Army Trails

Army history where it happened

Army Trails is an online experience that will explore the history of the United States Army through first-person accounts, short narratives, select documents, and original artifacts contained within the Army’s vast museum collection.

The stories will be organized into seven categories, each corresponding to one of the main exhibition halls at the National Museum of the United States Army at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Founding the Nation Trail
Army Trail Badge

Founding the Nation Trail

When war broke out between the British/American colonies and the British in Massachusetts in 1775, the New England militia confronted the British soldiers/regulars in the fight for independence. Established on June 14, 1775, the Continental Army provided the nucleus around which local militia units would form. Led by Gen. George Washington, the Americans/Continentals/Continental Army won the war of independence after eight long years of fighting.  Later, as a sovereign nation, the United States faced the British again in the War...