A pair of a Civil War artillery Captain's "Smith Patent" style shoulder straps featuring red wool broadcloth with stamped brass false-embroidered borders and Captain's bars. The backings are black or dark blue wool with visible attachment pins.

Notably, the center-most Captain’s bars appear brighter than their borders and outer bars, suggesting the officer who wore these was promoted from 1st Lieutenant to Captain.

Smith’s innovation was to use hollow brass frames stamped to imitate embroidered bullion for the borders of the straps, which used short pins on the reverse to secure the backing and center panels holding the rank insignia, likewise stamped in metal to imitate embroidered bullion and secured with pins. These were less expensive to produce, faster to make, and more durable than actual bullion embroidery. They also made it easier to suit the rank insignia and branch of service color of the background to the buyer. During the Civil War, Smith's patent was well-appreciated due to its practicality.


[Civil War, Union, Confederate, Insignia, Militaria, Uniforms, Shoulder Straps, Ephemera]