Latest news with #CalltoArms:TheSoldierandtheRevolutionaryWar
Boston Globe
a day ago
- General
- Boston Globe
The surrendered sword that gave birth to America returns to Virginia
It was the sword that 'represents the birth of America,' Caroline Stanley, Britain's Countess of Derby and a Cornwallis descendant, said at the museum last week. Advertisement Though they cannot be absolutely certain, experts think this was the sword that signified the end of the Revolutionary War, Morando said, a physical object that symbolized victory over British oppression after six years of bloody conflict. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The sword is part of a new museum exhibition, 'Call to Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War,' that celebrates the Army's 250th birthday Saturday and the nation's 250th next year. The exhibition opened June 7 at the museum in Fort Belvoir, Va., about 15 miles south of D.C. It is set to run through June 2027. The British surrender came as the forces of Washington and his French allies trapped the main part of Cornwallis's Army at Yorktown, a village on the York River in southeastern Virginia. The exhibition includes a large collection of muskets, pistols — two of which belonged to Washington — exquisitely etched powder horns, rare uniforms, tattered battle flags, and mannequins clad in period garb that represent actual war participants. Advertisement The latter include a life-size model of Native American soldier Daniel Nimham, of the Wappinger people, who served in the Stockbridge Indian Company. He, his son, Abraham, and 14 other Indians were killed in an ambush by British Loyalists in 1778, the museum says. One of the faded flags is that of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, which included a large contingent of Black soldiers, many of whom were enslaved and agreed to fight in exchange for their freedom. One of them was Cato Varnum, who is shown as a life-size figure wearing the regiment's white uniform and black hat. He joined the regiment at age 16. Another flag, that of the German Ansbach-Bayreuth Regiment in the employ of the British, was the last banner surrendered at Yorktown, Morando said. The white flag bears the image of the Brandenburg red eagle under the Latin motto 'For the Prince and the Country.' More than 2,000 hired German soldiers surrendered with the British, the museum says. Morando has assembled artifacts from institutions around the country, as well as military museums in Britain, France, and Canada. From Britain came the sword, which has been lent by the countess, who said her family has owned it for generations. She watched last week as it was mounted in a museum display case. Morando said that there is no concrete proof that this was the Cornwallis sword presented at the ceremony but that there is 'a lot of supporting evidence.' Advertisement In paintings depicting the surrender, the sword is 'just a simple British officer's sword. And that's what this is. There's nothing fancy. Just a standard English dress sword from that time period.' 'I honestly believe this is Lord Cornwallis's sword,' he said. 'Whether or not it was the sword that was presented, you can make arguments for and against. Looking at the research, looking at the documents, looking at the images, and paintings, you can make a strong argument that this indeed is the surrender sword.' The countess said, 'It's never left the family.' 'It was always in my father's dressing room,' she said in an interview. 'Probably not being looked after in the way that it should have been looked after. It was in a coat stand with … umbrellas and stuff like that.' 'Even though he knew how important it was … it's always been much more of a sentimental item,' she said. The sword, which is on loan for six months, is believed to have been given to Cornwallis in his youth by an uncle who was a general, she said. The sword dates to the 1750s. By 1781, Cornwallis was 42 and a battle-tested leader when he surrendered his army at Yorktown. The ceremony that Friday afternoon took place in front of thousands of soldiers — victors and vanquished. Washington was present. So was the French commander, Rochambeau. Cornwallis was not. He was either too embarrassed or was ill, historian Jerome A. Greene wrote in his 2005 book 'The Guns of Independence: the Siege of Yorktown, 1781.' Although the countess said, Cornwallis and Washington met privately later, the British general's absence at the surrender annoyed the Americans. Advertisement 'We are not to be surprised that the pride of the British officer is humbled,' wrote James Thacher, a doctor in Washington's Army, according to Greene. 'They have always maintained an exalted opinion of their own military prowess [and viewed] the Americans as a contemptible, undisciplined rabble,' Thacher wrote. Cornwallis instead sent one of his subordinates, Gen. Charles O'Hara. As the ceremony began, O'Hara tried to offer the sword to Rochambeau, even though O'Hara knew Washington was the allied commander, Greene recounted. Rochambeau pointed O'Hara to Washington. But when O'Hara tried to surrender the sword to Washington, the latter directed him to one of his subordinates, Gen. Benjamin Lincoln. If Cornwallis was sending a subordinate, he would surrender to a subordinate, Greene wrote. Lincoln took the sword, held it for a moment, and gave it back. A few weeks after the surrender, a French soldier wrote his mother: 'I know now that I have been an actor in events which the world and history will never forget.'
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
US Army's 250th anniversary a celebration that coincides with Trump's birthday. How to attend
How do you celebrate the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary, Flag Day and President Trump's birthday? With a parade, of course. Oh, and fireworks and a festival. The Army is planning a week-long celebration, starting Saturday, June 7, through Flag Day, on June 14. June 14 also happens to be Donald Trump's birthday. He was born June 14, 1946, and will turn 79 this year. Here's everything you should know about the celebrations and how to get tickets. "This year's birthday theme, 'This we'll defend,' was first used as a battle cry by the Continental Army," the Army posted on its website. "Today, it reminds us that our Army's purpose is clear: to fight and win the nation's wars. We remain committed to honing our warfighting skills, enforcing standards and discipline, and living the values that have defined our Army for the past 250 years." June 7-8 A new exhibit at the National Museum of the United States Army called 'Call to Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War' will be open and free to the public. Opens at 10 a.m. June 11 Twilight Tattoo will be held at 7 p.m. at Summerall Field at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia. The action-packed military experience will feature soldiers from the U.S. Army Military District of Washington's ceremonial units, the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) and The U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own." It will be livestreamed on @USArmy social media platforms. June 13 The Army birthday run (or walk) will start at 7 a.m. at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. Army Day with the Washington Nationals will begin at 6:45 p.m. Army leaders and personnel will hold their annual Army-focused celebration as the Washington Nationals play the Miami Marlins. June 14 The Army Birthday Wreath Laying at Arlington National Cemetery will take place at 8:15 a.m. Army Birthday Festival will take place on the National Mall from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. This event is open to the public with opportunities to interact with soldiers, watch military demonstrations, explore equipment static displays, and listen to live music throughout the day. The Army fitness competition and awards will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. At 6:30 p.m. ET, the Army Birthday Parade will celebrate the Army's history and will feature Army equipment, flyovers and 6,600 Soldiers in uniforms from the past and the present. The parade will last until 7:30 p.m. It will cross in front of Trump's viewing stand on Constitution Avenue, just south of the White House, around sundown. A concert at the Ellipse begins at 7:30 p.m. The day will end with an enlistment and re-enlistment ceremony, a parachute demonstration by the Golden Knights and a fireworks display. Trump is expected to attend the enlistment ceremony. Fireworks start at 9:45 p.m. The festival is free and open to the public on the National Mall, but to reduce wait times, registration is recommended. The parade will take place on Constitution Ave Northwest between15th and 23rd Streets. Guests can register up to two per mobile number per event by going to U.S. Army Grand Military Parade and Celebration's website. You'll be asked to provide your full name, phone number, email, state and zip code. A confirmation SMS will be sent to your phone, and you will not be registered until you verify by phone. ➤ See the parade route and festival location Held on the National Mall, the Army's 250th Birthday Festival is free. The festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The fitness competition begins at 9:30 a.m. Enter and exit through security gates at Seventh Street. Visitors are encouraged to take the Metro or use street parking or public parking garages. The north entrance of the Smithsonian Metro Station (the Mall entrance) will be closed. ➤ See layout of Army festival The latest price tag for the massive event is $40 million, which includes the cost of repairing streets expected to be damaged by Army tanks. The Army has said the parade is costly, but said the expense is justified. Tens of millions spent on a parade 'is dwarfed by 250 years of service and sacrifice by America's Army,' spokesman Steve Warren told reporters recently. Neither the Navy, nor the Marine Corps, which also both celebrate their 250th birthdays later this year, plan parades similar to what the Army has planned for June 14. 'It is Donald Trump who is the focus of his own attention, and the Army birthday just happened to be a convenient excuse,' said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut. 'He might well celebrate all our military services together since their birthdays are imminent." The administration said the Army's anniversary and Trump's birthday are a coincidence and the parade is justified to honor soldiers' sacrifice. 'The President is planning an historic celebration of the Army's 250th birthday that will honor generations of selfless Americans who have risked everything for our freedom,' Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley said in a statement last month. Contributing: Tom Vandeen Brook, Amaris Encinas, USA Today-Network This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Army military parade, festival week-long celebration President Trump
