Original Item: Only One Available. This is a fantastic example of a small III Corps, 2nd Division badge as worn on the various types of uniforms & caps of the Union Army. If not worn on a cap, these would be worn on a uniform, on the front or on a sleeve. This example is very scarce as it has a company letter device in the middle, for Company E. The badge measures approximately 1⅞” x 2⅝” and is in great shape for its age. The felt backing is in great shape with minimal material loss and the bullion border is mostly retained with a small break. What’s truly gorgeous about this example is that in the two small holes in the fabric, you can see the backing was made from a period newspaper or book page. A truly period looking piece!

Corps badges in the American Civil War were originally worn by soldiers of the Union Army on the top of their army forage cap (kepi), left side of the hat, or over their left breast. The idea is attributed to Maj. Gen. Philip Kearny, who ordered the men in his division to sew a two-inch square of red cloth on their hats to avoid confusion on the battlefield. This idea was adopted by Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker after he assumed command of the Army of the Potomac, so any soldier could be identified at a distance.

Maj. Gen. Daniel Butterfield, Hooker's chief of staff, was assigned the task of designing a distinctive shape for each corps badge. Butterfield also designated that each division in the corps should have a variation of the corps badge in a different color. Division badges were colored as follows:

Red — First division of corps
White — Second division of corps
Blue — Third division of corps

These were used in the United States' Army of the Potomac.
For the most part, these rules were adopted by other Union Armies, however it was not universal. For example, the XIII Corps never adopted a badge, and the XIX Corps had the first division wear a red badge, the second division wear a blue badge, and the third division wear white.

For Army corps that had more than three divisions, the standardization was lost:

Green — Fourth division of II, III, VI, IX, and XX Corps
Yellow — Fourth division of XV Corps (reportedly Orange was also used for a 5th Division Badge)
Multicolor — Headquarters or artillery elements (certain corps)

The badges for enlisted men were cut from colored cloth, while officer's badges were privately made and of a higher quality. Metallic badges were often made by jewelers and were personalized for the user. The badges eventually became part of the Army regulations and a great source of regimental pride.

A lovely example ready for further research and display.

III Corps (Union Army)

The III Corps included in its organization the famous Kearny Division; also, Hooker's Division, the Excelsior Brigade, the Second Jersey Brigade, and other well known commands. Its brilliant record is closely interwoven with the history of the Virginia campaigns of 1862–1863, in which it fought during two eventful years.

The Corps was organized March 13, 1862, commanded by Major General Samuel P. Heintzelman, with Generals Joseph Hooker, Charles S. Hamilton, and Fitz John Porter as its three division commanders. It was immediately ordered to join the Peninsula Campaign, Hamilton's Division embarking on March 17, and leading the advance of the Army of the Potomac on that memorable campaign. During the siege of Yorktown the corps was at its maximum, the morning reports of April 30 showing an aggregate of 39,710, with 64 pieces of light artillery, and 34,633 reported as "present for duty". But this aggregate was maintained only briefly, as Porter's Division was taken away soon after to form part of the newly organized V Corps. Hamilton was relieved on April 30, and General Philip Kearny took his place, Hamilton assuming a division command in the Army of the Mississippi.

Upon the evacuation of Yorktown, the III Corps led the pursuit of the retreating enemy, attacking them at Williamsburg on May 5, with Hooker's and Kearny's Divisions. This battle was fought almost entirely by the III Corps; of the 2,239 casualties on that field, 2,002 occurred within its ranks; and three-fourths of them in Hooker's Division, the brunt of the battle having fallen on the Excelsior Brigade and Jersey Brigade, both in Hooker's command. Porter's Division was not engaged, having been left at Yorktown; on May 18, the new V Corps was created with Porter in command, his old division was detached from the III Corps to serve in the new outfit, leaving only two divisions, Hooker's and Kearny's, in the corps, and reducing its aggregate strength to 23,331 present and absent, with 34 pieces of field artillery. The two divisions numbered about 17,000 effectives, out of the 18,205 reported as "present for duty".

At Fair Oaks, its next battle, 209 were killed, 945 wounded, and 91 missing, principally Charles D. Jameson's and Hiram G. Berry's Brigades of Kearny's Division. Five fresh regiments joined in June, increasing its report of June 20 to 27,474 "present and absent", of whom 18,428 were reported "present for duty, equipped"; this included eight batteries of light artillery, of 40 guns. After deducting the large number of non-combatants and detailed men that are included in the "present for duty", the corps probably numbered at this time about 17,000 effectives, available in case of action.

The corps made the opening fight in the Seven Days Battles, at Oak Grove, June 25, fighting again at Glendale on June 30, and at Malvern Hill on July 1; its losses in these engagements aggregated 158 killed, 1,021 wounded, and 794 missing; total, 1,973. The heaviest loss occurred in John C. Robinson's Brigade of Kearny's Division; the 1st New York, Berry's Brigade, also encountered a hot fire at Glendale.

Upon the withdrawal from the front of Richmond, the III Corps accompanied the Army of the Potomac to Manassas, where it was sent to reinforce John Pope's Army of Virginia. The corps left Harrison's Bar on August 14, and, marching to Yorktown, embarked on August 20 for Alexandria. It arrived at Warrenton Junction on August 26, and on the following day the Excelsior Brigade had a sharp fight at Bristoe Station. On August 29, the corps was engaged at Groveton. Cuvier Grover's Brigade, of Hooker's Division, fought desperately at the railroad embankment, in which the use of bayonets and clubbed muskets was officially reported. On the September 1, Kearny's Division was engaged at Chantilly, Birney's Brigade taking a prominent part; Kearny was killed in this action. The losses of the corps at Manassas, including Bristoe, Groveton, and Chantilly, amounted to 260 killed, 1,525 wounded, and 453 missing; total, 2,238, including Phil Kearny, who was shot dead by Confederate troops at Chantilly. Hooker's Division numbered fully 10,000 men at Yorktown, and received a reinforcement of about 3,000 more; after Manassas, it drew rations at Fairfax Station for only 2,400 men.