United States Army Headgear 1855-1902 - Libreria Militare Ares

82 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGYFIGURE 60.—1881 regulation chapeau.(From Horstmann Bros. & Co., Illustrated Catalogue, 1877.)Corps of Engineers chapeau is also in the NationalCollections.*"' The 1859 specimen measures 18i/4inches in overall length, the right fan 6 inches high,the left 6i/4. The gold braid loop is 6i/4 by 2i/^inches on a round black silk cockade 4i/^ inches indiameter. The lining is of brown silk and carriesthe maker's label "St. Nicholas Hotel/No. 519B'way/New York/Warnock & Co." The sweat is ofbrown leather. The specimen folds flat and is verysimilar to the Schuyler, Hartley, and Graham illustration.Others of this model match it closely inall details.A number of biographical specimens of the lowerfan pattern, which seems to have come into vogue1877-1881, are in the National Collections and allare very similar to one another in measurementsand conformation. The average is 17i/4 incheslong overall with the right fan 5 inches high andthe left 51/4- The gold braid loops, however, varyfrom 414 to 51/2 inches in length and from 2 to 21^inches in width. The eagle on the loops of the majorityof them is the 1872 cap eagle in metal. Thechapeaux formerly belonging to Generals Shermanand Sheridan are of particular interest in that theycarry, instead of the loop and eagle, the cockadeornament prescribed for general officers in the 1832regulations, although of slightly reduced dimensionsin accordance with the reduced dimensions ofthe chapeaux: "gold rays emanating from the eagle21/2 inches computing from the center, terminatingin 24 silver stars." ^- The eagle in the center of therays in these two cases is an embroidered cut-downversion of the 1858 hat eagle.The version described in the 1912 specificationsis best typified by that formerly owned by MajorGeneral William Crawford Gorgas, Assistant Sm-