The uniforms for staff officers was covered by a single paragraph in the 1862 order: “Coats of all other officers to be the same as now prescribed for undress of their respective grades, except that all cuffs will be closed and without small buttons, and with the same arrangement of lace as that worn by ‘line officers’ of the same relative rank.” Since relative rank had been officially established for surgeons, paymasters (title changed from purser in 1860) and engineers prior to 1859, these officers had been permitted to wear the lace of their relative rank on their sleeves. The use of the three-quarter inch wide sleeve lace introduced in 1852 was continued, to be supplemented by strips of quarter inch lace. To identify the officers of this expanded list, it was of course necessary to modify the existing instructions. The rank of lieutenant-commander was set between that of commander and lieutenant, and a new junior rank of ensign was created.

The rank of rear admiral was finally authorized, and the previous title of “flag officer” was changed to “commodore”. A less formal and more comfortable coat was authorized for service dress, the single or double-breasted blue jacket with the same number of buttons as authorized for the frock coat, and with shoulder straps and cap, with the gold lace stripes of rank on the coat sleeves.Īn Act of Congress of 16 July 1862, “To establish and equalize the Grades of Line Officers of the United States Navy” created a new rank structure for the ever growing Federal Navy, which was made up of ships of all sizes and types, from new ironclads to converted merchant ships and ferry boats. The gold laced full dress trousers were not to be worn under this change. In full dress the coat was worn with epaulets, cocked hat, sword and sword knot in undress, either epaulets or shoulder straps could be worn, and the cap replaced the cocked hat in service dress, shoulder straps and a cap were worn. A Uniform Change issued by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles on 31 July 1862, directed that the full dress coat be omitted from an officer’s wardrobe, and that the undress frock coat of 1852 be used for full, undress, and service dress. The uniform of the United States Navy during the Civil War was governed by the 1852 order with changes to meet the need of an expanding Navy.

Navy outfit for civil war union