These shoulder straps are the regulation insignia for an infantry lieutenant colonel. The silver oak leaves are the regulation hold-over from their appearance on gilt epaulets and appear on a medium blue background that was a branch of service color for infantry. The straps have no moth damage to the base fabric and good color. The bullion embroidery is in very good condition, slightly muted, but still showing traces of silver on the oak leaves and gold on the borders. The jacqueron wire bordering the inner and outer edges of the straps is in place with just one small missing section at the lower long edge of one strap and two small spots where it has raised or sprung near a corner. The reverse of the straps is open, showing the underlying web base and threads of the embroidery, which is expected on wartime straps. The edges are a little ragged, indicating the straps were probably on a frock coat at some point and removed.

Field grade shoulder straps are literally ten times rarer than those of line officers (given one colonel, one lt. colonel, and one major to thirty captains and lieutenants in an infantry regiment,) but were just as much on the fighting line, and sometimes more exposed if they chose to ride their mounts into battle. One thinks of the colonel of the 124^th New York here at Gettysburg who answered a warning about the danger of remaining mounted in action with the response, “the men must see us today,” and paid for it with his life.

This is a nice set of wartime insignia from an officer who would have served at the front.    [sr]

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