Events

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolution, join us on Saturday June 7, 2025, as the Institute visits the National Museum of the United States Army in Fort Belvoir, Va., to explore its newest exhibition, Call to Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War, on its opening day.

Call to Arms explores the creation and early years of the United States Army during the American Revolution and was curated specifically to commemorate the Army’s 250th birthday in 2025, as well as our nation’s declaration of independence in 2026. It also serves as a testament to the strong partnership shared between the National Museum of the United States Army and the American Revolution Institute, as nearly twenty featured objects in the exhibition were loaned from our museum and library collections. These objects include a pair of field epaulets owned by Alexander Hamilton; camp forks used by Gen. George Washington; a pair of horseman’s pistols owned by Richard Clough Anderson, propositus of Larz Anderson; a Hessian dragoon pistol; and a French model 1770 officer’s fusil. Combined with other Revolutionary War artifacts from the original thirteen colonies, England, France, and Canada, our loaned objects help to form a rare collection of Revolutionary War artifacts that bolster the exhibition’s ability to highlight the American Revolution and the stories of our nation’s first veterans.

To make the visit as convenient as possible, attendees will drive themselves and rendevouz with our group at the museum at 8:45 a.m. Shortly after, at approximately 9 a.m., attendees will receive a welcome overview tour and view museum’s twelve-minute film, Of Noble Deeds, shown in the Army Theater before touring the new exhibition. After touring Call to Arms, guests are invited to view the permanent museum galleries and enjoy special activities planned by the museum for the exhibition’s opening day. Furthermore, you are also invited to join us for an optional lunch in one of the museum’s private meeting spaces that has been reserved for us. There is no charge to attend and tour the museum, though there is a small fee associated with the optional lunch to help cover the cost of the boxed lunches.

If you would like to join us for this special visit to the National Museum of the United States Army, please use the link below to register. When registering, you will be prompted to choose a certain package. The first package, “Museum Admission Only,” is free but allows our staff to obtain a headcount of who will be attending. The second option, “Museum Admission and Boxed Lunch,” includes the optional boxed lunch option.

Register to Visit With Us