Rear Admiral David G. Farragut's Service Coat and Cap

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Description:

Physical Description

Blue wool jacket with gold trim on sleeves and gold-colored buttons. Navy wool cap with a leather brim and leather trim. Adorned with a metal star.

Specific History

Service jacket and cap worn by Rear Admiral David G. Farragut while directing the fire of the flagship Hartford during the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864. It was during the Battle of Mobile Bay that Farragut uttered the infamous words, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”

General History

Farragut was born in Tennessee, raised in Louisiana, and lived in Virginia but at the outbreak of war he moved his family to New York and fought for the Union. The Battle of Mobile Bay was the culmination of his long naval career which began as an 11-year-old midshipman during the War of 1812. In 1866 Farragut became the first person in the history of the United States Navy to be awarded the rank of admiral.

Associated Date: 1862 - 1864

User: Farragut, David Glasgow

Worn: United States: Alabama

Subject: Naval HistoryRelated Event: Civil WarBattle of Mobile Bay, 1864Civil War and Reconstruction

Subject:

See more items in: Political and Military History: Armed Forces History, Naval, Military, ThinkFinity

Exhibition: Price of Freedom

Exhibition Location: National Museum of American History

Credit Line: Pauline Philip Lapidge

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: AF.11781Accession Number: 51104Catalog Number: 11781

Object Name: coatOther Terms: coat; Man; Navy; Rear Admiral; Officer; Service

Physical Description: wool (overall material)metal (overall material)Measurements: overall: 34 in x 16 in; 86.36 cm x 40.64 cm

Metadata Usage: CC0

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a2-accd-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_457583

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