Military

Frank Brownell's Medal of Honor

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.

General Pershing's World War I Victory Medal

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

pistol

ID Number
AF.5381
catalog number
5381
accession number
13152

Man in Service Flag

associated date
1917 - 1918
ID Number
1979.0220.011
accession number
1979.0220
catalog number
1979.0220.011
85300M

sack, coffee

associated date
1861 - 1865
ID Number
AF.12072
catalog number
12072
accession number
52412

Jewish Welfare Board Uniform

Women's Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) uniform from World War I, consisting of hat, coat, shirtwaist, tie, skirt, and insignia. Coat and skirt are olive green wool gabardine, shirt is white dimity, hat is blue cotton, and tie is blue silk.
Description
Women's Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) uniform from World War I, consisting of hat, coat, shirtwaist, tie, skirt, and insignia. Coat and skirt are olive green wool gabardine, shirt is white dimity, hat is blue cotton, and tie is blue silk. Metal "U.S." insignia on coat lapel and cloth "J.W.B." patch with Star of David background on shouler and hat. Donated by the Jewish Welfare Board through The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America.
The Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) was organized shortly after America’s entry into World War I, consolidating religious groups in the Jewish community to become an official agency to work with the War Department through its Commission on Training Camp Activities. It was modeled after the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and the Knights of Columbus, and other organizations that in World War I adapted military-like uniforms for women and men volunteers. The JWB built buildings and stocked libraries on army installations and distributed books, articles, Bibles, and prayer books supplied through its affiliation with the Jewish Publication Society. It established community branches in the “second line of defense,” by supporting Jewish workers in the shipyards, arsenals, and other military plants and factories, as well as hospitals and universities where the government had taken over under military regulations. Following the Armistice, under direction of the Navy Department, the JWB transferred its peacetime work to veteran’s hospitals and enlarged Jewish community centers.
ID Number
1998.0165.25.06
catalog number
1998.0165.25.06
accession number
1998.0165

Jewish Welfare Board Uniform

Women's Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) uniform from World War I, consisting of hat, coat, shirtwaist, tie, skirt, and insignia. Coat and skirt are olive green wool gabardine, shirt is white dimity, hat is blue cotton, and tie is blue silk.
Description
Women's Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) uniform from World War I, consisting of hat, coat, shirtwaist, tie, skirt, and insignia. Coat and skirt are olive green wool gabardine, shirt is white dimity, hat is blue cotton, and tie is blue silk. Metal "U.S." insignia on coat lapel and cloth "J.W.B." patch with Star of David background on shouler and hat. Donated by the Jewish Welfare Board through The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America.
The Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) was organized shortly after America’s entry into World War I, consolidating religious groups in the Jewish community to become an official agency to work with the War Department through its Commission on Training Camp Activities. It was modeled after the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and the Knights of Columbus, and other organizations that in World War I adapted military-like uniforms for women and men volunteers. The JWB built buildings and stocked libraries on army installations and distributed books, articles, Bibles, and prayer books supplied through its affiliation with the Jewish Publication Society. It established community branches in the “second line of defense,” by supporting Jewish workers in the shipyards, arsenals, and other military plants and factories, as well as hospitals and universities where the government had taken over under military regulations. Following the Armistice, under direction of the Navy Department, the JWB transferred its peacetime work to veteran’s hospitals and enlarged Jewish community centers.
associated date
1914-1918
ID Number
1998.0165.25.03
accession number
1998.0165
catalog number
1998.0165.25.03

Song and Service Book for Ship and Field, Army and Navy

Physical DescriptionSong and Service Book for Ship and Field, Army and Navy, edited by Ivan Loveridge Bennett.
Description
Physical Description
Song and Service Book for Ship and Field, Army and Navy, edited by Ivan Loveridge Bennett. Gilt title on maroon boards, 192 pp.
General History
The Song and Service Book for Ship and Field, Army and Navy, edited by Ivan Loveridge Bennett, features prayers, hymns, and patriotic songs used in various military ceremonies and religious services.
date made
1942
printer
U.S. Government Printing Office
ID Number
1982.0372.01
accession number
1982.0372
catalog number
1982.0372.01

German Field Marshal von Blomberg's Baton

Physical DescriptionCeremonial baton, inscribed with "von Blomberg," decorated with Nazi swastikas and German national eagles, on blue velvet covering.Specific HistoryWerner von Blomberg was born in Stargard, Germany, on September 2, 1878.
Description
Physical Description
Ceremonial baton, inscribed with "von Blomberg," decorated with Nazi swastikas and German national eagles, on blue velvet covering.
Specific History
Werner von Blomberg was born in Stargard, Germany, on September 2, 1878. He joined the German Army and served as a second lieutenant in the Seventy-third Fusilier Regiment. He attended the War Academy (1904-07) before joining the General Staff in 1908. On the outbreak of the World War I, Blomberg was General Staff officer with the Nineteenth Reserve Division. He served on the Western Front where he won the Pour le Mérite. By the end of the war he had reached the rank of major. Blomberg's two brothers were killed in the conflict. Blomberg remained in the army and in 1920 was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed chief of staff of the Doeberitz Brigade.
Four years later General Hans von Seeckt appointed him as chief of army training. In 1927 Blomberg was promoted to major general and appointed chief of the Troop Office. In this position he clashed with Kurt von Schleicher and in 1929 was sent to East Prussia to serve under Walther von Reichenau. In 1932 Blomberg was head of the German delegation at the Geneva Disarmament Conference. The following year Adolf Hitler appointed him minister of defense and in 1935 minister of war and commander-in-chief of the German Army. It was Blomberg's idea to get all soldiers to pledge an oath of personal loyalty to Hitler.
In April 1936 Blomberg became Hitler's first field marshal. He was outmaneuvered, however, by Hermann Goering, who was jealous of Blomberg's power and used the Gestapo to obtain embarrassing information about his pretty young second wife, who turned out to have been a prostitute with a criminal record. In January 1938, Blomberg resigned when he discovered Goering was planning make this information public. Blomberg and his wife were ordered to spend a year in exile on Capri. The scandal allowed Hitler to take direct control of the army. After the war Blomberg was captured by Allied troops and gave evidence at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trial. Werner von Blomberg died while being held in detention on March 14, 1946.
associated date
1935
user
Blomberg, Werner von
ID Number
AF.319919.01
catalog number
79374M
accession number
319919

Cap, Forage

associated date
1833 - 1840
ID Number
AF.25125.023
catalog number
25125.023
accession number
64127

Dungaree

user
Boll, Walter G.
ID Number
AF.59411-N(1)
catalog number
59411-N(1)
accession number
262927

Pair of Mittens with Trigger Finger Attachments

Physical DescriptionBrown lined wool with trigger finger attachments.General HistoryThis type of mitten was designed to allow a gunner to fire while keeping his hands warm so as not to become numb from the cold.
Description
Physical Description
Brown lined wool with trigger finger attachments.
General History
This type of mitten was designed to allow a gunner to fire while keeping his hands warm so as not to become numb from the cold.
associated date
1941 - 1945
ID Number
ZZ.RSN81505W14

Model 1817 Contract Rifle

maker
Deringer, Jr., Henry
ID Number
AF.222303
accession number
41356
catalog number
222303

"Let's Hit 'Em With Everything We've Got" Poster

Physical DescriptionFour color print on paper.Specific HistoryThe Division of Military History and Diplomacy has been collecting recruiting posters for more than 50 years.
Description
Physical Description
Four color print on paper.
Specific History
The Division of Military History and Diplomacy has been collecting recruiting posters for more than 50 years. Recruiting as an activity of the military is important to the understanding of who serves in uniform, during both war time and peace time, and the visual materials used to market military service. The collection contains examples of early Civil War broadsides, World War I posters, including the original artwork for Uncle Sam as drawn by Montgomery Flagg; and World War II posters, which show the recruiting of men and women for all services, and auxiliary organizations. The collection contains primarily Civil War, Spanish American War, World War I, and World War II recruiting posters for the Army, Navy and some Marine. More modern day recruiting materials are also contained in the collections, and cover a broad range of Army recruiting slogans.
General History
Posters during World War II were designed to instill in the people a positive outlook, a sense of patriotism and confidence. They linked the war in trenches with the war at home. From a practical point, they were used to encourage all Americans to help with the war effort. The posters called upon every man, woman, and child to endure the personal sacrifice and domestic adjustments to further the national agenda. They encouraged rationing, conservation and sacrifice. In addition, the posters were used for recruitment, productivity, and motivation as well as for financing the war effort. The stark, colorful graphic designs elicited strong emotions. The posters played to the fears, frustrations, and faith in freedoms that lingered in people's minds during the war.
date made
ca 1942
artist
Barclay, McClelland
ID Number
ZZ.RSN79672W40

Vietcong Mortar Tube

Physical DescriptionMetal tube with metal stand, green and brown in color.General HistoryMortars were used to fire projectiles at a sharp angle.
Description
Physical Description
Metal tube with metal stand, green and brown in color.
General History
Mortars were used to fire projectiles at a sharp angle.
associated date
1955-1975
ID Number
2004.0003.33
accession number
2004.0003
catalog number
2004.0003.33

Model 1861

ID Number
AF.56049
catalog number
56049
accession number
198230
serial number
K4D-12

Helmet

Physical DescriptionCamouflage-lined army helmet with single strap. Two flechettes crossed in the front center of the helmet. On the side of the helmet are the names of the months from May 1969 to April 1970, written in ink and crossed through.
Description
Physical Description
Camouflage-lined army helmet with single strap. Two flechettes crossed in the front center of the helmet. On the side of the helmet are the names of the months from May 1969 to April 1970, written in ink and crossed through. A book of matches is tucked into the lining.
General History
This type of helmet is known as a "steel pot" helmet.
Date made
ca 1968
user
Turner, Terry T.
ID Number
1999.0167.06
accession number
1999.0167
catalog number
1999.0167.06

Take up the Sword of Justice

associated date
1917 - 1918
ID Number
AF.65938M
catalog number
65938M
accession number
232120

South Vietnamese Helmet

Physical DescriptionArmy green and gold-colored helmet, with black screaming cat painted into white star and a single strap.General HistoryWorn by South Vietnamese soldiers during the war.
Description
Physical Description
Army green and gold-colored helmet, with black screaming cat painted into white star and a single strap.
General History
Worn by South Vietnamese soldiers during the war.
associated date
1955-1975
ID Number
2004.0003.30
accession number
2004.0003
catalog number
2004.0003.30

US Marine Corps Combat Helmet with Night Vision Scope

This combat helmet was used by NBC photographer Greg Mathieson in 2003, during the beginning of the ground war in Iraq.
Description
This combat helmet was used by NBC photographer Greg Mathieson in 2003, during the beginning of the ground war in Iraq. It is a Personnel Armor System Ground Troops (PASGT) helmet, also known as a "K-Pot" or a "FRITZ", which was developed by the US military in the 1970s to replace the M1 helmet worn by soldiers during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. The PASGT helmet was designed to fit the individual soldier, unlike the "one size fits all" M-1; it comes in four sizes: extra-small, small, medium, and large1;. The shell of the helmet is made of Kevlar to provide increased ballistic protection. As is common practice for soldiers in combat, the user's blood type, "B", is written on the cover.
The pattern of the helmet cover is a pixilated camouflage pattern known as Marine Disruptive Pattern (MARPAT), created by the United States Marine Corps for use with the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform (MCCUU). MARPAT became standard issue in 2002. This is the desert pattern as is the woodland pattern, but the urban pattern has not been authorized by the Marine Corps for wear.
Atop the helmet is mounted an AN/PVS-14 Monocular Night Vision Device (MNVD). This devise is used in observation and command and control missions, and may be hand-held, head-mounted, helmet-mounted, or attached to a rifle. In this instance, the night vision was employed by the user, a news photographer, to produce nighttime video footage of combat actions.
1 According to the book, The Personnel Armor System Ground Troops (PASGT) Helmet (Schiffer Military Press, 1999), the helmet fits 98 percent of all U.S. Army personnel, with the medium size fitting approximately 50 percent of all soldiers.
user
Mathieson, Greg
ID Number
2004.0170.10
catalog number
2004.0170.10
accession number
2004.0170

German Army Helmet

Physical DescriptionAustrian pattern World War I helmet, refurbished with the typical dark field gray paint finish and National Socialist Party decals of red trimmed in black with a black swastika in a white circle.General HistoryDuring the early years of World War II, many helme
Description
Physical Description
Austrian pattern World War I helmet, refurbished with the typical dark field gray paint finish and National Socialist Party decals of red trimmed in black with a black swastika in a white circle.
General History
During the early years of World War II, many helmets used by the German Army were refurbished for field combat use. Surplus helmets, including Austrian pattern World War I helmets, were often gathered, repainted and marked with decals by the military personnel stationed at supply depots.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2004.0137.13
accession number
2004.0137
catalog number
2004.0137.13

French Officer's Sword

Physical DescriptionFrench silver-hilted officer's small sword with silvered guard and knuckle bow.Specific HistoryThis artifact is part of the large collection of firearms and militaria from the Charles Bremner Hogg Jackson collection.Brem Jackson (1910-1979) was by all accounts
Description
Physical Description
French silver-hilted officer's small sword with silvered guard and knuckle bow.
Specific History
This artifact is part of the large collection of firearms and militaria from the Charles Bremner Hogg Jackson collection.
Brem Jackson (1910-1979) was by all accounts a modest and intensely private individual. He was unknown as a collector to neighbors and other military connoisseurs. Born in New York, he was raised with a French governess who told him stories of the Napoleonic Era and instilled in him an early fascination for the French emperor.
His family moved to Florence, Italy, for 14 years. While there he studied and became fluent in French, German, and Italian. While traveling Europe, touring battlefields and military cemeteries, he began collecting and making miniature model soldiers. After World War II, he moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where his collection further grew with the addition of original uniforms. He collected enough antique gear and uniforms to field a small army. He began but never completed cataloging his collection of items ranging in date from Classical Greece through World War I and housed in a large barn known locally as "Brem's Place." The barn, wagon shed, and ship studio contained not only the collection but also a master craftsman's studio and forge and an outstanding military reference library. From here Jackson gathered, restored, and researched his world-class holdings of militaria. He had an underground firing range on the property and occasionally even fired off cannons outside the barn. Although he occasionally corresponded with the Smithsonian's curators of military history, he never met with them and gave no notice of his intended bequest to the nation.
Much of his collection was part of a large bequest to the Smithsonian at his death in 1979.
General History
This type of sword was used by both French and American officers during the American Revolution.
Date made
1750-1770
ID Number
1980.0399.0227
accession number
1980.0399
catalog number
1980.0399.0227

George Washington's Camp Stool

Physical DescriptionFolding camp stool with wooden frame and leather seat.Specific HistoryGeorge Washington's camp stool used during the Revolutionary War.General HistoryWhen Washington encamped with his army, the troops carred tents, a collapsible bed, folding tables, camp stool
Description
Physical Description
Folding camp stool with wooden frame and leather seat.
Specific History
George Washington's camp stool used during the Revolutionary War.
General History
When Washington encamped with his army, the troops carred tents, a collapsible bed, folding tables, camp stools, and bags and trunks filled with equipment. Two sets of camp chests were purchased by Washington on 3 May 1776. Another set was captured from a British ship and sent to Washington in October 1778. By 1782, Washington's camp equipment was so extensive that he requested from Quartermaster Timothy Pickering two horses just to carry the load.
user
Washington, George
ID Number
AF.79371M
catalog number
79371M
accession number
319870

Bicycle

Physical DescriptionBicycle made of mostly wood-like material with rear storage space.General HistoryVietcong bicylce used on the Ho Chi Minh trail.
Description
Physical Description
Bicycle made of mostly wood-like material with rear storage space.
General History
Vietcong bicylce used on the Ho Chi Minh trail.
associated date
1955-1975
maker
Toanthang
ID Number
2015.3140.01
catalog number
2015.3140.01
nonaccession number
2015.3140

Indian Scout Hat

Physical DescriptionBlack wool felt. Red and white cotton braid trim.Specific HistoryThis particular hat is from the War Department collection, and is in unissued condition. It conforms to specifications within close tolerances and carries the maker label "W.H Hurlbut/Contract?
Description
Physical Description
Black wool felt. Red and white cotton braid trim.
Specific History
This particular hat is from the War Department collection, and is in unissued condition. It conforms to specifications within close tolerances and carries the maker label "W.H Hurlbut/Contract? Sept. 29th 1890./737 Broadway, New York" on the inner side fo the 1 3/4 inch sweat. The edge of the brim carries three rows of stitching. The hat cord also conforms to the specifications.
General History
In 1866 the Congress in reestablishing the peace-time Army authorized the President "To enlist and employ in the Territories and Indian country a force of Indians, not to exceed 1000, to act as scouts, who shall receive the pay and allowances of cavalry soldiers, and to be discharged whenever the necessity for their employment is abated...."
As of October 1868 there were 412 such scouts in the service. Over the years these scouts were enlisted for periods varying from three months to six years, the greater majority being for six months (this latter period later becoming the allowable maximun) and receiving in addition to pay and allowances forty cents a day extra if they furnished their own horse and horse equipment.
In the later winter of 1889 - 1890 Lt. E. W. Casey, 22nd Infantry, commanding a company of scouts at Fort Keogh, Montana, conceived the idea of a distinctive uniform for the scouts to attract them to the service and improve morale. When the concept was approved, Casey submitted his recommendations in detail including a variant campaign hat, hat cord, insignia, overcoat, and guidon, plus a distinctive facing for the issue dress coat. The Secretary of War approved and directed the Quartermaster General to initiate procurement. The hat and trimmings were described in Circular No. 10, Headquarters of the Army, 11 August 1890:
Fatigue Hat: Of black felt, brim 3 1/2 inches wide, crown 3 1/2 inches high; brim to be well stiffened.
Hat Cord: Of white worsted cord, one strand of scarlet, terminating in two tassels 1 1/4 inches in length, same color and material as the cord.
Hat Ornament: Two arrows crossed, to be made of nickel or some white metal, 3 inches in length, the letters U.S.S. in the upper intersection."
from United States Army Headgear 1855-1902. Catalog of United States Army Uniforms in the Collections of the Smithsonian Institutuion, II by Edgar M. Howell, Smithsonian Instiutiton, 1975.
Date made
1890-1899
ID Number
ZZ.RSN83548W47
catalog number
64127.02
accession number
64127

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