Can anyone out there help me? I'm researching a silk embroidered buckskin
coat in the collection of the Milwaukee Public Museum. The original
embroidery on the reverse states that the coat was: "Made for William
Gallaher AAAG  [Acting Assistant Adjuntant General]  Indian Brigade 1865
by Nancy A. Riley and Polly Webber". The Minnesota Historical Society has
an almost identical coat with the words " Polly Webber, Nancy Riley, J.M.
Payne 1854, Cherokee" embroidered on it. Both coats are caped, fringed
and fitted. The emboridery design is complex and consists of birds, a
tree and flowers. Although the coat says "Cherokee" the embroidery seems
more similar to work done by Red River Metis.

Does anyone know if more of these coats exist? Or anything about these
women? (Gallaher and the Indian Brigade were primarily in Southern
Missouri and Kansas during the Civil War).

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Trevor Jones
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
History Department
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