G.A.R. coat?

[Billw12280]

Ok I must confess I bought this coat on Ebay without doing much research on it but I wanted something to fill in my uniform display until I could buy an authentic piece. I believe the coat is either a private purchase officer's coat (unlikely?), a G.A.R. coat (my guess), or maybe a centennial reenactors piece (possibly although it seems older and, although this is not definitive, it passed the black light test on the lining remnants and thread). It has the feel of old wool, but how old is it? I can't say for sure. It could also be a fantasy piece but for $275 I figured I'd roll the dice. I'm not expecting anything extraordinary though.

The coat has definitely seen better days, there is a good amount of moth damage on it and somebody removed the coat lining. It has 4 D. EVANS & CO. buttons on it, (anyway to date these to a specific time period?) from what I've seen the backmark could be Civil War period but it was also used post war I believe. There are some areas where items were glued on, and later removed, possibly for GAR parades? You can see a shadow and loose threads where shoulder boards were once attached to the coat. There is also a 2nd Corps badge over the left breast although, as far as I can tell, it is not original. I think the piece overall is pretty neat and makes a nice filler for my collection. For a fraction of what an original would cost I figured why not? Is it close to anything resembling an authentic Officer's sack coat? Is it worth putting shoulder boards back on to display as such or should I just display it as a G.A.R. coat? Thoughts?

 

[Patrick H]

I'm no help, but I'll help you keep your thread active until an expert arrives. I think it's a pretty interesting artifact.

 

[Billw12280]

I'm no help, but I'll help you keep your thread active until an expert arrives. I think it's a pretty interesting artifact.

Thanks @Patrick H. No matter what it turns out to be, I really like the look of it.

 

[captaindrew]

Thanks @Patrick H. No matter what it turns out to be, I really like the look of it.

That's all that matters and it does have the look, enjoy it! Thanks for sharing with us.

 

[UCVRelics]

The D Evans backmark is transitional, manufacture 1860's and continued after the Civil War. On the coat look at the shadows and see if you see the outline of the GAR members medal which will just about nail it down. I have a UCV coat and you can see the shadow of the UDC Southern Cross on it.

 

[Billw12280]

The D Evans backmark is transitional, manufacture 1860's and continued after the Civil War. On the coat look at the shadows and see if you see the outline of the GAR members medal which will just about nail it down. I have a UCV coat and you can see the shadow of the UDC Southern Cross on it.

View attachment 306409
View attachment 306410

Thank you @ucvrelics! I thought D. Evans was one of the companies that used the same backmark post war. That makes narrowing this thing down problematic. There are several areas where glue remains but I don't see any discolored areas similar to the G.A.R. medal.

 

[Billw12280]

The shadows where the shoulder straps appeared to be measure 4" x 1 1/4". There is a design in one of the rubber glue areas. Does anybody recognize the symbol? I have also included some images of the corps badge.

 

[Billw12280]

For comparison, here it is side by side with my 1880s fatigue blouse. Notice the difference in color and overall construction.

 

[tbuckley]

The design in the glue is from the back of a GAR member medal.

 

[Billw12280]

The design in the glue is from the back of a GAR member medal.

Ok thank you @tbuckley! I have never seen the rear of a G.A.R. member medal but that definitely helps.

 

[UCVRelics]

Here is the back. It includes all the Union Army Corp emblems. If that is on the coat good chance its was used as a GAR coat as this is the back of the medal which would have been against the coat. Its a US Army coat but with the liner missing which had all the inspectors marks etc, its hard to say date of coat but my best guess is post war coat worn by a GAR Vets. Pretty neat. Now just get you a GAR members medal to put on it and its "Good To Go"

 

[John Winn]

Delete.

@ucvrelics posted the same image I had while I was posting.

It always amazes me how knowledgeable our members are and how happy they are to share.

 

[Billw12280]

Here is the back. It includes all the Union Army Corp emblems. If that is on the coat good chance its was used as a GAR coat as this is the back of the medal which would have been against the coat. Its a US Army coat but with the liner missing which had all the inspectors marks etc, its hard to say date of coat but my best guess is post war coat worn by a GAR Vets. Pretty neat. Now just get you a GAR members medal to put on it and its "Good To Go"
View attachment 306425

I thought it was a G.A.R. coat but this solidifies my assumption, thank you all for your input on this. I love the look of the coat and may try to find a G.A.R. medal later. I know as you said, since the liner has been removed, it will be near impossible to confirm anything but since it does have Infantry Officer buttons, albeit D.Evans transitional buttons, instead of G.A.R. buttons is it possible it was used during the war? I would assume G.A.R. members would wear whatever they had, including uniforms they wore during the war? I'm not asking for a definite yes it was used during the war, I just want to confirm the style is correct for ACW period.

 

[Billw12280]

Delete.

@ucvrelics posted the same image I had while I was posting.

It always amazes me how knowledgeable our members are and how happy they are to share.

I agree, this forum is full of knowledgeable people who are happy to share their wisdom. Sometimes it is not what you want to hear but I still enjoy learning from everyone here.

 

[UCVRelics]

I just want to confirm the style is correct for ACW period.

Out of my wheel house, paging @Package4

 

[Billw12280]

I was looking into possibly purchasing a G.A.R. member medal but there are a lot of different options available. Can anybody recommend a good book that covers G.A.R. medals? Were there uniform regulations for G.A.R. members?

 

[UCVRelics]

Below is the standard GAR members medal. Make sure you get one with the serial # on the edge. Also, Depending on your rank within the GAR you have a different top piece as the one below that. Also, here's a great thread on this topic.

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/gar-medals.128145/

 

[Billw12280]

As always thank you for your knowledge and assistance @ucvrelics. I'm going to order the book referenced in the thread you linked.

 

[Package4]

Out of my wheel house, paging @Package4

Sorry guys, work gets in the way. The coat is a post war veteran piece, most likely GAR and for the price, quite a nice pick up. Design, glue and materials help date it as such. Very nice piece.

 

[Billw12280]

Thanks @Package4! I bought it as a filler for my uniform display thinking it resembled an officers sack coat. Now that I have confirmation it is a G.A.R. coat I want to get a member badge to put on it but in the meantime I am still thinking of using it as a filler for my display. How close would you say it is in appearance to a Civil War officer's sack coat? I know they varied greatly in appearance since they could either acquire an enlisted sack coat, or they could privately purchase one. I am very happy with the coat and excited that it is a Civil War veteran's coat, too bad the owner's name is lost to history.

**Edit**
Please understand that by me asking these questions I am in no way doubting any of the opinions I have been given. I have felt this coat was G.A.R. from the beginning but felt it had attributes of an authentic officer's sack coat as well. My questions are for personal knowledge and to make sure that when I temporarily display this with my Civil War uniform display it will not look awful. Thanks again to everybody that has viewed and responded to this thread. I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing this coat with you all.