Figure 22. — Specimen in Campbell collection. 



same period. The most logical explanation seems 

 that the riflemen, who considered themselves a cut 

 above the common infantry, became disgruntled with 

 the utter plainness of their plates when compared 

 with those just issued the infantry, and asked for and 

 received, possibly late in 1812, the plate with the 

 eagle and the designation "U.S. Rifle Men." The 

 fact that the plate bears the designation "1 reg'''" — 

 although there were no other rifle regiments from 

 1812 to 1814 — can be explained by reference to the 

 "national color" of the Rifle Regiment completed in 

 1808, which bore the inscription "1st Rifle Regt. — 

 U.S." and the standard and national color of the 

 light artillery which were inscribed "The First 

 Regiment of Light Artillery" when there was never 

 more than one light artillery unit in the Army.'" 

 In any case, accurate dating of the third and fourth 

 patterns definitely places the .second pattern in the 

 1812-1813 period by process of elimination. It was 

 superseded in 181 4"^ very possibly for the same reason 

 that the infantry plate was changed — heaviness in 

 both appearance and weight — and replaced by a 



'''" Sec KuHN, pp. 263-267, and Davis, pp. 13-14 and pi. 3. 

 0' Act of February 10, 1814 (Military Uws, pp. 251-2521. 



Figure 23. — .Specimen in Campbell collection. 



plate with a "design similar to that of the button . . . 

 flat yellow buttons which shall exhibit a bugle sur- 

 rounded by stars with the number of the regiment 

 within the curve of the bugle." "* At least three 

 specimens of this third-pattern plate are known. 

 They all are !>]{ inches in diameter, and thus are 

 large enough for a hat frontpiece and too large to be 

 a cockade device. One of these plates is without a 

 numeral (fig. 24); one has the numeral "1," and one 

 has the numeral "4" (fig. 25). The first and second 

 of these were foimd at Fort Atkinson, but very prob- 

 ably were not worn as late as 1819-1821. Portions 

 of specimens of this 1814 plate have also been re- 

 covered from an early Pawnee village site in Webster 

 County, Nebraska, indicating their possible use as 

 trade goods after the rifle regiment changed its 

 plates in 1817.*'' The fourth pattern, with an eagle 

 over a horn (fig. 26) was authorized "" in 1817. 



"s Letter dated January 12, 1814. from Irvine to Secretary of 

 War (Records .AGO). 



"' See KivETT, p. 59, 



'» \ letter dated July 29, 1817, from Irvine to Secretary of 

 War describes the device; a letter dated August 4, 1817, trom 

 the .Adjutant and Inspector General (Daniel Parker) to Irvine 

 authorizes the plate but gives no description. Both letters are 

 in Records .AGO. 



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