Military

The Museum's superb military collections document the history of the men and women of the armed forces of the United States. The collections include ordnance, firearms, and swords; uniforms and insignia; national and military flags and banners; and many other objects.

The strength of the collections lies in their enormous depth. Some 3,000 military small arms and 2,400 civilian firearms document the mechanical and technological history of the infantryman's weapons from the beginning of the gunpowder era to the present. Among the 4,000 swords and knives in the collection are many spectacular presentation pieces. The collections also include Civil War era telegraph equipment, home front artifacts from both world wars, early computers such as ENIAC, Whirlwind, and Sage, and materials carried at antiwar demonstrations.

World War I Victory Medal awarded to General John J. Pershing, Commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). Bronze medal with a winged figure of Victory holding a sword and shield on the obverse.
Description
World War I Victory Medal awarded to General John J. Pershing, Commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). Bronze medal with a winged figure of Victory holding a sword and shield on the obverse. The medal hangs from a rainbow colored ribbon, with violet on the left and right edges and red at the center. Attached to the ribbon are fourteen battle clasps (from top to bottom): Cambrai; Somme, Defensive; Lys; Aisne; Montdidier-Noyon; Champagne-Marne; Aisne-Marne; Somme, Offensive; Oise-Aisne; Ypres-Lys; St. Mihiel; Meuse-Argonne; Vittorio-Veneto; and Defensive Sector. As Commander of the AEF, Pershing received a battle clasp for every major conflict in which the AEF was involved as well as a clasp for general defense service (Defensive Sector).
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1914-1918
wearer
Pershing, John J.
ID Number
AF.46879
catalog number
46879
accession number
182935
Physical DescriptionBrown wool button-down jacket and brown wool breeches.General HistoryEnlisted soldier's uniform.
Description
Physical Description
Brown wool button-down jacket and brown wool breeches.
General History
Enlisted soldier's uniform. The brown, doughy color of the uniform led to these soldiers being referred to as "doughboys," though the exact derivation of the nickname has been debated.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
associated date
1917-1918
ID Number
1977.0082.06
accession number
1977.0082
catalog number
1977.0082.06
81199M
Physical DescriptionForged steel with leather-wrapped wooden handle.General HistoryThe halberd was a versatile pole arm developed as an infantry weapon in the 13th century. It has an ax-like blade and a steel spike mounted on the end of a long shaft.
Description
Physical Description
Forged steel with leather-wrapped wooden handle.
General History
The halberd was a versatile pole arm developed as an infantry weapon in the 13th century. It has an ax-like blade and a steel spike mounted on the end of a long shaft. By the time of the Seven Years War it was carried by sergeants as a symbol of rank and authority.
ID Number
AF.66750M
catalog number
66750M
accession number
229198
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
c. 1750-1770
unspecified
Hopkins
ID Number
AF.35489
catalog number
35489
accession number
91731
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AF.35657G
catalog number
35657G
accession number
98448
Battle map used by General John J. Pershing, Commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), in his office at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Chaumont, France, during World War I. Paper map mounted on wooden board.
Description
Battle map used by General John J. Pershing, Commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), in his office at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Chaumont, France, during World War I. Paper map mounted on wooden board. Colored metal pins and paper squares map the locations of the Allied and Central armies and battle lines along the Western Front. Per the legend at center left of the map, round red pins indicate battle lines, round white pins indicate army group boundaries, and round pink pins indicate army boundaries. Blue and white paper stars indicate the location of French or British armies, red paper stars indicate American armies, black and white paper stars indicate Belgian armies, and black paper stars indicate the location of German armies. Paper labels across the map indicate the location of major military leaders and the divisions under their command. A table at the upper right of the map indicates the status of the divisions of the U.S. army, including whether they are in line or in reserve, whether they are fresh or tired, and their total number. A table at the center right of the map notes which enemy divisions have been dissolved and the date of their dissolution. At the center left of the map, near the map legend, the city of Paris is highlighted in pink.
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1918
user
Pershing, John J.
American Expeditionary Force
ID Number
AF.35106
accession number
182935
catalog number
35106
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1861 - 1865
ID Number
AF.40929
catalog number
40929
accession number
146693
Physical DescriptionModel EE-8-A field telephone, leather case.General HistoryAmerican Electric military field phone, model EE-8-A. The phone is encased in leather. The handset is marked American Electric and there is a magneto crank.Currently not on view (batteries)
Description
Physical Description
Model EE-8-A field telephone, leather case.
General History
American Electric military field phone, model EE-8-A. The phone is encased in leather. The handset is marked American Electric and there is a magneto crank.
Location
Currently not on view (batteries)
manufacturer
American Electric Co., Inc.
ID Number
1985.0335.22
catalog number
1985.0335.22
accession number
1985.0335
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1854
year used
1854 - 1855
ID Number
DL.222250
catalog number
222250
accession number
41356
This lithograph, Passage de l’armé française à; l’hospice du Mont Saint-Bernard 15 Mai 1800 by Hippolyte Bellangé, shows Napoleon’s daring crossing of the Alps via the Great St. Bernard Pass on the Italian-Swiss border with his army of 40,000 men.
Description
This lithograph, Passage de l’armé française à; l’hospice du Mont Saint-Bernard 15 Mai 1800 by Hippolyte Bellangé, shows Napoleon’s daring crossing of the Alps via the Great St. Bernard Pass on the Italian-Swiss border with his army of 40,000 men. It was published with eleven other military views, including the Battle of Marengo, in a portfolio. Entitled Souvenirs militaires de la Republique, du Consulat et de l’Empire (Military Memories of the Republic, the Consulate, and the Empire), the firm of Gihaut introduced the album in 1834. It was the last but one in an annual series that Bellangé inaugurated in 1823. The prints in these portfolios included military views and some genre scenes.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1833
graphic artist
Bellangé, Hippolyte
ID Number
GA.15317
catalog number
15317
accession number
94830
Physical DescriptionOlive drab (OD) “Eisenhower type” jacket.Specific HistoryField jacket used by Second Lieutenant Audie L . Murphy, United States Army.General HistoryAudie Murphy enlisted in the United States Army at age seventeen to make something of himself.
Description
Physical Description
Olive drab (OD) “Eisenhower type” jacket.
Specific History
Field jacket used by Second Lieutenant Audie L . Murphy, United States Army.
General History
Audie Murphy enlisted in the United States Army at age seventeen to make something of himself. By the end of World War II, Audie Murphy's exploits had earned him every medal his country could give. He was the war's most decorated soldier and a national hero. Four years later, as a struggling actor in Hollywood, he turned his wartime experiences into a best-selling book, To Hell and Back. He later starred in the film version of his book. He died in an 1971 airplane crash in Virginia while on a business trip.
His list of medals includes:
Medal of Honor
Distinguished Service Cross
Silver Star with First Oak Leaf Cluster
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal with "V" Device and First Oak Leaf Cluster
Purple Heart with Second Oak Leaf Cluster
U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal
Good Conduct Medal
Distinguished Unit Emblem with First Oak Leaf Cluster
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine campaigns), and one Bronze Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France)
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp
Armed Forces Reserve Medal
Combat Infantry Badge
Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar
Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar
French Fourragère in Colors of the Croix de Guerre
French Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier
French Croix de Guerre With Silver Star
French Croix de Guerre with Palm
Medal of Liberated France
Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm
Location
Currently not on view
user
Murphy, Audie
ID Number
1985.0428.01
catalog number
1985.0428.01
accession number
1985.0428
Charcoal and watercolor on paper. The painting depicts four American soldiers aiming a Howitzer toward search lights in a night sky.Currently not on view
Description
Charcoal and watercolor on paper. The painting depicts four American soldiers aiming a Howitzer toward search lights in a night sky.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
Circa 1919
1919
ca 1919
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
Stanley-Brown, Katharine
artist
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
ID Number
AF.59708M
catalog number
59708M
accession number
216896
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1919
Circa 1919
Circa 1919
ca 1919
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
Stanley-Brown, Katharine
artist
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
ID Number
AF.59710M
catalog number
59710M
accession number
216896
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1919
Circa 1919
ca 1919
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
Stanley-Brown, Katharine
artist
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
ID Number
AF.59728M
catalog number
59728M
accession number
216896
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
Circa 1918
ca 1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
Stanley-Brown, Katharine
artist
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
ID Number
AF.59732M
catalog number
59732M
accession number
216896
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
Circa 1918
ca 1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
Stanley-Brown, Katharine
artist
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
ID Number
AF.59714M
catalog number
59714M
accession number
216896
Charcoal and watercolor on paper. Soldiers firing a line of 155mm howitzers into the dark in a World War I engagement.
Description
Charcoal and watercolor on paper. Soldiers firing a line of 155mm howitzers into the dark in a World War I engagement. Barbed wire runs in front of the guns.
Lines of wire entanglements, like the one depicted here, were used to prevent advances across the No Man's Land between the parallel lines of enemy trenches.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
Circa 1918
ca 1918
associated date
1918
artist
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
ID Number
AF.59729M
catalog number
59729M
accession number
216896
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
Circa 1918
ca 1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
Stanley-Brown, Katharine
artist
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
ID Number
AF.59717M
catalog number
59717M
accession number
216896
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
circa 1918
ca 1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
Stanley-Brown, Katharine
artist
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
ID Number
AF.59716M
catalog number
59716M
accession number
216896
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1914-1918
associated date
1914 - 1918
ID Number
ZZ.RSN82658W90
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1914-1919
associated date
1914 - 1918
ID Number
ZZ.RSN82658W74
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1915-04-02
associated date
1914 - 1918
ID Number
ZZ.RSN82658W83
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1914-1919
1914
associated date
1914 - 1918
1914
ID Number
ZZ.RSN82658W73
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914
associated date
1914 - 1918
ID Number
ZZ.RSN82658W82

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