Corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

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 ...

s in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

were originally worn by soldiers of the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

on the top of their army forage cap (

kepi The kepi ( ) is a cap with a flat circular top and a peak, or visor. In English, the term is a loanword of french: képi, itself a re-spelled version of the gsw, Käppi, a diminutive form of , meaning "cap". In Europe, this headgear is most ...

), left side of the hat, or over their left breast. The idea is attributed to

Maj. Gen. Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

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 c ...

, 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 Joseph Hooker (November 13, 1814 – October 31, 1879) was an American Civil War general for the Union, chiefly remembered for his decisive defeat by Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. Hooker had serv ...

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 Confede ...

, so any soldier could be identified at a distance. Maj. Gen.

Daniel Butterfield Daniel Adams Butterfield (October 31, 1831 – July 17, 1901) was a New York businessman, a Union general in the American Civil War, and Assistant Treasurer of the United States. After working for American Express, co-founded by his father, ...

, Hooker's chief of staff, was assigned the task of designing a distinctive shape for each corps badge. Butterfield also designated that each

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

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 IV V VI VII 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 ...

XVIII XIX XX XXI XXII XXIII XXIV XXV Cavalry corps *

See also See also may refer to: * Citation signal, reference formats which often appear in technical, scientific, and legal documents * cf. The abbreviation ''cf.'' (short for the la, confer/conferatur, both meaning "compare") is used in writing to r ...

External links An internal link is a type of hyperlink on a web page to another page or resource, such as an image or document, on the same website or domain. Hyperlinks are considered either "external" or "internal" depending on their target or destinatio ...

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 ...