Figure 200
This 2-piece, brass-cast plate was worn by members of a Charlestown, Massachusetts, unit. The date "1786," as on nearly all dated pieces of insignia, refers to the date of original organization of the unit. The design of the plate is typical of early- to mid-Victorian taste.
WAIST-BELT PLATE, MASSACHUSETTS, C. 1840
USNM 60497-M (S-K 253). Figure 201.
Figure 201
Bearing elements of the seal of the State of Massachusetts, this plate likely was a stock pattern sold to many officers. In construction, it is a composite piece similar to the plate for officers of the Corps of Topographical Engineers (see fig. [87] and p. [45]) with the device applied to the inner oval. Because of its unusually striking appearance, it would have been a most appropriate type for staff and field officers, and possibly general officers.