union +navy officers civil war uniforms sleeve rank insignia

Similar to the curl adopted by the Royal Navy in 1856, the star has continued to the present day.

In addition, line officers added a one-inch diameter gold star above the rank stripes. In 1863, 3 this system was replaced by a completely different scheme using only quarter-inch stripes, one added for each higher rank and separated into groups to avoid visual confusion. The ornamental cuff buttons and the vertical strip were eliminated. In 1862 2 the system of three-quarter inch stripes was augmented by narrow quarter-inch braids, added to the existing stripes for the extra ranks. The rank stripes of 1852 were still in use when the Civil War began, but with the rapid expansion of the navy in the next year there was soon a need to account for newly authorized ranks. The lowest officer rank, master, was indicated by three large cuff buttons rather than gold lace. The uniform cuffs had additional decoration of three small buttons at the rear, and a short vertical lace strip to the bottom of the cuff. 1 At that time, there were three commissioned officer ranks indicated by three-quarter inch wide gold lace rank stripes: three for captain, two for commander, and a single stripe for lieutenant. The gold lace sleeve stripes that are the most familiar indication of naval officers' rank were introduced to the U.S. Navy Officer Sleeve Rank Insignia Timeline Rank Table | Variations Uniforms & Insignia | Ranks & Organization | Misc.

Union +navy officers civil war uniforms sleeve rank insignia