Just last week, while going through boxes still remaining from my move, I came across a small bag of buttons.
WW1 era buttons atop my copy of the book about the Twenty-Ninth Division in World War I.
I was glad to find them, and they served as a reminder that the centennial of the First World War (though I can’t say for sure that some aren’t vintage WW2) is not too far off… not to mention, the Mexican Border Crisis, in which U.S. forces were deployed en masse, to deal with Poncho Villa. Overkill in dealing with Villa, in my opinion. That said, however, it wasn’t just about Villa. Despite Woodrow Wilson’s promise of neutrality, the US was gearing-up for war. Interesting times. Anyway…
I actually used to have more of these buttons, but I don’t remember where they might be. My memory of these goes back a way… and I recall seeing them, before I was in my teens, hanging on a hay bail string, in one of my grandfather’s outbuildings. In fact, I recall seeing a pair of spats (I think they were WWII era, however) with them. No, they aren’t passed down from family members who were “over there”, but, naturally (well, knowing me), I was drawn to them, and they ended-up in my possession.
At first, they may all appear to be the same, but they aren’t. For one, all are not US Army buttons… there is one US Marine cuff button.
Cuff buttons… one Army, and one Marine.
Also, there are three manufacturers represented in the lot. The most common buttons in the group are the Horstmanns (see here for a good early history of Horstmann’s business in Philadelphia).
Backing of the Horstmann button.
Then we have this button from Liebmann, of Newark, New Jersey…
Liebmann Button
And, last, but not least… this button from the Charles Fischer company…
Fischer button
I’m particularly interested in the Fischer button for the wear on the front…
Fischer front
Did the Fischer button see active service on a tunic… in France? Who knows.
Of course, while we’re midway through the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War (and actively assessing the popularity of it), I wonder what sort of activity we’ll see for the Centennial of the First World War, in 2017 and 2018. Since the war was literally “over there”, I realize the volume of activity will be much less. Perhaps we’ll be confined to seeing nothing more than lectures. I sincerely hope we see more creativity than that. As for me, I’m seriously contemplating a trip to France to see the ground over which some folks (in particular) tramped. Specifically, I’d like to follow in the footsteps of the 116th Infantry (Virginians), 29th Division; 318th Infantry (Virginians), 80th Division; 314th Infantry (Pennsylvanians), 79th Division; and the Marines at Belleau Wood.
Richard Williams
February 11, 2013
Nice collection of buttons Robert. Oddly enough, I’ve found two WWI buttons while metal detecting on Civil War battlefields. One was a coat button near Brandy Station in absolutely perfect condition, the other a cuff button near the Battle of McDowell. (All on private property, of course.)
Robert Moore
February 11, 2013
Thanks, Richard. Interesting for such items to show up on, of all places, Civil War battlefields!
Robert Moore
February 11, 2013
I should add, however, that, in the Valley, National Guard troops deployed in various locations before being shipped out. I know of elements of the 116th Infantry being placed (early in 1917) at railroad trestles and the like, for fear of sabotage.
Cotton Boll Conspiracy
February 12, 2013
What was the point of the metal loop on buttons like the fischer button? Did it turn to lock the button in place? Did something else interlock with it?
Robert Moore
February 14, 2013
Hi CBC, I think, like most button shanks, it was simply a spot where the button was sewed to the uniform. That said, however, I’ve also seen WW1 uniforms where the shank of buttons was affixed to another metal piece/clasp in the uniform, making the button an even less permanent (saying this knowing how sewed buttons commonly popped off, and were by no means “permanent” fixtures on the uniforms). I’ll have to check the buttons again, but seems to me, the Fischer button has a shank that’s a bit more flexibile than the rest.
Cotton Boll Conspiracy
February 14, 2013
Very interesting. Thanks for the information. Imagine the company that got a button-making contract for the Union army: They must have done very well for themselves during the war.
Robert Moore
February 14, 2013
Interesting that you mention that regarding the Union army. There were a number of companies that provided buttons, but there was one (at least in New England) that was well-known for its quality (especially in the “age of shoddy”). Daniel Evans, out of Attleboro, Mass. was often a preferred button supplier when ordering Union uniforms for many NE units, contracts specifically calling for a “D. Evans” button. Evans also supplied buttons, prior to the war, to the Virginia Military Institute, and Richard Williams featured a post on one such button just the other day.