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.

Topic: Military

Model 1897

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1900
used date
1897 -
ID Number
AF.24974
catalog number
24974
accession number
64127

cap, service

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1983.0352.01
catalog number
1983.0352.01
accession number
1983.0352

Vogt Snare Drum

This snare drum was made by Ernest Vogt, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in1864. It has a blue-painted shell with a painted eagle design with a banner held in the eagle’s beak inscribed “REG: U.S. INFANTRY,” and two skin heads.
Description

This snare drum was made by Ernest Vogt, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in1864. It has a blue-painted shell with a painted eagle design with a banner held in the eagle’s beak inscribed “REG: U.S. INFANTRY,” and two skin heads. There are two red-painted wood hoops drilled with 10 holes each for rope which is laced through leather ears, used to tighten the hoops. The shell is reinforced with brass tacks in a design unique to the workmanship of Ernest Vogt.

The label on the inside of the shell indicates Vogt received a government contract on December 29, 1864. Approximately 2,000 regiment drums under this contract, were made from the workshop of Ernest Vogt.

This drum was previously owned by the donor's grandfather, Samuel Kyle (1845-1924). Samuel Kyle served as a private in Company K, 22nd Regiment of New Jersey. Kyle was mustered in Septemebr 2, 1862 and mustered out June 22, 1863. As was the practice of the era, Kyle acquired this drum as a memento at the end of his tour of duty.

date made
1864
maker
Vogt, Ernest
ID Number
MI.069758
accession number
274169
catalog number
69758

Woman in uniform standing in front of a monument

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940s
ID Number
2017.0309.0017
accession number
2017.0309
catalog number
2017.0309.0017

The Rohwer Outpost

The "Rohwer Outpost" was a newspaper created by the camp internees. The paper circulated camp-specific information and activities. However, the newspaper had to watch what they printed since both the imprisoned people and the people in charge of the camp read it.
Description
The "Rohwer Outpost" was a newspaper created by the camp internees. The paper circulated camp-specific information and activities. However, the newspaper had to watch what they printed since both the imprisoned people and the people in charge of the camp read it. The paper was printed in both English and Japanese languages.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1943-09-15
ID Number
1986.3144.33
nonaccession number
1986.3144
catalog number
1986.3144.33

(Red Cross) Is You & I With Every (Heart) And (Dollar) Pin

Pin shaped like a flag. The flag is brown with white print and red symbols.
Description (Brief)
Pin shaped like a flag. The flag is brown with white print and red symbols. Symbols and text read “(Red Cross) Is You & I With Every (Heart) And (Dollar).”
The American Red Cross was one of the major organizations that conducted relief work during World War I.
Much like the use of military insignia to identify its wearer (by association with an organization) and his/her achievements, these pins and buttons were meant to be worn by Americans on the home front during World War I to show their membership in an organization and/or their contribution to a particular war effort, such as the United War Work Campaign. The pins and buttons displayed the wearer’s patriotism and generosity and undoubtedly also served to prompt others to become similarly involved in the various war efforts.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
maker
Manee Company
ID Number
2006.0098.0394
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0394

Model 1902

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
used date
1902 -
ID Number
AF.25101.173
catalog number
25101.173
accession number
64127

Model 1884; Dismounted

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
used date
1885 -
ID Number
AF.25101.183
catalog number
25101.183
accession number
64127

Officers & Women in Tent

Stereo photograph of a group of women and men, including several soldiers, gathered inside of a white tent. The roof of the tent is held up by several large tree trunks embedded into the ground along the center of the tent.
Description
Stereo photograph of a group of women and men, including several soldiers, gathered inside of a white tent. The roof of the tent is held up by several large tree trunks embedded into the ground along the center of the tent. There is a striped blanket lying on a bench at the center of the photo. Printed at bottom with the maker's mark "W.R. Cross, / Photographer / Niobrara, Neb."
Location
Currently not on view
photographer
Cross, W. R.
ID Number
2003.0311.05
accession number
2003.0311
catalog number
2003.0311.05

camouflage shirt

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca. 1968
user
Turner, Terry T.
ID Number
1999.0167.02
accession number
1999.0167
catalog number
1999.0167.02

Chateau Thierry and the Valley

Pencil sketch (with other media) of the Valley of the Marne. Hills and Chateau Thierry in the background. Shell torn trees and building in foreground.Currently not on view
Description
Pencil sketch (with other media) of the Valley of the Marne. Hills and Chateau Thierry in the background. Shell torn trees and building in foreground.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-08
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
maker
Peixotto, Ernest Clifford
ID Number
AF.25818
catalog number
25818
accession number
64592

Plate 28. Scouts and Guides to the Army of the Potomac

Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Alexander Gardner, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.The scouts of the Army undergo more hardship and brave greater peril than any other class.
Description
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Alexander Gardner, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.
The scouts of the Army undergo more hardship and brave greater peril than any other class. Secrecy being their only safety, their heroic deeds pass unrecorded, and when the necessity for their services has ceased to exist, with rare exceptions the brave men are altogether forgotten. Volumes might be written of their heroic deeds, and the historian of the rebellion will have failed in his duty if he neglects to chronicle the instances of their great exploits. Every army had its scouts, but none proved more efficient than those of the Army of the Potomac. The individuals in this group were attached to the Secret Service Department of the Army of the Potomac when conducted by Major Allen Pinkerton. Their faces are indexes of the character required for such hazardous work. Men of iron nerve and indomitable perseverence, they braved the halter with perfect consciousness of their peril, and seldom failed in an undertaking. During the campaign of the army in front of Fredericksburg, they proved of incalculable value.
Each man was provided with a pass from the Commanding General, written with a chemical preparation that only became visible when exposed to solar rays, and on the back of which was pencilled some unimportant memoranda, to deceive the enemy, should the scout fall into his hands. If captured, he could drop this paper, apparently by accident, without exciting suspicion; and if successful in his expedition, the pass, after a moment's exposure to the light, enabled the bearer to re-enter our lines, and proceed without delay to headquarters. They generally passed as foragers within our own lines, always coming in with vegetables, poultry, and the like, and with the enemy assumed such characters as the occasion might require. They were really spies, and often spent many days within the Confederate lines. The Union people of the South sheltered them, and furnished information that frequently led to the discovery of the designs of the enemy in time to enable our commanding officers to wholly frustrate them. A number of the scouts were taken prisoners, some of whom were executed, while the survivors, scarcely less fortunate, wasted in cells, long, weary months. A few are still retained in the employ of the Government, and have proved no less faithful servants in peace than when confronting the dangers that surrounded the military spy.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1862-10
maker
Gardner, Alexander
ID Number
1986.0711.0334.28
accession number
1986.0711
catalog number
1986.0711.0334.28

Model 1872; Dismounted

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
used date
1872 -
ID Number
AF.25101.224
catalog number
25101.224
accession number
64127

Model 1855

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Associated Date
1855 - 1872
associated date
1855
ID Number
AF.69417M
catalog number
69417M
accession number
266008

Army Cavalry Corporal's Trousers, Model 1861

These model 1861 mounted trousers would have been worn by a Corporal in a U.S. Army Cavalry regiment. Pair of sky blue kersey heavy, coarse wool twill trousers with a six button fly and six large metal buttons around the waist. Buttons are tin.
Description (Brief)
These model 1861 mounted trousers would have been worn by a Corporal in a U.S. Army Cavalry regiment. Pair of sky blue kersey heavy, coarse wool twill trousers with a six button fly and six large metal buttons around the waist. Buttons are tin. There is an additional fly button inside the left waistband, 5 inches from the opening. There are two vertical slash pockets and a single watch pocket on the right side of the waistband. The waistband facing and pocket are made of cotton twill. The trousers are unlined. There is a "V" shaped slit and two eyelets for waist adjustment at the rear of the waistband. There is a single 1/2" band of yellow wool tape which runs down the outside seam of each pant leg from the waistband to the cuff. On the right waistband facing there is a seven handwritten in red. There is a second layer of wool kersey reinforcement which covers the seat of the pants to the cuff. There is a one inch slit at the cuff on each outside seam. There are two buttons on either seam inside the cuff of each leg.
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1861 - 1872
1861
ID Number
AF.25101.006
catalog number
25101.006
accession number
64127

Cosmopolitan Carbine

The Cosmopolitan carbine was patented by Edward Gwyn and Abner Campbell in 1862 and manufactured at their Cosmopolitan Arms Company in Hamilton, OH. The double loop lever lowered the breech block for loading a .52 caliber paper cartridge.
Description (Brief)
The Cosmopolitan carbine was patented by Edward Gwyn and Abner Campbell in 1862 and manufactured at their Cosmopolitan Arms Company in Hamilton, OH. The double loop lever lowered the breech block for loading a .52 caliber paper cartridge. The State of Illinois purchased 1,140 Cosmopolitans for use by the Illinois Cavalry. The Cosmopolitan was not popular with the troops but garnered many nicknames including Union, Ohio and Grapevine.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1862
patentee
Gwyn, Edward
Campbell, Abner C.
ID Number
AF.252575
catalog number
252575
accession number
49064

Springfield Armory Model 1871 Ward-Burton U.S. Bolt Action Rifle

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1871
associated date
1868
maker
Springfield Armory
ID Number
AF.222327
catalog number
222327

Alex McCarrell Patch

Oil on illustration board. Portrait of three star General Alex H. Patch. Patch wear a khaki uniform (without color insignia or stars on his shoulder loops) and a white scarf. He also wears a M1 helmet with three silver stars.
Description
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of three star General Alex H. Patch. Patch wear a khaki uniform (without color insignia or stars on his shoulder loops) and a white scarf. He also wears a M1 helmet with three silver stars. Patch is in front of a green background.
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1941 - 1945
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
Chase, Joseph Cummings
artist
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.46998
catalog number
46998
accession number
46998

Morning on the Marne

A charcoal, pastel, and watercolor drawing of American soldiers in the early morning on the Marne in France. Five American soldiers wearing olive drab uniforms and helmets can be seen walking along a dirt road lined with barbed wire.
Description
A charcoal, pastel, and watercolor drawing of American soldiers in the early morning on the Marne in France. Five American soldiers wearing olive drab uniforms and helmets can be seen walking along a dirt road lined with barbed wire. The soldiers are carrying rifles that are covered at the muzzle. Fields of yellow grass surround the soldiers. To the left of the soldiers, beyond the barbed wire, two soldiers are hazily seen in an encampment. Above the encampment, a biplane is flying with a white and blue stripe on the plane's rudder. The drawing is diffused with the yellow morning light. Signed by the artist at bottom right, "Harvey Dunn, AEF"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Dunn, Harvey Thomas
maker
Dunn, Harvey Thomas
ID Number
AF.25710
catalog number
25710
accession number
64592

Town in German Alsace

Ink wash sketch on paper. The drawing depicts a street in the shadow of the buildings on the left side of the street. Two American soldiers are in the drawing: one in the far left foreground, and one walking in the center of the street. Women in the street behind the soldier.
Description
Ink wash sketch on paper. The drawing depicts a street in the shadow of the buildings on the left side of the street. Two American soldiers are in the drawing: one in the far left foreground, and one walking in the center of the street. Women in the street behind the soldier. A flag flies from one of the buildings in the background; it appears to be a French flag. The catalog card reads: "Town in German Alsace now in the American Zone and patrolled by American Military police. Massevaux in the Doller Valley."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-05
associated person
War Department
artist
Peixotto, Ernest Clifford
ID Number
AF.25890
catalog number
25890
accession number
64592

Model 1884; Dismounted

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1886
used date
1885
ID Number
AF.25101.131
catalog number
25101.131
designer number
99
accession number
64127

Battalion, 17th Infantry Marching in Review

Photograph of the 17th Infantry Battalion lined up for review. Hundreds of soldiers in uniform march in orderly lines in a large open field. Three large houses can be seen in the distance and a tall hexagonal building is seen at back left. Maker's mark "C.D.
Description
Photograph of the 17th Infantry Battalion lined up for review. Hundreds of soldiers in uniform march in orderly lines in a large open field. Three large houses can be seen in the distance and a tall hexagonal building is seen at back left. Maker's mark "C.D. Kirkland, Photographer, Cheyenne, Wyoming" is stamped at bottom. Handrwitten in black ink is "View of Batallion [sic] of 17th Infantry / Marching in review. / The center set of quarters are those / of the Colonel of Regiment / Fort D. A. Russell / 1887"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
ID Number
2003.0311.06
accession number
2003.0311
catalog number
2003.0311.06

Model 1854; Dismounted

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1854 - 1858
1854
ID Number
AF.25101.060
catalog number
25101.060
accession number
64127

Badge of California Pioneers

Gold badge of the Society of California Pioneers, presented to General William T. Sherman by the citizens of California in 1869. A gold gilt pin cast of a bear with a diamond eye and safety pin back.
Description
Gold badge of the Society of California Pioneers, presented to General William T. Sherman by the citizens of California in 1869. A gold gilt pin cast of a bear with a diamond eye and safety pin back. The Society of California Pioneers was a social and historical association with membership open to "pioneers" who came to California before 1849. Sherman served as a United States Army officer in California for several years in the late 1840s.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1869
associated date
1847-1849
user
Sherman, William Tecumseh
ID Number
AF.15954
catalog number
15954
accession number
59388

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