The term escutcheon is an Old English word meaning shield.
It comes from the original form of heraldry depicting the family
coat of arms. Military escutcheons were produced only once
during the history of the United States for a period of about
40 years immediately following the Civil War, unitl about 1907.
The first Civil War military escutcheons were produced under a patent
secured in 1868 by Captain John P. Reynolds, formerly of the
19th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and a member of MOLLUS, the organization that founded the Museum. His company, Reynolds
Escutcheons of Military and Naval Service, was located in Salem,
MA. His first design was
produced through the new process
of chromolithography. He researched the military record of the customer, which
he hand-painted on the lithographed paper. The first escutcheons
sold for $5. A Reynolds escutcheon can be identified by the
quarter panel design, where the military record divides the
shield into four parts.
A new company, Army
and Navy Escutcheon Company, was formed in Philadelphia, near
7th and Sansom Streets, by his former partner, Walter Strickler.
Strickler changed the design by having the military record
divide the shield into thirds. He also improved the quality
of the paper and began introducing more detailed military information.
Strickler remained in Philadelphia until 1886, when he was
bought out by Frederick Dyer. Dyer moved the operation to Detroit,
Michigan, where he began pursuing business from many soldiers
in the midwest and west coast. The research used by Dyer in
making his escutcheons was the basis of the now famous volume,
A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion.
Walter Strickler formed the Army and Navy Record Company and
returned to Philadelphia in 1891.
Strickler printed the last of
the Civil War military escutcheons in 1907.
The Civil War Museum of Philadelphia has a very extensive collection of escutcheons, including Capt. John Reynolds own personal escutcheon.
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