Uniform regulations prior to 1821 were loosely and vaguely worded, and
this was especially true in regard to officers' insignia. For example
General Orders of March 30, 1800, stated: "... the swords of all
officers, except the generals, to be attached by a white shoulder belt
three inches wide, with an oval plate three inches by two and a half
ornamented with an eagle."[33] In 1801 the 1st Infantry Regiment
directed that "the sword ... for platoon officers ... be worn with a
white belt over the coat with a breast plate such as have been by the
Colonel established,"[34] and in 1810 a regulation stated that "those
gentlemen who have white sword belts and plates [are] to consider them
as uniform, but those not so provided will be permitted to wear their
waist belts."[35] As a result, the officers generally wore what they
wished, and there was a wide variation in design. Most officer
insignia were the product of local jewelers and silversmiths, although
some known specimens are obviously the work of master craftsmen.
Quality varied as well as design, depending on the affluence of the
officer concerned. Some of the plainer plates appear to have been made
by rolling silver dollars into an oval shape.
[Footnote 33: General Orders, March 30, 1800 (Records AGO).]
[Footnote 34: Standing Order Book, folio 1, October 1, 1801.]
[Footnote 35: Records AGO.]
In regard to enlisted men's insignia, only the descriptions of the
1800 dragoon helmet plate and the 1814 and 1817 riflemen's cap plates
give us anything approaching a clear picture. "Oblong silver plates
... bearing the name of the corps and the number of the regiment" for
the infantry in 1812, "plates in front" for the 1812 dragoons, and
"gilt plate in front" for the 1812 light artillery are typical
examples. As a result, the establishment of a proper chronology for
these devices has depended on the careful consideration of specimens
excavated at posts where specific units are known to have served at
specific times, combined with research in pertinent records of the
period in the National Archives.