McB Nov 2020

 McBurney Column: National Museum of the U.S. Army Opens; U.S. Navy Plans to Build New Museum

The U.S. Army announced that the $430 million National Museum of the U.S. Army will open tomorrow, Nov. 11, on Veterans Day. This follows a five-month delay caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Built of stainless steel, aluminum and glass, the museum is located at 1775 Liberty Drive, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060. It is less than five miles south of Mount Vernon, taking one route.

The museum has 1,300 historic artifacts, which actually is not a lot. But they are of important historic interest and some are very large indeed. There is “Cobra King,” the World War II Sherman tank that was the first to relieve the besieged Bastogne. There is a landing craft that ferried men to the beach at D-Day. It is one of only six to survive. On a smaller scale, there is Sergeant Alvin York’s dented helmet. The museum has also created a number of simulated battle scenes featuring life-like soldiers. One scene depicts soldiers scrambling down a cargo net into the landing craft during the second wave ashore on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

There is a gallery called “Founding the Nation.” The website includes the following:

05 – Founding the Nation

1607-1835: This gallery covers Army history from the colonial period to the War of 1812. Visitors explore the origins and formation of the Continental Army, its’ role in the Revolutionary War, and the Army’s development as a professional

A photo of this gallery shows some nice colonial and Rev War artifacts. The link to it is here: https://www.thenmusa.org/exhibit/founding-the-nation/

Admission is free. Tickets for timed entry can be reserved at TheNMUSA.org. The museum will have health and safety measures in place. To reserve your tickets, click here: https://www.thenmusa.org/visit/

John Maass, historian at the museum, also sent me this more detailed description of the Founding the Nation gallery:

In a compact, but impressive 2800 square feet, this gallery is designed to introduce the visitor to colonial-era military systems such as the local militia and how these groups coalesced to form the Continental Army which, in turn, because the U.S Army. This gallery includes wood, iron, paintings, weathered treatment, colors of the British and early U.S. Army, and an 18th century wallpaper-inspired texture on the back wall. The pre-1775 segment discusses the need to form a local defense system as colonies sought to expand yet defend their homes. Here are introduced the early Virginia and Massachusetts militia models that required all men, age 16 to 60, to equip themselves with the fundamental tools of a soldier and participate in occasional training. Called “trained bands,” these colonials would eventually form the basis of the “minute companies” designed to respond to an increasing threats from the British Crown authorities.

Here the gallery moves toward telling the broader story of the American Army and creative A/V presentations and exhibits on how an army is created. Large graphic panels will tell the story of the early, yet critical, engagements of the war while a robust presentation of historic weapons, uniforms, and other artifacts lend physical presence to this well-known narrative. At the center of the gallery a full-scale exhibit of the type of sled, presented with a brass artillery tube lashed to the top, used to move captured artillery from Fort Ticonderoga in New York to Boston Massachusetts – a journey of over 300 miles. This macro-exhibit is complete with maps and graphics.

The exhibit then follows the long series of campaigns, both in the north and in the south, that ultimately lead to Washington’s victory at Yorktown. At the rear of the gallery an innovative three-screen audio-visual presentation, mounted on a replica of a ship’s mast, will outline the campaign and battle history of the entire war. Battles and campaigns discussed in this gallery include but are not limited to: Lexington/Concord, Bunker Hill, the Siege of Boston, Brooklyn, Saratoga, Monmouth, Charleston, Camden, King’s Mountain, Cowpens, and Yorktown.

The final area, featuring the “War of 1812,” immediately to the right of the gallery entrance, explores the Army’s role in firmly establishing the country’s independence, and the Indian wars that persisted during the country’s early formation. The exhibit is richly represented by artifacts referencing most elements of combat, combat support, and combat service/support. Specific Soldier Stories help the visitor understand the nature of serving in the Continental Army. Specific examples include Joseph Plumb Martin and Timothy Murphy, both Soldiers of the Continental line.

The U.S. Navy has also announced that it plans to build a $450 million flagship museum replacing the outdated one it currently has had at the Washington Navy Yard for more than 50 years. The current museum has been very difficult for visitors to see ever since increased security precautions starting with the aftermath of 9/11. The plan is for the museum to be in the vicinity of the Washington Navy Yard, but not inside the current secure facilities, in order to give the public better access. Architect renderings show a museum design with much glass and windows, with a central, light-filled atrium. (Having been at the current museum a few times, I can confirm that the museum has some terrific artifacts, including from the American Revolutionary War.)

The National Museum of the Marine Corps, in Triangle, Virginia, opened in 2006.

Best,

- Christian McBurney