period. I will try to find some from the Library of Congress.

 

[Salterr]

Due to an unforeseen, but fortunate set of circumstances, it looks like I may need to put together this impression. Perhaps "need" is a strong word, but due to a nitwit led reenacting organization that's run more events into the ground in one town than anyone can reasonably think, I've got control over a small local event's future. Was it the endless promises of help cleaning up the property the battle is held on and me being literally the ONLY one to keep the promise, or me being the only one who could come up with a scenario that has a story and showmanship the landowner and event organizers want? Who knows...

I just know right now I'm exhausted from running around a swamp with a chainsaw all day.

Needless to say, since I'm building makeshift earthworks in the style of hastily dug ones right before a fight, and for next year we're Vicksburging that event. I've thought about putting together a Federal Engineer officer's impression for the officer's meetings laying out plans, LH's before I go back into the ranks to have fun as it were.

What advice can anyone give?

https://www.horsesoldier.com/products/identified-items/uniforms-and-cloth/42308

Your insignia would be a brass castle insignia with 3 rows of bricks or embroidered insignia for officer but the wreath is both the palm and the Laurel leaf. Just minor details. Check out that link to a real engineer uniform it might help!

 

[Rusk County Avengers]

What rank were you thinking of portraying? The shoulder straps are of the staff officers variety. The hat insignia is a castle surrounded by a wreath. Otherwise I believe that their uniform is similar to other officer uniforms of the same rank.

https://www.horsesoldier.com/products/identified-items/uniforms-and-cloth/42308

Your insignia would be a brass castle insignia with 3 rows of bricks or embroidered insignia for officer but the wreath is both the palm and the Laurel leaf. Just minor details. Check out that link to a real engineer uniform it might help!

Probably a Lt. as I don't wish to be too ambitious. It'd mostly be for officer's call and all that stuff as I hope to go back into the ranks after the plans are laid out. Engineer makes sense, since I'm building earthworks and a period road. Also if I get enough folks together and the landowner enough right sized logs, a split rail fence along the road. God willing the current officer corps in my region can execute plans, or I won't be able to play with my muskets.

I have noticed Fall Creek offering shoulder boards with the engineer castle, but I'm gonna research it first. I have a hunch that would've been a volunteer thing rather than regular if at all.

 

[7thWisconsin]

Since you can pick your rank, and it´s not really related to commanding troops on the field, I´d recommend wearing captain´s bars. I personally think they look really nice. (Biographical note: I´ve been both a real lieutenant and a real captain, and captain was a lot better. By the time I got railroad tracks on my collar, people took me seriously and let me do my mission.)

 

[Salterr]

Probably a Lt. as I don't wish to be too ambitious. It'd mostly be for officer's call and all that stuff as I hope to go back into the ranks after the plans are laid out. Engineer makes sense, since I'm building earthworks and a period road. Also if I get enough folks together and the landowner enough right sized logs, a split rail fence along the road. God willing the current officer corps in my region can execute plans, or I won't be able to play with my muskets.

I have noticed Fall Creek offering shoulder boards with the engineer castle, but I'm gonna research it first. I have a hunch that would've been a volunteer thing rather than regular if at all.

It would be a better representation without those boards with the castle in them. Staff officer boards would be correct. They lean more toward fantasy piece even if older SHG catalogs offer them. I've never seen actual insignia on shoulder boards like that in person. It would be non regulation for sure but most non regulation boards have the department lettering. Like MS, QD, TE, PD.

 

[Rusk County Avengers]

Since you can pick your rank, and it´s not really related to commanding troops on the field, I´d recommend wearing captain´s bars. I personally think they look really nice. (Biographical note: I´ve been both a real lieutenant and a real captain, and captain was a lot better. By the time I got railroad tracks on my collar, people took me seriously and let me do my mission.)

I see your point, even agree, however...

There's a LOT of bruised or soon-to-be bruised egos in the officer corps, that's been in place for 20-30 years with an ironclad grip on the chief reenacting organization in these parts. A couple of whom high in the SCV and really hate my guts for a stand I took against them and calling them out on a ton of shenanigans. (No one believed me till it was too late.)

They're the ones who insist on running every event, doing the same story-less "opposing lines burning powder" scenario at every event, and have run God knows how many events into the ground. They're also the ones who made promises they didn't even attempt to keep, and I really want to grow this dog an pony show event into something that'll encourage newer younger souls to get into reenacting to keep the hobby going for another generation as well as learn history.

I was told today I should show up with stars on my shoulders or collar and I just said "H*ll no! I'm already demolishing a bunch of guys monopoly due to their mistakes, and I don't wanna rub it in. They are still needed and if pushed too far they'll become an unbeatable obstacle between a good time and the enlisted who believe everything they say without question."

Funny "engineering" part, is on the 300 acre place this event is held on, (complete with an original Confederate powder magazine), last year they chose to battle in a terrbile swampy spot with holes, downed trees, and all kinds of stuff that almost killed the cavalry. This year its in the same spot, because the officers told the landowner that's where the best fighting was and the men loved it. I was aghast and ticked because all us in the ranks HATED it! But now me and the landowner are cleaning and building it.

 

[Rusk County Avengers]

It would be a better representation without those boards with the castle in them. Staff officer boards would be correct. They lean more toward fantasy piece even if older SHG catalogs offer them. I've never seen actual insignia on shoulder boards like that in person. It would be non regulation for sure but most non regulation boards have the department lettering. Like MS, QD, TE, PD.

I was very curious on that score cause I've never seen them, and being more of a Confedeate study-er on uniforms instead of Federal, I was in the dark.

 

[Dan Kohli]

The U.S. Regulations are a good place to start. The the pages that cover insignia are pp.471-472 for shoulder straps. And for hat trimmings pp.466-467. The rest seems like the standard rank equivalent. I do believe that the engineers would incorporate a shorter jacket due to their jobs and sometimes riding horses depending upon which commands they were attached to.

 

[Salterr]

The U.S. Regulations are a good place to start. The the pages that cover insignia are pp.471-472 for shoulder straps. And for hat trimmings pp.466-467. The rest seems like the standard rank equivalent. I do believe that the engineers would incorporate a shorter jacket due to their jobs and sometimes riding horses depending upon which commands they were attached to.

Here is the shorter jacket compared to the other link I sent with the frock. Engineer trim and hat cord should be yellow if memory serves for enlisted men. Field officers usually had a black and gold hat cord and general officers had a gold cord. The side pinned up would have the brass eagle or embroidered for officers if you chose this style. These buttons and embroidered insignia too

 

[Salterr]

I was very curious on that score cause I've never seen them, and being more of a Confedeate study-er on uniforms instead of Federal, I was in the dark.

Glad to help. There is plenty insignia in that department I posted below but the boards with castles are in the same category as the chaplains boards with a cross or shepards hook. Even the tiniest metal insignia castles most likely wouldn't fit inside the field of the boards. And the chaplains boards are post war. They too had regular staff boards during the war.