Questions about these photos (ranks)

General Lee

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gen-joseph-e-johnston – Local Historian North & South Robert E. Lee - Wikipedia Stonewall Jackson - Wikiquote Nathan Bedford Forrest - Biography, Civil War General & Death - HISTORY John S. Mosby - Wikipedia

So I have questions regarding the Confederate ranks in apearance, notice how Joseph E Johnston has what look's like what I thought to be a major General rank but he was in command of what would become the Army of Northern Virginia and then Jackson has what looks like the official major general ranks on but I do know he became a Lt. General later on along with Longstreet. Then you see Forrest with what looks like Major general ranks but he was also a Lt. General eventually but the ranks look like major general and then Lee here has the 3 stars that look similiar enough to those of the Colonel on the far right so basically I'm trying to rap my head around the ranks in how the look and Iv'e seen online charts but it looks like they say Jackson's and Forrest's ranks were Major General and then I don't even know what Johnston's were supposed to be being early war and all. I wanted some clarification because this has me all confused.
 

rittmeister

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So I have questions regarding the Confederate ranks in apearance, notice how Joseph E Johnston has what look's like what I thought to be a major General rank but he was in command of what would become the Army of Northern Virginia and then Jackson has what looks like the official major general ranks on but I do know he became a Lt. General later on along with Longstreet. Then you see Forrest with what looks like Major general ranks but he was also a Lt. General eventually but the ranks look like major general and then Lee here has the 3 stars that look similiar enough to those of the Colonel on the far right so basically I'm trying to rap my head around the ranks in how the look and Iv'e seen online charts but it looks like they say Jackson's and Forrest's ranks were Major General and then I don't even know what Johnston's were supposed to be being early war and all. I wanted some clarification because this has me all confused.
check their sleeves
 

Jim Klag

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View attachment 3114 View attachment 3115 View attachment 3116 View attachment 3117 View attachment 3118

So I have questions regarding the Confederate ranks in apearance, notice how Joseph E Johnston has what look's like what I thought to be a major General rank but he was in command of what would become the Army of Northern Virginia and then Jackson has what looks like the official major general ranks on but I do know he became a Lt. General later on along with Longstreet. Then you see Forrest with what looks like Major general ranks but he was also a Lt. General eventually but the ranks look like major general and then Lee here has the 3 stars that look similiar enough to those of the Colonel on the far right so basically I'm trying to rap my head around the ranks in how the look and Iv'e seen online charts but it looks like they say Jackson's and Forrest's ranks were Major General and then I don't even know what Johnston's were supposed to be being early war and all. I wanted some clarification because this has me all confused.
Johnston and Lee were full generals; Jackson and Forrest were Lieutenant-Generals; and Mosby was a colonel. If you know who they are, looking up theid rank is a no-brainer.
 

diane

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I can answer for Forrest, @General Lee . The picture you have up is brigadier general - there are not (at least not public) any photos of him as Lt General. Buttons are another way of ranking - generals were nine buttons in sets of three. As rittmeister says, the chicken guts tell!

What drives me nuts with Forrest is...what was the design on his buttons???
 

O' Be Joyful

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Buttons are another way of ranking - generals were nine buttons in sets of three. As rittmeister says, the chicken guts tell!

To be more specific and to add, it was the arraignment/spacing of the buttons on the uniform coat that was "generally" the tell... as to rank.
 

diane

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That's true, Obi, but I meant the design on the buttons. Some of the buttons look as if they might have the seal of either Tennessee or Mississippi, later ones sort of look like CSA. It's a little weird because there's plenty of war time pictures but none of them show the buttons very clearly! (Button, button, who's got the button...)
 

O' Be Joyful

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That's true, Obi, but I meant the design on the buttons. Some of the buttons look as if they might have the seal of either Tennessee or Mississippi, later ones sort of look like CSA. It's a little weird because there's plenty of war time pictures but none of them show the buttons very clearly! (Button, button, who's got the button...)

Oh k-rap, if only we had what's his name here. The infamous digger of buttons and buried --and safely drilling them out-- artillery shells that is.

The button expert. I once joked w/ him that I was glad to hear that he only "licked" certain things...to figger out whether it was real or not.
 

O' Be Joyful

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That's true, Obi, but I meant the design on the buttons. Some of the buttons look as if they might have the seal of either Tennessee or Mississippi, later ones sort of look like CSA. It's a little weird because there's plenty of war time pictures but none of them show the buttons very clearly! (Button, button, who's got the button...)

As an aside, it was the de-ammed brits and zhem Star Trek Next Gen jerk-offs that went whole-hog into "buttons." as to rank.

Now I await zee @nerdmeister/ @rittmeister to attempt to correct my Trek lore. Ünd try to insult me....for the...how many times is it now? :cool:
 

diane

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Oh k-rap, if only we had what's his name here. The infamous digger of buttons and buried --and safely drilling them out-- artillery shells that is.

The button expert. I once joked w/ him that I was glad to hear that he only "licked" certain things...to figger out whether it was real or not.
Ha! I didn't think he could be stumped...but Forrest did it. He said nobody really knew what buttons were on Forrest's uniform, he'd been trying to figure it out forever! (Of course, now that Forrest is being reburied yet again, maybe somebody can take a look - he was buried in his Confederate uniform.)
 
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