Item number: M537

Year: AD 1895-1911 presumed

Material: Brass

Size: 22.5 x 22.5 x 10.7 mm

Weight: 4.1 g

Provenance: Private Collector, Singapore, 2026

This is an American-made button, likely originating from equipment procured by the newly established land forces in the late Qing dynasty.

The obverse pattern features a coiled Chinese dragon typical of the late Qing period, with notably distinctive horns. Arched above the coiled dragon are three five-pointed stars. In the centre of the reverse is a shank for thread to pass through; the shank base is slightly recessed into a neat circle, which is enclosed by a beaded border. Encircling the outer margin is the inscription “PETTIBONE MFG CO · CINCINNATI ·”, denoting its origin from the Pettibone Manufacturing Company in Cincinnati. Founded around AD 1872 and operating until at least AD 1975, the company specialised in ceremonial dress and uniforms, alongside various ceremonial metal goods.

The establishment of the late Qing New Army was spurred by the catastrophic defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War and the severe shock of the Boxer Rebellion. At the time, the Qing court acutely recognised that the traditional Eight Banners, Green Standard Army, and the regional Xiang and Huai armies were no longer fit for purpose, creating an urgent need to adopt Western methods to ensure national survival. Against this backdrop, the Qing court instituted two successive military reforms: the first was the formation and training of the “Newly Created Army” by Yuan Shikai at Xiaozhan, Tianjin (alongside the contemporaneous Self-Strengthening Army in Jiangnan); the second was led by Ronglu following the Hundred Days’ Reform Coup, integrating and reorganising elite units from Chihli and the capital region into the “Wuwei Army”.

The formation of the Wuwei Army adopted a dual model of reorgansing existing elite forces while recruiting new troops. Ronglu renamed Nie Shicheng’s Wuyi Army as the Front Corps, Dong Fuxiang’s Gansu Army as the Rear Corps, Song Qing’s Yi Army as the Left Corps, and Yuan Shikai’s Newly Created Army as the Right Corps. Additionally, Ronglu personally recruited ten thousand men to form the Centre Corps, establishing a five-corps system designed to render mutual tactical support and defend the capital. However, the Wuwei Army suffered devastating casualties and widespread dissolution during the Boxer War, with only Yuan Shikai’s Right Corps retaining its full strength due to its deployment to Shandong for bandit suppression. Following the war, Yuan Shikai used the Right Corps and the Self-Strengthening Army as a nucleus to accelerate training and expand the forces into the “Six Divisions of Beiyang”, which ultimately led to the comprehensive organisation and training of thirty-six New Army divisions nationwide.

Regarding the weaponry and equipment of these modern forces, procurement relied primarily on two channels: foreign purchase and domestic manufacture. Domestically produced items were distributed by the Ministry of War, whilst other equipment was purchased directly by the Qing court or individual units from Western manufacturers. For instance, the infantry and cavalry were chiefly equipped with Austrian Mannlicher rifles and carbines, whilst officers carried six-shot revolvers and swords. The artillery introduced 75 mm light mountain guns from Germany’s Krupp, as well as 57 mm mountain guns and field rapid-fire guns from Gruson. Furthermore, the various corps increasingly requisitioned domestically produced firearms and ammunition from regional machinery bureaus, such as the Nanyang and Beiyang arsenals and the Hanyang Armoury in Hubei. As for military dress, terms such as “manufacture” and “procurement” appear across different periods and units, not ruling out the possibility of direct importation from abroad.

Under these comprehensive reforms, modern military organisation and logistical systems were introduced into the armed forces. These included dedicated engineering units equipped with specialised capabilities in bridging, field fortification, telegraphy, and surveying. Logistics trains, military artisans, buglers, and drummers were also established. Most notably, military hospitals offering Western medical diagnosis, treatment, and nursing were created, marking the embryonic stage of China’s modern land forces development.

物件編號: M537

年代: 推測為公元 1895-1911 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 22.5 x 22.5 x 10.7 mm

重量: 4.1 g

來源: 新加坡私人收藏 2026

這是一枚美製的鈕扣，可能來自清末新編陸軍的採購裝備。

鈕扣的正面圖樣為清末典型的中國團龍圖，龍角較為特殊。團龍上方環列三顆五角星。背面中央為供線穿過的鈕環，環座微凹，凹處呈正圓，圓外環繞珠圈。外側環列「PETTIBONE MFG CO · CINCINNATI · 」標示其來自辛辛那提的佩蒂伯恩製造公司。該公司約於公元1872年成立，營運到至少公元1975年，專營禮服及制服，旁及各種金屬禮儀用品。

清末新軍的組建源於甲午戰爭的慘痛失敗與庚子拳亂的重大刺激。當時清廷深刻體認到舊有的八旗、綠營與湘淮舊軍已不堪使用，亟需引進西法以維護國家生存。在這一背景下，清廷先後進行了兩次新軍改革：第一次是由袁世凱於天津小站編練「新建陸軍」（同期的還有江南「自強軍」）；第二次則是在戊戌政變後，由榮祿主導，將直隸及京畿一帶的精銳部隊整合改編為「武衛軍」。

武衛軍的組建採取了將舊有精銳「改編」與「新募」並行的模式。榮祿將聶士成的武毅軍改為前軍，董福祥的甘軍改為後軍，宋慶的毅軍改為左軍，袁世凱的新建陸軍改為右軍，並由榮祿親自新募萬人為中軍，形成「互為犄角、拱衛京師」的五軍體制。然而，武衛軍在八國聯軍之役中傷亡慘重，大多潰散，僅有袁世凱的右軍因遠調山東剿匪而得以保存完整實力。戰後，袁世凱以右軍與自強軍為核心，加速訓練並擴展出「北洋六鎮」，最終促成了全國三十六鎮新軍的整體編訓。

在新式軍隊的武器裝備方面，其來源主要仰賴「外購」與「自製」兩大管道。自製者由兵部配發，其餘則由清廷或該單位直接向西洋工廠採購，例如步兵與騎兵主力裝備了奧地利的曼利夏（Mannlicher）步槍與馬槍，軍官則配備六響左輪手槍與佩刀；砲兵則引進德國克虜伯（Krupp）廠的七五輕山砲，以及格魯森（Gruson）廠的五七山砲與陸路快砲。此外，各軍也逐漸增加對國內機械製造局（如南北洋及湖北漢陽兵工廠）自製槍砲彈藥的領用。軍衣方面，在不同時期，不同單位，「製造」和「採購」等語均有出現，不排除自國外進口的可能性。

在全面的改革下，軍中引入現代化的軍事組織與後勤體制，配有專門的工程隊，具備橋樑、地壘、電報、測繪等專業機能；也設立了輜重隊、軍工工匠、鼓號手，甚至創設了以西醫診療與護理為特色的軍醫院，是為中國近代陸軍發展的雛形。