During the temporary exhumation and autopsy of Petty Officer John Torrington in 1984, specimens of his clothing and textiles associated with the coffin were collected for study. Research objectives were to characterize the textiles, assess their condition, and determine whether they contained any information relevant to Torrington's death in 1846. Nondestructive tests were used to characterize the textiles including microscopic analysis, energy-dispersive x-ray analysis on particulate contaminants, fabric count, and cover factor of woven fabrics. Fungal growth on wools was cultured and identified. The condition of nine specimens examined depended on their location inside or outside the casket; all were soiled to some extent with crystalline salts of calcium, magnesium, iron, and silicon. Microfungi on the wool cloth covering Torrington's face were identified as Geomyces pannorum, a soil fungus. Some wool fibers from the casket cover were highly fibrillated. A shirt fragment, which was well-preserved, contained skin fragments with bacteria. Contaminants on the clothing do not appear to have contributed to Torrington's death.