Buckskin coat

Object Details

wearer

Custer, George Armstrong

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.

Credit Line

Elizabeth B. Custer

ca 1870

ID Number

AF.013044

catalog number

13044

accession number

54045

Object Name

coat

Physical Description

buckskin (overall material)

metal (overall material)

Measurements

overall: 27 in x 24 in; 68.58 cm x 60.96 cm

used in

United States: Montana

United States: North Dakota

United States: South Dakota

Related Publication

Kendrick, Kathleen M. and Peter C. Liebhold. Smithsonian Treasures of American History

National Museum of American History. Treasures of American History online exhibition

Related Web Publication

http://americanhistory.si.edu/treasures

See more items in

Political and Military History: Armed Forces History, Military

Military

Clothing & Accessories

National Treasures exhibit

ThinkFinity

Exhibition

Price of Freedom

Exhibition Location

National Museum of American History

National Museum of American History

related event

Indian Wars

The Development of the Industrial United States

Record ID

nmah_529840

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a3-6e79-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa