Friday, January 27, 2012

Hussar Jacket from the 3rd N. J. Cavalry on Display

Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, in partnership with the New Jersey Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, presents a major exhibit, “Gone for a Soldier:” Jerseymen in the Civil War, which will be on view until July 1, 2012. Included in the exhibit is an 1863 wool Hussar jacket from the 3rd N.J. Cavalry on loan from a private collection.

Christened "The 1st U. S. Hussars" (a.k.a. The Trenton Hussars) the 3rd NJ Volunteer Cavalry’s eye-catching and distinctly European uniform was based on those worn by the troopers of Austria.

A Federal infantryman, imprisoned at Andersonville, was quoted as saying, "We dubbed these daffodil cavaliers 'Butterflies' and the name stuck to them like poor relations." The regiment defied the nickname and proved to be adept fighters, seeing hard service with the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac in the Shenandoah Valley and through to the war's end at Appomattox.

This, and other artifacts from the U. S. Civil War, are on exhibit at the Macculloch Hall Historical Museum. See our post, "U.S. Civil War Jerseymen Museum Exhibit in Morristown, New Jersey," for details.

Additional Reading: 3rd New Jersey Cavalry, The Butterfly HussarsA Horse to Ride and a Sword to WieldThese "Butterflies" have the Sting of a Wasp, and New Jersey Butterfly Boys in the Civil War (Peter Lubrecht, The History Press, Charleston, SC, 2011).

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