of the 1839 Regular Army pattern with the wire- 

 fastened letters "s v o" substituted for "u. s." The 

 specimen bears a touchmark "VV. Pinchin Philad" 

 on the reverse (see p. 33). The unit for which this 

 plate was made is unidentified. 



is attributed to the Boston Light Infantry. The 

 applied devices are attached with simple wire 

 fasteners. The date 1798 is believed to be the year 

 of the original organization of the unit, but the 

 adjutant general of the Commonwealth of Massa- 

 chusetts was unable to verify this. 



SHOULDER-BELT ( f ) PLATE, C. 1840 



USNM 60W4--M QS-K 541'). Figure 111. 



The sih'cr letters "s f"' applied with wire fasteners 

 to the small brass plate are most appropriate for the 

 State Fencibles of Philadelphia, and it is believed to 

 have possibly been worn by that unit in the 1840's. 

 A print in the V .S. Military Magazine "* portraying 

 this unit shows an officer wearing a plate of an entirely 

 different design, but since a plate in this simple form 

 would most probably have been worn by enlisted 

 personnel, and the soldier in the print is to be seen 

 only from the rear, such identification as to unit ma\' 

 be correct. 



SHOULDER-BELT PLATE, BOSTON LIGHT INFANTRY, C. 

 1840 



USNM 604}}9~M iS~K 495\ Figure 22}. 



This unusually large silver-on-copper plate with its 

 brass letters '"b i. i", '"1798", and brass tiger's head 



131 March 183<), pi. 2. 



Figure 223 



105 



