![MeritBadge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/MeritBadge.jpg)
The Badge of Military Merit was a
military award of the
United States Armed Forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...
. It is largely considered America's first military decoration, and the second oldest in the world (after the
Cross of St. George
The Cross of Saint George (russian: Георгиевский крест, Georgiyevskiy krest) is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was initially established by Imperial Russia where it was officially known as the Decoration of ...
). The award was only given to
non-commissioned officers
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
and privates. The
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...
is the official successor decoration of the Badge of Military Merit.
History
The Badge of Military Merit was first announced in General
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
's general orders to the
Continental Army issued on August 7, 1782, at the
Headquarters in Newburgh. Designed by Washington in the form of a purple heart, 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. This is thought to be the first time in
modern history that military awards had been presented to common
soldier
A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer.
Etymology
The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
s. Though the
French Royal Army had started awarding the
Medallion of Two Swords for enlisted soldiers in 1771, the general practice in Europe was to honor high-ranking
officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...
s who had achieved victory, rather than honoring 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."
On August 7, 1782, Washington issued a general order detailing the badge:
Recipients
Most historians indicate that only three people received the Badge of Military Merit during the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, all of them
noncommissioned officers, and the only ones who received the award from General Washington himself. Those soldiers are as follows:
On May 3, 1783
*Sergeant
William Brown of the
5th Connecticut Regiment of the Connecticut Line
*Sergeant
Elijah Churchill
Elijah Churchill (September 5, 1755 – April 11, 1841) was a soldier for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
Early life
Elijah Churchill was born on September 5, 1755, in Newington, Connecticut. His father was named Gi ...
of the
2nd Regiment Light Dragoons
On June 10, 1783
*Sergeant
Daniel Bissell of the
2nd Connecticut Regiment of the
Connecticut Line
Period records, however, indicate that several others may have been awarded the Badge of Military Merit for service in the American Revolutionary War.
Status of original badges
Brown's badge was found in a
Deerfield, New Hampshire
Deerfield is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,855 at the 2020 census, up from 4,280 at the 2010 census. Deerfield is the location of the annual Deerfield Fair.
History
Deerfield was originally pa ...
barn in the 1920s. There is disagreement in published sources about what became of Brown's badge after that. A badge on display at the
American Independence Museum
The American Independence Museum is a historic house museum located in Exeter, New Hampshire. Its campus includes two buildings: the Ladd-Gilman House, a registered National Historic Landmark built in 1721 by Nathaniel Ladd, and the Folsom Tavern ...
in
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...
on behalf of the
Society of the Cincinnati, New Hampshire Branch is stated to be Brown's. Other sources say that Brown's badge was reported lost in 1924 while in the possession of Bishop
Paul Matthews, and that the badge on display in Exeter belongs to a fourth, unknown recipient.
As of 2015, Churchill's badge was owned by the National Temple Hill Association and on display at the
New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site
The New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site, also known as New Windsor Cantonment, is located along NY 300, north one mile of Vails Gate, in the Town of New Windsor, Orange County, New York. The site features a reconstruction of the Contine ...
.
Churchill's badge was rediscovered when H. E. Johnson, a Michigan farmer and one of Churchill's descendants, wrote to the National Temple Hill Association about the badge.
Bissell's badge was reportedly lost when his house burned in July 1813.
Disuse
After the Revolutionary War, the Badge of Military Merit fell into disuse although it was never officially abolished. In 1932, the
United States War Department
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, a ...
authorized the new
Purple Heart Medal for soldiers who had previously received either a
Wound Chevron
A Wound Chevron was a badge of the United States Army, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was authorized for wear on uniforms between the years of 1918 and 1932. The Wound Chevron was a gold metallic-thread chevron on an Oliv ...
or the
Army Wound Ribbon. 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.
References
;Notes
;Sources
{{George Washington
1782 in the United States
United States military badges