_USNM 60358-M (S-K 114). Figure 174._
[Illustration: FIGURE 174]
This plate is of a type form worn on Militia dress caps prior to the
Civil War. There is little doubt that plates such as this continued in
use for several decades after their initial appearance. This brass
specimen, surmounted by elements of the Massachusetts seal, is struck
as a stock pattern for Massachusetts troops with the center left
blank. The numeral "10" is applied to a black-painted metal disk
affixed with simple wire fasteners.