Article Text
Visitors can now step into pivotal moments of the American Revolution through a new augmented reality experience at the National Museum of the United States Army in Fairfax County.
“American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition” spans the conflict from the Battle of Bunker Hill to the Siege of Yorktown. Visitors carry tablets and scan marked portals throughout the exhibit to unlock 360-degree scenes, hear from historical figures and explore details of soldiers’ lives.
A built-in “Time Portal” also shows what each featured location looks like today.
Museum Director Paul Morando said the experience reaches beyond prominent leaders such as George Washington and Alexander Hamilton by focusing on ordinary soldiers and their experiences.
One segment examines the Noble Train of Artillery, the difficult winter operation in 1775-76 in which Gen. Henry Knox and teams of soldiers transported heavy cannons from Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York to Boston.
The exhibition covers Continental Army victories at Boston and Trenton while also confronting defeats and costly mistakes. Its opening scene focuses on Bunker Hill, a loss that nevertheless demonstrated to British forces that the Americans would be determined opponents.
Visitors then encounter the Battle of Long Island, where the Continental Army—and potentially the Revolution itself—came close to destruction. Morando said Washington was outnumbered and outmaneuvered during the fighting around New York but recognized that continuing the battle would be disastrous and found a way for his forces to escape.
Morando said the interactive technology complements the museum’s artifact-based displays, offering visitors an engaging but heavily researched way to learn about the war.
The augmented reality experience accompanies another temporary exhibition, “Call to Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War.” Its artifacts include a leopard-skin saddle used by a New Hampshire officer, a French cannon from the Siege of Yorktown and the sword surrendered by British Gen. Charles Cornwallis.
The Cornwallis sword has never previously been displayed in the United States, according to the museum. Wednesday is the final day visitors can see it.
“American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition” is included with museum admission and operates from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays.