The “Call to Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War,” exhibit offically opens to the public at the National Museum of the United States Army, Fort Belvoir, Va., June 7, 2025. The two-year exhibit commemorates the Army’s 250th anniversary and America’s declaration of independence in 2026. (Kaylyn Barnhart/Stars and Stripes)
FORT BELVOIR, Va. — The National Museum of the United States Army revealed a new temporary exhibit featuring nearly 300 Revolutionary War artifacts on Saturday and Sunday.
“Call to Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War,” is a two-year exhibit commemorating the Army’s 250th anniversary on June 14, and the Declaration of Independence in 2026. The exhibit has been in the works since the museum’s opening in 2020.
“It’s just so wonderful to see. The masses of people that are in this museum right now, and just connecting to the American soldier from the Revolution all the way to our modern world,” Tammy Call, the museum’s director, told Stars and Stripes on Saturday.
During opening weekend, the museum hosted family friendly activities, including flag-crafting and powder horn carving demonstrations. Living history reenactors dressed in hand-sewn British and American soldier garb and engaged with visitors, immersing them in the time period.
A volunteer does a powder horn carving demonstration during the opening of the National Museum of the United States Army’s two-year exhibit, “Call to Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War,” at Fort Belvoir, Va., June 7, 2025. (Kaylyn Barnhart/Stars and Stripes)
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History reenactors dressed in hand-sewn American and British Revolutionary war uniforms take a photo with visitors during the National Museum of the United States Army’s two-year exhibit, “Call to Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War,” at Fort Belvoir, Va., June 7, 2025. (Kaylyn Barnhart/Stars and Stripes)
A visitor looks at artifacts behind a display case during the National Museum of the United States Army’s two-year exhibit, “Call to Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War,” at Fort Belvoir, Va., June 7, 2025. (Kaylyn Barnhart/Stars and Stripes)
From carved powder horns to the First Rhode Island Regiment’s flag — which is on display for the first time — the exhibit aimed to personalize the initial “ragtag army” that fought for the country’s independence, said Paul Morando, the chief curator.
“The artifacts had to be connected to individual soldiers,” Morando said of the curating process. “We wanted to get their story out — the common soldier who served.”
As visitors first walk into the exhibit, a video plays sounds of clanking metal, thudding boots and rattling dice throughout the room, which is kept dark to preserve the rare artifacts on display, including the only complete Loyalist uniform and George Washington’s pistols. Spotlights shine on seven cast figures of lesser-known soldiers, revealing their contributions to the war.
“We [The Army] existed before we existed as a nation,” Call said. “Even though our founding fathers would one year later declare our independence, the revolution continued, and it was the soldiers of the revolution that fought to win that independence.”
Morando emphasized the importance of sharing history in different ways. 3-D topographical maps, and interactive touch screen kiosks are implemented around the exhibit, allowing visitors to explore the history extensively.
“Different people have different ways of learning, sometimes interactives engage them more,” he said. “It’s just another way to get them interested in the story.”
The exhibit concludes with a faded Army training manual alongside a modern Soldier’s Blue Book, comparing the past and present. Morando said that he hopes visitors can see themselves in the soldiers’ stories.
“They wanted patriotism,” Morando said. “They wanted to fight for something bigger than them. We wanted to make that connection that service and sacrifice endured over 250 years.”
Kaylyn Barnhart contributed to this report.
