diff --git a/Modules/ExternalProject.cmake b/Modules/ExternalProject.cmake
index b1140c806..15db793a1 100644
--- a/Modules/ExternalProject.cmake
+++ b/Modules/ExternalProject.cmake
@@ -749,15 +749,14 @@ function(_ep_add_download_command name)
     set(cmd ${Subversion_SVN_EXECUTABLE} co ${svn_repository} ${svn_revision} ${src_name})
     list(APPEND depends ${stamp_dir}/${name}-svninfo.txt)
   elseif(git_repository)
-    find_program(git_EXECUTABLE NAMES git.cmd git eg.cmd eg DOC "git command line client")
-    mark_as_advanced(git_EXECUTABLE)
-    if(NOT git_EXECUTABLE)
+    find_package(Git)
+    if(NOT GIT_EXECUTABLE)
       message(FATAL_ERROR "error: could not find git for clone of ${name}")
     endif()
 
     # The git submodule update '--recursive' flag requires git >= v1.6.5
     #
-    _ep_get_git_version("${git_EXECUTABLE}" git_version)
+    _ep_get_git_version("${GIT_EXECUTABLE}" git_version)
     if(git_version VERSION_LESS 1.6.5)
       message(FATAL_ERROR "error: git version 1.6.5 or later required for 'git submodule update --recursive': git_version='${git_version}'")
     endif()
@@ -784,7 +783,7 @@ function(_ep_add_download_command name)
     # The script will delete the source directory and then call git clone.
     #
     _ep_write_gitclone_script(${tmp_dir}/${name}-gitclone.cmake ${source_dir}
-      ${git_EXECUTABLE} ${git_repository} ${git_tag} ${src_name} ${work_dir}
+      ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} ${git_repository} ${git_tag} ${src_name} ${work_dir}
       )
     set(comment "Performing download step (git clone) for '${name}'")
     set(cmd ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -P ${tmp_dir}/${name}-gitclone.cmake)
@@ -874,7 +873,7 @@ function(_ep_add_update_command name)
     set(cmd ${Subversion_SVN_EXECUTABLE} up ${svn_revision})
     set(always 1)
   elseif(git_repository)
-    if(NOT git_EXECUTABLE)
+    if(NOT GIT_EXECUTABLE)
       message(FATAL_ERROR "error: could not find git for fetch of ${name}")
     endif()
     set(work_dir ${source_dir})
@@ -883,9 +882,9 @@ function(_ep_add_update_command name)
     if(NOT git_tag)
       set(git_tag "master")
     endif()
-    set(cmd ${git_EXECUTABLE} fetch
-      COMMAND ${git_EXECUTABLE} checkout ${git_tag}
-      COMMAND ${git_EXECUTABLE} submodule update --recursive
+    set(cmd ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} fetch
+      COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} checkout ${git_tag}
+      COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} submodule update --recursive
       )
     set(always 1)
   endif()
diff --git a/Modules/FindGit.cmake b/Modules/FindGit.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2d8214287
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Modules/FindGit.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+# The module defines the following variables:
+#   GIT_EXECUTABLE - path to git command line client
+#   GIT_FOUND - true if the command line client was found
+# Example usage:
+#   find_package(Git)
+#   if(GIT_FOUND)
+#     message("git found: ${GIT_EXECUTABLE}")
+#   endif()
+
+#=============================================================================
+# Copyright 2010 Kitware, Inc.
+#
+# Distributed under the OSI-approved BSD License (the "License");
+# see accompanying file Copyright.txt for details.
+#
+# This software is distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the
+# implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
+# See the License for more information.
+#=============================================================================
+# (To distributed this file outside of CMake, substitute the full
+#  License text for the above reference.)
+
+# Look for 'git' or 'eg' (easy git)
+#
+set(git_names git eg)
+
+# Prefer .cmd variants on Windows unless running in a Makefile
+# in the MSYS shell.
+#
+if(WIN32)
+  if(NOT CMAKE_GENERATOR MATCHES "MSYS")
+    set(git_names git.cmd git eg.cmd eg)
+  endif()
+endif()
+
+find_program(GIT_EXECUTABLE
+  NAMES ${git_names}
+  DOC "git command line client"
+  )
+mark_as_advanced(GIT_EXECUTABLE)
+
+# Handle the QUIETLY and REQUIRED arguments and set GIT_FOUND to TRUE if
+# all listed variables are TRUE
+
+include(FindPackageHandleStandardArgs)
+find_package_handle_standard_args(Git DEFAULT_MSG GIT_EXECUTABLE)
diff --git a/Tests/ExternalProject/CMakeLists.txt b/Tests/ExternalProject/CMakeLists.txt
index 8257e90a5..2e387cbad 100644
--- a/Tests/ExternalProject/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Tests/ExternalProject/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ include(ExternalProject)
 
 find_package(CVS)
 find_package(Subversion)
-find_program(git_EXECUTABLE NAMES git.cmd git eg.cmd eg DOC "git command line client")
+find_package(Git)
 
 set(base "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/CMakeExternals")
 set(binary_base "${base}/Build")
@@ -302,11 +302,11 @@ endif()
 
 set(do_git_tests 0)
 
-if(git_EXECUTABLE)
+if(GIT_EXECUTABLE)
   set(do_git_tests 1)
 
   execute_process(
-    COMMAND "${git_EXECUTABLE}" --version
+    COMMAND "${GIT_EXECUTABLE}" --version
     OUTPUT_VARIABLE ov
     OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
     )
@@ -328,10 +328,10 @@ if(do_git_tests)
   #
   set(proj SetupLocalGITRepository)
   ExternalProject_Add(${proj}
-    SOURCE_DIR ${local_git_repo}
+    SOURCE_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/LocalRepositories/GIT
     URL ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/gitrepo.tgz
     BUILD_COMMAND ""
-    CONFIGURE_COMMAND "${git_EXECUTABLE}" --version
+    CONFIGURE_COMMAND "${GIT_EXECUTABLE}" --version
     INSTALL_COMMAND ""
   )
 
@@ -444,4 +444,4 @@ message(STATUS "can_build_tutorial_step5='${can_build_tutorial_step5}'")
 message(STATUS "do_cvs_tests='${do_cvs_tests}'")
 message(STATUS "do_svn_tests='${do_svn_tests}'")
 message(STATUS "do_git_tests='${do_git_tests}'")
-message(STATUS "git_EXECUTABLE='${git_EXECUTABLE}'")
+message(STATUS "GIT_EXECUTABLE='${GIT_EXECUTABLE}'")