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.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1887
used date
1885 - 1902
ID Number
AF.25101.148
catalog number
25101.148
designer number
99
accession number
64127
Colored sketch on white paper, mounted on thick paper. Sketch shows the village of Vaux, which has sustained significant damage. Some houses have holes in the roof, while others have crumbling walls.
Description
Colored sketch on white paper, mounted on thick paper. Sketch shows the village of Vaux, which has sustained significant damage. Some houses have holes in the roof, while others have crumbling walls. There are rolling hills in the background with fields and trees.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-08
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26072
catalog number
26072
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1904
ID Number
NU.68.263.762
catalog number
68.263.762
accession number
281689
Pencil and watercolor sketch on paper mounted on brown card. The subject of the drawing is Base Hospital No. 16, at Bazoilles-sur-Meuse, France, during World War I.
Description
Pencil and watercolor sketch on paper mounted on brown card. The subject of the drawing is Base Hospital No. 16, at Bazoilles-sur-Meuse, France, during World War I. The perspective is from a northeast position looking southwest toward two sets of hospital buildings on opposite sides of the river. The hospital complex on the right is composed of tents and barracks set up in orderly rows in front of a grove of trees. Several town buildings are in the center of the work including a tower which might be the steeple of a church.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-08
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25927
catalog number
25927
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1887
associated date
1887 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W27
accession number
64127
Pencil and watercolor sketch on beige paper. The work depicts a view toward the east from a terrace in Boucq, France. The terrace is set high above a valley or flat plain with small towns depicted in the distance.
Description
Pencil and watercolor sketch on beige paper. The work depicts a view toward the east from a terrace in Boucq, France. The terrace is set high above a valley or flat plain with small towns depicted in the distance. There are three planes and an American observation balloon in the sky.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-06
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25911
catalog number
25911
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1900
associated person
Peter I
ID Number
NU.NU61846
catalog number
NU61846
accession number
210914
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1887
associated date
1884 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W03
accession number
64127
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
used date
1880 - 1902
ID Number
2007.0069.05
catalog number
2007.0069.05
accession number
2007.0069
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1900
associated person
Peter I
ID Number
NU.69.127.581
catalog number
69.127.581
accession number
286471
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1901
associated person
Peter I
ID Number
NU.68.263.889
catalog number
68.263.889
accession number
281689
Mixed media sketch on paper. A bright light shines on a crumbling church in a village in France. Soldiers from the American Expeditionary Force, sent to Europe in World War I to fight with the Allies, in the foreground.
Description
Mixed media sketch on paper. A bright light shines on a crumbling church in a village in France. Soldiers from the American Expeditionary Force, sent to Europe in World War I to fight with the Allies, in the foreground. The use of bright lights during the night could draw enemy fire and so was discouraged.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-08
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26079
catalog number
26079
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
used date
1880 - 1902
user
Batcheller, George Sherman
ID Number
AF.36876 [dup2]
catalog number
36876
accession number
112477
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1884
associated date
1885 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80780W02
accession number
64127
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1886
used date
1885 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W11
accession number
64127
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1908
ID Number
NU.69.127.601
catalog number
69.127.601
accession number
286471
Charcoal on white paper of two Army ambulances responding to a "hurry call" or emergency summons on the night of May 30, 1918, in the Toul Sector of France. The ambulances (possibly Ford Model T's) have large medical crosses on the side.
Description
Charcoal on white paper of two Army ambulances responding to a "hurry call" or emergency summons on the night of May 30, 1918, in the Toul Sector of France. The ambulances (possibly Ford Model T's) have large medical crosses on the side. American soldiers in uniform march along the road to the right of the ambulances. On the left side of the road, wounded soldiers walk in the opposite direction of the ambulances.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
1918-05
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Townsend, Harry
artist
Townsend, Harry
ID Number
AF.26125
catalog number
26125
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1899 - 1901
ID Number
2007.0069.09
catalog number
2007.0069.09
accession number
2007.0069
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1887
associated date
1887 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W24
accession number
64127
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1937
1902
wearer
Pershing, John J.
maker
Frank J. Krupp
ID Number
AF.46932
catalog number
46932
accession number
182935
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-07
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26078
catalog number
26078
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1926-1930
1902
ID Number
AF.58520M(A)
catalog number
58520M
accession number
213710
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1885 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W37
accession number
64127
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1885 - 1902
ID Number
AF.25101.169
catalog number
25101.169
accession number
64127

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