CW Button?

[austin_hunter]

OK folks, I'm really not a relic hunter - seeing that I live in Texas, and I hunt parks, schools and easements - but I found this last year and just now dug it out of my whatzit container and thought I'd ask y'all what it is... the crappy pic is from my iPhone, but, it has an eagle and in the center is a "C"... it still has quite a bit of gold gilt, but the back is crusted with stuff, so I can;t read any markings it might have...

Anyone know what I have here?

 

[BobinSouthVA]

Union Cavalry coat button?

here is one on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/Dug-Civil-War-C...159?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aad1475d7



Nice find.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

It is definitely a US Cavalry button, issued for use by Officers. (The enlisted-man's version did not have gold gilt, and did not have the letter C.) This specific type was issued to troops from 1854 to 1875, although some officers kept wearing their old buttons after a modified version was issued in 1875. We would need to know the backmark for knowing with certainty whether your button was manufactured before or after the civil war ended in 1865.

 

[Breezie]

It is definitely a US Cavalry button, issued for use by Officers. (The enlisted-man's version did not have gold gilt, and did not have the letter C.) This specific type was issued to troops from 1854 to 1875, although some officers kept wearing their old buttons after a modified version was issued in 1875. We would need to know the backmark for knowing with certainty whether your button was manufactured before or after the civil war ended in 1865.

CBG, is this true for Infantry buttons too; in that the "I" was only used on Officer's buttons?

Nice find AustinHunter! Breezie

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Yes, it is also true for US Army Infantry (and Artillery, etc.) buttons. The Army's official Regulations of that era specified that uniform buttons for "Field Grade" officers shall show the initial of the branch of service (Artillery, Cavalry, Infantry, Dragoons, etc.) in the shield on the eagle's chest ...and that only Officers' buttons shall be gold-gilted. The Reguations specified that the shield on buttons for the Enlisted (non-officer) ranks be a non-lettered shield, having instead the stripes from the US stars-&-stripes logo (the stars are usually not present).

In the paragraph above, I mentioned "Field Grade" officers. Those are the ranks of Lieutenant, Captain, and Major. Colonels and higher were Staff Grade officers. Under civil war era Regulations, the Staff Grade was specified to wear Staff (3-piece) buttons, on which the spread-winged eagle is surrounded by stars.

I should also mention that despite the official Regulations specifications, relic diggers have found a very-very few gold-gilted Enlisted-men's eagle buttons. (True buttons, with a loop on the back, not the similar-looking but ironbacked Cape Pins.)