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.

Physical DescriptionDark-blue cloth, double-breasted, with two parallel rows of buttons. Standing collar and cuffs of dark-blue velvet; the collar and cuffs are embroidered in gold, with oak leaves and acorns, according to the designs in the Topographical Bureau.
Description
Physical Description
Dark-blue cloth, double-breasted, with two parallel rows of buttons. Standing collar and cuffs of dark-blue velvet; the collar and cuffs are embroidered in gold, with oak leaves and acorns, according to the designs in the Topographical Bureau. Buttons bear the shield of the United States and the letters "T.E." in old English characters.
Chapeau for Officers of Topographical Engineers
The chapeau is of black beaver felt and is described in the regulations as "cocked without binding; fan or back part not more than eleven inches, nor less than nine inches; the front or cock not more than nine inches, nor less than eight inches; each corner, six inches; black ribbons on the two front sides." The ends are decorated with tassels of gold bullion; the front has a black silk cockade under a gold loop, eleven inches long, ornamented with a gilt spread eagle, a scroll, and the button of the Corps. The plume is of black swan feathers, drooping from an upright stem, feathered to the length of eight inches.
Specific History
This coat and hat were part of the uniform of a Topographical Engineer.
General History
Topographical Engineers were authorized for War Department duty by a March 3, 1813 act, to conduct engineering surveys for military purposes and to explore routes for the passage of troops. Specifically the duties of the topographical engineers were "to make such surveys and exhibit such delineations as the commanding generals shall direct; to make plans of all military positions which the army may occupy and of their respective vicinities, indicating the various roads, rivers, creeks, ravines, hills, woods, and villages to be found therein; to accompany all reconnoitering parties sent out to obtain intelligence of the movements of the enemy or of his positions; to make sketches of their routes, accompanied by written notices of everything worthy of observation therein; to keep a journal of every day's movement when the army is in march, noticing the variety of ground, of buildings, of culture, and distances, and state of roads between common points throughout the march of the day; and lastly, to exhibit the positions of contending armies on the fields of battle, and the dispositions made, either for attack or defense."
date made
ca 1830
associated date
1839
ID Number
AF.22702
catalog number
22702
accession number
64127
Physical DescriptionAmerican-made pistol, .38 caliber.Specific HistoryOne of a pair of flintlock pistols Andrew Jackson presented to his friend Lemuel P. Montgomery when he was commissioned as a Major in the 39th U.S. Infantry.
Description
Physical Description
American-made pistol, .38 caliber.
Specific History
One of a pair of flintlock pistols Andrew Jackson presented to his friend Lemuel P. Montgomery when he was commissioned as a Major in the 39th U.S. Infantry. Montgomery was killed in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, March 27, 1814. Montgomery County, Alabama is named for the Major.
General History
Andrew Jackson had a long history with the Indians. During the War of 1812, he led militia forces in a war against Creek Indians. One faction of the Creek sided with the British and fought the United States along the western frontier. This group, known as Red Sticks because of their bright-red war clubs they carried, followed the teachings of the charismatic Shawnee, Tecumseh. The Red Sticks believed that Indians of many tribes needed to unite against the United States.
Andrew Jackson received a plea for help from a tribe of allied Creeks at Talladega. Jackson mobilized an army of 1,200 infantry and 800 cavalry and set out for the Creek fort at Talladega, arriving there in the early morning of November 9, 1813. Jackson surrounded the town with a brigade of militia under General Isaac Roberts on the left and a brigade of volunteers led by General William Hall on the right. The Creek attacked the line held by Roberts’ brigade, and the brigade retreated, allowing hundreds of Creek to escape. The gap was quickly filled by reserves and the position repaired. Within fifteen minutes the battle was over. At least 300 Creek perished on the battlefield while American losses amounted to fifteen killed and eighty-six wounded.
date made
ca 1812
user
Montgomery, Major L. P.
associated person
Jackson, Andrew
manufacturer
Bellah, J.
ID Number
AF.16090
catalog number
16090
accession number
13152
catalog number
2322
Physical DescriptionCream-colored silk, with thirteen stars above an eagle. Just inside the border is an embroidered floral pattern of pink roses, green leaves, and gold-brown stems.
Description
Physical Description
Cream-colored silk, with thirteen stars above an eagle. Just inside the border is an embroidered floral pattern of pink roses, green leaves, and gold-brown stems. Near the lower border is the motto "God Armeth The Patriot."
Specific History
Captain David Deaderick is credited with risking his life in the thick of combat to save this flag when it fell from the hands of a wounded standard bearer.
General History
The Creek War began on August 30, 1813, when a faction of Creek known as the Red Sticks attacked a contingent of 553 American settlers at Lake Tensaw, Alabama, north of Mobile. The British were believed to be a main ally of the Indians. In response to the Alabama attack, Jackson led 5,000 militiamen in the destruction of two Creek villages, Tallasahatchee and Talladega. The fighting lasted into the next year, culminating in Jackson’s troops destroying the Creek defenses at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.
On March 27, 1814 the battle ended with 800 Creek warriors killed and 500 women and children captured. On August 9, 1814, Major General Andrew Jackson signed the Treaty of Fort Jackson ending the Creek War. The agreement provided for the surrender of twenty-three million acres of Creek land to the United States. This vast territory encompassed more than half of present-day Alabama and part of southern Georgia.
date made
1813
used date
1813
ID Number
AF.35696
catalog number
35696
accession number
100522
Physical DescriptionForged steel with metal scabbard.Specific HistoryAndrew Jackson carried this sword and scabbard while commanding the American forces, which included Tennessee militia, U.S.
Description
Physical Description
Forged steel with metal scabbard.
Specific History
Andrew Jackson carried this sword and scabbard while commanding the American forces, which included Tennessee militia, U.S. regulars, and Cherokee, Choctaw, and Southern Creek Indians during the Creek War and in the War of 1812.
General History
The Creek War began on August 30, 1813, when a faction of Creek known as the Red Sticks attacked a contingent of 553 American settlers at Lake Tensaw, Alabama, north of Mobile. The British were believed to be a main ally of the Indians.
In response to the Alabama attack, Jackson led 5,000 militiamen in the destruction of two Creek villages, Tallasahatchee and Talladega. The fighting lasted into the next year, culminating in Jackson’s troops destroying the Creek defenses at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. On March 27, 1814 the battle ended with 800 Creek warriors killed and 500 women and children captured.
On August 9, 1814, Major General Andrew Jackson signed the Treaty of Fort Jackson, ending the Creek War. The agreement provided for the surrender of twenty-three million acres of Creek land to the United States. This vast territory encompassed more than half of present-day Alabama and part of southern Georgia.
used date
1812
user
Jackson, Andrew
ID Number
AF.32012
catalog number
32012
accession number
68016

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