# U.S. Army - Why were the chevrons turned? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 12, 2008, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-army-why-were-the-chevrons-turned/441102 "2008-03-12T13:52:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-army-why-were-the-chevrons-turned/441102/1 "2008-03-12T13:52:20Z")
If yuo look at images of U.S. Army uniforms in the Civil War era, the chevrons used to indicate the ranks of privates, corporals, and sergeants are clearly point-down, like the current British Army’s chevrons (but much wider and thinner). But today’s U.S. chevrons are point up (except for some “specialist” ranks). So far as I can tell, this change happened sometime before the First World War. Has anyone pinned it down more specifically? When exactly were the chevrons turned, and, more important, why? ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-army-why-were-the-chevrons-turned/441102/2 "2008-03-12T14:43:43Z")
According to Wiki the chevron pointed down during the Spanish/American war era, they then turned but no reason is given. Perhaps you guys wanted to be less like us dastardly Brits ---
**Author:** ![Will\_Repair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a698b9/32.png) [@Will\_Repair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Will_Repair)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-army-why-were-the-chevrons-turned/441102/3 "2008-03-12T15:35:02Z")
[http://usmilitary.about.com/od/army/l/blstripehistory.htm](http://usmilitary.about.com/od/army/l/blstripehistory.htm) > **[Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos](https://www.yahoo.com/)** > > Latest news coverage, email, free stock quotes, live scores and video are just the beginning. Discover more every day at Yahoo! ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-army-why-were-the-chevrons-turned/441102/4 "2008-03-12T15:38:24Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] But today’s U.S. chevrons are point up (except for some “specialist” ranks). So far as I can tell, this change happened sometime before the First World War. [/QUOTE] Specialists don’t have chevrons; they used to have ‘rockers’ – like [Staff Sergeants](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/US_Army_E-6.svg) and above, only upside down – but since they got rid of all the Specialist ranks except for E4, there are no more upside-down rockers.. The Navy has downward pointing chevrons, and the Air Force has downward pointing “stripes” but adds upward pointing chevrons for the higher enlisted ranks. The Army doesn’t have any downward pointing chevrons in any ranks at the moment. Sorry I can’t be more useful answering the actual question. The chevrons got turned (and the rank got smaller) around 1902-1903, I think, and the Army was going through a lot of changes around that time. Maybe they just wanted to change the enlisted ranks to reflect all the other changes going on at that time? ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-army-why-were-the-chevrons-turned/441102/5 "2008-03-12T15:58:47Z")
Here’s a link showing lots of pictures of both old-style and new-style chevrons: [http://howardlanham.tripod.com/chevrons/datingchevrons.html](http://howardlanham.tripod.com/chevrons/datingchevrons.html) From the above link: > [@](#): > > Nineteenth Century chevrons were worn point down. In the smoky, black powder environment of the 19th-Century battlefield chevrons needed to be large so they could be seen. In 1902 chevrons were redesigned and worn point up. With smokeless powder and accurate firearms smaller chevrons were necessary to avoid making noncommissioned officers targets. And this one I just skimmed through (but it looks pretty interesting) details the changes that were going on around that time: [http://www.history.army.mil/books/amh/AMH-16.htm](http://www.history.army.mil/books/amh/AMH-16.htm) Nothing in either of those that says _why_ they decided to flip them point-down to point-up. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-army-why-were-the-chevrons-turned/441102/6 "2008-03-12T15:59:58Z")
[QUOTE=Will Repair] [http://usmilitary.about.com/od/army/l/blstripehistory.htm](http://usmilitary.about.com/od/army/l/blstripehistory.htm) > **[Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos](https://www.yahoo.com/)** > > Latest news coverage, email, free stock quotes, live scores and video are just the beginning. Discover more every day at Yahoo! [/QUOTE] Hey Will, I’ll post some quotes from those links for folks (yes this is a pet peeve of mine): > [@Your first link](#): > > The direction the chevrons pointed changed repeatedly. From 1821 through 1829 chevrons had pointed upward (inverted V); new 1833 cavalry regiment’s pointed down (V shape). The war department change of 1847 caused the ranks to reverse once more and point skyward. Chevrons, just changed to “point up” in 1847, were reversed again when the 1851 uniform board simply recorded that by a vote of five to four “the chevrons indicating rank shall be the same form as at present, but that the points shall be downward (V shape) instead of up”. Why the chevrons were changed to “point up” (inverted V) is not clear, other than they were “more attractive”. (I converted the text from all caps) > [@Your second link](#): > > Chevrons were sewn on the sleeves of uniforms with the point down from approximately 1820 to 1903. They were worn with the points both up and down between 1903 and 1905 after the first reversal from “down” to “up” was authorized on May 1, 1903 in Army Regulation number 622. This confusion period, from 1903 to 1905, was the result of the color change in the chevrons provided for in the regulation which also directed a standard color for each branch, corps or organization and replaced the gold-colored chevrons. Because of the number of gold insignia available, troops were permitted to wear the old-type Chevron until the supply became exhausted. > > To assure uniformity in both color and position of the new colored chevrons, War Department Circular 61 dated 30 November 1905 stated that the points of the Chevrons would be worn point upward. > … > As early as 1820, chevrons were worn with the point down, although there was not an official direction of this to appear in regulations until 1821 when chevrons were authorized for both officers and enlisted men. > … > Chevrons continued to be worn points downward during the 1800s. AGO Order number 10 dated 9 February 1833, stated “Chevrons will be worn with the point toward the cuff of the sleeves.” They don’t seem to agree. One says that they flipped up and down a few times, while the other says it was all done in 1903.