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John W. Downer Collection
John Walker Downer (1881-1977) of Charleston, West Virginia, attended Virginia Military Institute (VMI), Class of ’02, before beginning a long, illustrious military and equestrian career. During WW I he commanded the battalion which fired the first American artillery shot in combat. Downer also participated in the Seventh Olympiad in Antwerp in 1920, as a member of the U.S. equestrian team. The bulk of the collection consists of photographs of Germany and France taken during and immediately after the war by German photographers. These pictures depict the German military hierarchy and the destruction of the war.
Collection Formats:
Vessey Selected Works (pdf) This presents material drawn from the public record of General John W. Vessey’s service—22 June 1982 through 30 September 1985—as the Tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Arranged in chronological order, the material is drawn from his speeches, Congressional testimony, published articles, selected correspondence and interviews. It reflects General […]
Gleason and Margaret Wilson Biography (pdf) A short biographical summary of the World War II experiences of Gleason and Margaret Wilson. Archival research and exhibit (on display from June 2018 until January 2019) by Marshall Museum Summer 2018 intern Leah Ingle, a graduate student in History at Liberty University.
The following pages contain a list of the technical terms used most frequently in Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA) operations.
Sometime in 1968, C. W. Bowman took care of a young Vietnamese boy. He picked him up off the streets in Saigon during the Tet offensive (January-September of 1968). The boy’s family had been killed and he was living on the street. Charles Bowman bought him a uniform and fed him at the Company area.
Scene along country road in northern France.
Factory under construction in northern France.
Wheat field in northern France. In the background, coal mine and huge slag heap.
Full coal cars in northern French coal mine.
Collection Number: 74 UL
Date: 1908 - 1943
Collection Size: 2 lf
Collection Guide
