Help identifying Uniform

[GeorgeGAS]

hi everyone,
The picture I am attaching is an ancestor of mine. I looks like the family legend that we grew up with might be incorrect. I received some helpful information from members of both the the Napoleonic War Forum and the Victorian Wars Forum. By all accounts, the experts on those two forums believe this person is American - probably from around 1850s. I realize that is pre-Civil War but was hoping someone knowledgeable on this forum might be able to identify a little more closely whether it is American or not.

 

[E_just_E]

Looks like a USA Field Officer around the Mexican-American War:

 

[johan_steele]

I would say the 1850's US is legitimate. Could be either Regular Army, military academy or militia.

 

[GeorgeGAS]

This definitely helps to narrow down my search. While the majority of the family settled in Canada, there is a branch of the family who went to the States. I should be able to match military records with the family name to figure out who the person is (i think?).

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

May I ask what state your family was residing during the1840-1850 period ?
That may help us with identifying the uniform.

 

[GeorgeGAS]

There was a branch that went to Michigan and then on to South Dakota. One branch of the family went to Texas. I believe that some more distant relatives were in Pennsylvania.

 

[major bill]

I will give am opinion and see if others can confirm it or offer an alternative view. I do believe this to be a U.S. uniform. To start off the image is reversed because the bugle faces the wrong way.

The type of open horn insignia in the image is the type used for infantry officers and enlisted men between 1832 until the 1851 regulations came out. The insignia should have an 'outline" eagle above the horn, but this eagle may be cover by the cock feathers. It appears the cock feather may be bi-colored. The shako appears to be either the 1832 pattern officers cap or the 1833 pattern enlisted cap, in this the image it is hard to tell which. The cap has light colored cap cords. These cap cord would normally be seen on dragoon caps. He wears a single breasted frock coat with 10 buttons. The frock coat collar is plain and I can not see any buttons on the sleeves.

The frock coat because it has 10 buttons makes me believe that this is on officer or a militia man. Officer frock coats had 8 to 19 buttons depending on the height of the officer, while enlisted frock coat of the 1847 pattern only had 9 buttons. The frock coat is consistent with with the 1847 pattern officer frock coat, but again the image is hard to see and it could just as well be a 1832 pattern officers frock coat. He should wear officer shoulder straps as opposed to the fringed epaulets. I have no explanation for the lack of sleeve cuff buttons, perhaps they are there but not visible.

The cap could be the 1832 pattern officer cap or the 1833 pattern enlisted cap. Both would have be replaced in the 1851 regulations. If the cock feather are bi-colored then it would indicate militia as opposed to U.S. Army. The cap cords are interesting and makes me believe it is a militia soldier.

The belt buckle has an eagle and could be an officer, NCO, or militant belt. The cross strap belt would normally indicate an enlisted man. militia belts were often white but could also be black.

After giving this some thought I believe this is an enlisted man in the militia. My reasons is that officers would not have worn a ammunition box belt over their left shoulder. It would not be unusually for militia men to wear bi-colored cock feather and fringe epaulets. Militia companies often enhanced their caps with cords or such. I do not see any chevrons so he could be a private. Although U.S. enlisted frock coats should have had 9 buttons, locally made militia enlisted frock coats could well have had 10 buttons. The eagle belt plates would make me believe this is a U.S. militia uniforms. It is hard to guess the age of images of militia uniforms because militia companies often retained older style uniforms for some time after the U.S. Army issued new uniform regulations. It also took about 6 years of normal wear to wear them out and militia companies often changed uniforms only every 6 years or so.

I hope someone who is more knowledgeable than I corrects any of my mistakes,

 

[major bill]

I seen your new post. I am rather knowledgeable on Michigan pre Civil War uniforms. During this time frame Michiagn Uniformed Militia companies normally wore white belts but some did wear black belts. In the 1850s the Michigan uniform regulations required white belts, but despite the regulations some Michiagn companies sill wore black belts. Michigan also had several independent militia companies that were not covered by the Michiagn uniform regulations. If you can give me a city in Michigan I might be able to tell if the uniform image is consistent with the uniforms worn by any militia company in that city.

 

[GeorgeGAS]

The family had moved to Detroit, Michigan. I can't recall when "Leon" moved on to South Dakota and whether his male children went with him. I know his daughters did but can't recall whether the boys did.
Appreciate the information on the uniforms. On one of the other forums where i posted the picture, there was a discussion on whether the image was reversed or not. I do tend to agree with you on that.

 

[GeorgeGAS]

 

[major bill]

Because the bugle faces the wrong way I would have to believe the image is reversed. Also the belt across the chest was for the cartridge belt and these belts were worn on the right hip.

During this time frame Detroit would have had a total of no less than 18 Michigan Uniformed Militia or independent militia companies. Based on the available uniform information I can eliminate 13 of the 18 companies. Of the remaining 5 companies not enough uniform information is available to decide which one he could be in.

The National Dragoons of Detroit, he wears infantry insignia, but the cap cords could indicate dragoons.
The Shield Guards were and Irish company, but may have had a few non Irish members.
The Lafayette Guard ca 1847-1850 I have almost no uniform information on them.
The Scott Guard, they were considered a German company but probably had some non German members.

There were a couple of juvenile companies, some for 14 to 18 year old, but a one of 14 to 20 year old and he could possible be one of these.

The 'open bugle horn" infantry badge worn 1832-1851, this one faces the right way.

 

[GeorgeGAS]

hmmm.. interesting. The original settling family was German but from the Alsace area of France. The area they settled in in Ontario was "New Berlin" which is now the Kitchener/Waterloo area.

 

[GELongstreet]

The picture is attributed to be Georg/George Adam Steffler (1783-1867) who served under Napoleon and later moved to Canada; though you likely already know that. How about one of his sons?

 

[major bill]

I should point out that some British units wore an insignia very similar that in the image. I am not sure that any Canadian units would have worn the British insignia. On the British insignia the knots above the horn were square.

 

[major bill]

Does it look like there is a pointed turn backs on the coat sleeves? Are the collars of a contracting color? The standard prat ice was to wear the horn insight with an eagle insignia above it. I don't see an eagle and don't think there is enough room above the infantry horn to have one. Does anyone else think the frock coat is a bit on the short side? Do the cock feather appear to be light blue or white, or are they bi-colored?

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

I vote a local (US) state militia uniform from the 1840's to 1850's.

 

[GeorgeGAS]

Re the picture being a photograph verses a drawing, I'm not an expert but I would guess it is a drawing.
Yes-we grew up believing the image to be George Adam Steffler. Members of the Napoleonic War Forum have discounted that belief. From all accounts on that Forum, the Victorian War Forum and now this forum, there is strong indications that this image is of a US militia. I do need to spend some time researching the sons/grandsons of George.
Also, if the picture is 1850's, George was in his 60s and clearly, the picture is of a much younger man.
I've stumbled across a family mystery that has me stumped.
Thank you for all advice on this one.

 

[major bill]

If it is a drawing, then it was rendered from a photograph. There would have been no reason for some one doing a drawing to reverse the image. I am no expert on photographs from this era, but belies this could be a heavily retouched photograph. The photograph would have a type of dye painted on to the photo to add gilt to the buttons and such and color to the face, the uniform being colored as well. Some of these retouched photographs were done really bad, other photographs were done very well. A key to this is take a look at the size of the buttons in your enlargement. In a photograph the buttons woudl be the same sizee, but here it looks like gilt paint was added to the buttons and the artist did some buttons a bit larger than others. We must have a photograph expert on the forum who can help me on this.