Major General George McClellan's Coat Worn at Antietam
name: label: wearer
content: McClellan, George B.
notes: label: Description
content: Physical Description
label: Description
content: Blue wool frock coat, non-regulation.
label: Description
content: The buttons in groups of three signal his rank as major general.
label: Description
content: General History
label: Description
content: General Robert E. Lee’s first invasion of the North culminated in the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest single-day battle in American history. More soldiers were killed or wounded at Antietam than all the American dead in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Spanish-American War combined. On September 17, 1862, General Robert E. Lee and 30,000 Confederate troops faced Major General George McClellan and 60,000 Union troops. It should have been a clear victory for McClellan, especially since his army had captured Lee’s Special Orders No. 191, which directed Stonewall Jackson to march on Harpers Ferry. McClellan failed to use this information wisely, choosing instead to remain cautious. Jackson took Harpers Ferry and moved his 45,000 troops on to Antietam to reinforce Lee’s troops. McClellan was recalled to Washington and was relieved of his command.
place: label: used
content: United States: Maryland
topic: label: related event
content: Battle of Antietam, 1862
label: related event
content: Civil War
label: related event
content: Civil War and Reconstruction
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
label: See more items in
content: Military
label: See more items in
content: ThinkFinity
label: Exhibition
content: Price of Freedom
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Hon. George B. McClellan
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AF.17433
label: catalog number
content: 17433
label: accession number
content: 61384
objectType: label: Object Name
content: coat
label: Other Terms
content: coat; Man; Army; Major General; Officer
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wool (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 35 1/2 in x 18 1/2 in; 90.17 cm x 46.99 cm