Regulation Belt plates

[sharrow]

I am looking for hard evidence and differences between 1851 Eagle belt plate. There is two versions plain or silver wreath. As I understand Silver wreath was issues to all ranks including Officers until the 1874 US hagner belt plate entered service in 1875/76 for enlisted men. The Plain brass wreath eagle buckle was worn by Infantry Officers only?

Heard many points of view on this matter but no one has given period references to back up on.

Can anyone help me, show actual evidence explaining differences?

[Jas. Watson]

The issue 1851 swordbelt plate has the silver wreath as per the Alleghany Arsenal pattern. It was intended for wear by all persons wearing the sword or sabre--regardless of rank or branch. There are some variation as to size and some pattern detail. Some have the wreath extending above the eagle's wings (often in three seperate pieces) others do not (a single piece). Little details like the shield configuration, the glory rays extending below the wreath or not, etc. etc. are merely contarctor variations.

Officers generally purchased their own equipment and as a rule had 'fancier' stuff; some with sterling sliver wreaths rather than the nickle silver on the issue ones. Many of them merely had a high shine silver wash on the wreath, but as a rule they were of much finer grade and detail than the issue enlisted grade ones--often struck (like a coin) rather than cast. Some had no silver on the wreath at all even though in all respects the overall design was the same. These were privately purchased and were at the whim of the purchaser.
These statements are borne out through excavated examples and documented examples from the Civil War.

The biggest difference between the war time plates and that of post war was that the wartime ones have the belt loop in the side of the plate, the later ones the belt loop extends to the back.

But germaine to the period we here speak of; 1876 on the Little Bighorn, I can vouch for this; I have examined three original plates taken from the field (two from Custer and one from Reno) and they were all three of the larger Civil war enlisted type of the style of the applied silver wreath in one piece not extending over the wings, and with the glory rays going all around the plate. Actually one of the more common varieties of the 1851 swordbelt plate.
Custer's men did NOT wear the square infantry US plate as the movies show, but were wearing the Civil War sabrebelt plate.

Jas~