CAMPAIGN HAT

The origins of the campaign hat can be traced to the 1840s when United States Army mounted troops posted to the far west sometimes wore wide brimmed civilian hats, which were more practical than the regulation shakos and forage caps then issued. The crease was influenced by the designs of the sombreros worn by the Mexican Vaqueros. The name started to be used after the 1872 - 1876 regulations, which introduced a black-felt campaign hat, which could be drab after 1883 derived from the types popularized during the American Civil War. Some were worn with campaign cords, mainly as a form of decoration.

At least as early as 1893, campaign hats of the Stetson Boss of the Plains type were being creased into pointed tops by British South Africa Company (BSAC) scouts in Africa. When designing the iconic uniform for Boy Scouts, Robert Baden-Powell drew on the campaign hat worn by Frederick Russell Burnham, the celebrated American scout, during his service as Chief of Scouts in the BSAC and the British Army in the 1890s. The 1,200 Canadian troops serving under Baden-Powell were the first to wear the campaign hat as a part of their official uniform, and this very likely influenced Baden-Powell's decision to order 10,000 of the hats for the British troops. A version of the hat, with a crease along the top of the crown, was worn by some United States Army troops during the Spanish American War. The United States Army officially adopted the "Montana peaked" design as a service hat on September 8, 1911.

Through the World War I era, the campaign hat worn by American Soldiers was fairly soft. Those worn by the United States Army's General Officers had a golden cord around it, whereas other Commissioned Officers had a golden and black cord around their campaign hat. Field clerks, as well as their post-war successors the Warrant Officers had a silver and black cord, while other ranks had cords in their branch of service colors. The United States Marine Corps had the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor badge in matte black at the front of their campaign hats; its Officers had an additional golden and scarlet cord around their hat, whereas its other ranks had none.

By the 1930s the felt was made very stiff with a permanently flat brim. Due to the frequent wearing of helmets in France in World War I, most troops received a copy of the French bonnet de police that became known as the overseas cap. From 1940 onwards, the campaign hat was replaced by the much cheaper American fiber helmet. In 1942 the campaign hat ceased to be issued generally, but it was still commonly found in the Pacific theatre for much of the war and was the trademark of General Joseph Stilwell. The campaign hat worn by Infantry male United States Army Drill Sergeants was reintroduced in 1964 and is olive drab in color with a golden Great Seal of the United States on a blue disc representing the Infantry Branch and it was centered on the front of the campaign hat. The campaign hat worn by male United States Marine Corps Drill Instructors was reintroduced in 1956 and in 1996 authorized for female Drill Instructors was also olive drab in color with a matte black Eagle, Globe, and Anchor centered on the front of the campaign hat. Today, many Law Enforcement agencies and Park Rangers across our nation have adopted this symbolic campaign hat as the official headwear for their uniforms.

The Howell County Sheriff's Office active service campaign hat was issued for wear on October 15, 2022 by Sheriff Brent H. Campbell in effort to enhance the uniformed profession and to embody the rich meaning of history. The Howell County Sheriff’s Office campaign hat is only issued to Commissioned Officers and is composed of black-felt for all seasons and is made by Stratton Hats Inc. Affixed to the center of the campaign hat is a 1.58”x1.58” hat badge with the State of Missouri Seal. The campaign hat is worn with a single strap with the buckle centered on the rear of the base of the head, while the brim is slightly canted to the front above the eyebrows with a measurement of two fingers off the bridge of the nose.