The Military Museum contains exhibits from America's overseas conflicts, beginning with the Spanish-American War in 1898 and ending with World War II in 1945.The exhibits look at the beginnings of each war, major battles, and the outcomes. Included is a deck gun from the U.S.S. Nashville, which fired the first shot of the Spanish-American War. The exhibit on World War I, features weaponry, personal military equipment and other materials affirming Tennessee's involvement in "the war to end all wars."
Tennessee's most famous soldier, Alvin C. York, is highlighted in a display including his uniform and decorations. Exhibits include:
Three Medals of Honor given to Tennesseans, including Sgt. Alvin York;
Pistol captured by York in World War I;
Deck gun of the U.S.S. Nashville, which fired first shot of the Spanish-American War;
General Eisenhower's "Ike" jacket; and
Original teletype from General George Marshall regarding death of President Franklin Roosevelt.
Seeing York's uniform and his MOH just sends strong emotions through one's body. He in a ditch and has a rifle and he is up against a company. Astounding.
York's heroism went unnoticed in the United States press, even in Tennessee, until the publication of the April 26, 1919 issue of the Saturday Evening Post, which had a circulation in excess of 2 million. In an article titled "The Second Elder Gives Battle", journalist George Patullo, who had learned of York's story while touring battlefields earlier in the year, laid out the themes that have dominated York's story ever since: the mountaineer, his religious faith and skill with firearms, patriotic, plainspoken and unsophisticated, an uneducated man who "seems to do everything correctly by intuition."
In response, the Tennessee Society, a group of Tennesseans living in New York City, arranged celebrations to greet York upon his return to the United States, including a 5-day furlough to allow for visits to New York City and Washington, D.C. York arrived in Hoboken, N.J. on May 22, stayed at the Waldorf Astoria, and attended a formal banquet in his honor. He toured the subway system in a special car before continuing to Washington, where the House of Representatives gave him a standing ovation and he met Secretary of War Newton D. Baker and the President's secretary Joe Tumulty, as President Wilson was still in Paris.
York proceeded to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, where he was discharged from the service, and then to Tennessee for more celebrations. He had been home for barely a week when, on June 7, 1919, York and Gracie Loretta Williams (February 7, 1900 – September 27, 1984) were married by Tennessee Governor Albert H. Roberts in Pall Mall. More celebrations followed the wedding, including a week-long trip to Nashville where York accepted a special medal awarded by the state.
HERE are some photos I took this weekend:
