Militia units of the period. ^Ve can only suggest 

 that it may have been worn by members of a 

 "Washington Greys" or "Washington Guard" from 

 Pennsylvania or New York. A round plate with an 

 outer wreath would ha\e been more appropriate 

 for officers than for enlisted personnel. 



WAIST-BELT PLATE, WASHINGTON GREYS, C. 1850 



USNM 604B7-M (S-K 293). F^gwe 213. 



The waist-belt plates shown in the U.S. Military 

 Magazine "^ for the Washington Greys of Philadelphia 

 and Reading, Pennsylvania, while indistinct, are 

 definitely not of this pattern. Thus, this brass plate 

 with its sunken letters filled with black enamel must 

 have been worn by yet a third unit with such a name. 

 Additional specimens in the national collections 

 have the company letters "g"" and "k.'" 



Figure 213 

 WAIST-BELT PLATE, C. 1840 



USNM 604294~M QS-K 450'). Figure 214. 



This oval, convex, brass plate, with two studs and a 

 hook soldered to the reverse for attachment, very 

 probably was originally a shoulder-belt plate. The 

 letters "w l g" incised on the obverse are very pat- 

 ently the added work of an engraver of no great talent. 

 The letters doubtless stand for Washington Light 



.April 1839, pi. 5; June 1839, pi. 10. 



Figure 214 



Guard, and. since there were several Militia units of 

 that designation, it seems possible that one of the less 

 affluent units bought the plates and had them en- 

 graved locally. 



WAIST-BELT PLATE, CITY GUARDS, C. 1840 



USNM 604386-M QS-K 533). Figure 215. 



There were City Guards in Charleston, South Caro- 

 lina, New York City, Philadelphia, and possibly in 

 other places. Thus it is impossible to determine just 

 which of these units wore this cast-brass plate. The 

 ornamented outer oval is typical of the 1 840's. 



WAIST-BELT PLATE, NATIONAL GUARD, C. 1850 



USNM 60206-M. Figure 216. 



A number of Militia units carried the designation 

 "National Guard." The unit that used this particular 

 plate was from New Jersey, for scratched on the 

 reverse is "Sergeant O. Clinton, October 9th, 1851, 

 1st Reg Hudson Brigade, NJSM"; However, the 

 adjutant general. State of New Jersey, was unable to 

 give any information on such an organization. The 

 specimen is cut from rolled brass with sunken letters 

 filled with black enamel. 



^ Shoulder-belt plates underwent the same transition 

 as cap plates did beginning about 1837-1838, with 

 the single die strike plate yielding to the composite 

 plate, and applied devices being attached to oval, 

 rectangular, or rectangular "clipped corner" plates. 

 While some single die plates were made and worn 



102 



