The Imprint of World War I

In 1917 the commanding personality of General John J. Pershing characterized the United States’ belated foray into the war-weary battlefields of Europe. At home, President Woodrow Wilson’s commitment to the Allied victory changed the character of both the federal government and of the nation’s capital. Although Washington, D.C. awaits a national memorial to World War I, sites associated with the “War to End All Wars” are hiding in plain sight, testimonies to the foot soldiers, generals, bureaucrats, and U.S. presidents involved in the cataclysmic conflict. Discover these touchstones to the Great War on a walk that travels from downtown Washington, D.C. to the National Mall.

Discover more great D.C. walking tour adventures: The Great War in Arlington Cemetery and Memorials: Remembrances of War