Help With Early Infantry Coat Rank

[tigerfan]

A recent attic discovery is this early infantry coat. As you can see it has seen better days and I am amazed it wasn't tossed out decades ago. I am not an expert in early uniforms but believe this may be a pattern 1832 coat?. Can anyone inform as to what rank this is? Thanks !

 

[tigerfan]

[KurtA]

The cuffs indicate rank. Need photos of those. Length of the cuff flaps and number of buttons on them. I agree it's an 1832 coat.

This coat is a VERY RARE fine.

[tigerfan]

The cuffs are very plain four button with one missing.

 

[KurtA]

Hmmm. Any evidence braid was removed from the cuffs? I would have expected material similar to what is on the collar.

I'm doing this on the fly. I'll check some books when I get home.

[tigerfan]

Here is the other cuff. Again missing one button. Doesn't appear any material is removed or missing. Except what the bugs took.

 

[BEAST]

It appears to be an officer's dress coat to me. Does the absence of rank on the cuff indicate that it is an Ensign?

 

That is an incredible find!

[BEAST]

BTW, here is a link to a Bonham auction showing the 1832 officer's dress uniform: https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/19414/lot/6276/

[KASTAUFFER]

Amazing jacket Roger!

 

Kurt

[doinworkinvans]

Would all that loose thread on each cuff mean possibly the braids were removed?

[tigerfan]

Would all that loose thread on each cuff mean possibly the braids were removed?

 

 

The loose thread is a period repair at the cuff where the material split.

[GIl Sanow]

It is possible that the uniform style with epaulettes indicates officer status as opposed to being an EM's. The lack of rank device might indicate the lowest rank -- perhaps ensign or 2LT. (I believe ensigns, if they existed then, were essentially 3rd LTs!

 

G

[KurtA]

Based on my references, a LT would have 2 "flaps" or "bands" with a button on each. A captain 3, and field grade officer's 4 (the colonel 4 bands is pictured in the above link). So, with 4 buttons I'm thinking this was for a major/colonel. An enlisted man wouldn't have the fancy epaulettes. The jacket design is similar, but an EM coat would have something more along the line of shoulder paddles. And, they too had some sort of rank on the cuffs. Plus, I think only officers had the Infantry "I" on the buttons.

[ludwigh1980]

What a spectacular find. Its amazing what is coming out of the woodwork these days. Its in remarkable condition for its age. A conservator can do wonders with the coat, just costs lots of money however you will have a treasure. I am envious. There is just something about old darkened federal eagle buttons on blue wool.

I defer to others expertise on rank. I think the model 1832 ID is dead on. Great to see an original federal army coat of this period.

[BEAST]

Based on my references, a LT would have 2 "flaps" or "bands" with a button on each. A captain 3, and field grade officer's 4 (the colonel 4 bands is pictured in the above link). So, with 4 buttons I'm thinking this was for a major/colonel. An enlisted man wouldn't have the fancy epaulettes. The jacket design is similar, but an EM coat would have something more along the line of shoulder paddles. And, they too had some sort of rank on the cuffs. Plus, I think only officers had the Infantry "I" on the buttons.

I think that only officers had the double row of buttons also.

[1stMinn]

Militia version of the 1832 pattern coat for infantry company officers. The regulation coat had "slashings" or scalloped pads of braid trimmed with buttons on both the lower sleeve and on the upper part of each tail. The number of slashings determined the rank of the officer, with a captain having 4. I own several of these coats and there was some variation even in regular army ones. Here are the slashings on the coat worn by Captain Alexander Johnston, 5th Infantry, who died in 1845.

 

 

The so called "blind button holes" made from bullion braid on the waist pocket flaps stylistically harken back to the 1821/25 pattern officer and enlisted coatees and were not worn by regulars after the 1832 pattern change. It is possible that this coat was re-manufactured to reflect the pattern change. If so, you might see shadows of herringbone blind button holes on the breast. I have one of these converted coats that was written up in the Journal of the Company of Military Historians some years ago.

 

For regular officers the regimental number, usually made of bullion embroidery and gold for silver infantry epaulets and silver for gold artillery epaulets were pinned to the backstraps.

 

Stephen Osman

[tigerfan]

Thanks to all for the input. I don't see any ghost button holes or indication of having been period altered. But again I am not an expert and may have missed something. One thing I did notice is the "slashings" on back go left to right. In every photo I have found that shows the back of one of these coats the slashings are up and down.

[Steve Rogers]

Have the plackets been removed from the cuffs and incorrectly sewn on the back of the coat at the waist? I had coat years ago where the material bearing the false button holes and buttons at the collar had become loose, fallen off and then were later resewn on the shoulders by a well meaning family member.