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Smithsonian Loans Major General Custer�s Coat to the Southern Museum

KENNESAW, GA – The Smithsonian Institution recently loaned Union Major General George Armstrong Custer’s frock coat to the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw.

The regulation Union Major General’s dark blue woolen frock coat with velvet cuffs and collars was worn by General Custer at the occasion of his wedding to Miss Elizabeth “Libby” Bacon in February of 1864.  

“As an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, we are fortunate to be able to borrow artifacts. I think Custer’s coat is particularly interesting; he was known to wear extravagant uniforms, but this piece is more understated,” explained Kennesaw Director of Recreation and Culture Jeff Drobney.

Other artifacts recently loaned to the Museum include:

Confederate Surgeon’s dark gray woolen frock coat trimmed in black identified as worn by Dr. I.E. Nagle who served with the Army of The Mississippi. The coat was purchased in 1864 for the sum of $8,200.00 in Confederate currency.

Confederate Veteran’s badge belonging to G.W. Ramsay who served with the 17th Virginia Regiment in Robert E. Lee’s famed Army of Northern Virginia.

Georgia Governor Joe Brown’s Medieval style weapon - Infantryman’s “Joe Brown” Pike. This was produced early in the war at the Governor’s request to arm Georgia troops when firearms were in short supply. The weapon was made of two pieces of timber banded together with iron, with a 15-inch-long spring-activated blade. They were never used in combat.

A Smithsonian Institution affiliate, the Southern Museum features collections of rare Civil War weapons, uniforms, and other personal items; an exciting exhibit about The Great Locomotive Chase, including a short movie; a full-scale replica of a locomotive factory that helped rebuild the South after the war; and through May, a traveling exhibit featuring photographs of the people who dedicated their lives to the railroad.

The Southern Museum is located 20 miles north of Atlanta, off I-75 at exit 273.  Click here for visitor information, or call (770) 427-2117.