United States Army enlisted rank insignia 1902–1920
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The era from 1902 to 1920 was the most complex era for enlisted rank insignia in the United States Army. During that time the army was organized with each branch (cavalry, infantry, artillery, etc.) having its own rank structure. This led to a large number of insignia designs being used.
On July 17, 1902, the army issued General Order 81 prescribing new uniforms. Enlisted chevrons were made smaller and changed to point up. The smaller chevrons were due to the wearing of shirts as outerwear in the warm climates that the army was operating in at the time. The army had allowed chevrons on shirts in July 1898.[1] The large coat chevrons in use at the time did not fit on shirt sleeves so soldiers began to fashion smaller versions of their chevrons. The army gave preliminary approval of smaller chevrons in 1900.[2] The new regulations made the smaller chevrons the standard for all uniforms.
The insignia was to be in the colors of each branch, light blue for infantry, yellow for cavalry, red for artillery, buff for the Quartermaster's Department that included the detachment at West Point, grey for the Subsistence Department, maroon piped with white for the Medical Department, red piped with white for the Corps of Engineers, black piped with red for the Ordnance Department and orange piped with white for the Signal Corps. They would be worn on a background matching the coat. This meant that each design was placed on backgrounds of blue, white, khaki and olive drab. There was also a rust colored fatigue uniform worn by men of the artillery at emplacements. Regulations call for "usual chevrons", which would have meant red on a rust background. It seams in practice the chevrons were brown or tan.[3]