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.
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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
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Cold Nights Coming on
- Description
- Pen, ink, and brush and ink wash sketch. Several soldiers sit around a fire in a large chimney in a structure that is in ruins. Parts of the roof are missing. Two soldiers on top of a platform in the right of the sketch. Two horses on the left of the sketch. A line of clothes runs from the platform to one side of the fireplace. The sketch is done on white wove paper mounted on tan card that is ruled with decorative graphite lines.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918-10-20
- associated date
- 1917-1918
- associated person
- War Department
- maker
- Duncan, Walter Jack
- ID Number
- AF.25693
- catalog number
- 25693
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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A View of Château Thierry
- Description
- Pencil and crayon sketch on paper. The work depicts the village of Château-Thierry, France during World War I. The Saint-Crepin church rises above the other buildings of the village. On the bottom left corner of the drawing the artist wrote "Chateau Thierry Looking south-west from the Chateau terrace."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918-08-04
- associated date
- 1917-1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Smith, J. Andre
- ID Number
- AF.25900
- catalog number
- 25900
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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On the Edge of Belleau Wood
- Description
- Charcoal and ink wash sketch on paper. The sketch depicts the edge of a wooded area, with timber fortifications in the center of the scene. Hills and small houses in the background. Belleau Wood was the scene of intense fighting between Allied soldiers and the German Army towards the end of the First World War.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918-08
- associated date
- 1917-1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Smith, J. Andre
- ID Number
- AF.26028
- catalog number
- 26028
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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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
-
In Pursuit of the Enemy
- Description
- Charcoal and crayon sketch on white paper. American troops in a shell-torn village. The soldier in center foreground has his bayonet fixed to his rifle. A deceased man and rifle lying on the ground at left. Buildings, including a damaged church spire, line the background.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918-07-24
- associated date
- 1917-1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Harding, George Matthews
- ID Number
- AF.25734
- catalog number
- 25734
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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A Pontoon Bridge at Chateau Thierry
- Description
- Mixed media sketch on paper of a pontoon bridge at Chateau Thierry. Six pontoon boats comprise a bride over the Marne River. Chateau Thierry was the site of the Battle of Chateau Thierry in 1918. American soldiers were concentrated in this area and fought a counteroffensive against the German army.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918-08-02
- associated date
- 1917-1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Smith, J. Andre
- ID Number
- AF.25941
- catalog number
- 25941
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Field of Belleau
- Description
- A charcoal and pencil sketch on paper. This landscape shows the view from the village of Belleau looking towards Belleau Wood. Trenches and foxholes constructed by the German soldiers are in the foreground. Stielhandgranate (stick grenades) litter the ground around this abandoned German position.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918-08-03
- associated date
- 1917-1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Smith, J. Andre
- ID Number
- AF.25985
- catalog number
- 25985
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
A Major's Dugout in Belleau Wood
- Description
- Charcoal sketch on paper showing a dugout in Belleau wood. Three sides of rectangular cell are depicted; a pallet appears on the right with other objects on the floor. A label attached to the cardboard mount reads: "A MAJOR'S DUGOUT IN BELLEAU WOOD/June, 1918/BY E. PEIXOTTO/TRANSFERRED FROM THE WAR DEPARTMENT/2954."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918-06
- associated date
- 1918-06
- associated person
- War Department
- maker
- Peixotto, Ernest Clifford
- ID Number
- AF.25796
- catalog number
- 25796
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Machine Gun Outfit Near Esnes
- Description
- Charcoal sketch. Shell bursts light up the horizon in the background. Soldiers in foreground, crouched and on the move. A horse is hitched to machine gun equipment. Three denuded trees between the soldiers and the horizon.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- associated date
- 1917-1918
- associated person
- War Department
- maker
- Morgan, Wallace
- ID Number
- AF.25774
- catalog number
- 25774
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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The Bridge at Château Thierry
- Description
- Pencil and ink wash sketch on paper. In the foreground, a damaged bridge extends halfway across a river. Soldiers in the river are repairing the bridge. In the background, buildings line the far bank of the river.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918-07
- associated date
- 1917-1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Peixotto, Ernest Clifford
- ID Number
- AF.25876
- catalog number
- 25876
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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American Officer Mess in the Cellar
- Description
- Graphite, charcoal, and ink wash sketch. Five officers sit around a table while another soldier serves them. The chair in the foreground is empty. On the table, a lamp illuminates the men's faces and casts shadows on the walls. A box telephone and two bottles of wine are among the items on the table. The sketch is done on white wove paper mounted on beige card that is ruled with decorative graphite lines.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1918
- associated date
- 1917-1918
- associated person
- War Department
- maker
- Duncan, Walter Jack
- ID Number
- AF.25688
- catalog number
- 25688
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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The Market Place, Fere-En-Tardenois
- Description
- Pencil, charcoal, and ink wash sketch on white paper. The sketch shows damaged buildings on the central square of Fère-en-Tardenois, France during World War I. The square is empty except for a truck, a group of soldiers carrying rifles, and a few people closer to the buildings. The buildings are pock-marked with shell damage, and many of the roofs are so damaged that the rafters are showing.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918-08
- artist
- Peixotto, Ernest Clifford
- ID Number
- AF.25880
- catalog number
- 25880
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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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
-
Ruins in the Main Square Fere-En-Tardenois
- Description
- Charcoal drawing on paper. The work depicts several damaged buildings in the main square of Fère-en-Tardenois, France during World War I. A church with a tall spire and a cross atop its peaked roof dominates the center of the work. A smaller, perhaps residential, building in the foreground is partially collapsed, with debris spilling out of the exposed second floor interior.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918-08
- artist
- Peixotto, Ernest Clifford
- ID Number
- AF.25859
- catalog number
- 25859
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Ruined Torcy
- Description
- Ink wash with charcoal on paper. The paper is affixed to a larger piece of beige cardboard. The drawing depicts a shell torn gothic church and the cemetery beside it. A tree stands behind the cemetery wall. The church and cemetery and bordered by a street that runs diagonally through the picture. More rubble is on the right of the street.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918-07
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Peixotto, Ernest Clifford
- ID Number
- AF.25857
- catalog number
- 25857
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Ruined Church at Seringes
- Description
- Ink wash sketch on paper. Shell-torn church in foreground. Houses behind the church. No artist signature.
- Seringes-et-Nesles is a small municipality in northern France.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- associated person
- War Department
- maker
- Peixotto, Ernest Clifford
- ID Number
- AF.25856
- catalog number
- 25856
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
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
-
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 shelling. There is rubble 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
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American Ration Train Headquarters
- Description
- Charcoal, crayon, and pastel sketch on heavy cream wove paper. A large farm building, with a breezeway in the center, dominates the sketch. In the left foreground are two horses and a soldier, while on the right, an American soldier stands next to a wagon. A mounted French soldier can be seen through the building's breezeway.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918-06-18
- associated date
- 1917-1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Harding, George Matthews
- ID Number
- AF.25733
- catalog number
- 25733
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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