Object Details
user
Farragut, David Glasgow
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.
Credit Line
Pauline Philip Lapidge
associated date
1862 - 1864
ID Number
AF.11781
accession number
51104
catalog number
11781
Object Name
coat
Other 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
worn
United States: Alabama
See more items in
Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Naval
Military
ThinkFinity
Exhibition
Price of Freedom
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Subject
Naval History
related event
Civil War
Battle of Mobile Bay, 1864
Civil War and Reconstruction
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_457583