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.

Name: Gardner, Alexander

Plate 51. The "Shebang," Or Quarters Sanitary Commission, Brandy Station

Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by James Gardner, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.Here is represented one of the establishments of the Sanitary Commission in the army.
Description
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by James Gardner, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.
Here is represented one of the establishments of the Sanitary Commission in the army. The object of the Commission was to alleviate the hardships of soldier life to afford physical comfort to the sick and wounded, and supply such of the well as were needy with under-clothing, &c. The Departments, or Special Bureaus were established at Washington, New York, Louisville, New Orleans, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Annapolis, and City Point, in addition to which there have been the Departments of Western Virginia, of the South, and Texas. The funds of the Commission were raised by means of Sanitary Fairs in the principal cities, and by voluntary subscription. The report of the Treasurer shows that from June 27th, 1861, to July 1st, 1865, the receipts were $4,813,750.64, and the disbursements $4,530,774.95, leaving a balance in the hands of the Commission of $282,975.69. In 1863 a Protective War Claim Association was established, and made subordinate to the Commission, for the purpose of making direct applications for pensions, arrears of pay, bounty and prize money, and for giving general information and advice relative to military and naval matters. No charges were made for these services, thus saving to the widows and representatives of the soldiers the usual fees of claim agents, which in these cases would have amounted to about $240,000.
The Relief Bureau of the Commission closed on the 1st of July, 1865. At that time there were vast stores and material on hand, all of which were turned over to General Howard's Bureau for the benefit of the freedmen. The Claim Bureau will close on the 1st of January, 1866, and turn over to the Central Bureau at Washington all the papers and documents in its possession. From that time forward, the Commission will devote itself to the preparation of a historical record, a final and full report, and the settlement of its affairs in closing up the several agencies. What will be done with the surplus funds has not yet been determined, but it is expected that they will be transferred as an endowment to some institution devoted to the interests of soldiers and of their families.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1863-11
maker
Gardner, Alexander
ID Number
1986.0711.0283.01
accession number
1986.0711
catalog number
1986.0711.0283.01

Plate 18. Ruins of Norfolk Navy Yard

Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by James Gardner, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.On Sceaturday [sic], the 23rd of April, 1861, the questionable policy of destroying this Navy Yard was enforced.
Description
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by James Gardner, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.
On Sceaturday [sic], the 23rd of April, 1861, the questionable policy of destroying this Navy Yard was enforced. The crews of the Cumberland and Pawnee, assisted by some volunteers, landed at nine o'clock, threw the shot and small arms into the river, spiked the guns, and made arrangements for firing the shops and warehouses, extending over a space of nearly two hundred acres. The marines, as early as ten o'clock, had evacuated and fired their barracks, and soon after two A.M. the whole yard was in a blaze, as well as the old three-decker, the Pennsylvania, the Ohio, New York, &c. The Cumberland and Pawnee, proceeded to Hampton Roads, the former shortly to go down before that formidable iron-clad, the Merrimac, which was fitted out at this yard. When the Merrimac was blown up, and Norfolk evacuated by the rebels, they did what additional damage they could to the Navy Yard and its docks.
Its accessibility made it a most convenient place as a depot for the North Atlantic blockading fleets, the James River flotilla, and Gen. Graham's army gunboats.
Some of the shops were rebuilt, and the place presented a curious spectacle of industry in the midst of ruin; while the constant arrivals kept the adjacent waters filled with vessels, including magnificent frigates and sloops-of-war, renowned in many exploits, as well as gun-boats and purchased vessels of every build and tonnage, not to mention hosts of sharp Clyde-built blockade runners, long, low, and raking, brought here by their successful captors, previous to being taken North for adjudication and translation into ships-of-war for the capture of their fellows.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1864-12
maker
Gardner, Alexander
ID Number
1986.0711.0334.18
accession number
1986.0711
catalog number
1986.0711.0334.18

Plate 19. Antietam Bridge, on Boonsboro and Sharpsburg Turnpike

Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II.
Description
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Alexander Gardner, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.
This structure crosses Antietam Creek on the turnpike leading from Boonesboro to Sharpsburg, and is one of the memorable spots in the history of the war, although but little suggestive in its present sunny repose, of the strife which took place near it, on the day of the battle of Antietam. Traces of the engagement are evident in the overturned stone wall, the shattered fences, and down-trodden appearance of the adjacent ground. On the night of the 16th of September, the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac captured this bridge after a sharp fight, holding it until the infantry came up. The fire of our artillery, planted on the ridges near the bridge, was terrible, and at one time no doubt contributed principally to the success of our partially disordered lines in checking the headlong assaults of the enemy.
After Lee's second invasion of Maryland, which ended with the battle of Gettysburg, and the escape of his army into Virginia at Williamsport and Falling Waters, Gen. Meade had his headquarters for a number of days on a wooded ridge called the "Devil's Backbone," situated near this stream, along which the Army of the Potomac was encamped. Very little now remains to mark the adjacent fields as a battle ground. Houses and fences have been repaired, harvests have ripened over the breasts of the fallen, and the ploughshare only now and then turns up a shot, as a relic of that great struggle.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1862-09
maker
Gardner, Alexander
ID Number
1986.0711.0334.19
accession number
1986.0711
catalog number
1986.0711.0334.19

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