Ohio History Journal

THE ORDER OF THE PURPLE HEART*

BY MARY MCMULLIN JONES

In 1925, the Exeter Society of the Cincinnati in the State of

New Hampshire published a small book entitled The Order of

Military Merit, the Honor Badge of the Continental Army.

In this book is given all that is known about the oldest

decoration for valor in existence except the Cross of St. George

of Russia. This brief sketch was compiled with great difficulty

as the Book of Merit provided for in General Washington's

Order has unfortunately been lost.

When this book came into the writer's possession, realizing

that this most important event in Colonial history had been over-

looked and being a great-granddaughter of Sergeant William

Brown, one of the recipients of this badge, she decided to give it

more publicity. As the book was copyrighted it was necessary

to get permission from the Order of the Cincinnati to make use

of the material contained. Mr. Horace Morrison, Secretary of

the Society of the Cincinnati in Exeter, granted the permission and

the ensuing article was written.

Since ex-President Herbert Hoover, in 1932, had revived

interest in the Purple Heart Decoration, she felt that the public

might be interested to read the early history. The old decoration

appeared in modern garb. In 1783, when the original was be-

stowed upon the soldiers there was no money for ornate jewelry.

A heart shaped of purple silk bound by a narrow silver galoon was

fastened upon the uniform over the heart by Washington's own

hand. The recipient felt repaid for all he had risked.

With grateful acknowledgments to the National Society of

the D. A. R. and to John C. Fitzpatrick, A. M., Chief of Manu-

*Editor's Note: In the light of recent awards of the Purple Heart for valor

in service, this story of its original use as a decoration in George Washington's day

should be of interest to the readers of this Quarterly. At the time of the George

Washington Bicentennial Celebration. "The Story of the Order of the Purple Heart,"

by John C. Fitzpatrick, was published by the Bicentennial Commission in its History

of the George Washington Bicentennial Celebration (Washington, 1932), III, 705-15.

(65)

66 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

script Division, Library of Congress, this article is submitted by

the great-granddaughter of Sergeant William Brown, one of the

first three recipients of the Badge of the Purple Heart.

It is a matter of record that when Napoleon surrendered

himself on board the Bellerophon, he was received by a captain's

detachment of Royal Marines. After acknowledging the salute

he minutely inspected the men, and having remarked that "they

were very fine and well appointed," added, "Are there none

amongst them who have seen service?" Upon being told that

"nearly the whole of them had seen much service," he exclaimed,

"What, no marks of merit?" It was explained to him that it

was not customary to confer medals upon common soldiers.

Napoleon replied, "Such is not the way to excite or cherish the

military virtues."

It is evident that Washington agreed with Napoleon for at

Newburgh, on August 7, 1782, an order was issued providing

that honorary badges of distinction were to be conferred on

veteran non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the army who

had served more than three years with bravery, fidelity and good

conduct. This was the badge of merit and consisted of a piece

of white cloth of angular form to be fixed to the left arm on the

uniform coats. A board was appointed to examine the claims

of candidates for the badge of merit. There is no evidence that

this board ever met and another board was appointed to report

as soon as possible.

General Washington directed that whenever any singularly

meritorious action is performed the author of it shall be permitted

to wear on his facings, over his left breast, the figure of a heart,

in purple cloth or silk, edged with narrow lace or silver bind-

ing. Men who merited this distinction were suffered to pass all

guards and sentinels which officers were permitted to do.

The first award of this badge was made to Sergeant Elijah

Churchill of Second Regiment of Light Dragoons. "On the sev-

eral Enterprizes against Fort St. George and Fort Slongo, on Long

Island, [he] acted...a very conscipuous and singularly meritorious

part; that at the head of each body of attack he not only acquitted

ORDER OF THE PURPLE HEART 67

himself with great gallantry, firmness and address, but that the

surprize in one instance, and the success of the attack in the other,

proceeded in a considerable degree from his conduct and manage-

ment."

The second award of this badge was made to Sergeant Wil-

liam Brown of the Fifth Connecticut Regiment. "In the as-

sault of the Enemy's left Redoubt at Yorktown in Virginia, on the

evening of the 14th of October, 1781, [he] conducted a forlorn

hope with great bravery, propriety and deliberate firmness, and

that his general character appears unexceptionable."

Later, the third award of this badge was made to Sergeant

Daniel Bissell of the Second Connecticut Regiment, by order of

June 8, 1783.

This Purple Heart Badge of Military Merit was created by

the general order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental

Army, issued at Newburgh, August 7, 1782. This is the first

time in the history of this country that an honor badge for

distinguished service in war was provided for the enlisted man

in the ranks and the non-commissioned officers, and although but a

badge of cloth or silk sewed on the uniform coat over the heart

it was a medal of honor of the Revolution. So far as known rec-

ords show, this honor badge was granted during that period to

but three men, all of them non-commissioned officers and in Con-

necticut regiments.

The first in point of time was the above-mentioned Sergeant

Elijah Churchill of the Second Regiment of Light Dragoons. Two

instances of his record are reported, the first was at Coram, Long

Island, where the British had large stores of hay for winter

forage. This was protected by a stockade fort called Fort St.

George. There was also a large force of British regulars and

several thousand Loyalist troops on the island. Sixteen men in

charge of Sergeant Churchill were to attack the largest of the

fort buildings. It was a desperate venture but successful for

the entire force got away without casualties. At II P. M., No-

vember 23, they reached their base having twice crossed Long

Island, "a total distance of forty miles, marched an equal distance,

68 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

stormed and taken a fort, destroyed a vessel, the fort, and over

three hundred tons of hay, all in less than twenty-four hours."

Sergeant Churchill made a second raid on Long Island; this

time against the British-built Fort Slongo. "The expedition

started across the Sound at 8 o'clock in the evening of October

2, 1781, and at 3 A. M. of October 3, the fort was in its hands."

Again Sergeant Churchill acquitted himself with utmost gallantry.

The attacking force went at their job with such vigor that the fort

was taken without the loss of a single man and only four of the

British were killed before they surrendered; the report showed

twenty-one prisoners taken, destruction of a quantity of artillery

and stores of small arms, ammunition and clothing. It was these

two successful raids upon fortified works within the enemy's

lines that gained the "Purple Heart" for Sergeant Churchill. He

was only 26 years old at this time, but he served to the end of the

war; applied for and received a pension and died at Chester,

Massachusetts, in 1841. There is no record of his Purple Heart

Badge; nothing is known as to what became of it.

The second "Heart" was awarded to Sergeant William

Brown, for valor on the historic field of Yorktown, October 14,

1781. The two redoubts that checked the progress of siege were

stormed and taken by allied troops--the French took the inner,

the Americans the outer. Brown led the "forlorn hope," so called

because being the advance party and the first to attack, the hazard

was so great that the attackers could have but a forlorn hope of

surviving. The attack was under the direction of Lieutenant-

Colonel Alexander Hamilton, then serving as volunteer. Ser-

geant Brown's party was the first to dash forward, not waiting

for sappers to cut away the abatis and breach the obstacles as was

usual, but he carried his men over all obstructions and into the re-

doubt in face of a murderous fire. The British were confused

by this unorthodox performance and the redoubt was captured in

less than a quarter of an hour with small loss to the stormers.

In a little volume describing the storming of Stony Point

under "Mad" Anthony Wayne, at midnight of July 15, 1779, which

was written by Henry P. Johnston, professor of history at the

ORDER OF THE PURPLE HEART 69

College of the City of New York and published in 1900, William

Brown is reported to have taken part. A medal commemorating

the attack was lost with the Purple Heart decoration.

Sergeant William Brown, of Captain Samuel Comstock's

Company of the Fifth Regiment Connecticut Line, was born in

Stamford, Connecticut, February 12, 1761. After the war he set-

tled in Columbia, now part of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he died in

1808. His Purple Heart Badge, which descended in his family

and was in possession of his great-grandson, the Right Reverend

Paul Matthews, Bishop of New Jersey, has disappeared. The

record shows no application for pension.

The last entry, so far as known, regarding the Purple Heart,

is found in Washington's general orders, June 8, 1783, at New-

burgh, when Sergeant Bissell was cited for decoration. Rupert

Hughes has a very pretty story about Bissell: when he was

refused promotion for services rendered, his sweetheart pinned

a piece of her purple silk gown upon his coat with the remark

"if your country will not decorate you, I will." Bissell was sent

into New York City, at the time that city was occupied by the

British, to obtain data unobtainable by the ordinary spy. He

had been written off the rolls as a deserter, not only to mislead

the British but his own comrades as well. He got into the city

easily enough but could not get out after collecting considerable

information. He was forced to destroy all his papers as the

enemy became suspicious. He had an excellent memory and

was able to describe forts and supplies accurately, thus render-

ing valuable aid to the patriot army. Every day for over a year

his life was in danger. He applied for and received a pension

and his application stated that his certificate of award of the

Purple Heart and inferentially the badge itself were destroyed

when his home and all his papers were burned.

These applications and awards were to be enrolled in a book

of merit but this book has since vanished and the decoration was

dropped.

In 1932, however, in honor of the Washington Bicentennial,

President Herbert Hoover issued an order, "By order of the

70 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

President of the United States, the Purple Heart, established

by General George Washington at Newburgh, August 7, 1782,

during the War of the Revolution, is hereby revived out of

respect to his memory and military achievements." The revised

decoration modified for current issue consists of a heart-shaped

medal, its face gold-bordered and its center purple enamel. On

the front side is a raised bust of George Washington, uniformed

as a general of the Continental Army; the opposite side is of gold

with the inscription "For Military Merit" in raised letters thereon.

The Coat of Arms of Washington is incorporated in the ring

which attaches it to a purple ribbon bordered with white. Addi-

tional acts of distinctive merit performed after the Purple Heart

has already been awarded to any one person are to be awarded

by the granting of the right to wear a bronze oak leaf on the rib-

bon of the decoration except in certain instances. The decoration

must be awarded within three years from the date of the act or

service which earned it. It will not be bestowed after death as

other honors are often bestowed.

It seems that there is only one specimen of the original

decoration in existence, this one being in the New Hampshire

Society of the Cincinnati. With the exception of the Cross of St.

George of Russia, the Purple Heart is the oldest decoration for

valor. The stories of these three men have had to be pieced to-

gether from official records. To the New Hampshire Society of

the Cincinnati aided by the Library of Congress the public is

indebted for the account of the awarding of the Purple Heart to

the non-commissioned officers of the Continental Army, only three

of whom are known to have received the decoration, Sergeant

Churchill and Sergeant Brown on May 3, 1783, and Sergeant

Bissell on June 8, 1783.

Sergeant William Brown, the second recipient of the Badge

of the Purple Heart, with his wife, Ruth Hanford, moved to

Columbia, the original site of Cincinnati. He never applied for

a pension but settled on a farm and reared a family of eight chil-

dren, one son and seven daughters. The youngest daughter,

Isabella, married Thomas Matthews, a widower with three chil-