American Historical Ephemera & Photography, Featuring Property from the James Milgram, M.D., Collection of Broadsides, Ephemeral Americana & Historical Documents

Approximate length with tassels 79 1/2 in., width 3 1/8 in. woven blue worsted wool chaplain's sash (areas of mothing).  

At the opening of the war, chaplains were not a part of the US Army's regular establishment, with some joining on an ad hoc basis as part of militia units. When General Order No. 102 was issued on 25 November 1861, the uniform was established for chaplains, however, "considerable latitude [was] taken in chaplain's dress...one totally unofficial distinction adopted by many chaplains was the use of a blue sash rather than the regulation officer's crimson silk sash: 'It was desirable that the chaplain's character should never be mistaken but known at once by definite sign. One proposed, as surgeons wore green sashes, that the chaplains should adopt black ones. A member said that one of the brethren did put on this badge, but the first time he wore it in camp, as he was passing a soldier, the latter stopped, looked at him a moment , shook his head solemnly, and said, "That looks too much like an undertaker." It would be a rather sober badge on a battle field. A blue one met with more favor. This was an excellent suggestion. The green sash of a surgeon makes him known as far as his uniform can be seen, and prevents him from becoming a special target of the enemy. A blue sash would serve the same purpose for the chaplains. A Committee was finally appointed to attend to it.'" (Michael J. McAfee, “Army Chaplains,” Military Images Magazine, March/April 2009, pp. 25-30. “Regulations and Notes for the Uniform of the Army of the United States, 1861,” compiled by Jacques Noel Jacobsen, Jr. Manor Publishing (Staten Island, NY), 1978.; NY Times, Nov 8, 1861, p.2.)