The United States Army (USA) is the largest branch of the United States Armed Forces and performs land-based military operations. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution, Article 2, Section 2, Clause 1 and United States Code, Title 10, Subtitle B, Chapter 301, Section 3001. As the largest and senior branch of the U.S. military, the modern U.S. Army has its roots in the Continental Army, which was formed (14 June 1775) to fight the American Revolutionary War (1775–83)—before the U.S. was established as a country. After the Revolutionary War, the Congress of the Confederation created the United States Army on 3 June 1784, to replace the disbanded Continental Army. The United States Army considers itself descended from the Continental Army, and dates its institutional inception from the origin of that armed force in 1775.
US Army 101 is a 2-8-0 steam locomotive that was originally operated by the United States Army. It is one of two survivors of the 1,500 General Pershing locomotives built in 1916–1918 for the War Department in World War I. The 101 went on to see action in three wars — World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.
The history of the 101 is something of a mystery. Is known is that it was built for the US Army for use in World War I by Baldwin Locomotive Works. It was owned by the US Army until it was donated to Korea in 1947 - after the end of the Japanese occupation (1945) and prior to the start of the Korean War (1950).
In 1953, the 101 was recovered from damaged areas and reconstructed by the Army Transportation Corps, under the direction of Col. George Simpson. It seems that the 101 was still property of the Korean Republic, however. Col. George Simpson, Harold T.I. Shannon, and Harold E. Fuller started to talk with the Korean Republic about donating the engine to the National Railroad Museum.