Ranks and insignia of the Confederate States

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The Ranks and insignia of the Confederate States were a rank insignia system devised by the forces of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. While based on the Union rank system, changes were introduced to differentiate the "gray" from the "blue".

Junior officers up to captain had a less elaborate pattern of braid on their tunic cuffs and wore collar insignia of three horizontal bars for a captain, two for a first lieutenant and one for a second lieutenant. Majors, lieutenant colonels, and colonels wore respectively one, two, and three stars on the collar, and all grades of general had the insignia of three stars (the middle being slightly larger) in an open top wreath pattern.

[edit] Confederate Armies

Rank	Navy Equivalent	Collar Insignia	Sleeve Insignia	Buttons
General	Flag Officer	(all grades)	(all grades)
Lieutenant General				LtGen: Groups of three buttons
Major General				MajGen: Groups of three buttons
Brigadier General				BrigGen: Groups of two buttons
Colonel	Captain	(also worn by Gen. Lee)
Lieutenant Colonel	Commander
Major	Lieutenant
Captain
First Lieutenant	Midshipman
Second Lieutenant

Enlisted Rank Structure
Sergeant Major	Quartermaster Sergeant	Ordnance Sergeant	First Sergeant
Sergeant	Corporal	Musician	Private
		no insignia	no insignia

[edit] References

• Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.

[edit] External links

• Civil War rank insignia