New Exhibit at Military History Museum Traces Citizen Soldiers in the 19th Century

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This reproduction War of 1812 militia officer's coatee is featured in the exhibit. It was made for Dewitt Clinton Falls, a notable New York National Guard officer and historian of the 1920's.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY (04/18/2011)(readMedia)-- A new permanent exhibit at the New York State Military Museum traces the history of New York's Citizen Soldiers from flamboyantly-uniformed local forces under state control to a force ready to serve as a reserve for the United States Army.

The exhibit " A Call Not Unheeded: New York's Militia and National Guard 1792-1916" uses artifacts from the museum's extensive collection to trace the history of New York's state Soldiers from the Whiskey Rebellion to General John J. Pershing's expedition against Pancho Villa in Mexico.

The exhibit takes its names from a quote from Silas Wright, Governor of New York from 1845 to 1846.

"The citizen soldiery of New York have never been deaf to the call of their country for aid against a foreign enemy; and until the spirit which animated our ancestors during the struggles of the Revolution shall be lost, and the memory of the Niagara frontier [during the War of 1812] shall be obliterated, such a call will not be unheeded by them. " Wright said.

From the end of the American Revolution through the eve of World War I, the organized militia and the National Guard of New York State served as a state military force, separate and distinct from the nation's military forces.

Comprised of volunteer citizens from all walks of life, the militia and National Guard protected life and property and preserved peace within the state but at the same time remained always prepared to answer the call for service to the federal government.

The exhibit features numerous artifacts from the museum's permanent collection which have not been previously shown to the public.

Notable artifacts include:

• A coatee, or short coat, belonging to Gen. Jacob Morton who directed the harbor defenses of New York City during the War of 1812;

• Chapeau and epaulets worn by Major General Earl Stimson (1776-1847) from Galway, NY;

• An 1825 militia muster notice for Albany, NY;

• Militia sword (ca. 1825-1830) of Major Gen. Richard Varick De Witt of Albany;

• 1840's Washington Greys dragoon helmet;

•A naval carronade captured by the 71st Regiment during the Dead Rabbit Riot of 1857;

•And a dress coat & busby worn by the Troy Citizens Corps, ca. 1890, etc.

The subjects covered by the exhibit include:

• Origins of the Militia;

• The Annual Farce: the Decline of New York's Compulsory Militia, 1792-1830;

• War on the Home Front: New York and the War of 1812;

• From Pure Military Zeal Alone: The Rise of the Organized Volunteer Militia, 1820's-1850's;

• Service at Home, 1830's-1850's;

• War with Mexico, 1846-1848;

• New York's National Guard and the Civil War;

• The Golden Age: Rise of the National Guard, 1865-1898;

• Castles in the City: Armories of New York;

• Aid to Civil Authorities, 1870's-1890's;

• New York and the War with Spain;

• A "National" National Guard: The Dick Act of 1903 and the National Defense Act of 1916;

• Mexican Border Service, 1916.

The New York State Military Museum houses over 10,000 artifacts dating from the Revolutionary War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that relate to New York State's military forces, the state's military history and the contributions of New York's veterans. The artifacts include uniforms, weapons, artillery pieces, and art. A significant portion of the museum's collection is from the Civil War. The museum also owns the largest collection of state battle flags in the country and the largest collection of Civil War flags in the world. Of the over 1700 flags in the collection, more than 60% are from the Civil War.

The museum is located at 61 Lake Avenue in Saratoga Springs New York. Hours are Tuesday - Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free.