"Brass shoulder scales on US Regulation Frock Coat" Topic

My few books on the topic didn't help nor did Google.
Therefore to all ACW experts:
The US Regulation Frock Coat had brass shoulder scales – right? But there are a lot of pictures showing those coats without the scales. I suppose they were removed for field use. How were the scales fixed to the coats? Sewn on the shoulder and with a button near the neck?
Thank you for helping!

The shoulder scales are attached in a fairly simple fashion. See the following pictures.

The basic shoulder scale. Note the little T-shaped slot at the upper end.

The underside of the scale. Notice the thin brass ‘tongue' projecting.

The attachments sewn to the coat. Notice the brass loop near the shoulder seam and the turn-tab near the collar.

To attach, slide the tongue under the loop.

Slide the slot in the tongue over the top of the tab

Push the tab through the slot in the main part of the scale and then turn the tab to lock in place.

It's not quite as simple as it looks, because the leather strap for the cartridge box has to go UNDER the scale on the left shoulder, so you have to be wearing the coat and your leather gear before you can put that scale on. Very good to have a comrade to assist. :)

I should note that quite a few volunteer infantry wore the frock coat without the shoulder scales and never had the mounting attachments sewn on their coats. The Regulars only wore the scales and Hardee hats at First Bull Run. After that their dress coats and hats went into storage and they spent the rest of the war wearing sack coats and forage caps. Really, the only troops you would likely find with shoulder scales or the attachments would be the Heavy Artillery regiments.

Thank you very much indeed, Scott!
Frankly – when I wrote "ACW experts" I was thinking of you.
"Fairly simple" is quite an understatement – without the pictures you provided so generously it would have been hard to understand how that worked. Although those scales are so smart-looking I can understand why they went into store or were never attached at all.
Thank you again and best regards from Austria!

The ACW fife and drum corps I was in, had – as one of their uniforms – a full-dress Federal impression, complete with musicians' swords and shoulder scales. I can tell you that a drum strap bearing down on the mounting turn tab could become painful. (Drum straps went around the neck, and were not shoulder belts. The strap would invariably get caught by the turn tab.)

Thank you for the photos, Scott. Well done.

Nice pictures.

Thanks! I really should have polished up the scale before I took the pics. :)

Interesting stuff.

Yes, you be on a charge for non polishing.

Best wishes,

Chris

Johnson in his Body of Brave men says that the Regulars in the Army of the Cumberland used their scales way up into 1862-63 in the field for reveille, guard mountings etc. So you would imagine that they had frock coats with the attachments sewn on available for that purpose.

Yes, the Regulars out west seemed to operate a bit differently from those in the Army of the Potomac.