This Sharps rifle bears no maker’s mark; it was made especially for John Brown. Brown carried this weapon on his Kansas campaign in 1856 and later presented it to Charles Blair of Collinsville, Connecticut. In 1857, Brown contracted Blair to forge pikes for the clandestine slave insurrection he was planning for Harpers Ferry.
General History
As a boy of five, John Brown witnessed a slave his own age being beaten with a fire shovel. He vowed to become a foe of slavery. By the mid-1800s, Brown was fulfilling his vow. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 allowed the two states to decide the issue of slavery by a popular ballot. The fight in Kansas was so intense that the state earned the nickname “Bleeding Kansas.” As Missouri pro-slavery “Ruffians” flocked to Kansas, the New England abolitionists bankrolled “Free-Soilers” to move to the settlement of Lawrence, Kansas. Henry Ward Beecher raised money to purchase Sharps rifles for use by antislavery forces in Kansas. Rifles, said Beecher, are “a greater moral agency than the Bible” in the fight against slavery. The guns were packed in crates labeled "Bibles" so they would not arouse suspicion. Soon the Sharps rifles sent to Kansas were referred to as “Beecher’s Bibles.” In 1856, after abolitionists were attacked in Lawrence, John Brown led a raid on scattered cabins along the Pottawatomie Creek, killing five people. Kansas would not become a state until 1861, after the Confederate states seceded. John Brown had another plan to bring about an end to slavery, a slave uprising. Brown contracted with Charles Blair, a forge master in Collinsville, Connecticut, to make 950 pikes for a dollar apiece. Brown would issue the pikes to the slaves as they revolted. On October 16, 1859, Brown led his group to Harpers Ferry where he took over the arsenal and waited for the slaves to revolt. The revolt never came. Two days later Robert E. Lee and his troops overran the raiders and captured John Brown. Brown was found guilty of murder, treason, and inciting slave insurrection and was hanged on December 2, 1859.
First introduced into U.S. Army service in 1959, the Bell Helicopter UH-1 Iroquois, more commonly known as the “Huey,” became one of the iconic symbols and sounds of the Vietnam War. During the 1960s, the UH-1 found usage with all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, serving as a troops and supply transport, gunship, medevac, reconnaissance, and search and rescue platform. Variants of the UH-1 continue to operate in the United States and overseas, with production numbers exceeding 16,000 examples. Approximately 7,000 served in the Vietnam War, of which over 3,300 would be lost to enemy action, accidents, and other causes.
Bell Helicopter manufactured this Huey, U.S. Army serial number 65-10091, at its factory in Fort Worth, Texas in 1965. Once to the Republic of Vietnam in September 1966, it would be assigned to the 173rd Assault Helicopter Company, known as the “Robin Hoods.” During operational service the airframe received hostile ground fire on two occasions and sustained damage but returned to base. On 7 January 1967 in a third brush with enemy fire, 091 would be shot down. Army personnel reached the downed helicopter and managed to recover the airframe for repair and return to operational service. Postwar, 091 would serve in the United States with the Army, Navy, Army Reserve, National Guard, Army Flight Training School, and the National Air and Space Administration. In 1995, the Texas Air Command Museum, purchased the helicopter and restored her to flying condition, with the signature yellow hat of the “Robin Hoods” painted on 091’s nose.
In 2002, Arrowhead Films leased 091 and made her a centerpiece of a documentary film, In the Shadow of the Blade. The film saw over 50 Vietnam War helicopter pilots fly in the left seat of 091 as it flew over 10,000 miles across the nation in a tour of reconciliation and remembrance that brought Vietnam veterans and their stories to people across the nation. Many of those who traveled aboard 091 and met her during the documentary production adorned the interior of the helicopter with patches, pins, photographs, flags, and signatures representing memories of the conflict and the healing brought on by the passage of time.
In 2004, the Texas Air Command Museum donated 091 to the National Museum of American History. On 19 March 2004, 091 touched down on the National Mall in Washington, DC out front of museum, the final flight of the almost 40-year-old warbird. Thereafter personnel from the Army’s 12 Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir, VA together with staff from Bell Helicopter disassembled the helicopter to carefully bring it inside the museum. All fuel and hydraulic fluids were drained, batteries removed, and the engine and rotors replaced for static display.
Medal with an equestrian portrait of George Washington, surrounded by a wreath composed of the principal agricultural products of the Confederacy including cotton, tobacco, sugar cane, wheat, and rice. Embossed around the edge, "The Confederate States of America: 22 February, 1862" and the motto Deo Vindice, or "God will vindicate." The medal rests in a wooden box covered in leather and lined in maroon velvet and green simulated watered silk.
General History
The date on the Confederate Seal commemorates the inauguration of Jefferson Davis as president of the Confederate States, and the establishment of the permanent government of the Confederate States of America in Richmond, Virginia. When the seal was completed, it was delivered to James Mason, a confidential agent of the Confederacy in England. He selected Lieutenant R. T. Chapman of the Confederate navy to bring it to America. In order to avoid the naval blockade, Lt. Chapman was forced to take a long and circuitous route. He went from England to Halifax, Nova Scotia, then to the island of Bermuda, and finally to Wilmington, North Carolina. When the Confederate government evacuated Richmond in April of 1865, Mrs. William J. Bromwell, the wife of an official of the Confederate State Department, smuggled the seal from the doomed city. Together with an important part of the Confederate archives, the seal was hidden from federal forces in a barn near Richmond. It eventually made its way into the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, where it can be seen today.
This is one of the rifles used by the National Guardsmen at Kent State, Ohio on 4 May 1970.
General History
Kent State University came into the international spotlight on 4 May 1970. During a protest by students against the Vietnam War, a contingent of 28 Ohio National Guardsmen fired for 13 seconds. The rifle fire left four students dead, one permanently paralyzed, and eight others wounded. Many of the students were walking to and from class. Not every student was involved in the demonstration. The closest student wounded was 30 yards away from the Guard, while the farthest was almost 250 yards away.
This matched pair of pistols was manufactured in the late 1700s for sea service at close range. The barrels were made of bronze, on account of that metal’s resistance to corrosion. The pistol’s wide bore enabled easy loading. The pair was manufactured by John Tow, of Griffin and Tow, who made weapons for the British East India Company. Started in 1600, the publicly-owned EIC traded with the East Indies, China and India until the late 19th century.
Cloth body with brass fittings and a cap plate. The straw-colored cloth matches the regimental facings on their uniforms. The brass finial, supports, and crown are stamped with a variety of military symbols. The brass cap plate is stamped with the Hessian lion. The lion is rampant, rearing on the left hind leg with the forelegs elevated, the right above the left, and usually with the head in profile and holding a sword. The sword is engraved with the initials "FL" for Friedrich Landraf, the ruler of Hesse-Cassel.
Specific History
The Fusilier Regiment von Knyphausen was one of the regiments of the Second Division of troops from the German principality of Hesse-Cassel. It served as an auxiliary troop to the British Army during the American Revolution. Fusiliers were light infantry regiments in German armies and their distinctive miter cap differentiated them from other units.
This British musket was produced in London for use by the colony of New Jersey in the French and Indian War. New Jersey retained the musket and issued it to patriot forces at the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
Henry Rifle, serial number 6, .44 caliber, forged steel, wooden stock, engraved gold mounting with floral design and “Lincoln/ President/U.S.A." on right side. Top of barrel is stamped “Henry’s Patent Oct. 16, 1860/Manufactured New Haven Arms Company New Haven, Ct.”
Specific History
This gold-mounted, engraved Henry rifle was presented to Abraham Lincoln in an effort to obtain his influence in their purchase for the war effort. This rifle was awarded the National Rifle Association Collectors Society Gold Medal as an outstanding historical firearm.
General History
The Henry, the first practical, lever action, repeating rifle, is the immediate forerunner of the famous Winchester rifles. About 14,000 were made between 1860 and 1866 by the New Haven Arms Company. Only about 1,731 Henry rifles were purchased by the Ordnance Department between 1862 and 1865. A number of units in the West purchased them at their own expense. It was especially popular in Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Indiana. The 1st Maine and 1st District of Columbia cavalry regiments are known to have been issued Henry rifles. Said one confederate soldier, “It’s a rifle you could load on Sunday and shoot all week long.”
The coach gun was developed in England in the late 18th century to defend coaches against highway robbery. This 10-gauge double-barreled “scattergun” was made by Richard Bolton of Birmingham, England. A shotgun’s ammunition, in the form of round pellets or shot, spread out after leaving the smooth bore making it highly useful for close range combat. The two barrels allowed a second blast before reloading. This example features a spring-loaded bayonet that can be deployed after both barrels are fired.
A musketoon is a short blunderbuss, or wide barrel muzzle-loading shotgun with a flared muzzle. Its large bore is loaded with several musket or pistol balls. The effect is much like that of a shotgun and is murderous at close quarters or when fired into a large group. Short-barreled guns were excellent short-range weapons, for which the spreading shot pattern was more important than accuracy as an efficient anti-personnel weapon. They also were quicker and easier to point in hand-to-hand combat. Larger musketoons were sometime used in actions involving small boats, where they could be mounted by swivels to special timbers designed to hold them. This example has a bronze barrel for corrosion resistance in a marine environment, and a British Sea Service flintlock action. The lock has a Royal Navy anchor mark and London proof marks dating from around 1760. The blunderbuss became obsolete in the mid19th century, when it was replaced by the carbine.
During the Revolution and War of 1812, the American government did not have a navy big enough to protect and defend its shores. Lacking the resources, men and time to build its own warships, Congress authorized hundreds of privately-owned armed ships to attack British vessels. These “privateers” were heavily armed, preferably to intimidate their prey into surrendering, or—if necessary—to actually fight. However, a sea battle was the last resort, for it could injure crews or valuable hostages and damage the privateer or its intended prize.
Privateer vessels needed large crews to board enemy vessels or to put their own loyal crews on captured vessels. They also needed large stocks of arms for fighting and maintaining order on captured prize vessels. Pistols and other short-barreled firearms were best suited to boarding or other close actions, but they had to be dropped or thrown after a single use, as reloading in the heat of battle was too time consuming. Routinely, only officers owned and were permitted to bear their personal arms. Weapons were stored under lock and key in arms lockers and distributed among the crew when needed. Although the men were highly motivated and unlikely to mutiny, crews were large and disagreements could occur. In addition, weapons had to be ready for use at any moment, and their condition was easier to maintain if stored together.
While training for combat on the fields of Yale University in 1917, Private J. Robert Conroy made friends with a brindle puppy with a short tail. He and other soldiers called the stray dog "Stubby", and soon the dog became the mascot of the 102nd Infantry, 26th Yankee Division. He learned the bugle calls, the drills, and even a modified dog salute as he put his right paw on his right eyebrow when a salute was executed by his fellow soldiers. Stubby had a positive effect on morale, and was allowed to remain in the camp, even though animals were forbidden.
When the division shipped out for France aboard the SS Minnesota, Private Conroy smuggled Stubby aboard. Hidden in the coal bin until the ship was far at sea, Stubby was brought out on deck where the sailors were soon won over by the canine soldier. Stubby was once again smuggled off the ship and once in France was soon discovered by Pvt. Conroy's commanding officer. The CO allowed Stubby to remain after Stubby gave him a salute.
When the Yankee Division headed for the front lines in France, Stubby was given special orders allowing him to accompany the Division to the front lines as their official mascot. The 102nd Infantry reached the front lines on the 5 February 1918. Stubby soon became accustomed to the loud rifles and heavy artillery fire. His first battle injury occurred from gas exposure; he was taken to a nearby field hospital and nursed back to health. The injury left him sensitive to the tiniest trace of gas. When the Division was attacked in an early morning gas launch, most of the troops were asleep. Stubby recognized the gas and ran through the trench barking and biting at the soldiers, rousing them to sound the gas alarm, saving many from injury. On April 20, 1918, Stubby was injured during a grenade attack, receiving a large number of shrapnel pieces in his chest and leg. He was rushed to a field hospital. When Stubby became well enough to move around at the hospital, he visited wounded soldiers, boosting their morale.
Later in the war Stubby was found to have a talent for locating wounded men between the trenches of the opposing armies; he would listen for men calling out and then go to the location, barking until paramedics arrived or leading the lost soldiers back to the safety of the trenches. Late in the war, he even caught a German soldier near the Allied trenches, as lines of battle were constantly in flux. The soldier called to Stubby, but he put his ears back and began to bark. As the German ran, Stubby bit him on the legs, causing the soldier to trip and fall. He continued to attack the man until the United States soldiers arrived.
By the end of the war, Stubby had served in 17 battles. He led the American troops in a pass and review parade and later visited with President Woodrow Wilson. He visited the White House twice and met Presidents Harding and Coolidge. Stubby was awarded many medals for his heroism, including a medal from the Humane Society which was presented by General John Pershing, the Commanding General of the United States Armies. He was awarded a membership in the American Legion and the Y.M.C.A. When his master, J. Robert Conroy, began studying law at Georgetown University, Stubby became the mascot of the Georgetown Hoyas. He died on March 16, 1926, in Washington, DC. His death earned obituaries in the Post and the New York Times among other papers.
After a horrific battle with the British frigate Endymion in early October 1814 that the Prince de Neufchatel barely won, the American privateer returned to Boston for a refit. Around that time the vessel changed hands, and a new set of articles was drafted. Delivered on 30 November 1814, these articles laid out the terms and conditions of employment between the vessel’s owners and crew for a four-month cruise.
The owners paid for all the initial armaments and provisions; the privateer was expected to replenish its supplies from captured vessels. The owners received half of the proceeds from any vessels taken, known as prizes. The crew divided up the other half by rank. The ship’s commander earned 12 shares. The doctor was paid six shares; the chief cook earned two shares. The drummer and fifer were each paid a single share, and the ship’s boys were at the bottom of the scale with ½ share each.
The first crewman to spot a ship that became a prize received an extra half share in that vessel’s prize money. The first two crewmen to board an enemy warship each received six extra shares; if the prize was a merchant vessel, two extra shares were earned by the first two crew aboard. Any compensation for losing an arm or leg in the line of duty was at the captain’s discretion.
General William T. Sherman wore this Model 1850 staff and field officer's sword during the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee, April 6–8, 1862.
General History
One of the greatest battles of the War between the States erupted near the banks of the Tennessee River at Shiloh, Tennessee. On April 6, 1862, General Sidney Johnston launched his attack. The Union forces were quickly driven back; they found themselves rapidly approaching the Tennessee River to the east and Owl Creek to the north. However, the Union troops finally established a line at an area known as "the sunken road." Confederate forces launched eleven attacks against the position, but the line would not break. The area became known as the "Hornets Nest" because of the intensity of gunfire and grazing of bullets. Finally the Southern troops brought sixty-two artillery pieces to bear on the Hornets Nest, many at point-blank range. After holding the position for six hours, the Union forces surrendered. The next morning, the fresh Union forces attacked the tired and surprised Confederates, who believed they had won a great victory. By sheer weight of numbers the federals pushed them back. Resistance stiffened; as the day wore on, the Confederates pulled back and the next day withdrew to Corinth.
Produced by the United States Office of War Information, Washington, D.C. Printed by the United States Government Printing Office. Distributed by the Division of Public Inquiries, Office of War Information.
Series: Office of War Information Poster, No. 26
To control the form of war messages, the government created the U.S. Office of War Information in June 1942. OWI sought to review and approve the design and distribution of government posters. Posters and their messages were seen as "war graphics," combining the sophisticated style of contemporary graphic design with the promotion of war aims.
Over time, OWI developed six war-information themes for its own internal use, as well as to guide other issuing agencies and major producers of mass-media entertainment.
1. The Nature of the Enemy - general or detailed descriptions of this enemy, such as, he hates religion, persecutes labor, kills Jews and other minorities, smashes home life, debases women, etc.
2. The Nature of our Allies - the United Nations theme, our close ties with Britain, Russia, and China, Mexicans and Americans fighting side by side on Bataan and on the battlefronts.
3. The Need to Work - the countless ways in which Americans must work if we are to win the war, in factories, on ships, in mines, in fields, etc.
4. The Need to Fight - the need for fearless waging of war on land, sea, and skies, with bullets, bombs, bare hands, if we are to win.
5. The Need to Sacrifice - Americans are willing to give up all luxuries, devote all spare time to the war effort, etc., to help win the war.
6. The Americans - we are fighting for the four freedoms, the principles of the Atlantic Charter, Democracy, and no discrimination against races and religions, etc.
ref: Alan Cranston to Norman Ferguson, 17 November 1942, folder: California Trip, box 1078, entry E222, MC 148, RG 208, NACP. From Design for Victory: World War II Posters on the American Home Front, William L. Bird Jr. and Harry R. Rubenstein. Princeton Architectural Press, New York. 1998.
This particular poster fits neatly into theme six.
General History
The Division of Military History and Diplomacy has been collecting recruiting posters for more than fifty years. Recruiting as an activity of the military is important to the understanding of who serves in uniform, during both war and peace, and the visual materials used to market military service. The collection contains examples of early Civil War broadsides, World War I posters, including the original artwork for Uncle Sam as drawn by Montgomery Flagg, and World War II posters, which show the recruiting of men and women for all services and auxiliary organizations. The collection contains primarily Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II recruiting posters for the army, navy and some marines. More modern-day recruiting materials are also contained in the collection, and cover a broad range of army recruiting slogans.
Posters during World War II were designed to instill in people a positive outlook, a sense of patriotism, and confidence. They linked the war in trenches with the war at home. From a practical point, they were used to encourage all Americans to help with the war effort. The posters called on every man, woman, and child to endure the personal sacrifice and domestic adjustments to further the national agenda. They encouraged rationing, conservation, and sacrifice. In addition, the posters were used for recruitment, productivity, and motivation as well as for financing the war effort. The stark, colorful graphic designs elicited strong emotions. The posters played to the fears, frustrations, and faith in freedoms that lingered in people's minds during the war.
According to legend, this coat was made from the skin of a buffalo killed by Buffalo Bill, and presented by him to Captain J. B. Irvine, Twenty-second U.S. Infantry. Irvine then presented it to Second Lieutenant Albert C. Dalton, Company A, U.S. Infantry.
General History
In a life that was part legend and part fantasy, William F. Cody came to embody the spirit of the West. During the Civil War, Cody served first as a Union scout in campaigns against the Kiowa and Comanche; then in 1863 he enlisted with the Seventh Kansas Cavalry, which saw action in Missouri and Tennessee. In 1867, Cody took up the trade that gave him his nickname, hunting buffalo to feed the construction crews of the Kansas Pacific Railroad. According to Buffalo Bill, he killed 4,280 head of buffalo in seventeen months.
He is perhaps best known for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, a theatrical extravaganza. His show dramatized some of the most picturesque elements of frontier life. It contained a buffalo hunt with real buffalos, an Indian attack with real Indians, and a grand finale that reenacted Custer’s Last Stand, with some Lakota who actually fought in the battle playing a part. The show was enormously successful and traveled the world for three decades.
From Brigadier General Albert C. Dalton, US Army (Ret'd), written 26th July 1951:
"This coat was made from the skin of a buffalo killed by the celebrated "Buffalo Bill" (Mr. William F. Cody) at the time he was engaged in supplying buffalo meat to the workers on the Union Pacific Railway, and also to the troops of the United States Army in the same area. The skin was presented to Captain Javan B. Irvine 22nd US Infantry who was a famous Indian fighter and a close friend of Buffalo Bill during the days when he was with the army as a guide and Indian Scout. Captain Irvine presented the coat to then 2nd Lieut Albert C. Dalton 22nd Inf. who served in Captain Irvine's Company "A" 22nd Infantry from May 1889 to Aug 1891---when he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieut and assigned to the regiment for duty as an officer. Captain Irvine retired the same year and on leaving the regiment gave the coat to Lieut Dalton.
The coat was repaired and the quilted lining put in in place of the old lining in 1910 at the Schuykill Army Factory".
Double-breasted buckskin coat, with fringe on the pockets and collar and along the sleeves.
Specific History
This buckskin coat was worn by Custer when he was a lieutenant colonel with the 7th U.S. Cavalry in the Dakotas. It was one of several owned and worn by Custer, who preferred to dress like a frontiersman while out West.
In 1912, Custer's widow, Elizabeth, donated this buckskin coat to the Smithsonian as a tribute to her husband.
General History
George Armstrong Custer was born in 1839 in New Rumley, Ohio; by 1857, he was enrolled as a cadet in the U.S. Military Academy at West Point upon appointment by a congressman. He graduated last in his class of thirty-four. During the Civil War, he became known for his fearlessness (some said recklessness) in battle; indeed, he was promoted to the rank of Major General by age twenty-five. He figured prominently in General Philip Sheridan's campaign in the Shenandoah Valley in 1864; at the surrender at Appomattox in April 1865, Sheridan gave Custer's wife Elizabeth the table on which the surrender was signed.
After the war, George Custer reverted to the rank of captain. He was given command of the newly formed Seventh Cavalry in 1866 and elevated to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He gained a reputation as an Indian fighter who often ignored orders if they did not suit his sense of self-aggrandizement. His recklessness finally caught up to him on June 25, 1876, when he and his five cavalry companies were annihilated by a combined force of thousands of Sioux and Cheyenne warriors at Little Big Horn, Montana.
In 1864, George Custer married Elizabeth (Libby) Bacon. Libby followed her husband on campaign during the Civil War, and even went with him to the frontier. After his death, she crusaded to perpetuate the image of her husband as a gallant soldier; to this end, she undertook speaking engagements and wrote several books.
In 1912, she donated this coat to the Smithsonian in memory of her husband.
The privateer schooner Prince de Neufchatel was built by Adam and Noah Brown at New York in 1813. It measured 117 feet long and 320 tons. With a recorded speed of 13½ knots and a crew of 129 men, and armed with 18 cannon, it was one of the swiftest and most successful privateers of the War of 1812.
The Prince was initially owned by Mme. Flory Charreton, a French widow who moved to New York and became an American citizen sometime before 1812. It was sailed to France under Capt. J. Ordronaux and fitted out as an armed privateer at Cherbourg. In March 1814, it captured nine British prize vessels in the English Channel.
In June 1814, the Prince took six more prizes in just six days. That summer, the Prince evaded no fewer than 17 British warships that chased and tried to capture the swift American privateer. In October 1814, it survived a battle off New England with a much larger British frigate. Two months later, a squadron of three British frigates finally captured the Prince and promptly sailed it back to London to have shipwrights copy the lines of the speedy vessel at Deptford Dockyard. The Royal Navy planned to purchase the American vessel, but it was badly damaged coming out of the dry dock and sold as a wreck.
The original October 1814 articles of agreement that accompany this model list it as a brig, which is a two-masted vessel with both masts rigged with square sails. However, ship captains had the authority to rig their vessels as they pleased, and this model portrays the Prince as a hermaphrodite brig. This was a rare and short-lived rig from the early 19th century, and modern scholars disagree on its exact layout. The foremast is rigged with square sails, and the main sail on the mainmast is fore-and-aft rigged, but the upper sails on the mainmast can be rigged differently.
The lines of the Prince de Neufchatel were redrawn by the Smithsonian’s Howard I. Chapelle from the original line drawings by the British Admiralty. They are available from the ship plans collection at the National Museum of American History (americanhistory.si.edu/csr/shipplan.htm).
Gray wool felt with gold-cord trim. U.S. insignia.
Specific History
During the Civil War, officers wore many types of hats, more often non-regulation than regulation. This example of a regulation army hat was worn by General William T. Sherman. The hat is made of gray felt and has a gold general officer's hat cord as prescribed in the 1858 regulations for general officers; also in keeping with the regulations is a gold-embroidered wreath, encircling the letters "U.S." embroidered in silver, on a black-velvet patch sewn onto the front of the crown.
General History
Although a native of Ohio, William Tecumseh Sherman remains inextricably linked with Georgia and the burning of Atlanta. Sherman was a graduate of West Point. His first tour of duty was in Florida in a campaign against the Seminole Indians and later he was an aide during the Mexican War. After a failed attempt at banking, he commanded a military school. During the Civil War he sided with the Union. His first action was in the Battle of First Manassas in July 1861. In July 1863, Sherman was promoted to brigadier general. His fame came on May 5, 1864, when he marched his army of close to 100,000 men into Georgia. Within six weeks, Confederate casualties had doubled, and on September 1, 1864, Sherman occupied Atlanta. His plan was to burn the buildings used for military purposes, but his fires raged out of control, destroying much of the city. With Atlanta burning, Sherman launched his March to the Sea. 60,000 of his most seasoned soldiers cut a swath of destruction through the heart of Georgia. By December 23, 1864, Sherman's forces occupied Savannah. After the war, in 1869, he succeeded Ulysses S. Grant as General of the Army of the United States. Sherman retired from the army in 1884 with that rank.
Cher Ami was a black check cock homing pigeon, one of 600 English-bred birds donated to the U.S. Army Signal Corps’ Pigeon Service of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) by the British Home Forces Pigeon Service on May 20, 1918. Cher Ami likely hatched in late March to early April 1918. His aluminum identification band on his left leg is stamped “NURP 18 EAD 615” which translates as “National Union Racing Pigeon,” born 1918, bred at the registered loft of “EAD,” bird number 615. “EAD” may stand for the loft of E.A. Davidson at St. James’s House, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England.
Cher Ami and the other English pigeons arrived at the headquarters of the AEF Pigeon Service on May 23. On July 1, the Army assigned Cher Ami and 59 other pigeons to Mobile Loft No. 11 managed by Corporal (later Sergeant) Ernest P. Kockler of Chicago. The birds of Mobile Loft No. 11 supplied pigeons to soldiers of the AEF during fighting in the Aisne-Marne Sector of the Western Front in mid-July to August. On September 21, the loft relocated to Rampont, France in preparation for the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Birds from the loft supported infantry of the 77th Infantry Division fighting into and through the Argonne Forest.
While the surviving evidence is inconclusive, it is possible that Private Omer Richards of New York, a member of the division’s 308th Infantry Regiment, carried Cher Ami and three other pigeons into the forest. On the afternoon of October 4, 1918, legend has Cher Ami as the eighth and last pigeon available to the men known as the “Lost Battalion” under the command Major Charles W. Whittlesey. Surrounded by German forces, the men of the Lost Battalion were fighting off repeated attacks when they found themselves enduring a barrage of friendly artillery due to mistaken position coordinates. To attempt to stop the shelling, Whittlesey dashed off a message carried by Cher Ami which read “We are along the road parallel 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake stop it.”
About an hour after Richards released the pigeon, Cher Ami returned to Mobile Loft No. 11. Kockler found him with message tube hanging from the remains of the bird’s right leg and a deep wound across the chest cutting through the breastbone, both injuries from either a bullet or shell fragment. The shelling had ceased by the time Cher Ami arrived at his loft, but critically the message provided the exact coordinates of Whittlesey and the Lost Battalion which aided in their eventual relief on the night of October 7.
As a result of the wound, the Army had to amputate Cher Ami’s right leg, ending his military messaging services. On account of his bravery, the French government awarded Cher Ami the Croix de Guerre with palm. The Signal Corps selected him for return to the United States and he arrived in the country on April 16, 1919 to great adulation. Due to his chest wound, Cher Ami grew increasingly weaker and died on June 13. The U.S. Army Signal Corps donated Cher Ami’s remains to the Smithsonian Institution where taxidermist Nelson R. Wood mounted the bird for display.
Posthumously, Cher Ami was inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame in 1931 and received a gold medal from the Organized Bodies of American Pigeon Fanciers in recognition of his extraordinary service during World War I. In 2019, Cher Ami received the Animals in War and Peace Medal of Bravery for his actions in World War I. After a century of uncertainly about the pigeon’s sex, in 2021 the Smithsonian conducted DNA testing which confirmed that Cher Ami is definitively a male pigeon.
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.