Washington’s attack on the Hessians at Trenton on December 25, 1776.
Emanuel Leute 1851.
Welcome to Isabela’s Revolutionary War button quiz. If you found your way to this page, I take it you are a Revolutionary War button collector who wants to test your knowledge on State and Continental Army buttons. This quiz is designed to help you sharpen your button collecting skills. The purpose is for you to take a break from your specialized collecting area, and have fun learning about other state patterns outside of your own expertise. You will be asked a series of 50 questions about state button patterns that were used during the American Revolution. So, grab a sheet of notebook paper with a pencil, and answer these 50 questions to the Best of your ability. Some questions will require you to draw a small picture of the button for the answer. In this unique learning experience, I am not going to give you an answer key unless you email me for one. I prefer a collector to use his own resources to obtain the answers. Yes, this is my way of having fun with you! It forces you to learn without the easy path. So, good luck, and God Bless America and all your loved ones!
Score Key
All 50 Answers Correct, In Under 13 Min. = A Proud American Button Collector, A Real 5 Star General.
44 to 49 Answers Correct, In Under 15 Min. = Strong Button Knowledge, A Respectable Staff Officer.
39 to 43 Answers Correct, In Under 25 Min. = Real Good State Button Knowledge, A Sargent of Arms.
19 to 38 Answers Correct, In Under 30 Min. = Moderate Amount of Rev War Button Knowledge.
1-19 Answers Correct, No Time Limit = A Private in Rev. War Button Collecting.
Starting Gun Commences
1) What is the name of the Flag behind the Cannon on the Continental Artillery Officer’s button?
2) Which Continental Regiment button in 1776, uses a Roman numeral instead of an Arabic number?
3) What Revolutionary War years was the joined “NY” buttons used?
4) How many known “distinctive” Continental infantry regiment buttons did Georgia have?
5) In 1776 to 1778, what was New Jersey’s button pattern?
6) In what year did the Commonwealth of Massachusetts receive their order of Ordnance buttons from France?
7) What is the pattern for the 3rd North Carolina Regiment button?
8) Which Continental Light Dragoon’s Regt. button has a number on it’s face above the letters “LD?
9) There are 4 Continental Dragoon buttons that depict a soldier on horseback. Which direction is the horse facing in all 4 variants: left, right, or both ways ?
10) Which 1781, State Regiment button depicts a “J” instead of the commonly used Arabic number “1” over it’s, “state initial” and “R” for regiment?
11) In 1776-1777, the Independent Companies for the state of Maryland had buttons with 2 letters. What did the letters stand for?
12) Maryland had a button with a piece of artillery on a field (cannon), how many round shots were piled under the breech?
13) What state used the slogan, “INIMICA TYRANNIS” on their buttons in late 1776 to 1777.
14) What type of Sword is depicted on “Inimica Tyrannis Buttons?
15) Which Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment button has a “P” centered over two letters? What are those two letters?
16) In 1775, The Massachusetts Grand Army ordered distinctive Regiment buttons. What pattern circles around the legend?
17) Which Grand Army Regiment number buttons had raised lines added in the legend to create a distinctive separator?
18) How many known distinctive state patterns were used by North Carolina during the Revolution?
19) What numbers are found on Massachusetts Ordnance buttons?
20) In 1781, what two Massachusetts Regiment’s have officer’s buttons that depict a floral half-wreath below?
21) In 1781, what Massachusetts Regt. button has a Skull and Cross-Bones?
22) In 1781, what Massachusetts Regt. officer’s button depicts a Military Trophy of Arms including a Flag and Drum?
23) Because of the size and scarcity of New Hampshire Regiment buttons, they are believed to be used only for what purpose?
24) How many distinctive number buttons did New Hampshire use during the Revolutionary War?
25) How many New Jersey patterns are known to be used during the Revolutionary War?
26) What letters are used on the Georgia Battalion button of 1783?
24) In 1780-1783, New Jersey used a button with the letters “JB” standing for Jersey Battalion. What metal was this button made of ?
27) In 1775, before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, what two letters did New York Continental regiments have on their buttons?
28) What is the “Letter” on the Continental Regiment button that was authorized in 1777, and organized at Cambridge?
29) What does the button pattern look like on Dubois 3rd New York Regiment?
30) What does “RIR” stand for?
31) What is the pattern for the 3rd North Carolina Regiment?
32) The First Pennsylvania Battalion’s button depicted a “1.B” over a “P”. What was the inscription that circled in the legend?
33) The 3rd Pennsylvania Battalion demonstrates what pattern for the button’s edge? lol
34) What button pattern was used prior to Rhode Island’s RIR pattern?
35) The Pennsylvania State Regiment button has a “PS”over an “R”. What does the “R” stand for?
36) How many Pennsylvania Battalions were organized from 1775 to 1777? List the numbers.
37) How many, and which Pennsylvania Regiments did General Washington keep at Valley Forge?
38) What South Carolina regiment had both an Arabic number on one button, and a Roman numeral on another?
39) What is the pattern depicted under Rhode Island’s initial’s RIR?
40) What southern regiment used a “Leg Bone” style for their number “1”?
41) Are Rhode Island Anchor buttons impressed or raised patterns?
42) Early in the Revolutionary War, field molds were used sometimes to replace lost buttons. What common metal was used besides Pewter?
43) What South Carolina button number was used in conjunction with officer Gorgets that depicted a Rattlesnake coiled up and ready to strike?
44) What is the name of the Florida Tree that was used for the backs of Officer’s buttons?
45) Who did Tallene Manufacture buttons for?
46) French Officer’s buttons are bone or wood back for “Dress” but in the “Field” they wore what kind of buttons?
47) How many types of button backs do French Officer buttons have?
48) French Enlisted man’s buttons were commonly made of brass or pewter. The pewter buttons had either a turret shank or an integrally cast “C” or “U” shank. Brass buttons have 5 distinct shanks. What is the name all 5 shanks?
49) How many different maker backmarks did French buttons have from 1775 to 1785? aha moment!
50) From 1775 to 1790, the French Royal Corps of Engineers showed what kind of pattern on the front of their button?