During the first years of our country’s existence the idea of giving medals to Revolutionary War heroes was met with no small amount of resistance, it just reminded people too much of European aristocracy. But on August 2nd 1782 General George Washington issued a general order establishing the Badge of Military Merit, which consisted of a purple cloth in he shape of a heart.
As far as it is known only three men ever received the medal, they were:
Sgt. Elijah Churchill of Enfield, Conn.
Sgt. Daniel Brown of Stamford, Conn.
Sgt. Daniel Bissell of East Windsor, Conn.
Sgt. Churchill received his medal for his actions on Long Island Sound in 1789 and 1781
in which he led raids on Fort George at Mastic and a British outpost at Fort Slongo where he was the only one of the 80 to 140 men to be wounded. He was cited for gallantry, firmness, and address. A detailed account is available in the Remember Me archive.
Sgt. Brown received his medal when he led a “Forlorn Hope” as the first party to storm the works of Redoubt No. 10 at Yorktown. General Cornwallis had built a fortification at Yorktown with about 8,000 British troops.
Again a detailed account is available, but Sgt. Brown had led an assault on the fort that protected Cornwallis and took it in short order. This led to the surrender of Cornwallis and the end of the American Revolution.
Sgt. Bissell received his medal when he was sent to Staten Island to gain intelligence on British troop and armament strength. When he arrived in New York City he posed as a deserter. He had gained some information but was unable to work his way off the island, so he enlisted in Benedict Arnold’s Loyalist Army and awaited an opportunity to effect his escape. While with Arnold’s Corp Sgt. Bissell continued to accumulate additional intelligence. He ultimately was assigned as quartermaster, moving supplies to various British units. While on a foraging mission in September of 1781 he was finally able to make a good escape.
Records of the first Purple Hearts were lost until the 1920’s. The only Badge of the original three to survive is Sgt. Churchill’s Badge which is on display at Washington’s Headquarters in Newburgh, New York.
On February 22, 1932 (the 200th anniversary of Washington’s birth) President Hoover reinstated the Purple Heart Medal.