Union Army Uniforms and Insignia of the Civil War

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Designs of Civil War Corps Badges

CORPS	IMAGE	ARMY	ADOPTED	NOTES
1st		Army of the Potomac	March 21, 1863
2nd		Army of the Potomac	March 21, 1863
3rd		Army of the Potomac	March 21, 1863
4th		Army of the Cumberland	April 26, 1864
5th		Army of the Potomac	March 21, 1863
6th		Army of the Potomac	March 21, 1863
7th		Dept. of Arkansas	June 1, 1865
8th		Middle Dept.	1864	Many period examples No official record of adoption
9th		Dept. of Ohio Army of the Potomac	April 10, 1864	original was gilt later colors most have a nine over the gun and anchor
10th		Dept. of South	July 26, 1864	Merged with 24th Corps
11th		Army of the Potomac	March 21, 1863	Merged into 20th Corps
12th		Potomac	March 21, 1863	Merged into 20th Corps
14th		Army of the Cumberland	April 26, 1864
15th		Army of the Tennessee	February 14, 1865	On the badge is a cartridge box with the words 40 rounds
16th		Military Division of West Mississippi	1865	No documentation of adoption Period examples exist
17th		Dept. of the Tennessee	March 25, 1865
18th		Army of the James	June 7, 1864	Troops transferred to 24th and 25th Corps
19th		Middle Military Division	November 17, 1864	In 1863 a four pointed star was used.
20th		Army of the Cumberland	April 26, 1864	Created 1864 from 11th and 12th Corps Used badge of 12th Corps
22nd		Dept. of Washington	c. 1864	No documentation of adoption Period examples exist
23rd		Dept. of Ohio Dept. of North Carolina	September 25, 1864
24th		Dept. of Virginia	March 18, 1865	Created 1864 from white troops of 10th and 18th Corps
25th		Army of the James Dept. of Texas	February 20, 1865	Created 1864 from black troops of 10th and 18th Corps
Hancock's 1st Veteran (1)		Middle Military Div. and others	Dec 1864	Officer's version illustrated Enlisted seven pointed figure with center circle
Cavalry Corps		Army of the Potomac	1864	A few original period examples exist No documentation of adoption.
Wilson's Cavalry Corps		Military Division of the Mississippi	July 1865	Few if any original examples exist Documentation of consideration of the design exists

The designs illustrated above are taken from a loose folio that appears to date from the 1920s or 1930s and was a souvenir of a Civil War battlefield. Finding original images of all of the corps badge would be very difficult. Large numbers of veteran's badges, reproductions and fakes exist and confuse the field. Original badges were generally worn on the top of the kepi, left side of the hat, or over the left breast. Issued enlisted men's badges were cut from colored material. Officers' badges were privately purchased and often of higher quality. Both metallic and cloth examples of both officer and enlisted badges exist. The metallic badges were often jeweler-made, pin-backed and engraved with the soldier's name and unit. Badges were colored as follows:

• Red First Division of Corps
• White Second Division of Corps
• Blue Third Division of Corps
• Green Fourth Divsion of 6th, 9th and 20th Corps
• Yellow Fourth Division of 15th Corps
• Mulicolor Headquarter or Artillery Elements (certain Corps)

NOTES

1. Hancock's First Veteran Corps did not function as an army corps. It was an effort to reenlist discharged veteran soldiers into U.S. rather than state units. By the end of the war only ten scattered regiments were enrolled.
   More: Original 2nd Corps Badge
   Original 6th Corps Badge
   Original 20th Corps Badge
   More: Badges in Schuyler, Hartley and Graham Catalog
   More: Photo of Officer with 9th Corps Badge
   17th Corps Badge (Artifact)
   Illustration List
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