USN Officer Shoulder Knots 1869-1883

[Father V]

As far as I can determine, the first US armed force to use shoulder knots officially was the USMC in 1859. From the full-color plates:

^from Sgt. Booker’s collection: https://archive.org/details/Plate109SeaOrLineOfficers1861/Plate 135 1859 Officer's fatigue dress.jpg

^from the Naval Institute’s copy: https://photos.usni.org/content/8961212jpg

 

From the text: https://civilwarnavy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Marine-Corps_Uniform-and-Dress_1859-Regulations.pdf

 

”Epaulets will only be worn in full dress.”

 

”Shoulder Knot.

 

Officers.— All officers shall wear on each shoulder of the undress coat, and the undress white linen coat, a shoulder knot of fine gold cord…(See Plates, Fig. 18.)” As you saw above, all grades of officers were covered.

 

It appears that the US Army light artillery was allowed similar insignia while wearing jackets in 1860, An Illustrated Guide to US Military Rank Insignia: Third Edition, pg 113, Steve Bingaman. 
 

The next service to adopt shoulder knots was the Navy by a short change to the uniform that saw so many changes in the year 1869:

 

“General Order, No. 123. April 27, 1869.

Masters, ensigns, and midshipmen, after graduation will wear, in lieu of shoulder-straps or epaulets, gold-embroidered shoulder-loops, as per patterns. These can also be worn on the undress frock-coat, either on duty or on other occasions. Midshipmen (after graduation) will wear on collar of full-dress coat a cord of the same pattern as that now worn on the jacket, and will dispense with the cord on the jacket. The full-dress sword belts of the different grades below the rank of commodore will be of blue webbing, with gold cord woven in, as per patterns.

 

A. E. BORIE,

Secretary of the Navy.”

https://www.google.com/books/edition/General_Orders_and_Circulars_Issued_by_t/cfvFjHiJ7PcC?hl=en&gbpv=1

 

These initial patterns have not been preserved, but certain illustrations did accompany the new uniform regs that came out later that year, and since the text is similar, we can conclude they were identical or similar:

From an internet sale. Below is better detail but in black & white from Sgt. Booker’s collection again (but is actually a scan of Tily, pg 198)

^https://archive.org/details/1852USNUSMCRegs/Plate 083 Shoulder knots 1869.jpg

 

It is plain that the design owes little or nothing to the Marine design, and the knots being used only for junior officers is also quite different and not just for undress. To understand the difference, we’ll have to go to other sources to see the origins of shoulder knots and to see if there was some naval usage in some other country that was the basis for the USN usage. 
 

Shoulder knots in undress trace back to at least Napoleonic times, if not earlier, but in a very specific case, which we’ll see from the artistic evidence.

^Engraving from a painted miniature, most likely below: https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000311745/HoldingsILS#tabnav

^miniature of same officer dated c. 1807-1809 https://www.qrhmuseum.com/protrait-major-general-sir-robert-rollo-gillespie-kcb

 

^uniform attributed to Blücher: https://www.lwl-preussenmuseum.de/de/museum-fuer-zu-hause/museumsschaufenster/uniformrock-general-blucher/

^one of the most famous paintings of Arthur Wellesley, from the Wikimedia Commons page, but currently housed here: https://www.wellingtoncollection.co.uk/the-wellington-collection/ . That’s important because they are exhibiting an extant garment until Dec 2025.

 

^https://www.wellingtoncollection.co.uk/soldierly-splendour-the-1st-duke-of-wellingtons-military-uniforms/, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=868791458608135&set=pb.100064318677278.-2207520000&type=3

 

So, on a single shoulder (not both) when the wearer was entitled to wear the aiglet, he used a cord epaulet in undress. Sometimes, even in undress, the wearer also wore an order or cross-breasted ribbon (though it is unclear from the art if this had a practical purpose of a baldric). Sometimes these were left unattached, but it is sometimes secured in some decorative fashion:

^https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Friedrich_Wilhelm_III.,_König_von_Preußen_(unbekannter_Maler)_(cropped).jpg#mw-jump-to-license The Prussian museum in Germany doesn’t have a very comprehensive website, so I’m linking the Wikimedia Commons.

^an actual photo (1847) using the same uniform conventions: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Friedrich_Wilhelm_IV_von_preussen_1847.jpg

^Francis I https://ceres.mcu.es/pages/Main?idt=122504&inventary=0728&table=FMUS&museum=MRABASF

 

George III used both unsecured and secured for such regalia:

^https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/King-George-III/

^https://www.worldhistory.org/George_III_of_Great_Britain/

George IV

^poor scan of a portrait that was changed by the painter himself to put in the aiglet over what was probably originally epaulets of the conventional type https://collections.mfa.org/objects/32175/portrait-of-h-r-h-the-prince-of-wales-at-a-review-attend

 

Aiglets in full dress were secured under the ordinary epaulets from what I have seen.

 

Regardless, these were land forces and the British Navy didn’t adopt the aiglet as broadly. These are the conventions modified by the USMC, though I haven’t found a direct parallel for identical shoulder knots on both shoulders separate from aiglets.

 

Where did the US Navy’s idea and design come from then?

 

From my preliminary investigation, it appears that the French Navy adopted an aiglet over the right shoulder for one grade of officer in 1837  (all references for this from Admiral Eric Schérer’s monumental work, especially Les Uniformes des Officiers de la Marine: 1830-1940 , copyright 2011, pg 228ff, 224-225 but also online. These were the “élèves” which in modern terms would be midshipmen in the first year of schooling (at the Academy, these are called “plebes”). In 1848, this was extended to the “aspirants” which is the term for the rest of the midshipmen.

 

1837

^La Marine by Pacini https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:La_Marine-Pacini-82.png

^https://www.album-online.com/detail/fr/YmJiZWExMA/eleve-ecole-marine-illustration-saillet-credit-coll-diry-kharbine-tapabor-alb4661040. He’s wearing what we would call a frock coat but French sources call a “redingote.” Confusingly, what the French call “en frac” is the body coat.

1848

Auguste Bry engraver. 

^1848 uniforms by Lalaisse https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1925-0409-28. Here specifically the “gran tenue” (full dress in our terms) has the aiglet, but the “petite tenue” (undress) is the round jacket.

 

1853

 

As with British & even American customs, early on officers of lower grade weren’t entitled to 2 epaulets (French Lieutenants only got 2 in 1821 https://www.marins-traditions.fr/_files/ugd/c3f5ca_7c125c3f122c4dc08f5adfed55a08de9.pdf). Instead of leaving the other shoulder bare as did the British and Americans, the lower officers were eventually given a “contre-épaulette” to balance visually. In practice, these were epaulets without hanging bullions. French ensigns retained that arrangement into the 1900’s. 

^https://www.marins-traditions.fr/_files/ugd/c3f5ca_42576fc3539a48a7b8c93ad105040002.pdf

 

I believe the M1869 midshipman’s knots to be based on the French élève & aspirant corded epaulet without the aiglet and doubled to both shoulders as the Marines did with their adaptation. The M1869 ensign & master knots I believe to be loosely based on the French counter-epaulet but doubled and thematically consistent with the midshipman’s corded appearance.

 

Now, as for why I started thinking about this, it’s due to an auction with a rare treasure trove of surviving knots. One can find the midshipmen knots from time to time, as they were used much longer, but this auction includes ensign insignia.

 

Before we get into interpreting these, let’s look at the actual regs.

 

General Order, No. 123. April 27, 1869.

Masters, ensigns, and midshipmen, after graduation will wear, in lieu of shoulder-straps or epaulets, gold-embroidered shoulder-loops, as per patterns. These can also be worn on the undress frock-coat, either on duty or on other occasions.

 

July 1869

Masters, Ensigns, and Midshipmen, after graduation, and Staff Officers of assimilated rank, will wear, in lieu of shoulder straps or epaulets, gold embroidered shoulder loops, as per patterns - Staff Officers omitting the anchor.

 

1876

SHOULDER-STRAPS. No officer in the Navy below the assimilated rank of Master will wear shoulder-straps, cocked hat, or epaulets. Ensigns and Midshipmen, after graduation, and Staff-Officers of assimilated rank, will wear, in lieu of shoulder-straps or epaulets, gold-embroidered shoulder-loops as per patterns ;

Staff-Officers omitting the anchor.

Tily reports a final change on pg 205:

“A change of June 21, 1881 modified the dress of ensigns and officers of the same relative rank. Shoulder knots were to be worn in full dress, and shoulder straps were prescribed for undress. The straps were to be worn with the corps device in the center, and without end devices.”

 

So, over time, the knots were shoved down to the next lowest rank (‘69-master, ensign, graduated midshipman; ‘76-ensign, graduated midshipman, ‘83 graduated midshipman only), and increased in formality (‘69-dress & undress, ‘81-dress only.

 

Since the regs mention staff officers throughout, we’ll need to cover which corps are concerned. Relative rank for civil officers was a very complicated subject, including legal decisions and acts of Congress, so we’ll confine ourselves to those branches actually mentioned in the respective regs.

1869–Surgeons, Engineers, Paymasters (Secretaries are mentioned for shoulder straps, but not epaulets/knots)

1876–The above plus Constructors, Chaplains, Professors of Mathematics, and Secretaries, though not all are relevant as some of these corps didn’t have grades that were matched to Master rank or below.

 

So which actually matter here?

 

General Order, No. 120.

April 1, 1869.

The Attorney General having advised the Department that Congress alone can fix the relative rank of line and staff officers in the Navy, and the only officers whose relative rank has been thus legally established being those below mentioned, the order of March 3, 1863, and the Navy Regulations, Article II, paragraphs six to twenty-eight (both inclusive), are hereby revoked and annulled.

 

Surgeons of the fleet, paymasters of the fleet, and fleet engineers; and surgeons, paymasters, and chief engineers of more than twelve years, rank with commanders.

Surgeons, paymasters, and chief engineers of less than twelve years, and the secretary of the Admiral, and the secretary of the Vice-Admiral, rank with lieutenants.

Passed assistant surgeons and first assistant engineers rank next after lieutenants.

Assistant surgeons, assistant paymasters, and second assistant engineers rank next after masters.

Third assistant engineers rank with midshipmen.

The following is the letter from the Attorney General referred to above.

 

A. E. BORIE,

Secretary of the Navy.”

The “next after” doesn’t really help determine what actual insignia they wear. For now I will use Tily’s judgment (pg 199, but not paymasters): passed assistant surgeons (master), 1st assistant engineers (master), assistant surgeons (ensign), assistant paymasters (ensign), 2nd assistant engineers (ensign), and 3rd assistant engineers (midshipman) in 1869.

 

Congress intervened March 3, 1871 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/STATUTE-16/STATUTE-16-Pg526/context 

 

A order was issued in December to update everyone.

Navy Regulation Circular.

December 1, 1871.

Already in the 1871 register and definitely by the 1872 register, they are assigning actual ranks:

^Jan 1872 https://archive.org/details/registerofcom18721874wash/mode/1up

 

^July 1871 https://archive.org/details/registerofcom18691871wash/page/n662/mode/1up

 

Note that by July 1871, the relevant ranks no longer match Tily’s idea of 1869. The register of July 1871 has the following ranks that fall under the shoulder knot provisions: Master, Ensign, Midshipman of the Line and Assistant Surgeon (Master), Assistant Paymaster (Master), 2nd Assistant Engineer (Master) of the Staff. Actual 3rd Assistants were no longer on the books by then. These conclusions are different than some other authors, but they apparently didn’t think to double-check the registers that list every individual officer by rank (and relative rank). Fortunately, the official registers are widely available online, though sometimes one needs to dig. Internet archive is our friend!
 

In 1872 according to Tily (pg 201), Professors of Mathematics had relative rank restored but none listed in the register for July have a rank that falls in the range for this post.

 

After the 1876 regs (uniform regs were included as an appendix to the main regs that year), only actual ensigns and graduated midshipmen had shoulder knots, all staff officer ranks being higher than that according to the register.

 

We now have most of what we need to analyze the shoulder knots at auction. The Midshipmen knots are by the book though with slight differences in construction and anchor embroidery. The top left is a by-the-book ensign of the line. What of the other 3? To come to a reasonable analysis, we’ll have to check another provision of the uniform regs at least in 1869, for just using the wording from the shoulder knot section, one could reasonably conclude that only line officers ought to have any insignia under the rank insignia.

 

”Devices for Shoulder Straps and Frogs of Epaulets. The center and end ornaments, or distinctions of the Line and Staff, and indications of rank, are to be embroidered in gold or silver, as hereinafter designated, and are to be as follows:

…

Staff Officers will wear shoulder straps of the same description as prescribed for Line Officers with whom they have relative rank, respectively, with the following exceptions, viz.:

In the Medical Corps, the anchor is omitted.

In the Paymasters' Corps, an oak sprig is substituted for the anchor.

In the Engineers' Corps, a device of four oak leaves in the form of a cross is substituted.

For Secretaries to commanders of fleets and squadrons, the letter S, in silver is substituted.“
 

To be clear, I think the uniform regs are actually saying that shoulder knots & shoulder straps for those who were entitled to them were to be treated differently, each according to each section’s provisions, but the “Frogs of Epaulets” introduces just enough confusion that officers might have interpreted the omission of the anchor from the shoulder knot section to include a replacement in accordance with strap instructions. By this system:

 

Assistant Surgeons who ranked with ensigns would have nothing under the silver bar.

Assistant Paymasters would have an oak sprig under the silver bar.

2nd Assistant Engineers would have the crossed narrow oak leaves. This was the insignia confused for a chaplain’s cross I mentioned in another post.

So, the 2nd from the left on the top is a 2nd engineer under Tily’s theory of the 1869 instructions.

 

This is further confirmed by another extant knot for 3rd Assistant Engineer 

^https://www.pinterest.com/pin/244461085996783947/

 

What of the other 2? These are most likely surgeon’s, but it could also be someone reading the regs a little more strictly.

 

We do have some photos of engineers with something more than a simple bar on the knot.

^https://www.google.com/books/edition/Memoir_and_Correspondence_of_Charles_Ste/bJwvAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

 

#26 is the guy. Not a bar by any stretch of the imagination.

^https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-00001/NH-370.html

Other staff officers (but could also be an engineer)
USS Miantonomoh (detail)

^https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-85000/NH-85301.html

 

This man is a staff officer because there’s no star on the sleeve (compare to the officer 2nd from the right), but that is definitely not just a single bar.

 

Then there are odd photos like this one published in Military Images and available on jstor with a free account: https://www.jstor.org/stable/44034105?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents

 

The author passes over the oddity of there being no rank insignia at all.  The author gives the officer as Daniel N. Bertolette. The combined register has:

 

Bertolette, Daniel N.
Assistant Surgeon, 23 June, 1873. Passed Assistant Surgeon, 20 April, 1877. Surgeon, 1 September, 1888. Medical Inspector, 22 January, 1900.

 

Note that the Army’s version of these shoulder knots comes after the Navy’s (July 29, 1872 according to Steve Bingaman’s An Illustrated Guide to US  Military Rank Insignia: Third Edition, 2023, pg. 155). As the Marines did earlier, they followed the land forces’ conventions and used them for all ranks.

 

[Justin B.]

Another very interesting exploration! I would mention that the late John Stacey provided a very useful reference on this subject in his “U.S. Navy Shoulder Straps & Shoulder Marks”, 2014, including quick-reference lists of changes by year. It is still available from ASMIC. In a caption for an illustration he does identify the “single center bar” type shoulder knot as being for master rather than ensign grade, but does give the correct differentiation in the text.

The ensign-grade shoulder knots of 1869 have always been interesting. The single bar for the grade is never mentioned in the text, but there are enough examples that it seems clear that the illustration represented the intent. This is almost a half-century before the army adopted the single bar for second lieutenant. The single bar, though, could not be adapted as collar, epaulette or shoulder strap devices without interfering with the established no bar-1 bar-2 bar progression.

Stacey concludes that, despite the 1869 regulation text, staff corps officers did use a corps device on the pad of the shoulder knot. Medical officers of course did not have a corps device until 1883. I have never seen a photo of a shoulder knot with a pay corps device, only line and engineer corps.

 

5 hours ago, Father V said:

The “next after” doesn’t really help determine what actual insignia they wear. For now I will use Tily’s judgment (pg 199, but not paymasters): passed assistant surgeons (master), 1st assistant engineers (master), assistant surgeons (ensign), assistant paymasters (ensign), 2nd assistant engineers (ensign), and 3rd assistant engineers (midshipman) in 1869.

Apparently this was vague enough to require clarification, in the form of a circular letter dated 19 May 1869:  
 

• The Department is informed that certain officers of the Navy are wearing the uniform of a rank above them. Those officers ranking by order and the law of Congress “next after” certain grade will be considered as ranking with the next lower grades.

Epaulettes and shoulder straps were restored to the master grades by an order of 3 October 1871. The uniform for naval constructors was re-authorized by a circular of 21 March 1872 (which I don’t have) so although they were authorized master-level officers, they missed the shoulder knot period.

 

10 hours ago, Father V said:

After the 1876 regs (uniform regs were included as an appendix to the main regs that year), only actual ensigns and graduated midshipmen had shoulder knots, all staff officer ranks being higher than that according to the register.

 

I’m not sure I follow. The 1876 Navy Register lists 37 assistant surgeons, 5 assistant paymasters and 23 assistant engineers with the relative rank of ensign.

 

8 hours ago, Father V said:

This is further confirmed by another extant knot for 3rd Assistant Engineer 

 

I think it likely that is for a graduate midshipman/naval cadet, engineer division.
 

10 hours ago, Father V said:

Then there are odd photos like this one published in Military Images and available on jstor with a free account: https://www.jstor.org/stable/44034105?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_conten

 

That's very interesting. By the literal text, that is the regulation knot for an assistant surgeon of relative ensign rank. I don't ever recall seeing a photo with nothing on the knot pad.

[mklyx]

Great and thorough research!

 

Sharing some of my findings here as well (regarding M1869 shoulder knots):

 

https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_449605

 

https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-46000/NH-46106.html

https://www.ebay.com/itm/306277424340

[mklyx]

More...

[mklyx]

https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-61000/NH-61138.html

 

 

[mklyx]

RADM Albert Mertz, USNA class of 1872, then an Ensign in this photo, wearing the M1869 shoulder knots with his tailcoat-style special full dress uniform

Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74245276/albert-mertz

[mklyx]

@Father V: it looks like in this photo I posted previously in thread #4:

 

the USN officer (middle of front row) is a staff officer with Master rank, and his shoulder knots/loops have the single gold bar on the pad.

 

PS: the rightmost officer at front row is a staff officer as well, with Master rank, and wearing shoulder straps without any corps device on them.

[Justin B.]

From the names on the back of the photo, it seems pretty safe to assume that the one in the center is Asst Surgeon (relative rank ensign) Lucien G. Heneberger and the one on the right is Asst Surgeon (relative rank master) Charles K. Yancey. Both were assigned to the Mare Island Navy Yard around this time. They would have cobalt blue edging to the rank stripes and no corps device.

[Father V]

Justin: But the one in the middle *does* have a corps device on the shoulder knots, unlike the shoulder rank of the guy on the right.

 

mkylx: it’s not at all clear from the photo what symbol is on the pad. There’s *something* there but it’s not in focus enough to say with any degree of certainty what the details are.

[Justin B.]

7 hours ago, Father V said:

Justin: But the one in the middle *does* have a corps device on the shoulder knots, unlike the shoulder rank of the guy on the right.

 

It looks like a single rank bar to me.

[Father V]

 

On extreme closeup maybe a bar?