This mounted service jacket of Sergeant Gustavus Klipsch is complete with eleven gold buttons and sergeant stripes; the shell jacket became part of the regulation army uniform in 1833 and remained in use after the Civil War, especially with the cavalry and artillery, as they were more practical for mounted troops. The color of the piping and stripes denoted the branch of service; yellow for cavalry, red for artillery, and light blue for infantry.
Sergeant Klipsch was commissary sergeant of Company L,2nd Regiment, Missouri State Militia Cavalry, which was a federally-funded state militia regiment whose primary purpose was to conduct offensive operations against Confederate guerillas and oppose raids by regular Confederate forces.
The regiment was mustered out of service on April 20, 1865.
Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 32380
