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US ARMY HAT CORDS - 1855 THROUGH WORLD WAR ONE:
Hat cords were introduced with the Model
1855 Hardee Hat, continuing in
service through the Civil War, through the Indian Wars, and
into the 20TH
Century. In some
isolated cases, they are still in use today in certain
units. These are original period sets of US Army
hat cords and the period of their use is identified each
description.
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No. 1:
MODEL 1855 CAVALRY HAT CORD:
One of the more difficult Model 1855 era hat cords to
find in the modern collecting market, these original
Cavalry cords remained in service from the Civil War
years through the balance of the
19TH Century.
As the Cavalry numbered fewer soldiers than the
Artillery and the Infantry, there were far fewer of
these yellow Cavalry Hat Cords manufactured, and those
which were issued were normally used to destruction. This hat cord
saw little use and it has survived in excellent
condition with no wear points or fraying. This hat cord
is full length, and is complete with both tassels and
the braided slide. The color is very vivid, being a
definite period yellow. Overall an excellent
specimen. (0229) $250
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No. 2: PATTERN 1884
QUARTERMASTER DEPARTMENT HAT CORD – RARE EXAMPLE:
Of the pattern introduced with the Model 1855 Hardee
Hat, these Hat Cords continued into the first decade of
the 20TH Century. This Hat Cord dates from
September of 1884, when as ordered by the Quartermaster
Department Specification No. 118, the color buff was
adopted as the branch of service color for the
Quartermaster Department. Prior to that date, the
Quartermaster Department did not have an assigned color
for their hat cords, dress coat facings, etc.
Each regiment had a quartermaster sergeant, and each
company in the regiment had a quartermaster sergeant who
answered to the regimental quartermaster sergeant.
Additional soldiers from the regiment or the company
were assigned to carry out the work of maintaining and
issuing the equipment and supplies managed by the
sergeants, however those soldiers continued to retain
their designation primarily as soldiers within the
branch of service of the company or regiment –
artillery, cavalry, and infantry. Because of this
arrangement, I suspect the issue of these buff hat cords
was limited to those quartermaster sergeants, and to
those other soldiers assigned to the Quartermaster
Depots, making the distribution of the Quartermaster
cords during those years relatively limited.
This hat cord is in unissued, like new condition, with
the tassels still tied in bundles. The cord is full
length and shows no evidence of use or wear.
In the photo below is shown a comparison of the
Quartermaster cords alongside a set of Cavalry cords to
illustrate that while the colors are very close, there
is a distinct difference in the two hues.
Due to the limited number of soldiers who served in the
staff departments during the Indian War period,
surviving specimens of the hat cords issued in the
colors of those departments are quite rare today. This
buff colored cord will be a nice addition to an Indian
War uniform collection or a Quartermaster Department
display. (0421) $175
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No. 3: ORIGINAL 19TH CENTURY OFFICERS FORAGE
CAP GOLD BULLION CHIN CORD – NICE COMPLETE SPECIMEN IN
EXCELLENT CONDITION: Of the style worn by US
Army officers from the mid-1800’s through the end of the
century, this Officer’s gold bullion Forage or Kepi Cap
Chin Cord cords has survived in excellent condition.
The full length cords show no wear, with no fraying or
separation as is often seen, with the correct adjustment
knots intact and functional. The bullion has a minimal
amount of the expected tarnish, and there is still quite
a bit of glint and sparkle remaining. This set will
display quite well and would be a very good addition to
any Civil War, Indian War or Spanish American officer’s
grouping.
These officer’s cords, due to the nature of the bullion,
appear to have survived in far fewer numbers than did
the enlisted men’s cords, and examples in the condition
of this set are scarce indeed. (0213) $250
 
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No. 4: US ARMY HAT CORD – EXTREMELY RARE ORIGINAL
QUARTERMASTER DEPARTMENT SEALED STANDARD SAMPLE:
In order to establish a definite pattern for a
particular item of equipment, uniforming, and insignia,
once the army had made a selection, a sample of that
piece was provided to the appropriate department and it
was identified with a tag providing the nomenclature,
approving authority, and the date of adoption, and the
item was literally “sealed” with an embossed hot wax
seal placed over the ties that attached the tag to the
item. As there was only one sealed sample for each item
they are by their very nature unique. Further, once
that particular piece was no longer in use or had been
superseded by a replacement, these sealed samples were
disposed of, and surviving examples in modern
collections are quite rare.
This hat cord intended for wear on the issue campaign
hats consisted of a black cord with scarlet acorns and
sliding knot, and was designated for use by enlisted men
of the Militia Bureau in 1923. The hat cord shows some
age due to storage as the threads covering one of the
acorns have partially unraveled, but otherwise the cord
is in excellent shape with no other condition issues.
The original Quartermaster Department tag, measuring 5”
long and 2 ½” wide, is still present and completely
intact, to include the black wax seal that secures the
red cotton tape ties on the reverse of the tag. The wax
seal is impressed in the center with the insignia of the
Quartermaster Department, and around the circumference
of the seal is the legend “OFFICE OF THE QUARTERMASTER
GENERAL U.S. ARMY” The text on the tag is fully legible,
to include the ink signature of R. H. Rolfe, Assistant
to the Quartermaster General.
There is only one “R. H. Rolfe” listed in Heitman’s
Historical Register and Dictionary of the U.S. Army
which lists all of the officers who served between 1789
and 1903 – Robert Henry Rolfe. Rolfe, a native of New
Hampshire, served as a colonel of the 1st New
Hampshire Infantry in 1898, was mustered out and
returned to service in 1899 as a major as an Inspector
General of Volunteers. In 1901 he was appointed as a
captain in the regular army and assigned to the
Quartermaster Department, where he was apparently still
serving in 1923 when he signed this tag.
The rarity of these sealed samples cannot be overstated
and they are excellent evidence of the methodology
used by the U.S. Army to clothe and equip their
soldiers, and would make for a very special addition to
your uniform and insignia collections. (0216) $175
  
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No. 5: MODEL 1855 HARDEE HAT ARTILLERY HAT CORD:
Introduced with the Model 1855 Hardee Hat, these
Artillery Hat Cords continued in service through the
Civil War and on through the Indian War era.
This hat cord is in unissued, like new condition, with
the tassels still tied in bundles. The cord is full
length and shows no evidence of use or wear.
This bright red cord is a nice addition to a Civil War
or Indian War collection. $19
 
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