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.

Charcoal and ink wash sketch on paper. The sketch depicts the edge of a wooded area, with timber fortifications in the center of the scene. Hills and small houses in the background.
Description
Charcoal and ink wash sketch on paper. The sketch depicts the edge of a wooded area, with timber fortifications in the center of the scene. Hills and small houses in the background. Belleau Wood was the scene of intense fighting between Allied soldiers and the German Army towards the end of the First World War.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-08
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26028
catalog number
26028
accession number
64592
Brass instrument with a black japan finish. The objective lenses are about 40 mm diameter, and the optics are excellent.
Description
Brass instrument with a black japan finish. The objective lenses are about 40 mm diameter, and the optics are excellent. The “CHEVALIER * PARIS” inscription on each eyepiece refers to an optical firm that was begun by Louis Vincent Chevalier in 1765, and that was still in the business in the late 19th century. The left eye tube is marked “DAY & NIGHT / EXTRA POWER” and the right is marked “ARMY & NAVY / EXTRA POWER.” The case is black leather.
Ref: Paolo Brenni, “19th Century French Scientific Instrument Makers. II: The Chevalier Dynasty,” Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society 39 (1993): 11–14.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
maker
Chevalier
ID Number
PH.323411
catalog number
323411
accession number
251004
A charcoal and watercolor sketch on brown paper mounted on a white matte paper sealed in the front with a glass sheet and backed by a plastic sheet wrapped in plastic wrap. The scene is of a railhead dump at Menil-la-Tour.
Description
A charcoal and watercolor sketch on brown paper mounted on a white matte paper sealed in the front with a glass sheet and backed by a plastic sheet wrapped in plastic wrap. The scene is of a railhead dump at Menil-la-Tour. Approximately nine men wearing blue, possibly French, are seen in the sketch all over the picture. Seven men are working around a tall pile of baled hay seen in the center of the sketch. Another two men are working on the right side, dragging a sheet. Several tall covered piles are seen besides the hay pile. Two flat cars are seen on the rails. Trash is seen in on the right side behind a lone tree. Behind the trash is a building.
The sketch is mostly colored, but it is not entirely sketched. The sky is colored blue. The tree and the grass are painted green. Other colors include light blue, red, and brown/pink for the ground.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-06
maker
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26058
catalog number
26058
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-07
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26059
catalog number
26059
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1887
used date
1885 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W30
accession number
64127
Pencil and ink wash sketch on paper. In the foreground, a damaged bridge extends halfway across a river. Soldiers in the river are repairing the bridge. In the background, buildings line the far bank of the river.Currently not on view
Description
Pencil and ink wash sketch on paper. In the foreground, a damaged bridge extends halfway across a river. Soldiers in the river are repairing the bridge. In the background, buildings line the far bank of the river.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-07
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Peixotto, Ernest Clifford
ID Number
AF.25876
catalog number
25876
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1887
associated date
1885 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W43
accession number
64127
Pencil and watercolor sketch on white paper, mounted on thick paper. The sketch shows a telephone station trench-like structure in the foreground. There is an American soldier standing right outside of the station.
Description
Pencil and watercolor sketch on white paper, mounted on thick paper. The sketch shows a telephone station trench-like structure in the foreground. There is an American soldier standing right outside of the station. Behind them, there are barbed wire fences, and more American soldiers (one of which is one a horse). In the distant background, destroyed structures and fields are visible. Two barrage balloons and two clouds of smoke are floating in the sky above the scene.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-09-13
1918-09
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Smith, J. Andre
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26004
catalog number
26004
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1902
associated person; user
Miles, Nelson Appleton
maker
Hatfield & Sons
ID Number
AF.35125
catalog number
35125
accession number
87946
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1887
associated date
1885 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W31
accession number
64127
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Associated Date
1885 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W34
accession number
64127
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1887 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W13
accession number
64127
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1904
ID Number
NU.68.263.1016
catalog number
68.263.1016
accession number
281689
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1884
used date
1885 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W42
accession number
64127
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1887
associated date
1884 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W05
accession number
64127
A pencil and watercolor sketch on paper of Field Number One at Issoudun, France. The busy airfield depicted here was part of a large training complex for the U.S. Air Service during World War I.Currently not on view
Description
A pencil and watercolor sketch on paper of Field Number One at Issoudun, France. The busy airfield depicted here was part of a large training complex for the U.S. Air Service during World War I.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-08
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25984
catalog number
25984
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1884
associated date
1885 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W12
accession number
64127
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
used date
1885 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W35
accession number
64127
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1902
associated person; user
Young, Samuel B. M.
ID Number
AF.35665D
catalog number
35665D
accession number
98951
A charcoal and watercolor color sketch on paper of Andilly, France. The sketch depicts a tree-lined canal and a few buildings lining the left side of the canal. A man in the center of the drawing is carrying a bucket in each hand.Currently not on view
Description
A charcoal and watercolor color sketch on paper of Andilly, France. The sketch depicts a tree-lined canal and a few buildings lining the left side of the canal. A man in the center of the drawing is carrying a bucket in each hand.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-06
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25905
catalog number
25905
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1900
associated person
Peter I
ID Number
NU.69.127.584
catalog number
69.127.584
accession number
286471
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
user
1898 01 01, 1901 12 31
used date
1890 - 1897
user
Dart, William C.
ID Number
1992.0436.04
catalog number
1992.0436.04
accession number
1992.0436
A color drawing that is slightly painted on gray paper mounted on brown card frame. The scene is of a night time attempt to conceal a motor train (presumably stopped) by hiding the motors in the trees and using tree branches.
Description
A color drawing that is slightly painted on gray paper mounted on brown card frame. The scene is of a night time attempt to conceal a motor train (presumably stopped) by hiding the motors in the trees and using tree branches. The train is seen to the right along a row of trees heading deep into the background. A road is to the left of the train, and two soldiers are seen deep in the road bringing branches to the train. To the left is a small steppe indicating that the road is in a ditch.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
June 1918
1918-06
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Smith, J. Andre
maker
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25973
catalog number
25973
accession number
64592
Pencil and watercolor sketch on beige paper. The work depicts a cemetery with American graves at Ménil-la-Tour, France during World War I. There are several rows of graves, each marked with a cross.
Description
Pencil and watercolor sketch on beige paper. The work depicts a cemetery with American graves at Ménil-la-Tour, France during World War I. There are several rows of graves, each marked with a cross. The graves have small mounds of earth in front of them and wreaths and American flags are sketched on most of the mounds. A barbed wire fence borders the cemetery in the left of the drawing.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-06
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25914
catalog number
25914
accession number
64592

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