U.S. Army M1860 Infantry Shako Plate

Another Warehouse No. 3 find!

We recently uncovered a small number of original U.S. Army hand-painted metal helmet plates from the period of the American Civil War (1861-1865).

The plate features an infantry horn in the center and was originally attached to the front of a leather shako as shown in the photograph. These plates were purchased by the United States Army from the French Government at the beginning of the War.

However, the soft structured French Army style navy blue kepis were far more popular with Union troops, and the stiff leather shako fell into disuse.

During the early 1900s, Stokes-Kirk, one of the earliest purveyors of military surplus in the United States and second only to Bannerman’s in the sale of antique militaria, mounted one of the shako plates onto a black painted wooden plaque, which is the way it is presented and offered for sale here. 

The original metal helmet plate only, mounted on a wooden plaque, shako not included.