"I should know the answer to this" Topic

Has anyone ever run across Union officer's trousers that were sky blue and had a light blue tape on the seam? I have always seen a dark blue welt.

Where have you seen this?

link

The only thing I can think of is the US Invalid Corps.

Mark

NCOs also could have that stripe [it was in the regs.] and I have seen it in pictures of Regular Union infantry. Officers might sport the stripes regardless.

Actually very common, especially among line officers. Here the NCO has dark blues while the officer has light.

I hope this link works: link

The original question, however, was about sky blue trousers with a light blue stripe rather than a dark blue welt, which would have been more typical for an officer wearing sky blue trousers. John, did you see this in a picture, or was it in a museum display? It sounds more like an NCO's trousers with a dark blue stripe that has faded from dark to light blue.

Long after the war the Army changed the arm of service color for infantry from blue to white (due to German influence after the Franco-Prussian War, presumably). Maybe that's what you have seen.

I saw this in a display. I have never run across this before. I know the NCOs would have sky blue trousers with dark blue tape; wide for sergeants and narrow for corporals. Officers had a welt sewn into the seam; dark blue for sky blue trousers and light blue if the trousers were dark blue (usually seen early in the War or on staff officers). I am inclined to think this is a mistake as the uniform in the display was a reproduction, not an original.

The illistration is of troops in the Union Invalid Corps and is in the book "The Fighting Men of the Civil War"

link