Uniforms Officers were permitted to omit their office should straps and wear their rank directly on the shoulder.

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Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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General Orders Number 286 November 22, 1864 made changes in how Union officers wore their rank. G.O. 286 reads:
"Offices serving in the field are permitted to dispense with shoulder straps and the prescribed insignia of rand on the horse equipments. The marks of rand prescribed to be worn on the shoulder-straps will be worn on the shoulder in place of the strap. Officers are also permitted to wear overcoats of the same color and shape as those of the enlisted men of their command. No ornaments well be required on the overcoat, hat or forage caps; not will sashes or epaulets be required. BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR"

This order is not that clear in how officers should wear their rank on their shoulders. Some officers interrupted this G.O. to mean that two sets of their rank should be worn on the shoulder right where their officer rank straps were worn. Some officers interrupted the G.O. as letting them to wear a single rank on each shoulder. Photographs show some of these ranks are worn rather low on the front of the shoulder and they almost look like a breast badge. To confuse things more some officers purchased shoulder straps without the normal border trim which in some photographs look like their rank is sewn on their shoulder when in fact they are wearing untrimmed shoulder straps.
 
Daniel Sickles liked this variety.

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