Page:EB1911 - Volume 27.djvu/615

 large drooping cock’s feather plume. The Alpine infantry (Alpini) have a black felt hat with silver device and eagle feather, tunic, trousers and képi with green instead of red piping throughout. Officers wear black collar with green flame patch and green cuffs.

General officers have a single-breasted tunic with black velvet collar and cuffs laced with silver, red piping, silver shoulder-straps, and silver buttons. Frock, trousers, &c., as shown on Plate IV., line 2, No. 6. Staff officers wear light blue collar and cuffs, dark blue trousers with gold stripe and shako somewhat as for artillery officers. They wear the usual light blue shoulder sash, but over the left, instead of, as in the army at large, over the right shoulder.

The new service dress is blue-grey, regimental distinctions as on the officer’s frock and képi in all arms. Infantry equipment is shown on Plate IV., line 2, No. 9. The cavalry head-dress is a round grey helmet.

Rank Badges.—Non-commissioned officers: Red or silver chevrons above the cuff, and small distinctions on the shako. Officers: On the shoulder-strap, 1, 2 and 3 silver stars for subalterns and captains, the same with narrow silver edging round the strap for field officers, 1, 2 or 3 gold stars on a silver shoulder-strap for general officers; on the shako, silver or gold rings round the upper part, on the képi rings round the lower part of the cap, 1, 2 or 3 for company officers, 1 broader ring and 1, 2 or 3 for field officers. On the general’s képi there is a red, silver-embroidered band with 1, 2 or 3 rings above.

The uniforms, though recent changes have largely deprived them of their character, still in some respects follow the French fashion upon which they were originally modelled. The helmet, worn until 1899, indeed showed no trace of French influence—it was simply a mere showy parade head-dress. The French képi, worn during and after the Civil War, has been abolished and replaced by a cap which, like the full-dress cap now worn, bears some resemblance to the japanese cap. But the long-skirted blue tunic, the general’s “chapeau,” the sergeant’s and corporal’s long pointed chevrons still survive to recall the old uniforms, and one or two of the innovations, the rank badges on the sleeve, are also French.

Infantry Officers.—Full dress: universal pattern tunic (dark blue, double-breasted with thick gold shoulder cord) with light blue, gold-laced collar, light blue trousers with white stripe, badges of rank and branch on sleeve. Universal pattern full-dress peaked cap (stiff blue cloth, gold-edged band, and eagle badge, with light blue band). Undress: universal pattern frock (dark blue, single-breasted, braided black and hooked; across the shoulder, flat loops edged with gold lace and bearing rank badges); shoulder loop light blue; plain collar with U.S. and branch badge in gold; trousers as in full dress. Sword belt under the frock, slings brown leather. Cap, of the same shape as full-dress cap but with plain black braid band. A white undress of similar pattern is worn in hot climates. Service dress (olive drab or light khaki). Coat,

single-breasted, four pockets, stand and fall collar, bronze buttons and ornaments. Brown waistbelt and braces, somewhat similar to British “Sam Browne,” but with sword slings. Peaked cap, plain olive drab or khaki, with bronze eagle badge. Slouch hat, grey, with gold and black twisted cord.

Evening dress and mess dress: blue, with shoulder cords and rank-marks as in full dress, blue trousers. Greatcoat, universal pattern, khaki with horn buttons; rank-marks in black braid on the sleeve, branch badge in bronze.

Cavalry officers as infantry, but with yellow collar, cap-band and trousers stripes as full dress and branch badge.

Artillery officers as infantry, but with red collar, cap-band and trousers stripes, and branch badge.

Engineer officers as infantry, but branch badge, red ground with white edges on full-dress collar and cap. Full-dress trousers, dark blue with red, white-edged stripe; undress, light blue with red stripe. In full dress engineer officers have the special distinction of wearing red skirt-flaps with white line and gold edge. Signal Corps, as infantry, but with branch badge and salmon collar, capband, &c. Signal officers, alone in the army, wear a pouch-belt: this is of black leather—crimson leather for the chief of the corps—with gold appointments. Ordnance Corps, as infantry, but dark blue red-edged trousers stripes, &c., and branch badge. Medical, as infantry, but with magenta stripes, &c., and branch badge.

Generals and Staff Officers.—Major-generals (and with a third star lieutenant-generals), dark blue double-breasted tunic with buttons in threes, and cuffs and collar of black velvet ornamented with oak-leaf gold embroidery, above the cuffs two silver stars; gold epaulettes and aiguillette, wide yellow waist-sash; dark blue trousers with two gold stripes: slings, and waist-belt if worn, crimson leather with gold stripes. “Chapeau” or cocked hat (French pattern) black felt with black feather edging and gold ornament; full-dress cap, universal pattern, with black velvet band, embroidered on band and peak as on full-dress cuffs. Undress: blue frock, double-breasted, with buttons in threes, “stand and fall” collar with U.S. in gold; rank marks on shoulder loops; plain dark blue trousers, universal pattern undress caps with oak-leaves on the peak only. White undress uniform is similar. Brigadier-generals, as major-generals with the following distinctions: one star on the sleeve or shoulder-loop, narrow yellow sash, buttons in pairs, plain black strap instead of crimson waist-belt (with, however, crimson and gold slings). Service dress and overcoats (all general officers) universal pattern: on the slouch hat a gold cord instead of black and gold. Evening and mess dress, universal pattern, with cuffs, collar and epaulettes as in full dress. Certain general officers who are chiefs of departments wear some of the distinctions of their branch; thus the adjutant-general, the quartermaster-general, &c., wear the branch badge below the stars, the chief of engineers the scarlet engineer skirt flap, the chief of artillery a crimson waist-sash instead of yellow. In undress these officers have a ground of their branch colour instead of dark blue on the shoulder loops. Staff officers are in the main uniformed in the same way as those of infantry, but wear dark blue trousers (in full dress a gold stripe), black and gold belts and slings, branch badge on sleeve, and full-dress collars, full-dress cap-bands and undress shoulder loops of the branch colour.

Branch and Line Badges.—General staff, a silver star, decorated with eagle device; inspector-general’s department, sword and “fasces” crossed in wreath, gold; adjutant-general’s department. gold shield with U.S. arms; quartermaster-general’s department, sword and key crossed, surmounted by eagle, over a wheel, gold; ordnance, grenade; commissary or subsistence, silver crescent; infantry, gold crossed rifles; cavalry, gold crossed swords; artillery, gold crossed guns; engineers, silver castle; signal corps, crossed flags and torch; medical, winged Aesculapius staff. Aides-de-camp wear a shield like the adjutant-general’s but in red, white and blue enamel and surmounted by an eagle; adjutants, quartermasters, commissaries, &c., of the combatant arms wear a shield, sword and key, crescent, &c, under the guns, swords, &c, of the regiment or corps.

Branch and Arm Colours.—Infantry, light blue; cavalry, yellow; artillery, red; engineers, red with white edge; signal corps, salmon with white edge; quartermaster’s department, yellow ochre; ordnance, blue with crimson edge; other staffs and departments, light blue; medical, magenta; general staff, dark blue.

Badges of Rank.—Officers: general, lieutenant-general, major-general, brigadier-general, stars 4, 3, 2, and 1 respectively, in all orders of dress. Other officers, in undress, silver on a shoulder loop of coloured cloth according to branch; colonel, spread eagle; lieutenant-colonel, pair of oak-leaf sprigs; major as lieutenant-colonel but in gold; captain, two pairs of bars; 1st lieutenant, one pair of bars; 2nd lieutenant, no badge: in full dress, evening dress and greatcoat, colonel fivefold, lieutenant-colonel fourfold, major threefold, captain twofold, 1st lieutenant single Austrian knot of narrow gold braid, 2nd lieutenant no Austrian knot. Field officers have black leather waist-belt and slings completely covered with gold braid, and also oak-leaf embroidery on the peak of the full-dress cap. Captains and lieutenants have similar belts, but with four gold braids only; in the infantry, cavalry, artillery and engineers the intervening spaces (“lights”) are coloured light blue, yellow, &c, while in other cases the black leather is allowed to appear. 