Rank Charts for Civil War Navies
Confederate Marine Corps

There is a certain amount of variability to CSMC officer uniforms in the photographic evidence. The use of Navy blue / black on collars and cuffs may have been for dress uniforms only. Unlike the USMC, the Russian knots worn on the shoulders did not carry any insignia; that was expressed by the collar tabs and lace on the cuffs. On both field and dress uniforms, the Austrian knots on the sleeves are gold; their appearance as black in some photos is due to the Navy blue backing used for the dress uniform, and the fact that yellow often photographed as black in early pictures (see footnote).

Officers' Collar Insigniae


Colonel

Captain

Lieutenant Colonel

1st Lieutenant

Major

2nd Lieutenant

 

Officers' Cuff Insigniae


Colonel

Lt. Colonel

Major

Captain

1st Lieutenant

2nd Lieutenant

 

NCOs'  Insigniae (1)


Sergeant
Major

Quartermaster
Sergeant

Drum Major /
Ordnance Sgt

1st Sergeant /
Orderly Sgt

Sergeant

Corporal

 

USN
A
USN
B
USN
C
USN
D
USN
E
CSN
(all)
USMC
(all)
CSMC
(all)
1861-
7/13/62
8/1/1862-
5/23/63
5/24/64-
1/28/64
1/29/64-
1/14/65
1/15/65-
12/1/66
1861 Regs
1864 Adds
   

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(1) Some sources suggest black stripes on a dark gray backing. There is no textual evidence for this practice and no indication that the CSMC changed from USMC usage. All other service branches used the same color schemes as their US counterparts. An explanation for the confusion lies perhaps in the way old film rendered colors. As late as the First World War, black and white film often made yellow and other warm colors appear much darker than they were in reality—sometimes even looking darker than black. Take a look through photos of women from the war years--why are there no blondes?