Military

Frank Brownell's Medal of Honor

The Museum's superb military collections document the history of the men and women of the armed forces of the United States. The collections include ordnance, firearms, and swords; uniforms and insignia; national and military flags and banners; and many other objects.

The strength of the collections lies in their enormous depth. Some 3,000 military small arms and 2,400 civilian firearms document the mechanical and technological history of the infantryman's weapons from the beginning of the gunpowder era to the present. Among the 4,000 swords and knives in the collection are many spectacular presentation pieces. The collections also include Civil War era telegraph equipment, home front artifacts from both world wars, early computers such as ENIAC, Whirlwind, and Sage, and materials carried at antiwar demonstrations.

Resource Type: Coats (garments)

Model 1872

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80768W20
accession number
64127

Buckskin coat

Physical DescriptionDouble-breasted buckskin coat, with fringe on the pockets and collar and along the sleeves.Specific HistoryThis buckskin coat was worn by Custer when he was a lieutenant colonel with the 7th U.S. Cavalry in the Dakotas.
Description
Physical Description
Double-breasted buckskin coat, with fringe on the pockets and collar and along the sleeves.
Specific History
This buckskin coat was worn by Custer when he was a lieutenant colonel with the 7th U.S. Cavalry in the Dakotas. It was one of several owned and worn by Custer, who preferred to dress like a frontiersman while out West.
In 1912, Custer's widow, Elizabeth, donated this buckskin coat to the Smithsonian as a tribute to her husband.
General History
George Armstrong Custer was born in 1839 in New Rumley, Ohio; by 1857, he was enrolled as a cadet in the U.S. Military Academy at West Point upon appointment by a congressman. He graduated last in his class of thirty-four. During the Civil War, he became known for his fearlessness (some said recklessness) in battle; indeed, he was promoted to the rank of Major General by age twenty-five. He figured prominently in General Philip Sheridan's campaign in the Shenandoah Valley in 1864; at the surrender at Appomattox in April 1865, Sheridan gave Custer's wife Elizabeth the table on which the surrender was signed.
After the war, George Custer reverted to the rank of captain. He was given command of the newly formed Seventh Cavalry in 1866 and elevated to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He gained a reputation as an Indian fighter who often ignored orders if they did not suit his sense of self-aggrandizement. His recklessness finally caught up to him on June 25, 1876, when he and his five cavalry companies were annihilated by a combined force of thousands of Sioux and Cheyenne warriors at Little Big Horn, Montana.
In 1864, George Custer married Elizabeth (Libby) Bacon. Libby followed her husband on campaign during the Civil War, and even went with him to the frontier. After his death, she crusaded to perpetuate the image of her husband as a gallant soldier; to this end, she undertook speaking engagements and wrote several books.
In 1912, she donated this coat to the Smithsonian in memory of her husband.
date made
ca 1870
wearer
Custer, George Armstrong
ID Number
AF.013044
catalog number
13044
accession number
54045

Model 1885

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1884
associated date
1885 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W12
accession number
64127

Model 1832

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
used date
Era 4: Expansion and Reform
associated date
1832
ID Number
AF.22712
catalog number
22712
accession number
64127

Model 1854

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
used date
1854 - 1861
associated date
1854
ID Number
2007.0069.20
catalog number
2007.0069.20
accession number
2007.0069

Model 1885

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
used date
1885 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W35
accession number
64127

Model 1851

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1851 - 1854
1851
ID Number
AF.22770
catalog number
22770
accession number
64127

Model 1857

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1865
associated date
1857
maker
Kohner Bros., Inc.
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80767W07
accession number
64127

Model 1902

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1902
associated person; user
Young, Samuel B. M.
ID Number
AF.35665D
catalog number
35665D
accession number
98951

Model 1917

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1918
Associated Date
1917 - 1921
maker
Cohen, Goldman & Co.
ID Number
1977.0704.03
catalog number
1977.0704.03
accession number
1977.0704

Model 1872

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
used date
1872 - 1879
maker
Brooks Brothers
ID Number
1978.0658.01
accession number
1978.0658
catalog number
1978.0658.01
84527M

Model 1885

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
used date
1885 - 1887
ID Number
2007.0069.24
catalog number
2007.0069.24
accession number
2007.0069

Model 1857

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1857
maker
Ludlow, James C.
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80767W13
accession number
64127

Model 1851

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1851 - 1854
1851
ID Number
AF.22771
catalog number
22771
accession number
64127

Model 1857; Red Seal Sample

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Button, Worthington B.
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80767W17
accession number
64127

Model 1857

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1857
ID Number
AF.22808 [dup1]
accession number
64127
catalog number
22808

Model 1880

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
used date
1880 - 1902
ID Number
2007.0069.40
catalog number
2007.0069.40
accession number
2007.0069

Model 1921

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1921 - 1924
user
Ostermeyer, Louis H.
maker
Hart, Schaffner & Marx
ID Number
AF.69568M
catalog number
69568M
accession number
268179

Model 1872

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1873 - 1885 01
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80769W06
accession number
64127

Model 1832

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AF.22720 [dup1]
catalog number
22720
accession number
64127

Army Major Joseph C. Willard's Frock Coat

This non-regulation model 1862 frock coat was worn by U.S. Army Major Joseph C. Willard. Dark blue wool double breasted field coat with two rows of 5 large brass eagle buttons down the front, 3 small buttons on each cuff. Each front panel has buttons and button holes.
Description
This non-regulation model 1862 frock coat was worn by U.S. Army Major Joseph C. Willard. Dark blue wool double breasted field coat with two rows of 5 large brass eagle buttons down the front, 3 small buttons on each cuff. Each front panel has buttons and button holes. There is an outside pocket on the left chest. There are 2 outside pockets on each side of the lower front. There is a breast pocket in the lining of the right side. There is a major's gold leaf epaulet strap on each shoulder with a single row of metallic braid edging around a dark blue velvet field. There is a hanging loop at the inside neck line. Both fronts and pocket openings have been edged with black binding. The collar is a turnover collar with dark blue velvet on the exposed side. There is a 6 inch vent in the back center. The coat is lined only across the shoulders and the front panels with a silk-wool blend. The lining of the sleeves is natural cotton.
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1862
wearer
Willard, Joseph C.
ID Number
AF.58159M
catalog number
58159M
accession number
205100

Model 1851

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1851
ID Number
2007.0069.14
accession number
2007.0069
catalog number
2007.0069.14

Model 1872

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
used date
1872 - 1902
ID Number
2007.0069.42
catalog number
2007.0069.42
accession number
2007.0069

Model 1872

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1872
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80769W04
accession number
64127

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