Ranks and Insignias

Ranks and Insignias

It is suggested that a comparison be made between the historical Confederate Ranks and Insignias as well as those of the present day, then relate these to the possibility of creating a Confederate Patriot Guard. Such a command would beyond a doubt become the showpiece of the Confederate Cause!

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                                                                      {Hyperlink attached}

                        Confederate Patriot Guard     Ranks and Insignias
                             The Palace Guard     Prelude to Liberation

There were four (4) grades of general officer (general, lieutenant general, major general, and brigadier general), but all wore the same insignia regardless of grade. This was a decision made early in the conflict. The Confederate Congress initially made the rank of brigadier general the highest rank. As the war progressed, the other general-officer ranks were quickly added, but no insignia for them was created. (Robert E. Lee was a notable exception to this. He chose to wear the rank insignia of a colonel.) Only eight men achieved the rank of (full) general; the highest ranking (earliest date of rank) was Samuel Cooper, Adjutant General and Inspector General of the CSA.

Officers' uniforms bore a braid design on the sleeves and kepi, the number of adjacent strips (and therefore the width of the lines of the design) denoting rank. The color of the piping and kepi denoted the military branch. The braid was sometimes left off by officers since it made them conspicuous targets. The kepi was rarely used, the common slouch hat being preferred for its practicality in the Southern climate.

Ranks and Insignias

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