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 13 items.
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Crossing the Pontoon Bridge, Château Thierry
- Description
- A mixed media drawing on white textured paper showing a pontoon bridge crossing in Château-Thierry. There are five pontoon boats serving as a base for a temporary bridge. Horse-drawn supply wagons cross the bridge against the backdrop of a village.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- associated date
- 1917-1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25653
- catalog number
- 25653
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Relief Entering Nesle. (Detachment Fourth Infantry, U.S.A.
- Description
- Charcoal, crayon, ink wash, and gouache on beige card. The work depicts American infantry soldiers entering the town of Nesle, France. The men march with their gear, while a soldier in the foreground looks on, with his back to the viewer. The town's buildings are damaged from shell; rubble is in the street.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25663
- catalog number
- 25663
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Sniper at Chateau Thierry
- Description
- Charcoal and gouache drawing on card taped to a white matte. The work depicts an American sniper lying prone on the ground with his Springfield rifle aimed to the right of the picture. A portion of a stone structure, likely a chimney, is behind him. The red tiles in the drawing indicate that he is on the roof of a building.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1918
- associated date
- 1917-1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25666
- catalog number
- 25666
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Street Barricade at Château-Thierry
- Description
- Charcoal, gouache, and watercolor drawing on paper mounted on brown board. The work depicts two American soldiers at a rubble barricade on a street in Château-Thierry, France. The two buildings on either side of the barricade are damaged. Several white buildings are in the background including one with the French word "Coiffeur" written near its roof. The sky is partly cloudy and a plane is flying overhead.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25667
- catalog number
- 25667
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
The Church at Fossoy. (On the German Line of Retreat)
- Description
- Graphite and gouache on paper mounted on heavy white card. The drawing shows a badly damaged church at Fossoy, France. There is a bare tree on the left.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918-07-26
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25671
- catalog number
- 25671
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
The Road through Fossoy. (On the German line of Retreat)
- Description
- Gouache, ink wash, and graphite. The work depicts a shell-torn building near Fossoy, France. One side of the building has been completely destroyed.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918-07-26
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25675
- catalog number
- 25675
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Wagon Train at Viffort
- Description
- Charcoal, crayon, and gouache on paper. This village street scene depicts a wagon train; mounted soldier in center of drawing.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25681
- catalog number
- 25681
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
French Engineers Clearing Wreckage of Bridge Château-Thierry
- Description
- Charcoal, gouache, and oil on paper. The work depicts a group of French engineers (in blue uniforms) clearing the wreckage of a bridge in Château-Thierry, France. A section of the bridge has entirely collapsed into the water. On the left, two American soldiers sit on an intact section of the bridge. The shell-torn buildings of the town line the far side of the water.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25684A
- catalog number
- 25684A
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
A Belleau Farm
- Description
- Pencil and ink drawing on paper. The work depicts a damaged farm in Belleau, France during World War I. Several buildings have sustained heavy damage, probably during the Battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918. An entire building is missing its roof on the left, and interior walls are visible.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918-08
- associated date
- 1917-1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Smith, J. Andre
- ID Number
- AF*25921
- catalog number
- 25921
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Chateau-Thierry
- Description
- Mixed media sketch on paper. A view of Chateau-Thierry, France during World War I. An inscription below the drawing reads, "Looking down on to the city; the Germans occupied the part of the town beyond the river (marked by the line of high buildings) and the hills shown in the distance."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918-06-27
- associated date
- 1917-1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Smith, J. Andre
- ID Number
- AF*25963
- catalog number
- 25963
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center