A U.S. mounted trooper wears a French dragoon-style helmet.

Sixth-plate daguerreotype by an anonymous photographer. Paul Reeder Collection.

A mounted trooper wears an early French dragoon-style helmet with a brass visor and scale chinstrap distinguished by an 1820-style federal eagle on the crest. The uniform suggests a Hussar influence that features shoulder scales with unusually short fringe. In one hand he holds a Model 1840 heavy cavalry saber with a rarely seen sword knot, and a brace of Model 1842 horse pistols in the other.

A non-regulation eagle plate widely used by militia companies in the 1840s and 1850s distinguishes his waist belt. Note the cap box with a patent leather finish and what appears an usual brass closing mechanism.

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