For the recipient the Purple Heart was created by George Washington to reward soldiers who weren't being paid and then disappeared for 150 years.
For General George Washington, finding the money to execute the war was as tough as fighting the British. He spent countless hours in front of the Continental Congress or meeting with wealthy colonists in an effort to fund the Revolution. One of his creative ways to keep his soldiers fighting on when the pay envelopes were not forthcoming was to grant a commission and promote men in rank. In the summer of 1782, while awaiting word of the final terms of formal surrender, Washington learned from Congress that there was no money to pay the officers either.
Seeking an alternate way to reward his troops - and ward off the ever-present threat of desertion - Washington created two badges of honor for his volunteers and noncommissioned officers. One was a chevron designed to be worn on the left sleeve of the coat, awarded in recognition of three years of service with "bravery, fidelity and good conduct." Those men with six years of such service would receive two chevrons.
The second award was intended for any recipient who performed "any singularly meritorious action." Washington went on to declare in his General Orders of August 7, 1782, that "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 binding." Winners of this Badge of Military Merit, as it was known, would be permitted to pass any Continental guards or sentries without challenge. Men who won this honor would have their names inscribed in a Book of Merit.
These were the first military awards ever made for the common soldier.
The first Badges of Military Merit were awarded on May 3, 1783. The first went to Sergeant Elijah Churchill, a 26-year old member of the Fourth Troop of the Second Continental Dragoons from Connecticut. In November, 1780 Sergeant Churchill commanded an attacking force which successfully destroyed a British supply fort on long Island and took 300 prisoners. A year later, in October, Churchill was the only man wounded in a successful raid against the British stronghold at Fort Slongo on Long Island.
The second "Purple Heart" was bestowed on 20-year old Sergeant Daniel Brown for his actions at the climatic battle of Yorktown on October 14, 1781. British Lieutenant General Earl Cornwallis had moved the bulk of the British Army to a defensive position along the James River in Virginia. Washington laid siege to the fortress and proceeded to unleash a frightful bombing campaign that lasted over a week. The key to the British defenses was a linchpin fort known as Redoubt #10. Led by Colonel Alexander Hamilton, a regiment of Connecticut regulars were ordered to painstakingly clear a passage through the maze of sharp wooden sticks used to protect the fort. Not waiting for the path to be cleared, Sergeant Brown led an attack over the body-piercing obstructions and captured the fort in minutes. Cornwallis soon surrendered in the last major confrontation of the Revolution.
A month later, a third "Purple Heart" was awarded to Sergeant Daniel Bissell, another Connecticut soldier. Bissell was a spy who posed as a deserter who provided Washington with exacting details on British troop strength and cannon placement around New York City. He was later impressed into British Navy before effecting his escape.
And that was it for American Revolution Purple Hearts - as far as anyone knows. The Book of Merit was lost and has never been found. And these three soldiers may well have been the only recipients ever of the Purple Heart if not for a bit of historical serendipity. The year 1932 was the 200th anniversary of General Washington's birth and as an honor the United States War Department revived the Purple Heart on his 200th birthday - February 22, 1932.
The new Purple Heart, which was to be awarded retroactively to 1917 to include World War I veterans, was for soldiers who sustained "a wound which necessitates treatment by a medical officer and which is received in action with an enemy." Those troops who, in the judgment of a commanding officer, performed a "singularly meritorious act of essential service" would also be eligible.
Over the years, the criteria for winning a Purple Heart have been tweaked several times. Originally only for Army troops, Franklin Roosevelt opened the award to the Navy, Marine Corps and the Coast Guard during World War II. John Kennedy extended the Purple Heart to civilians who were wounded while serving "in any capacity with an armed force." Ronald Reagan included those wounded in an international terrorist attack.
The Order of the Purple Heart is no longer a strip of degradable cloth. It is made of heart-shaped metal, rimmed in gold and suspended from a purple and white ribbon. In the center of the rich purple heart is a bust of George Washington. The Purple Heart medallion, which begins life as a stamped piece of bronze, requires nineteen steps to construct and is the world's costliest military decoration. It is also, since its revival, the world's oldest still in use.
