A scarce and desirable Civil War Union officer's kepi manufactured by the Louisville, Kentucky military outfitting firm of Green & Green, one of the few documented Western Theater makers of privately purchased officer's headgear. The interior originally bore the firm's maker's mark, identifying the cap as a product of this little-known but highly respected military outfitter. The kepi remains in overall attic-found condition, retaining approximately 60% of its original leather sweatband. Most of the silk interior lining has deteriorated and is now missing, while the original leather chinstrap has become detached from one of the eagle side buttons but can be easily reattached. Both original Federal eagle side buttons remain in place. The crown exhibits moth damage, as shown in the accompanying photographs, but the cap retains its original form and has never been restored. Despite its condition issues, this is a rare surviving example from an obscure Western Theater military outfitter. Green & Green officers' kepis are seldom encountered on today's collector market, making this an excellent candidate for careful conservation or restoration and an important addition to any advanced Civil War headgear collection.

Offered by Richard Ferry Military Antiques—specializing in the finest authentic Civil War artifacts and historical collectibles.

Green and Green Louisville research yields small tidbits of information. One of the best surviving pieces of evidence is an 1860s business advertisement that reads:

GREEN & GREEN
Military Caps Made to Order
Gents' Furnishing Goods
Woolen, Linen and Cotton Goods
Corner of Main & Fourth Streets
Louisville, Kentucky
Branch store: 43 College Street, Nashville, Tennessee

The firm maintained its principal establishment at the corner of Main and Fourth Streets in downtown Louisville and also operated a branch store at 43 College Street, Nashville, Tennessee. This dual presence indicates that Green & Green served a regional market extending well beyond Kentucky into the Western Theater of the Civil War.
Unlike many nineteenth-century military merchants who merely sold goods produced by others, Green & Green prominently advertised:
"Military Caps Made to Order."
This wording is significant because it identifies the company as an actual manufacturer of military headgear. Their advertisements also promoted woolen, linen, and cotton goods together with gentlemen's furnishings, suggesting a full-service establishment capable of outfitting officers with uniforms, shirts, caps, sashes, gloves, and related military accessories.
Louisville was one of the Union's most important logistical and commercial centers during the Civil War. After Kentucky remained in the Union, the city became a major depot supplying the Armies of the Ohio, the Cumberland, and the Tennessee. Thousands of officers passed through Louisville, and because commissioned officers purchased their own uniforms and equipment, there was considerable demand for high-quality military outfitters. Green & Green occupied an ideal location to serve these customers.

The firm's Nashville branch is particularly noteworthy. Nashville was an important commercial city before the war and, after its occupation by Federal forces in 1862, became one of the Union's principal military centers in the South. By maintaining stores in both Louisville and Nashville, Green & Green positioned itself to serve officers moving throughout the Western Theater.

Today, Green & Green is best known through surviving officers' kepis bearing the impressed interior marking:

GREEN & GREEN
LOUISVILLE, KY.

Only a small number of these caps are known. One documented example, illustrated in U.S. Army Headgear 1812–1872 by John P. Langellier and C. Paul Loane, realized $5,875 at a Heritage Auctions sale in 2018, demonstrating the strong collector interest in authentic Green & Green products.
Although no evidence has yet been found that Green & Green held United States government contracts for mass-produced military equipment, this is not surprising. Federal contracts generally supplied enlisted clothing and accoutrements, while officers privately purchased their uniforms from commercial outfitters. Green & Green appears to have specialized in this private market, producing high-quality custom military caps rather than government-issued enlisted headgear.
Green & Green occupies an important place among Western Civil War military outfitters. Their surviving officer's kepis represent some of the finest examples of privately purchased Union officer headgear produced outside the traditional manufacturing centers of New York and Philadelphia. Because relatively few examples have survived, a clearly maker-marked Green & Green kepi is considered both scarce and historically significant.

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