Army and Navy Uniforms and Insignia / How to Know Rank, Corps and Service in the Military and Naval Forces of the United States and Foreign Countries - Dion Williams

The rank of General officers is indicated on the overcoat by silver stars placed between the two bands of black braid on each sleeve.

The corps, department or arm of the service to which an officer belongs is shown in two ways; first, by the color of the “facings,” or distinctive color trimmings of the uniform, and second, by the insignia of the different corps, departments and arms of the service worn upon the collars and also upon the sleeves of the full dress coat, special evening dress coat, mess jackets and overcoat.

Facings.—The facings or distinctive colors for the various corps, departments and arms of the service are as follows:

General Officers	dark blue.
(except the Quartermaster General and Brigadier
Generals of the Quartermaster Corps)
Quartermaster General and Brigadier	buff.
Generals of the Quartermaster Corps	buff.
Adjutant General’s Department	dark blue.
Inspector General’s Department	dark blue.
Judge Advocate General’s Department	dark blue.
Quartermaster Corps	buff.
Ordnance Department	black piped with scarlet.
Signal Corps	orange piped with white.
Medical Corps	maroon.
Corps of Engineers	scarlet piped with white.
Cavalry	yellow.
Artillery	scarlet.
Infantry	light blue.
Chaplains	black.

The insignia to designate the corps, department or arm of the service to which an officer belongs, as shown in the illustrations, are made of bright metal, gold or silver according to the corps, for blue and white uniforms and dull finish bronze for service uniforms. They are worn on the sleeves of the full dress coat, special evening dress coat, blue mess jacket and white mess jacket, and on each side of the collars of the dress coat, service coats and olive-drab flannel shirt.

The bright metal insignia are as follows:

All officers.—The letters “U. S.” in Gothic design, five-eighths of an inch high, each letter followed by a period, are worn on each side of the collar of the dress and service coats. For officers of the Reserve Corps the letter “R” is added and for officers of the Volunteers the letter “V” is added. These letters are of gold except for officers of the Engineer Corps who wear them in silver.

U. S. Army. Officers’ insignia indicating rank

Shoulder straps worn on the olive-drab service coats
and the white coat