The George C. Neumann Collection at Valley Forge NHP

The story of America’s War for Independence is generally a history of political and economic struggle between the American colonies and the English government which led to armed conflict in April 1775. The story typically focuses on the military leadership, analysis of the battles, and the social and cultural impact on the young American nation. Historians often omit one of the critical factors in understanding how the Continental army achieved ultimate victory against a superior British force – the nature of the weapons with which the war was fought. It was the use of these weapons that allowed the common soldier of the American Revolutions to eventually achieve American independence.

The George C. Neumann Collection of 18^th century military weaponry and related accoutrements tells the story of everyday life of the common soldier during America’s War for Independence. A story, not only documenting the weapons he carried into battle, but the additional military equipment and personal items common to the American soldier of the 18^th century. Through understanding these historic artifacts, we learn about the life of a soldier – his beliefs, everyday events that affected him, and what drove him to risk the sacrifices he made for our country’s independence.

The George C. Neumann Collection achieves more than telling the story of the American soldier during America’s War for Independence. The collection categorically documents the technological development of 18^th century firearms and other weaponry as they evolved both in Europe and the United States. Fulfilling the wish of the original collector, Mr. George C. Neumann, the collection offers a study of 18^th century military technological development and how this technology applied to, and transformed warfare of the 18^th century.

Accumulated over a twenty year period by Mr. Neumann, the collection was purchased by the National Park Service, through a donation by the Sun Oil Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1978. The collection was acquired so that present and future generations can gain an understanding and appreciation for the lives of those American soldiers who endured the struggles at Valley Forge and fought to secure America’s independence.

About the Collection

Comprised of approximately 1600 historic items, the Neumann collection consists of four separate, yet related, parts.

Firearms: The 84 shoulder weapons of the collection document the primary weapon of 18^th century linear warfare – the flintlock smoothbore musket. Offering muskets of English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish and American manufacture, the collection offers one of the largest comprehensive collections of 18^th century firearms known to exist. Several models of the famous British “Brown Bess” flintlock musket are present in the collection. The collection also offers fine study examples of the famous “Pennsylvania” American rifle and less known 18^th century Parapet or fortification wall guns.

Edged Weapons: Swords comprise the largest single grouping within the collection. Some 360 of these decorative yet functional bladed weapons represent American, British, French, German and Spanish efforts to produce 18^th Century edged weapons. Although often symbolic of military rank and civilian status, 18^th century swords were formidable and deadly weapons when used by soldiers in hand-to-hand fighting associated with 18^th century warfare. Present in the collection are excellent examples of hunting swords, small swords, horseman, cavalry sabers, officer’s short swords, infantry hangars and naval cutlasses.

Auxiliary Edged Weapons: This third part of the collection includes several fine examples of edged weapons called pole arms. Halberds, spontoons and pikes are spear-point blades mounted on long wooden poles. Dating back centuries, pole arms were symbols of rank for officers, but still a useful weapon when required. Other weapons in this category include bayonets, belt axes and knives.

Accoutrements and accessories: The fourth grouping in the Neumann collection is made up of over 690 items. This general collection consists of the everyday items needed and used by the Continental soldier. Canteens, cooking and eating utensils, bullet molds, bottles, leather cartridge boxes and belts, buttons, books, and powder horns are some examples of the 18^th century items used everyday by the American soldier.

Sun Oil Company

The Sun Oil Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a proud sponsor and assisted in the purchase of the Neumann Collection in 1978. The Sun Company decided to make its singular contribution through The Friends of Valley Forge, so that a collection, as extensive as the Neumann collection, would remain together, and not divided among numerous individual dealers and collectors throughout the Untied States and the world.

Valley Forge National Historical Park

Since the park’s establishment in 1976, the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, has administered, preserved, and funded this national historic site outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Living history programs, historic 18^th century structures, museum exhibits, and interpretive tours are among the educational tools used by the National Park Service to accurately tell and educate the American people about the history of the 1777-1778 winter encampment of the Continental Army at Valley Forge.

The George C. Neumann collection is an integral part of the park’s interpretive effort. Although a limited number of items from the collection are on permanent display in the park’s Welcome Center, the collection remains open to scholarly research and study for educational purposes. Authors, living history enthusiasts, and well-known educational institutions continue to seek use of the collections for publication and other purposes.

For further information on the George C. Neumann Collection at Valley Forge National Historical Park, please contact the park’s curator’s office at (610)783-1020, or visit www.nps.gov and follow the links to the Valley Forge collections.

Polearms: History and Identification

The origin of the polearm dates back to the birth of organized warfare. In 490 B.C. pikes were employed by the Spartans to hold off the Persian invasion at a place called Thermopile. Over the centuries, the pikeman, armed with his long spear, would continue to carry the momentum of armed warfare. From the mid-fifteenth century, long infantry pikes, often exceeding eighteen feet in length, created a wall of spear points from closely massed formations of disciplined troops to dominate the European battlefield. 

The invention of gunpowder and the subsequent development of the firearm slowly transformed the battlefield. By 1650, the flintlock musket and its attached bayonet replaced the pike as the standard infantry weapon. Despite their decline, however, polearms remained in limited use by both American and English forces during America’s War for Independence from 1775-1783.

The traditional role of polearms on the field of battle was recognizedby General George Washington. During the 1777-1778 winter encampment of the Continental army at Valley Forge, Washington sought to make the army look and feel more like a professional European army. To this effect, on December 22, 1777, Washington ordered all officers to provide themselves with polearms, or half-pikes, to more efficiently direct their men, as well as to provide a formidable weapon for close order combat. By the time of the American Revolution, then, polearms had become a symbol of rank and authority for officers.

 

To browse or search the polearms in the museum collection at Valley Forge National Historical Park, click here.

 

To learn more about polearms, click here.