"ACW rank insignia images" Topic

something like these?

union:
link

confederate:
link

Note, not a mistake but fairly rare items on TNE2300's chart.

Union.

1) The lower term of service stripes like portrayed on infantry sergeant major and others were really limited, mostly to actual US regulars. 2) Many units, particularly ones that had been in the field awhile had lost some or all the hat insignia. 3) most sergeants and corporals also had a stripe down the side of their pants that denoted rank. While regulation, it wasn't uniformly there in every unit, but was common. 4) As officers had to provide their own uniforms, many would have better quality or one offs from the men, say velvet collars, etc., that also acted as a sign of rank. 5) Particularly in fixed positions like forts, officers sometimes wore waist sashes as a sign of rank.

Confederate.
1) the use of the unit type color cuffs were regulation, but fairly rare, particularly among the enlisted ranks. Uniform color could vary greatly from grey.

I'm sure others can add to my list.

Among the Rebs,black chevrons were usually found in units which had been militia troops before the war or during.

To follow up on the trouser stripes: officers would have piping in the branch color along the trouser seam, sergeants would have broad tape (about 1") and corporals would have narrow tape (about 1/4"). Later in the War it would be likely that there would not be any stripes for troops in the field, the troops in fortifications tended to be a bit more regulation.

Officers wore sashes early in the War as well. By Gettysburg the sashes were pretty much a thing of the past (Hancock noted with great satisfaction that there was not a red sash to be seen in the II Corps).

I hope this helps.