The peaked cap, service cap, forage cap, barracks cover or combination cap is a form of headgear worn by the armed forces
And many nations, as well as many uniformed civilian organisations such as law enforcement agencies and fire departments.
It derives its name from its short visor American English, which was historically made of polished leather but increasingly is made of a cheaper synthetic substitute.
Other principal components are the crown, band and insignia, typically a cap badge and embroidery in proportion to rank. Piping is also often found, typically in contrast to the crown colour, which is usually white for navy, blue for air force and green for army.
In the British Army, each regiment and corps has a different badge. In the United States Armed Forces, the cap device is uniform throughout service branch, though different variants are used by different rank classes.
The peaked cap originated in late 18th or early 19th-century Northern Europe, usually worn by working-class men. In the later years of the Napoleonic Wars, it began to appear in the senior ranks of the Russian and Prussian armies.
being popular because of its comfort and light weight, as opposed to the cumbersome bicorns and shakos that were standard duty issue.
During the Biedermeier period (1815–48), they became universal dress for German and Austrian civilian males of all classes, and for the entire 19th century, they were popular with scottish hat working classes all over Northern Europe.
In 1846, the United States Army adopted the peaked cap during the Mexican-American war due to the unsuitability of the shako in the hot Mexican climate. In 1856, a form of peaked cap was adopted by petty officers of Britain’s Royal Navy.
The British Army adopted peaked caps in 1902 for both the new khaki field dress and (in coloured form) as part of the “walking out” or off-duty wear for other ranks. A dark blue version was worn with dress blues by all ranks of the U.S. Army between 1902 and 1917.