Badge of Military Merit
Encyclopedia
Awards and decorations of the United States military
Awards and decorations of the United States Military are military decorations which recognize service and personal accomplishments while a member of the United States armed forces...
of the United States Armed Forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
. Although the Fidelity Medallion
Fidelity Medallion
The Fidelity Medallion is the oldest decoration of the United States military and was created by act of the Continental Congress in 1780. Also known as the "André Capture Medal", the Fidelity Medallion was awarded to those soldiers who participated in the capture of Major John André, of the...
is older, after being issued to three soldiers for a specific event in 1780 it was never awarded again, so the Badge of Military Merit is often considered the oldest. The Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
is the official successor decoration of the Badge of Military Merit.
History
The Badge of Military Merit was first announced in General George WashingtonGeorge Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's general orders to the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
issued on August 7, 1782 at the Headquarters in Newburgh
Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site
Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site is a historic site in Newburgh, New York, USA. It consists of the Hasbrouck House, the longest-serving headquarters of George Washington during the American Revolutionary War, and three other structures....
. Designed by Washington in the form of a purple heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
, it was intended as a military order for soldiers who exhibited, "not only instances of unusual gallantry in battle, but also extraordinary fidelity and essential service in any way."
First awards
The writings of General Washington indicate that three badges, two Honorary Badges of Distinction and a Badge of Military Merit, were created on August 7, 1782. These are thought to be the first awards presented to the common soldier. The practice in Europe was to honor high-ranking officers who had achieved victory, rather than common soldiers. But in America, as General Washington said, the "road to glory in a patriot army and a free country is…open to all."Of the Badge of Military Merit, Washington said:
Recipients
Most historians indicate that only three people received the Badge of Military Merit during the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, all of them noncommissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
s, and the only ones who received the award from General Washington himself. Those soldiers are as follows:
On May 3, 1783
- Sergeant William BrownWilliam Brown (soldier)William Brown was a soldier for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Stamford and enlisted in the 5th Connecticut Regiment as a corporal on 23 May 1775, and re-enlisted as a private on 9 April 1777, for the duration of the war in the 8th Connecticut Regiment...
of the 5th Connecticut Regiment5th Connecticut RegimentThe 5th Connecticut Regiment was raised on April 27, 1775 at Danbury, Connecticut under the command of David Waterbury. The Regiment was one of six formed by the Connecticut Legislature in response to the hostilities at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. The Fifth would see its first action...
of the Connecticut Line - Sergeant Elijah ChurchillElijah ChurchillElijah Churchill , was a soldier for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Born in Enfield, Connecticut, a carpenter, he entered the 8th Connecticut Regiment as a private on 7 July 1775...
of the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons2nd Continental Light DragoonsThe 2nd Continental Light Dragoons, also known as Sheldon's Horse after Colonel Elisha Sheldon, was commissioned by the Continental Congress on December 12, 1776 and was first mustered at Wethersfield, Connecticut in March 1777 for service with the Continental Army...
On June 10, 1783
- Sergeant Daniel Bissell of the 2nd Connecticut Regiment2nd Connecticut RegimentThe 2nd Connecticut Regiment was authorized in the Continental Army on September 16, 1776. It was organized between 1 January - April 1777 at Danbury, Connecticut of eight companies from the counties of Fairfield, Windham, and Hartford in the state of Connecticut and assigned on 3 April 1777 to...
of the Connecticut LineConnecticut LineThe Connecticut Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "Connecticut Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to Connecticut at various times by the Continental Congress, the size of its allocation determined by the size of its population in relative to...
While these three soldiers were most likely the first to receive the Badge of Military Merit, discharge certificates
Military discharge
A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve.-United States:Discharge or separation should not be confused with retirement; career U.S...
of other Revolutionary War soldiers indicate that they also received the "Badge of Merit" for their years of faithful service. Microfilmed images of these discharges bearing Washington's signature can be found in the individual records of soldiers at the National Archives
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
.
George Washington's papers show that he also referred to the Badge of Military Merit as the Badge of Merit. This is evident in his orders to award the above-mentioned Sergeants Brown, Churchill and Bissell. The "book of merit" or orderly book mentioned by Washington in his general orders of August 7, 1782 in which the awards were to be recorded has never been found.
Other recipients
Some examples of other soldiers who were awarded the "Badge of Merit" for faithful service, according to their discharges:- John Sithens, Fife, 2nd New Jersey Regiment2nd New Jersey RegimentThe 2nd New Jersey Regiment was raised, on 9 October 1775, at Trenton, New Jersey, for service with the Continental Army under the command of Colonel William Maxwell...
, discharged June 5, 1783. - Peter Shumway, Soldier, 4th Massachusetts Regiment4th Massachusetts RegimentThe 4th Massachusetts Regiment also known as 3rd Continental Regiment was raised on April 23, 1775 under Colonel Ebenezer Learned outside of Boston, Massachusetts. The regiment would see action at the Battle of Bunker Hill, New York Campaign, Battle of Trenton, Battle of Princeton, Battle of...
, discharged June 9, 1783. - Sergeant William Dutton, 7th Massachusetts Regiment7th Massachusetts RegimentThe 7th Massachusetts Regiment, constituted on 16 September 1776 and originally known as Alden's Regiment from its first colonel, Ichabod Alden was an infantry regiment of the Continental Army...
, discharged June 10, 1783.
Status of original badges
Sergeant William Brown's badge was discovered in a Deerfield, New HampshireDeerfield, New Hampshire
Deerfield is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,280 at the 2010 census. Deerfield is home to the annual Deerfield Fair.- History :...
barn in the 1920s and is in the possession of the Society of the Cincinnati
Society of the Cincinnati
The Society of the Cincinnati is a historical organization with branches in the United States and France founded in 1783 to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the American Revolutionary War officers and to pressure the government to honor pledges it had made to officers who fought for American...
, New Hampshire Branch. It is now displayed at the American Independence Museum
American Independence Museum
The American Independence Museum is located in Exeter, New Hampshire. Its campus includes the Ladd-Gilman House , a registered National Historic Landmark, and the Folsom Tavern ....
in Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...
. Other sources say that Brown's badge was reported missing in 1924, and further, that the badge from New Hampshire belongs to an unknown fourth recipient. The photograph above shows Sergeant Churchill's badge, which is owned by New Windsor Cantonment
New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site
The New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site, also known as New Windsor Cantonment, is located along NY 300 a mile north of Vails Gate in Orange County's Town of New Windsor. The site features reconstruction buildings of the final encampment of the Continental Army.Between June 1782 and October...
, National Temple Hill Association. Churchill's badge was discovered when a Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
farmer who was the great grandson of Churchill wrote to a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
historical society saying he possessed the badge. It was proven authentic and now is on display at the National Temple Hill Association in Vails Gate, New York
Vails Gate, New York
Vails Gate is a hamlet in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,319 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined...
. Sergeant Bissell's badge was lost in an 1813 house fire.
Disuse
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
for soldiers who had previously received either a Wound Chevron
Wound Chevron
A Wound Chevron was a badge of the United States Army which was authorized for wear on an Army uniform between the years of 1918 and 1932. The Wound Chevron was displayed on the lower right cuff of a military uniform, and denoted wounds which were received in combat against an enemy force...
or the Army Wound Ribbon
Army Wound Ribbon
The Army Wound Ribbon was a short lived decoration of the United States Army which was created on September 6, 1917 to recognize those soldiers who had received combat wounds during World War I...
. At that time, it was also determined that the Purple Heart Medal would be considered the official "successor decoration" to the Badge of Military Merit.