Military - Overview
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.
"Military - Overview" showing 301 items.
Page 1 of 31
Model 1813 Maryland Contract Pistol
- Description
- Physical Description:
- This .54 caliber smoothbore flintlock Pistol was made by Henry Deringer in 1813. It has a pin fastened barrel, brass mountings, and a wooden ramrod with two ramrod pipes.
- The batch number “3” is stamped inside the lockplate, in the inlet for the lock, bridle and frizzen. The barrel has “M” over a raised “P” in an oval and the stock is stamped “M” and “HM.”
- History:
- This type of pistol was manufactured by Henry Deringer. He opened his factory in Philadelphia in 1806 and would later become famous for his percussion pocket pistol. There is no federal contract information for Deringer pistols in 1813. It is reported however, to have been for a contract in 1807/1808 for the state of Maryland to make 510 pistols.
- Batch numbers for Deringer pistols range from the number 1 to the number 61. Two pistols have the batch number “3”. Deringer delivered batch numbers 1-90 in one shipment. At a later date he shipped pistols with batch numbers 1-120 which accounts for the duplicate batch numbers on this particular pistol in addition to 89 other pistols.
- References:
- Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and their Values, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2007. 9th edition.
- Gardner, Robert E. Col. Small Arms Makers: A Directory of Fabricators of Firearms, Edged Weapons, Crossbows and Polearms, Crown Publishers Inc, New York: 1963, p. 51.
- Smith, Samuel E. and Edwin W. Bitter. Historic Pistols: The American Martial Flintlock 1760-1845, Scalamandre Publications, New York: 1986, p. 286.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1813
- maker
- Deringer, Jr., Henry
- ID Number
- 1986.0024.06
- accession number
- 1986.0024
- catalog number
- 1986.0024.06
- collector/donor number
- P42L
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
McCormick Horse Pistol
- Description
- Physical Description:
- This .67 caliber unproofed, smoothbore flintlock horse pistol was made by Robert McCormick of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has a pin fastened, walnut stock with a narrow brass barrel band. It has brass mountings with an engraved brass trigger guard in a pineapple finial.
- This pistol does not have any proof marks but does have “UNITED/STATES” stamped at the rear of the lockplate and “Ketland/&Co.” stamped in script under the flash pan.
- History:
- Robert McCormick is an Irishman who came to America and leased the Globe Mills in 1798 to produce firearms. He was contracted by the U.S. government for Muskets that same year. In 1799, he had another contract, but did not finish it because he was thrown in debtor’s prison in 1801. That contract was finished by an employee named James Haslett – who would move on to run the Virginia Manufactory.
- This pistol is very rare. Because there are no proofmarks, two theories emerge for this pistol. The first is that it was sold for civilian use. The trigger guard’s engraving is not that of a military pistol and the side plate is not symmetrical. Also the grip has a sharper slope than a military horseman pistol. The second theory is that because of its martial size, this pistol could have been put together from parts in a military warehouse.
- References:
- Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and their Values, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2007. 9th edition
- Gardner, Robert E. Col. Small Arms Makers: A Directory of Fabricators of Firearms, Edged Weapons, Crossbows and Polearms, Crown Publishers Inc, New York: 1963, p. 122.
- Smith, Samuel E. and Edwin W. Bitter. Historic Pistols: The American Martial Flintlock 1760-1845, Scalamandre Publications, New York: 1986, p. 92.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1799
- maker
- McCormick, Robert
- ID Number
- 1987.0014.04
- accession number
- 1987.0014
- catalog number
- 1987.0014.04
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Pennsylvania Militia Pistol
- Description
- Physical Description:
- This .65 caliber smoothbore flintlock Pistol was made by John Miles Sr. under contract for the Pennsylvania Militia. It has brass furniture, double neck hammer a wooden ramrod and a pin fastened stock.
- The barrel proof is a raised Liberty Cap and “P”. The barrel is stamped “MILES PHILAD” and the lock stamped “MILES”.
- History:
- John Miles Sr. moved to Philadelphia from London, England in 1790. He opened a “Gun and Pistol Manufactory. An advertisement in the Philadelphia archives from 1798 reads, “Guns and Pistol Manufactory; No. 500 North Street; Where merchants, Captains of vessels and others may be supplied with all sorts of small arms, on the lowest terms and shortest notice.”
- Between the years 1797 and 1798, Miles made pistols for the Pennsylvania Militia. Under a 1798 contract, he made 2,000 muskets for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. While the exact date on this pistol is unknown, it had to have been made before 1795 because the “P” on the breech was discontinued by Pennsylvania that year.
- References:
- Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and their Values, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2007. 9th edition
- Gardner, Robert E. Col. Small Arms Makers: A Directory of Fabricators of Firearms, Edged Weapons, Crossbows and Polearms, Crown Publishers Inc, New York: 1963, p 132.
- Smith, Samuel E. and Edwin W. Bitter. Historic Pistols: The American Martial Flintlock 1760-1845, Scalamandre Publications, New York: 1986, p. 104.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1795
- associated date
- 1794
- maker
- Miles, John
- ID Number
- 1987.0014.10
- accession number
- 1987.0014
- catalog number
- 1987.0014.10
- collector/donor number
- P108L
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
McCormick Model 1797 Pistol
- Description
- Physical Description:
- This .64 caliber smoothbore flintlock U.S. Model 1797 Pistol was made by Robert McCormick. The lock was made by Ketland and Co. in Great Britain. It has a pin fastened walnut stock, brass furniture, and a wooden ramrod with a swelled tip.
- The lockplate is stamped “KETLAND & CO” is script and “UNITED/STATES”. It is also stamped “McCORMICK” on the stock.
- History:
- Because of the stamp on the barrel, this pistol is one of the few to have been made by McCormick himself. Information on these pistols originates from Harry C. Knode who wrote about Ship and Horseman pistols between 1797 and 1799.
- Robert McCormick was an Irishman who came to America and leased the Globe Mills in 1798 to produce firearms. He was contracted by the U.S. government for Muskets that same year. In 1799, he had another contract, but did not finish it because he was thrown in debtor’s prison in 1801. That contract was finished by an employee named James Haslett – who would move on to run the Virginia Manufactory.
- References:
- Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and their Values, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2007. 9th edition
- Gardner, Robert E. Col. Small Arms Makers: A Directory of Fabricators of Firearms, Edged Weapons, Crossbows and Polearms, Crown Publishers Inc, New York: 1963, p. 122.
- Smith, Samuel E. and Edwin W. Bitter. Historic Pistols: The American Martial Flintlock 1760-1845, Scalamandre Publications, New York: 1986, p. 88
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1799
- maker
- McCormick, Robert
- ID Number
- 1987.0014.13
- accession number
- 1987.0014
- catalog number
- 1987.0014.13
- collector/donor number
- P103L
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Holster Pistol
- Description
- Physical Description:
- This .63 caliber smoothbore flintlock pistol was made by Thomas Lawrence of Philadelphia, Pa. It is brass mounted with decorative engravings on the trigger guard, guard plate, side plate, butt plate and lockplate. The stock is carved with a shell motif around the barrel tang.
- The lock plate is stamped “LAWRENCE” and the tang is stamped “PHILADa”.
- History:
- Thomas Lawrence was an armorer at the Continental Arsenal in Philadelphia from 1780 through 1782 and worked under government contract repairing arms through 1785.
- References:
- Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and their Values, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2007. 9th edition.
- Smith, Samuel E. and Edwin W. Bitter. Historic Pistols: The American Martial Flintlock 1760-1845, Scalamandre Publications, New York: 1986, p. 76.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1780
- maker
- Lawrence, Thomas
- ID Number
- 1987.0014.28
- catalog number
- 1987.0014.28
- accession number
- 1987.0014
- collector/donor number
- P177L
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Model 1807/1808 Pistol
- Description
- Physical Description:
- This .54 caliber smoothbore flintlock U.S. Model 1807 pistol was made by William Calderwood of Philadelphia under U.S. contract. It has brass mountings, a brass blade front sight, a brass forestock reinforcing band, a pin fastened barrel and wooden ramrod.
- The lockplate is stamped “CALDERWOOD/PHILA” and “US/1808”. There is an eagle over a “P” on the top left side of the barrel.
- History:
- William Calderwood was a pistol and rifle maker located on Germantown Road in Philadelphia, Pa from 1807 through 1817. He was contracted on April 21, 1808 to make 60 pairs of horse pistols for Tench Coxe. Coxe was a controversial character during this time period. President Thomas Jefferson named him Purveyor of Public Supplies from 1803-1812. Before that however he was a loyalist to the British government.
- These pistols were delivered in three batches from June 30 and December 22, 1808. This pistol is the only 1807 contract pistol dated on the lockplate. The proofmarks of other known Calderwood 1807 pistols are different than the proofmarks on this pistol as well. No known reason has been found for these discrepancies.
- References:
- Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and their Values, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2007. 9th edition.
- Gardner, Robert E. Col. Small Arms Makers: A Directory of Fabricators of Firearms, Edged Weapons, Crossbows and Polearms, Crown Publishers Inc, New York: 1963, p. 33.
- Smith, Samuel E. and Edwin W. Bitter. Historic Pistols: The American Martial Flintlock 1760-1845, Scalamandre Publications, New York: 1986, p. 226.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1808
- maker
- Calderwood, William
- ID Number
- 1988.0518.05
- accession number
- 1988.0518
- catalog number
- 1988.0518.05
- collector/donor number
- P106L
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Sharps Large Frame Breech-Loading Pistol
- Description
- Physical Description:
- This .36 caliber rifled breech-loading single shot percussion pistol was made by C. Sharps & Co. It has a dropping block lever activated action, and two piece wooden grips. The mountings are iron.
- Under the hammer is stamped “C. SHARPS & COS/GUN WORLD/PHILA PA”. On the opposite side is the stamp “C. SHARPS/PATENT/1840-1852”.
- History:
- Christian Sharps created his company in 1858 on the Wire Bridge in Fairmount, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During the Civil War, C. Sharps & Co. produced 80, 512 pistols and rifles for the U.S. Government. The company was changed in 1863 to Sharps & Hankins but remained at the same address and was still listed in the 1875 directory as C. Sharps & Co. This company was made famous for their self priming pistols and rifles.
- 850 of this type of pistol were created between 1854 and 1857. It is based on the Model 1848 Sharps Pistol. The lever activated action is basically the same as on a carbine or a rifle. Only a limited number were made because there was not a market for this type of pistols when they were manufactured.
- References:
- Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and their Values, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2007. 9th edition.
- Gardner, Robert E. Col. Small Arms Makers: A Directory of Fabricators of Firearms, Edged Weapons, Crossbows and Polearms, Crown Publishers Inc, New York: 1963, p. 174.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1855
- maker
- Sharps, Christian
- ID Number
- 1989.0748.05
- catalog number
- 1989.0748.05
- accession number
- 1989.0748
- serial number
- 681
- collector/donor number
- P100
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
ENIAC Accumulator #2
- Description
- ENIAC was built by a team of engineers at the Moore School at the University of Pennsylvania between May 1943 and February, 1946. The team was working under contract for the Ballistics Research Laboratory of the U.S. Army Ordnance Department. The name ENIAC is an acronym of Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer. Principal engineers on the project were J. Presper Eckert and John W. Mauchly. When complete, ENIAC filled a room measuring 30 feet by 50 feet and weighed 30 tons. It used around 18,000 vacuum tubes of 16 types, 1500 relays, 70,000 resistors, and 10,000 capacitors. It was 8 feet high, 3 feet wide, almost 100 feet long (if stretched out), and consumed 140 kilowatts of power. Construction costs were around half a million dollars.
- The Army commissioned ENIAC to perform a specific function: computing ballistics tables for aiming Army artillery. Creating accurate tables was a laborious process of solving differential equations for hundreds of positions and configurations for each gun. When the ENIAC project was started, human "computers" (largely women) were performing the calculations by hand with mechanical calculators, and they were falling hopelessly behind schedule. If the operations could be done in a pre-programmed sequence by an electronic machine, not only would they be completed faster, but results should include fewer errors than hand calculation.
- By the time ENIAC was finished, the war was over, and the original goal was no longer a pressing matter. All along, however, the development team realized that what they were creating in ENIAC was much more than a special purpose calculating device.
- An Army press release announcing its creation in 1946 proclaimed boldly: "A new machine that is expected to revolutionize the mathematics of engineering and change many of our industrial design methods was announced today by the War Department . This machine is the first all-electronic general purpose computer ever developed. It is capable of solving many technical and scientific problems so complex and difficult that all previous methods of solution were considered impractical . Begun in 1943 at the request of the Ordnance Department to break a mathematical bottleneck in ballistic research, its peacetime uses extend to all branches of scientific and engineering work."
- The claim, voiced here, that ENIAC was the "first all-electronic general purpose computer " has been a source of controversy ever since. Much of the debate has centered on patent issues. To summarize a complicated story, Eckert and Mauchly belatedly filed a patent application based on ENIAC in June 1947. They finally received a patent in 1964. The claims in their patent were broad, and soon Sperry Rand, the company with which Eckert and Mauchly were working by this time, began seeking infringement fees. Sperry Rand settled privately with IBM, but another target, Honeywell, challenged the patent. After a detailed investigation and trial, Judge Earl Lawson invalidated the ENIAC patent in late 1972. In part he ruled that crucial elements of ENIAC derived from prior work by John V. Atanasoff, an inventor who had built a special-purpose electronic computer at Iowa State College in the late 1930's. Although Atanasoff machine never worked well and he ultimately dropped the project, John Mauchly had known and visited him, and arguably got some ideas from this connection.
- The ruling by Judge Lawson has been taken by some to be proof that Atanasoff was the "Father of the Computer" and that Eckert and Mauchly were of subsidiary importance.
- Most computer historians claim, however, as Mauchly himself did, that if he and Eckert got anything from Atanasoff's work, its significance was of limited importance to the success of the project. In large part, this is because the genius of ENIAC derived more from the brilliance of its engineering than its fundamental conceptual design.
- Like most important technologies, the electronic digital computer ultimately derived from many sources and the work of many people. Besides contributions made in the United States, important developments were also made in Europe before and during World War II. Many people in addition to those involved in the patent fight made important contributions to the evolution of the digital computer. These included pioneers such as George Stibitz at Bell Laboratories, Howard Aitken at Harvard University, Konrad Zuse in Germany, and others.
- ENIAC remains singularly important, however, because it marks a major transition. It stood at the beginning of the digital computer industry in the United States. No machine before ENIAC was as large or powerful. None had its technical sophistication. Before it, no companies were striving to create and sell electronic digital computers as a principal line of business. ENIAC proved that a general-purpose electronic computer was both possible and valuable. After the War, and largely because of ENIAC, the field of digital computers was open. ENIAC was a clear, public announcement that the digital electronic computer had arrived, and that the Federal Government was strongly supporting its development.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1947-02-12
- maker
- University of Pennsylvania
- ID Number
- CI*321732.01
- catalog number
- 321732
- accession number
- 242457
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
J. & W. Henry Maryland Contract Pistol
- Description
- Physical Description:
- This .57 caliber smoothbore flintlock pistol was made by J&W Henry of Philadelphia under a contract to Maryland. This pistol has a reinforced double neck hammer. It has a pin fastened full walnut stock and a wooden ramrod. The mountings are brass but it has an iron belt hook, denoting Navy usage.
- The lockplate is stamped “J. HENRY/PHILA”. The barrel has an eagle head and “CT” stamped on the left side.
- History:
- John Joseph Henry learned his trade from his father William Henry Jr. He opened a factory in 1808 in Philadelphia, Pa. During the War of 1812, it was his job to produce and repair firearms for the Committee of Defense in Philadelphia.
- This particular pistol is extremely rare. It was made for the War of 1812; not for Philadelphia, but for Maryland. It is also rare because the “CT” mark is a contract inspection mark that ceased to be used after 1813. There are only two known copies of this pistol.
- References:
- Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and their Values, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2007. 9th edition
- Gardner, Robert E. Col. Small Arms Makers: A Directory of Fabricators of Firearms, Edged Weapons, Crossbows and Polearms, Crown Publishers Inc, New York: 1963, p. 89.
- Smith, Samuel E. and Edwin W. Bitter. Historic Pistols: The American Martial Flintlock 1760-1845, Scalamandre Publications, New York: 1986, p. 192.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1813
- maker
- J. & W. Henry
- ID Number
- 1986.0024.13
- catalog number
- 1986.0024.13
- accession number
- 1986.0024
- collector/donor number
- P77L
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Army Cavalry Sergeant's Trousers, Model 1861
- Description
- These model 1861 type III mounted trousers would have been worn by a cavalry sergeant in the U.S. Army Calvary. Pair of unlined sky blue kersey wool twill trousers with a six tin button fly and six large tin buttons around the waist. There are two vertical slash pockets set into the side seams of each leg and a single watch pocket on the right side of the waistband. The waistband facing and the side pockets are cotton. There is a "V" shaped slit and two reinforced eyelets at the back waist. There is a second layer of wool kersey reinforcement which runs from the seat of the pants down the inside each leg to the cuff. A 1 5/8" stripe of yellow wool tape extends from the top of the pocket to the cuff on the outside seam of each leg. There is a one inch slit at the bottom of the outside seams of each cuff and a pair of small tin buttons on the bottom inside and outside seams of the inside of the trouser leg. The numeral "12" is stamped on the waistband facing on the back left side. "A & S Oct 10th, 1864" is stamped on both sides of the waistband facing. A number "8" is written on the right pocket in red.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- used date
- 1861-1872
- associated date
- 1861
- maker
- Anspach & Stanton
- ID Number
- 2007.0069.29
- catalog number
- 2007.0069.29
- accession number
- 2007.0069
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center