[Museum Pamphlet and Letter From Isabel Van Lom, May 31, 1988] Page: 4 of 6
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THE NATIONAL WOMENS
MILITARY MUSEUM AND
RESEARCH CENTER
Woen h-ve served beside rmen since 1,he
beginning of our Nation's armed forces in
1776. During the Revolutionary War, women
often went along with their men on military
expeditions as laundresses and nurses.
During the battles when they were not
treating the wounded they would help reload
rifles or take over the duties of their
fallen husbands with a ramner at the muzzle
of an artillery piece. Others disguised as
men joined regular units in order to
fight. Then after a battle, rather than
risking exposure, they allowed their wounds
to heal untreated. Women were often
casualties along with their men.
Documentation reveals women fought at Fort
Ticonderoga against the Indians in
November, 1782. In 1791 when General
St. Clair's Army column was attacked by
Indians, 30 of the 900 dead and wounded
left on the battlefield were women. Other
women made cartridges at Buena Vista during
the Mexican Way of 1846.
During the Civil War (1861-1865) a large
number of women disguised as men enlisted
in units - 400 in the Union Army alone.
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Walker served as a
contract surgeon with the Union Army, was
captured by the Confederates and was the
only woman to receive the Congressional
Medal of Honor. Another woman at age
seventeen served as an Army Nurse through-
out the Civil War without compensation,
participated in 28 engagements, had two
horses killed beneath her and was awarded
the Kearney Cross of Valor.
Women have also served with distinction in
the Indian Wars, Spanish American War, WWI,
WWII, Korea, Vietnam and more recently inGrenada. In general, women have played a
role in every military conflict in our
nation's history.
I-: the Unitee State- today there are only
two Museums dedicated to women in uniform,
and each of these is only for one specific
branch of service. One at Fort McClellen,
Alabama, is for the Womens Army Corps
(WAC). The other at Fort Sam Houston,
Texas, is for the Army Nurse Corps (ANC).
In other Museums around the nation there
are only brief sketches, if any, for the
women who served in the other branches of
service. There is NO Museum dedicated
solely to women in all the branches of
service. This will be the first, a unique
Museum concept. It is only right that the
legacy of women in the uniformed service
who played and still play such an important
part in United States history be
commemorated in a Museum of their very
own. A National Womens Military Museum.
THE MUSEUM
The National Womens Military Museum and
Research Center will present the story of
women in the Military Services of the
United States. It will cover all service
branches throughout the history of the
United States since the Revolutionary War.
The Museum's collection will consist of
uniforms, illustrations, photographs, field
gear, artifacts, documents, souvenirs and
kindred materials relating to the
evolution, acceptance and importance of
women in our nation's Military History.
Where possible, the uniforms will not only
be garments on display but will furnish
personalities. "The uniform of Mary Smith,
long time resident of Portland, during WWII
(Vietnam, etc.) she served ..." may read
the description.
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Van Lom, Isabel Madison. [Museum Pamphlet and Letter From Isabel Van Lom, May 31, 1988], pamphlet, May 31, 1988; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1075502/m1/4/: accessed June 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting National WASP WWII Museum.