Civil War Shoulder Scales for Sergeant Major & NCO Staff

Description

Shoulder Scales for Sergeant Major and other members of the non-commissioned staff.
The 1858 pattern dress coat, or 9-button enlisted man’s frock in collector parlance, was to be worn with brass shoulder scales. Three different patterns were specified. The simplest were for privates and corporals and had a crescent shoulder section that was squared off. Sergeants wore scales with a full crescent that was rounded top and bottom. These were similar to the 1832/33 pattern cloth epaulets that distinguished ranks by the length of the fringe. The third type of enlisted shoulder scale was specified for members of the regimental non commissioned staff: the sergeant major, quartermaster sergeant and commissary sergeant (and perhaps the hospital steward also.) In any case, these were distinguished by the full crescent and three rows of false rivets on the strap portion of the epaulets. I show the page from
Todd's
pg 100
(
American Military Equipage
) illustrating the differences. Needless to say, given the number of men in a regiment entitled to wear them, they are about
200 times rarer
than the standard private’s scales.
Very nice condition with just minor spots and stains, a ding or two, but no open seams. Spring bars in place on the bottom.
description by Steve Rogers