Pre-war SNY engineer officers would have- Straps with gold bullion borders and insignia on a dark blue field; Sky-blue trousers for regimental officers; Dark blue for staff. Engineer officers wore a buff welt on the outer seam of their trousers, as did other members of the General staff and staff corps -- Adjutant, Quartermaster, Ordnance, etc. Chaplains wore a black velvet welt. General officers wore plain dark blue trousers. (There is some confusion here as to whether or not officers in regimental engineer companies wore sky-blue or dark blue trousers. In Miller's "Photographic History of the Civil War", there is a picture of a group of engineer troops dressed in SNY light infantry uniforms -- Grey with black trim -- with an engineer officer wearing dark blue trousers posed in their midst. This appears to be one of the companies detailed to engineer duty in 1861 SNY infantry regiments.)

Regulations state that all "regimental officers" wear sky-blue trousers. The officer in the photo wears dark blue. The problem is that we do not know the relationship between the officer posing in the photo and the men around him, who are clearly not wearing what is specified for "engineer troops" –sky blue trousers with a yellow welt. There was probably a lot of variation from regiment to regiment in uniform, for instance -- Zouaves.

The only way to resolve the problem is to dig through 1st NYER records in Albany, and discover what exactly was issued to the regiment and when. In pursuing the research, we should bear in mind that the 1st Regiment of Engineers was raised as engineers, whereas the 15th and 50th were originally raised as infantry and converted to engineers. James Magruder was unsuccessful in raising a second engineer regiment (2nd NY) between July and October of 1863, when the designation was abolished. A single company was sent to the 15th. The other point to remember is that the 1st Engineers were raised by Edward Serrell in the CITY of New York, underwritten by the Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen (whose HQ are now across 44th Street from the NY Yacht Club in Manhattan) and accepted by the state in September, 1861. Some early records may remain in NYC Archives, or in the records of the Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen. Good hunting!

It is probably safest to wear officer-grade dark blue trousers with a buff welt for early-war impressions, the rationale being that it was unlikely that militia officers wore out their old uniforms in peacetime. When US forces were converted from state to Federal "arsenal" supply in 1862, it is possible that some leftover goods were still in use in the field. By late '63, we should probably stick to US Army Regs. for engineers; by '64, we can

remove shoulder straps, cap devices and wear sky blue trousers with a gold bullion welt. While a lot of uncertainty remains regarding the color of trousers, it is safe to say that the use of yellow welts on engineer officer trousers is incorrect.

I would hope that we all approach authenticity as a learning process. Nothing is hewn in stone and there are exceptions to every rule. I am reminded of a company-grade officer's frock-coat that I saw in the Milwaukee Public Museum that was made of a bright greenish-blue wool-silk blend that resembled a "double-knit". If any of us wore it to the field, it would raise a storm of criticism, despite the fact that being original, it is "correct".

I would encourage members, especially those in New York State, to scour the flea-markets and gun-shows for any later SNY Militia manuals; 1858-1865, which might shed further light on these questions. The copy to which I have been referring is the "General Manual for the Military Forces of the State of New York, 1858" published in Albany by Weed, Parsons & Co. in 1858. I found it in a rare book shop in Saratoga Springs, NY during the height of the racing season. It is leather-bound, gold stamped with marbled end-pages. The edges of text pages are gilt. The text is illustrated by steel engravings on heavy rag paper. The price was $40.00 Again, good hunting!