Photo Hunters: Military

Oh gee, this theme is right up our alley. Just about every historic site we visit has something to do with the military, since we study American Revolutionary history. There is no way I could possibly post all the dozens and dozens of photos we have! So I’ll *try* to choose the best and most appropriate.

Here are the kids, paying their respect to the Baron von Steuben. He was a man from Prussia, who emigrated to America when he heard of our fight for independence against the British. He was a vital aide to General George Washington during the Revolution. He taught the unskilled American troops to use the bayonet, known as “Drillmaster of the American Revolution.” He wrote a manual on drilling soldiers, a manual which was nicknamed The Blue Book, and it is actually still used as a resource for our military. He weathered the severe winter at Valley Forge in 1777. After the war, he was given American citizenship and some valuable land in Upstate New York— this lot we visited where he is buried here. It’s an absolutely gorgeous area, heavily forested at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. You can read more about our enchanting visit here and here.

Baron von Steuben (”Baron” was not his first name; Frederick was his first name, and he had several “middle names”) was a hardcore veteran from Prussia (now a part of Germany) when he came to America to aid the Continental Army in its fight for independence. He became known as the “Drillmaster of the American Revolution,” because during the harsh winter of 1777 in Valley Forge, Baron von Steuben taught the Americans how to perform bayonet drills. His services were invaluable, for until the Americans learned how to use this dreadful weapon, the British troops and Hessian mercenaries almost always won the day on the battlefield, for they knew how to use the bayonet.

We visited the Fort Herkimer Church for a Civil War re-enactment a few years ago. Back in Revolutionary Days, churches were used as public shelters, refuges, and as places for storing food and ammunition during raids. Church congregations were the cornerstones of liberty back then. Pastors often preached about liberty and justice from their pulpits, and enlisted alongside their flocks for war service.

Here’s the anchor of the Mighty O, also known as the U.S.S. Oriskany. It was named for the small town in Upstate New York which was the location of the bloodiest battle of the American Revolution.

The Mighty O was decommissioned a few years ago. It was sunk off the coast of Florida, as a reef for marine life there. There’s an entire museum dedicated to the battleship here. You can read about Oriskany Battlefield here and about the Mighty O here (including a few videos of the sinking of the ship).

Here’s a photo of the (I think) B-52 stratofortress, The Mohawk Valley. It sits at the old Griffiss Air Force Base (now a technology park since the base was closed in the 1990s). You can read about our visit here.

I could go on and on forever on this theme!! If you are really interested and want to see more, you can check out my Flickr page with loads of photos, and also read about some of our visits in my Travel Archives, or specifically about:

The U.S.S. Slater
H. Lee White Marine Museum in Oswego
Fort Stanwix in Rome
Fort Ontario in Oswego
The Old Stone Fort in Schoharie