When the officers of a regiment or a ship are invited to an entertainment, and it is not possible to invite them all, it is customary to send an invitation to the Colonel or Commander, accompanied by a certain number of blank tickets, if it be a public ball, or by an intimation that the host would be glad to see Colonel or Captain —- and so many of the officers of the regiment or ship.
Invitations by a regiment to a ball, to be given by the officers, are worded as follows:
"Col. and the officers of the —- Regiment, U. S. A. (or other branch of the service), request the pleasure of Mr. and Mrs. C—- 's company on the 7th of December, at 9 o'clock. "R—- Barracks, corner of —- and —- Streets."
Answers should be addressed to the Colonel of the regiment, and worded thus:
"Mr. and Mrs. C's compliments to Colonel — and the officers of the - Regiment, U. S. A., and accept with pleasure their polite invitation for the 7th of December."
In case an officer desires to invite his personal friends, he encloses his own card in the invitation, but these must all be issued in the form already given, the card explaining to which officer the compliment is to be attributed.
Invitations to a Naval ball are issued in the name of the "Captain and officers of the U. S. Ship —-," or simply in the name of "The Officers of the U. S. Ship —-."
On the corner of the card the name of the officer to whom the answers are to be sent, should be written.
An officer of higher rank, or a public official of high position, will signify on his card what aide-de-camp or clerk is to receive the answers to his invitations, and will issue them in the joint name of himself and wife, thus:
"General and Mrs. E—- request the pleasure of Mr. and Mrs. D—-'s company, on Thursday, the 6th of November, at 8 o'clock. "Direct answers to Capt. E. C—-."