Original Item: Only One Available. Now this is an extremely rare and rather lovely M1824 “Tar Bucket” Bell Crown shako bearing insignia denoting the 1st Regiment of Infantry. The M1824 was used by regular forces as well as militia units from 1824 until roughly 1840. This example retains original period chinscales held in by brass scalloped scales (a few loose), and gorgeous brass eagle side rosettes. Two Federal GI59 Militia coat buttons are mounted at the sides by wire in place of the braid, likely an added feature.

The visor of this example appears to have gone through some warping and appears to have been glued back on. The leather of the tar bucket is crazing heavily with bubbling in spots. There is a hole for a plume but it is absent. At the front of the shako is a 1 device over an 1834 Pattern Infantry badge which has some heavy wear and verdigris. The original chinstrap is attached via the rosettes with two prongs. There are some scales missing and one is very loose. There is heavy wear to the scales but the leather strap itself is in good shape and the buckle is still secured. The Federal GI59 buttons, which were used primarily in the 1830s, are attached via small pieces of wire. They are marked They’re both well-marked with IMPERIAL STANDARD.

The interior is hollow and in good shape, and even retains a good bit of the original leather sweatband. There is a large circular piece of paper pasted to the interior crown, but if it ever had writing or maker’s information, it’s long gone. The shako overall measures 11 x 9 x 8½” and is a good example to represent this niche period. The design is iconic and these are impossible to find with as many original parts as this.

A tremendously scarce example in any condition, this is a great representation of headwear of the 1820s & 1830s. Comes ready for further research and display.

The 1st Infantry Regiment in the First Indian War

The 2nd Infantry was consolidated May–October 1815 with the 3rd and 7th Infantry (both constituted 12 April 1808), and 44th Infantry (constituted 29 January 1813) to form the 1st Infantry Regiment. In the ensuing years the regiment was primarily concerned with Indian conflicts and the 1st was involved in the Black Hawk War of 1832 and the Second Seminole War from 1839 to 1842. During this time the regiment was commanded by many, now famous commanders including, Colonel Zachary Taylor, who would later become the 12th President of the United States and Second Lieutenant Jefferson Davis, who would become the President of the Confederate States in the American Civil War.

When War broke out with Mexico in 1846, the 1st Infantry Regiment was sent across the border with General Zachary Taylor's Army and participated in the storming of Monterrey where the regiment fought house to house in savage hand-to-hand combat. From Monterrey, the regiment was transferred to General Winfield Scott's command and participated in the first modern amphibious landing in American history at Vera Cruz in 1847.

Following the Mexican–American War, the regiment campaigned in the Texas area against the Comanches until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861.