Corps

badge A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and fi ...

s in the American Civil War were originally worn by soldiers of the Union Army on the top of their army forage cap ( kepi), left side of the hat, or over their left breast. The idea is attributed to Maj. Gen.

Philip Kearny Philip Kearny Jr. (; June 1, 1815 – September 1, 1862) was a United States Army officer, notable for his leadership in the Mexican–American War and American Civil War. He was killed in action in the 1862 Battle of Chantilly. Early life and ...

, who ordered the men in his division to sew a two-inch square of red cloth on their hats to avoid confusion on the battlefield. This idea was adopted by Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker after he assumed command of the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

, so any soldier could be identified at a distance. Maj. Gen. Daniel Butterfield, Hooker's chief of staff, was assigned the task of designing a distinctive shape for each corps badge. Butterfield also designated that each division in the corps should have a variation of the corps badge in a different color. Division badges were colored as follows: # Red — First division of corps # White — Second division of corps # Blue — Third division of corps These were used in the United States' Army of the Potomac. For the most part, these rules were adopted by other Union Armies, however it was not universal. For example, the XIII Corps never adopted a badge, and the XIX Corps had the first division wear a red badge, the second division wear a blue badge, and the third division wear white. For Army corps that had more than three divisions, the standardization was lost: # Green — Fourth division of VI, IX, and XX Corps # Yellow — Fourth division of XV Corps (reportedly Orange was also used for a 5th Division Badge) # Multicolor — Headquarters or artillery elements (certain corps) The badges for enlisted men were cut from colored cloth, while officer's badges were privately made and of a higher quality. Metallic badges were often made by jewelers and were personalized for the user. The badges eventually became part of the Army regulations and a great source of regimental pride.John D. Billings, Hardtack and Coffee * Corps badges * Corps flags : I II

III III or iii may refer to: Companies * Information International, Inc., a computer technology company * Innovative Interfaces, Inc., a library-software company * 3i, formerly Investors in Industry, a British investment company Other uses * ...

IV V VI

VII VII or vii may refer to: the Roman numeral 7 Art and entertainment * The Vii, a video game console * vii, leading-tone triad, see diminished triad * ''VII'' (Blitzen Trapper album) * ''VII'' (Just-Ice album) * ''VII'' (Teyana Taylor album) * ...

VIII IX X XI XII XIV XV XVI

XVII 17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number. Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers. In mathematics 17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the fourth super-prime, as s ...

XVIII XIX XX XXI

XXII 22 (twenty-two) is the natural number following 21 and preceding 23. In mathematics 22 is a palindromic number and the eighth semiprime; its proper divisors are 1, 2, and 11. It is the second Smith number, the second Erdős–Woods numbe ...

XXIII XXIV XXV Cavalry corps * See also * External links

Corps badges

File:Icorpsbadge.png, Union Army, I Corps, 1st Division Badge, File:IIcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, II Corps, 3rd Division Badge File:IIIcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, III Corps, 3rd Division Badge File:IVcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, IV Corps, 3rd Division Badge File:Vcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, V Corps, 1st Division Badge File:VIcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, VI Corps, 1st Division Badge File:VIIcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, VII Corps, 3rd Division Badge File:VIIIcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, VIII Corps, 3rd Division Badge File:IXcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, IX Corps, 1st Division Badge File:Xcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, X Corps, 1st Division Badge File:XIcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, XI Corps, 1st Division Badge File:XIIcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, XII Corps, 1st Division Badge File:XIVcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, XIV Corps, 3rd Division Badge File:XVcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, XV Corps, 3rd Division Badge File:XVIcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, XVI Corps, 1st Division Badge File:XVIIcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, XVII Corps, 1st Division Badge File:XVIIIcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, XVIII Corps, 3rd Division Badge File:XIXcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, XIX Corps, 1st Division Badge File:XIIcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, XX Corps, 1st Division Badge File:XXIIcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, XXII Corps, 3rd Division Badge File:XXIIIcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, XXIII Corps, 3rd Division Badge File:XXIVcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, XXIV Corps, 1st Division Badge File:XXVcorpsbadge.png, Union Army, XXV Corps, 1st Division Badge

Corps flags

I Corps, Army of the Potomac

II Corps, Army of the Potomac

III Corps, Army of the Potomac

IV Corps, Army of the Cumberland

V Corps, Army of the Potomac

VI Corps, Army of the Potomac

VII Corps, Dept of Arkansas

VIII Corps, Middle Department

IX Corps, Army of the Potomac

X Corps, Department of South

XI Corps, Army of the Potomac

XII Corps, Army of the Potomac

XIII Corps, Army of the Tennessee

No badge was designated for the XIII Corps.

XIV Corps, Army of the Cumberland

XV Corps, Army of the Tennessee

XVI Corps, Military Division of West Mississippi

XVII Corps, Army of the Tennessee

XVIII Corps, Army of the James

XIX Corps, Middle Military Division

XX Corps, Army of the Cumberland

XXI Corps

XXII Corps, Dept of Washington

XXIII Corps, Dept of Ohio & Dept of North Carolina

XXIV Corps, Dept of Virginia

XXV Corps, Army of the James, Dept of Texas

Cavalry corps

Brigade badges

I Corps, Army of the Potomac

References

External links

Corps Badges "Emblems Of Pride"

{{American Civil War

Badges A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and fi ...