CIRCA 1851-1899, WOOL ARMBAND, CHEVRON, CAVALRY, PIONEER, ORIGINAL, VINTAGE

Dark blue wool with applied yellow wool crossed hatchets construction.

Pioneers were the only privates who wore a specialty chevron before 1872. This sleeve device set the precedent for others; however, just when other specialists including cooks, mechanics, and saddlers received chevrons, the Army eliminated the precedent  setting pioneers. Those that  were designated as pioneers wore this cloth crossed hatchets on both sleeves in the same location as other chevrons. A few corporals were designated as pioneers. The crossed hatchets were made in the basic branch colors for Infantry, Artillery, engineers, and ordnance.

In some units the Commanders designated entire Companies as Pioneers and that duty rotated, so many soldiers who worked as pioneers did not wear these chevrons. The number of pioneer chevrons issued varied widely in different over very short periods of time. The patterns were actually cut out of wool material with steel dies for uniformity. 

This originates from an established collection of U.S. Army chevrons