Cockades were popular from the 1500s to the 1800s. They have been used to distinguish between ranks of soldiers and even between sides of a battle in many different conflicts. Cockades were worn by civilians, from royalty down to the lower classes. They were used to symbolize their allegiance to something or to show their support for a cause. Think of them as the historic equivalent of the awareness ribbons we now use to decorate our vehicles: such as the pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness.
Our cockades are handmade here at Tanawha. They measure approximately 3 inches in circumference.  We offer seven ribbon colors: black, green, navy blue, pink, red, yellow, and white. See the list below for color meaning. Each cockade has a decretive metal button in the middle and includes a handmade steel pin for attaching to articles of clothing.
 
White: The Jacobites (Stuart dynasty), and the French.
Yellow: Captains in the Continental Army before uniforms were established.
Pink: Field Officers in the Continental Army before uniforms were established.
Red:  Spanish, and Field Officers in the Continental Army before uniforms were established.
Black: English and Hanover dynasty, Germans, and the Continental Army after uniforms were established.
Green: Subalterns (Junior officer) before uniforms were established.