Witness to Revolution

... the crown jewel in the collection [...] oh, the stories it could tell.

Washington Post

From the Revolutionary War to the present day, generations of Americans and visitors from abroad have found inspiration in the presence of General George Washington’s headquarters tent. Today, this remarkable artifact is pitched in Philadelphia at the Museum of the American Revolution, where more than one million visitors since 2017 have learned about Washington’s leadership and America’s ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government through an immersive presentation.

Our special exhibition Witness to Revolution: The Unlikely Travels of Washington’s Tent, which was open Feb. 17, 2024, through Jan. 5, 2025, greatly expanded the story told in the Museum’s award-winning film and brought to life the stories of individuals from all walks of life who saved Washington’s tent from being lost over the generations and who ultimately fashioned this relic into a symbol of the fragile American republic. It brought together, in many cases for the first time, inspiring works of art, rare documents, and significant historical objects from public and private collections across the United States.

Featured at the conclusion of the exhibition is a video that asks what does the tent mean to you?

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Visitors followed Washington’s decision to leave the “tented field” in 1783, packing up his military belongings (including the tent) and returning to private life at Mount Vernon. Following General Washington’s death in 1799, the tent remained in the care of Martha Washington and her descendants. It was routinely displayed in the 1800s, most dramatically during Lafayette’s return to the United States in 1824-25. The exhibition explored how the tent became a “relic” and a family heirloom, inherited by Martha Washington’s great-granddaughter, Mary Custis, who married Robert E. Lee in 1831.

Witness to Revolution: The Unlikely Travels of Washington’s Tent continued through the era of the American Civil War, when the Union Army occupied the Custis-Lee home of Arlington and the confiscated Washington relics were placed on display in Washington, D.C. The tent’s journey continued through Philadelphia’s Centennial Exposition of 1876 and a decades-long campaign by the Custis-Lee descendants to secure the return of their family heirlooms. Ultimately, a 1906 newspaper article sparked a friendship between Mary Custis Lee (1835-1918) and Episcopalian priest Rev. W. Herbert Burk (1867-1933), bringing Washington’s headquarters tent into the collection that is now on display at the Museum of the American Revolution.

Key Artifacts

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George Washington’s foldable field bedstead, which was used inside his headquarters tent during the Revolutionary War. on loan from the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association

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A stereograph of Selina Gray (right), who was enslaved at Arlington House, with her two daughters. on loan from Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, National Park Service

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"In the Presence of Washington," painted by Howard Pyle in 1897, depicts General Washington inside his headquarters tent during the Revolutionary War. on loan from the Biggs Museum of American Art

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Hooks and eyes cut from George Washington’s headquarters tent in the 1900s. Museum of the American Revolution

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A parade banner made to celebrate the Marquis de Lafayette’s return to the United States in 1824. Museum of the American Revolution

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his fragment of the inner chamber from Washington’s headquarters tent was likely cut away as a souvenir in the 1800s. Museum of the American Revolution

Additional Educational & Special Offerings

Audio Tour: An audio tour, along with transcriptions, was available on hand-held devices.
Outdoor Walking Tour: The Witness to Revolution, Philadelphia from 1776-1976 outdoor walking tour took guests to Old City Philadelphia historic sites and history from the Declaration of Independence in 1776 to the Bicentennial in 1976.
First Oval Office Project: The Museum continues to offer living history programming both on and offsite, including a special traveling itinerary for the Museum’s popular full-scale replica of George Washington’s headquarters tent and Continental Army encampment, known as the First Oval Office Project.
Accessibility: The exhibit featured a display of three 3D-printed scale models of George Washington's Revolutionary War tents along with Braille descriptions, courtesy of the Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Digital Resources: Online visitors are invited to continue exploring the Museum's digital resources about Washington's tent, including our award-winning Virtual Tour of Washington's Field Headquarters, which allows you to immerse yourself in 360-degree panoramic images of a recreated Revolutionary War encampment, including the Museum's handsewn, full-scale replicas of Washington's sleeping marquee, dining tent, baggage tent, and common tents.
Educator Resources: For students and teachers, virtual distance learning programs and teacher professional development opportunities based on Witness to Revolution were made available. An educator resource guide, along with modular activities, high-quality images, and ready-made worksheets, is available online for free.
For Kids & Families: Families enjoyed the special exhibition with a printed family guide full of activities, along with a scavenger hunt for younger visitors. Hands-on activities for visitors to the exhibition included try-on clothing carts, pop-up talks, and a discovery cart with replica objects related to the travels of Washington’s tent.