Some have pointed out that members of the U.S. Army may have been ordered to march in “Route Step March” or “At Ease March,” a more relaxed and less rigorous type of marching.

After all the talk of dictators and wannabe kings, the Army’s anniversary celebration in the capital was a low-key affair, amid national turmoil.

The crowds in Annapolis gathered in front of the colonial, red-brick Maryland State House around mid-morning. The people who came were largely white, and they held signs reading: "RESISTING THE CROWN...