Signal Corps
This army private sports an embroidered Signal Corps enlisted man's hat patch pinned unconventionally onto the left breast of his shell jacket.
CDV photo by S. Dome & co., Greencastle, Pa.
The principal elements of the Signal Corps badge included a pair of crossed signal flags over the letters "U.S." in old English script. Although not officially adopted by army regulations, the enlisted man's hat badge differed from that of officers in that it did not have an encircling gold wreath enclosing the crossed signal flags, nor did it have a lit torch in the center of the crossed flags. Instead the enlisted man's badge included a field of 13 stars in the space above the crossed flags.
Because it was perceived as being in direct competition to the Military Telegraph Service, the Signal Corps was constituted as a provisional body and not as a permanent branch of the U.S. Army and the use of identifying insignia did not come about until late in the war. Officially, the Signal Corps did not receive permanent status until 1866, a year after the war was over. But by then, its field experience during the war had proved its worth.
Signal Corps
This army private sports an embroidered Signal Corps enlisted man's hat patch pinned unconventionally onto the left breast of his shell jacket.
CDV photo by S. Dome & co., Greencastle, Pa.
The principal elements of the Signal Corps badge included a pair of crossed signal flags over the letters "U.S." in old English script. Although not officially adopted by army regulations, the enlisted man's hat badge differed from that of officers in that it did not have an encircling gold wreath enclosing the crossed signal flags, nor did it have a lit torch in the center of the crossed flags. Instead the enlisted man's badge included a field of 13 stars in the space above the crossed flags.
Because it was perceived as being in direct competition to the Military Telegraph Service, the Signal Corps was constituted as a provisional body and not as a permanent branch of the U.S. Army and the use of identifying insignia did not come about until late in the war. Officially, the Signal Corps did not receive permanent status until 1866, a year after the war was over. But by then, its field experience during the war had proved its worth.