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

Huey Crew Chief Helmet

Physical DescriptionDark green helmet with red painted lettering on the front.Specific HistoryThis flight helmet was worn by John Lynch on the day he was injured, 2 July 1967. The helmet has bullet holes on the visor area and blood stains on the chin strap.
Description
Physical Description
Dark green helmet with red painted lettering on the front.
Specific History
This flight helmet was worn by John Lynch on the day he was injured, 2 July 1967. The helmet has bullet holes on the visor area and blood stains on the chin strap.
Associated Date
1967-07-02
user
Lynch, John
ID Number
2004.0003.16
accession number
2004.0003
catalog number
2004.0003.16

Confederate States of America Belt Plate

Physical DescriptionCopper, oval shaped with a raised rim and raised "CS" in center.General HistoryBelt plates, like this one, were used to signal the side or state for which a soldier fought. This belt plate was for a Confederate soldier.
Description
Physical Description
Copper, oval shaped with a raised rim and raised "CS" in center.
General History
Belt plates, like this one, were used to signal the side or state for which a soldier fought. This belt plate was for a Confederate soldier.
date made
ca 1861
associated date
1861-1862
ID Number
AF.60667M
catalog number
60667M
accession number
223708
collector/donor number
SK423

Hat, flop

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AF.68932M
catalog number
68932M
designer number
PQD 21
accession number
262924

Long Rifle

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AF.35635E
catalog number
035635E
accession number
97652

Dixie cup

associated date
1941 - 1945
associated person
Clark, James B.
ID Number
1977.0245.100
accession number
1977.0245
catalog number
1977.0245.100

Model M1

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated person
Garand, John C.
maker
Springfield Armory
ID Number
AF.84469M
catalog number
84469M
accession number
1978.0623

Confederate Spiller & Burr Revolver

date made
ca 1863
maker
Spiller & Burr
ID Number
1980.0399.0728
catalog number
1980.0399.0728
accession number
1980.0399
serial number
726-CS

Together We Win

associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Flagg, James Montgomery
ID Number
ZZ.RSN82616T18

kepi

associated date
1861 - 1865
ID Number
AF.UH-428
catalog number
1980.0399.1202
accession number
1980.0399

English Sword

Physical DescriptionForged steel with brass grip.Specific HistoryEnglish sword used during the French and Indian War.
Description
Physical Description
Forged steel with brass grip.
Specific History
English sword used during the French and Indian War.
Date made
c. 1751
date made
ca 1751
ID Number
AF.73774M
catalog number
73774M
accession number
287867

Coffee can

This coffee can belonged to Franklin Van Auken (Vanaken in New York State records) who used it during the Civil War. Van Auken enlisted on December 18, 1861 at the age of 21.
Description
This coffee can belonged to Franklin Van Auken (Vanaken in New York State records) who used it during the Civil War. Van Auken enlisted on December 18, 1861 at the age of 21. He was mustered in as a private in Company K of the 26th Regiment of the New York Volunteer Infantry, but was transferred to Company C within the next few months. Van Auken saw action in the Battle of Antietam and the Battle of Fredericksburg. He was discharged for disability on February 25, 1863.
associated date
1861-1865
ID Number
AF.12071
catalog number
12071
accession number
52412

Sandals, North Vietnamese Army Uniform

associated date
1955-1975
ID Number
2004.0003.26
accession number
2004.0003

Zouave Uniform

General HistoryThe uniform of the 5th New York Volunteer Infantry (Duryée's Zouaves), 1861, consisted of a distinctive jacket, vest, sash, baggy trousers, and fez.
Description
General History
The uniform of the 5th New York Volunteer Infantry (Duryée's Zouaves), 1861, consisted of a distinctive jacket, vest, sash, baggy trousers, and fez. The Zouave uniform adopted on both sides by many volunteer units during the first year of the Civil War was based on that of the elite Zouave battalion of the French Army, whose dashing appearance matched its fighting abilities. In their turn, the French Zouaves modeled their uniform and drill after the native dress and fearless tactics of their former Algerian opponents, encountered in the course of the colonial war of the 1830s.
ID Number
AF.24954.01
accession number
64127
catalog number
24954.01

Jewish Welfare Board Uniform

Women's Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) uniform from World War I, consisting of hat, coat, shirtwaist, tie, skirt, and insignia. Coat and skirt are olive green wool gabardine, shirt is white dimity, hat is blue cotton, and tie is blue silk.
Description
Women's Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) uniform from World War I, consisting of hat, coat, shirtwaist, tie, skirt, and insignia. Coat and skirt are olive green wool gabardine, shirt is white dimity, hat is blue cotton, and tie is blue silk. Metal "U.S." insignia on coat lapel and cloth "J.W.B." patch with Star of David background on shouler and hat. Donated by the Jewish Welfare Board through The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America.
The Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) was organized shortly after America’s entry into World War I, consolidating religious groups in the Jewish community to become an official agency to work with the War Department through its Commission on Training Camp Activities. It was modeled after the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and the Knights of Columbus, and other organizations that in World War I adapted military-like uniforms for women and men volunteers. The JWB built buildings and stocked libraries on army installations and distributed books, articles, Bibles, and prayer books supplied through its affiliation with the Jewish Publication Society. It established community branches in the “second line of defense,” by supporting Jewish workers in the shipyards, arsenals, and other military plants and factories, as well as hospitals and universities where the government had taken over under military regulations. Following the Armistice, under direction of the Navy Department, the JWB transferred its peacetime work to veteran’s hospitals and enlarged Jewish community centers.
associated date
1914-1918
ID Number
1998.0165.25.01
catalog number
1998.0165.25.01.01
1998.0165.25.01.02
accession number
1998.0165
catalog number
1998.0165.25.01

Dungaree

user
Boll, Walter G.
ID Number
AF.59411-N(2)
catalog number
59411-N(2)
accession number
262927

Confederate Bowie Knife and Scabbard

This bowie knife was found on the battlefield of Perryville, Kentucky.It is claimed that the bowie knife was designed by Rezin Bowie, the brother of James Bowie, and made by blacksmith James Black. The blade, made of steel, was up to 14 inches long.
Description
This bowie knife was found on the battlefield of Perryville, Kentucky.
It is claimed that the bowie knife was designed by Rezin Bowie, the brother of James Bowie, and made by blacksmith James Black. The blade, made of steel, was up to 14 inches long. Its shape enabled the cowboy or mountain man to skin or disembowel an animal. In general, the bowie is usually classified as any large knife with a clip point. It was popular from the 1840s through 1865 and used by United States troops during the Mexican War and on the frontier during the disturbances in Kansas and Missouri in the 1850s. During the Civil War, it was popular with Confederate soldiers, whose arms generally were inferior.
Associated Date
1862
ID Number
AF.32398
catalog number
32398
accession number
68826

Fife

Physical DescriptionIron fife.Specific HistoryThis fife from the period of the American Revolution was unearthed on Red Bank battleground in 1800 near the New Jersey Monument.General HistoryA fife is a small transverse flute, pitched to B-flat.
Description
Physical Description
Iron fife.
Specific History
This fife from the period of the American Revolution was unearthed on Red Bank battleground in 1800 near the New Jersey Monument.
General History
A fife is a small transverse flute, pitched to B-flat. There are six holes and no keys.
"The drum and fife regulated the Revolutionary War soldier's life. By commands of music, the soldier was notified when to awake in the mornings, when to attend drill, when to stop for meals, and when to report for pay. While on the march, music assisted with cadence and order, helping men to march in time. Music encouraged soldiers to press a march or attack with vigor."
"Orders were also given using whistles, blowing horns, and bagpipes. Music and songs in camp lifted soldiers' spirits following exhausting duty. They helped build fellowship in the regiments."
"Drums have been used to convey commands since ancient times. They provide distinct sounds that can be heard for great distances. The drum was the very voice and tongue of the commander. After the adoption of firearms, the fife came into use. Its peculiar piercing sound transcended the noise of men and gunfire, and added melody to the drumbeats. By the Revolution, armies had adopted a system of commands given by the drum and fife, which could rapidly communicate orders to whole armies at one time."
From National Park Service Collections American Revolutionary War: Guilford Courthouse.
ID Number
AF.58146M
catalog number
58146M
accession number
204703

Sharps Model 1853

licensee
Sharps, Christian
ID Number
AF.32687
catalog number
32687
accession number
69413

shirt, utility

associated date
1966 - 1973
ID Number
AF.59901-N(2)
catalog number
59901-N(2)
accession number
1977.0776

World War II Victory Medal

Physical DescriptionBronze medal 1 3/8 inches in width. On the obverse is "Liberation" standing full length with her head turned, looking to the dawn of a new day. Her right foot rests on a war god’s helmet.
Description
Physical Description
Bronze medal 1 3/8 inches in width. On the obverse is "Liberation" standing full length with her head turned, looking to the dawn of a new day. Her right foot rests on a war god’s helmet. In her right hand is the hilt of a broken sword and in her left hand is the broken blade. Slightly below the center is the inscription, "WORLD WAR II." On the reverse the inscriptions "FREEDOM FROM FEAR AND WANT" and "FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND RELIGION" are separated by a palm branch. Around the rim is inscribed, "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1914 1945." The medal hangs on a ribbon of red and white with "rainbow" stripes on either side. The rainbow on each side of the ribbon is a miniature of the pattern used in the WWI Victory Medal.
General History
The World War II Victory medal was established by an Act of Congress in July of 1945. The medal was awarded to all military personnel for service between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946.
date made
1946
ID Number
ZZ.RSN79785W24

USS Maine

ID Number
AF.32907
catalog number
32907
accession number
69413

Model 1919A6

patentee
Browning, John M.
maker
GM Corporation, Saginaw Steering Gear Division
ID Number
AF.66807M
catalog number
66807M
accession number
235947

Psychological Operations

Physical DescriptionFlyer accompanying Humanitarian Daily Rations.Specific HistoryDuring Operation Enduring Freedom, Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDRs) were dropped from US C-17 cargo planes. Each package contained a complete day's food supply of 2200 calories.
Description
Physical Description
Flyer accompanying Humanitarian Daily Rations.
Specific History
During Operation Enduring Freedom, Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDRs) were dropped from US C-17 cargo planes. Each package contained a complete day's food supply of 2200 calories. The food contents of the package varied, but never contained any meat products. The text on the outside of the bright yellow package translates to "Halal", which indicates the food is permitted under Islamic law.
ID Number
2004.0170.15
accession number
2004.0170
catalog number
2004.0170.15

Infantry Private's Coat

Physical DescriptionDark-blue cloth lined with white serge and edged with white kerseymere. Brown leather forage cap with slightly darker leather bill.General HistoryThe soft leather forage cap was introduced in 1833.
Description
Physical Description
Dark-blue cloth lined with white serge and edged with white kerseymere. Brown leather forage cap with slightly darker leather bill.
General History
The soft leather forage cap was introduced in 1833. There seems to be no historical reason for the distinct change in the style of the cap. Since soldiers wore their uniforms day and night, it has been reported that the forage cap came in handy at night. With the strap buckled under the chin tightly it was a big help, according to one hospital steward, "to keep out of our ears, ear-wigs, centipedes, cockroaches, etc."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1840
associated date
1834 - 1851
ID Number
AF.22729 [dup2]
catalog number
22729
accession number
64127

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