
                 THE PURPLE HEART - "MEDAL OF HONOR"


+++( REFERENCE )+++


The following material was compiled from material obtained from 
the Department of the Army; U.S.Army Military Personnel Center; 
Colonel Gary L. Blahna, Chief, Military Awards Branch, and 
U.S.Army Support Center, Philadilphia, Penn.


Among the material supplied and authenticated by the U.S.Army are 
items from "THE TIMES PICAYUNE, dated Sunday, May 31, 1931; also 
from the "WASHINGTON SUNDAY STAR," dated January 25, 1931.


Also, from the publication "THIS WEEK", dated February 24, 1935, 
under the heading, "The Purple Heart", by one of the foremost 
historians, Rupert Hughes, in which he gives a detailed account 
of the origin of the Medal of Honor.


////( INTRODUCTION )/////


"The Order of the Purple Heart" was established by General George 
Washington durng the Revolutionary War, on August 7, 1782, at his 
headquarters at Newburgh, N.Y., His General Order reads as 
follows: "The General, ever desirous to cherish a virtuous 
ambition in his soldiers, as well as to foster and encourage 
every species of military merit, directs that, whenever any 
singularly  meritorious  action  is performed, the author of it 
shall be permitted to wear on his facings over the left breast 
the figure of a heart in purple cloth of silk, edged with 
narrow lacing cloth of silk binding. The road to glory is a 
partiot army and a free country is thus open to all..."


History records the names of three recipients of the Badge of 
Military Merit. They are Daniel Bissel, (the first to wear the 
purple heart); followed by William Brown and Elijah Churchill. 
All three were members of a Connecticut Regiment. Thus,the first 
Badge of Honor for the enlisted man was born. It is the oldest 
military decoration of the United States and except for the Cross 
of St.George, it is the oldest military decoration for the 
enlisted man in the world.


Subsequent to the Revolution it seems to have been forgotten. The 
thousands of musty records hastily rescued from the burning 
United States Capitol Building in the War of 1812 were examined 
many years ago in an attempt to find some new facts concerning 
the life and services of Washington.  This search revealed 
Washngton's Orderly Book of Military Merit.


How America's first Order of Merit was born is told by one of our 
foremost American historians, Rupert Hughes, and was last printed 
in the publication, "This Week," February 24, 1935.


In respect for the limitation of time I have taken the liberty of 
summarizing certain portions of "The Rupert Hughes story."


From the Sunday Star, January 25, 1931, the following was the 
headline story, "Rare Award for A.E.F. Heroes." There followed, 
"Need of a Special Badge of Merit for World War Heroes, stressed 
by General Pershing, has led to proposed revival of Purple Heart 
Order, America's first Military Decoration, Created by General 
Washington, and worn by only three men."


From the records of the U.S.Army Military Awards Branch: "By 
order of the President of the United States, the Purple Heart, 
established by General George Washington at Newburgh, 7 August 
1782, during the War of the Revolution, was revived out of 
respect to his memory and military achievements by the War 
Department General Orders No.

3, 22 February 1932."
The revised decoration consisted of a heart-shaped medal with its 
center of purple enamel. On the obverse is a relief bust of 
George Washington in the uniform of a General of the Continental 
Army. On the reverse appears the inscription, "For Military Merit".
The Washington Coat of Arms is incorporated in the ring which 
attaches to a purple ribbon, bordered with a narrow stripe.


-------STORY OF THE PURPLE HEART-------

"Traitor," said the girl?
"Hero," said George Washington.
She kissed him. "Since your country won't decorate you I will."
"That ought to be reward enough," said a voice behind her.
They both turned and looked up at the tall figure of George 
Washington.
There were many stories of how the Medal of Honor was born but 
the following version has been approved and accepted by the 
U.S.Army as factual, although I have taken the liberty of 
summarizing the entire story as presented by the U.S.Army 
Military Awards Branch.   (W.A.B.)



He won her in a lottery, or she won him. He was only a Sergeant 
with the Second Connecticut troops of the Continental Line, 
Daniel Bissel from Windsor. He looked frightened when Hetty 
Blanchard came forward with the number she had drawn. It matched 
the one he clutched in his hand, but he merely gaped at it. He 
was far more interested in her eyes, her bare shoulders, her wide 
skirts. She was wearing a purple silk, trimmed with lace, none 
too fine a dress for a grand ball given in honor of the French 
troops and Colonial troops, for all were now united into one 
grand army, which was waiting in New York for the French fleet 
under De Grasse.


With  the arrival of the French Fleet, Washington and Rochambeau 
would roll down and recapture the cities that had been taken from 
them.


There were dances nearly every night for the soldiers. Most of 
the girls flirted with the French officers, but Hetty Blanchard 
felt sorry for the enlisted men of the Continentals, so she put 
that little extra fire in her eyes when she walked up to him, 
number in her hand, and said: "Sergeant, I belong to you, I 
believe."


"Gosh! I wish that was so,"stammered the sergeant.


The music broke into a lively country dance and Hetty went into 
Sergeant Bissel's arms, and was so sweet and lithe that he would 
not let her dance with anybody else. Bissel nearly had a fight 
with a jigging dragoon who caught his spur in the hem of Hetty's 
skirt and ripped off a long piece of silk. Daniel pursued the 
lout and retrieved the purple silk and returned it to Hetty 
except for a small piece at the end, which he stuffed into his 
blouse.


It was two in the morning before he took her home. As he 
lingered, she kept reminding him that he would be late for 
reveille. Daniel spoke very disrespectful of reveille; also of 
the war, of the Army, of the treatment of the soldiers.  Hetty 
protested."That is deserter talk."  "Plenty of that around the 
camp," said Daniel.


There was another dance the next night. Daniel did not wait for 
the lottery. He took from his pocket the purple patch and said; 
"This is my ticket," and pulled Hetty into his arms.  "Why,it is 
shaped like a heart!"said Hetty. "Who did that?" "Can't you 
guess?" He held her tighter as they swung around the floor, and 
Hetty held on tight herself, for she saw General Washington 
watching her dancing with Daniel.


One dance night, Daniel was absent, and the next day Hetty's 
brother brought her word that Daniel Bissel had deserted. "He was 
called into Gen. Washington's tent this morning, and when he came 
out he was white as a sheet. He got away on a stolen horse, but 
the dragoons chased him and shot him, but not before he got into 
the British Lines. They saw him fall from his horse."


Hetty fainted, and her brother tried to console her. "Don't 
worry. We'll hang him when we take New York."


It was almost a year later, as Hetty sat on the lonely porch in 
the moonlight and heard the clatter of hoofs. A horseman rode up 
to the steps.  Before he could dismount his horse collapsed with 
him and fell, pinning him to the ground. Hetty ran to pick him 
up, but the horse lay across his thigh.
It was her sergeant, in a British uniform. As she shrank from 
him, her Father ran out, dragged him from under the horse, and 
tore open his coat. There was a purple heart pinned to his shirt. 
Hetty stumbled away to fetch water to revive Daniel.
As he came to, Daniel looked at his horse and groaned. "He's 
floundered. You've got to lend me another horse."
"To escape on?" asked Hetty's father.
"To  get to General Washington!" said Daniel. "He'll hang you. 
You're written off as a deserter." Daniel laughed. "I did desert. 
But at his orders, to convince the British. I've been inside 
their lines, and I'm now on my way back to my regiment."


"A likely tale," sneered Hetty's father.
"If you don't believe me,sir, take me to Washington yourself." 
"I'll do just that." He passed the pistol to Hetty and said, 
"Keep guard over him. If he moves shoot him like a dog."
When Colonel Blanchard had gone, the sergeant moved toward Hetty. 
She slid away and warned him, "Don't make me shoot you." "Would 
you?" he asked.
"Yes." she replied.
"Fine for you. It's grand to see a patriot once more." After a 
pause he went on. "The General sent for me because his spies 
weren't getting all he had to know about New York. He gave me a 
list of things to find out. I had to fool our people to fool the 
British. I was wounded by my own men. I was taken to General Clinton. 
He believed I was a deserter and let me go. But the press-gangs 
began to kidnap everybody for the navy. My only escape was to 
enlist as a British soldier. They put me in Arnold's legion."
"Benedict Arnold's? That made two of you," interrupted Hetty 
Daniel smiled and went on, "Then they issued orders that any 
soldier with writing on him would be strung up as a spy. I had to 
destroy every note I'd made. They searched me, but all they found 
was this little purple heart. I told them it was a gift from a
Tory Sweetheart."
"Me, a Tory? Don't you touch me or I'll fire."


Daniel laughed. "God, how sweet you are. I love you for despising 
me. You darling." Daniel went on, "Well, I could make no further 
notes so I tried to memorize everything. I said them over and 
over, figures and maps, till I can draw them with my eyes shut.

 Then I fell sick. I was terrible sick for months. I was 
delirious. A British Doctor told me I was babbling all sorts of 
figures. He said he ought to turn me in for a spy. But he thought 
enough people had been shot. He let me go for the sake of the 
girl in the purple dress.

"I'd talked about you a lot, and I'm still delirious about you. 
Well, when I came out of my fever, I had to find out everything 
all over again, but that is a long story which I must tell you 
later. Just now I escaped, and am on my way to report to General 
Washington. Come along and see if I'm lying." "I just will."
At this time Col. Blanchard returned with the carriage and 
horses. He tied the sergeant's hands behind him and bundled him 
into the carrage, and with Hetty beside him, they rode most of 
the night, reaching camp as Washington himself was coming from 
his tent.
Washington recognized the young Sergeant, ordered his hands 
untied, and patted him on the back. Washington called his aide 
and said, "Take this brave lad to your tent and write down 
everything he can tell you." Then the Commander in Chief smiled 
at Hetty,"  You will reward him well, eh, Miss Hetty?" Hetty 
blushed,"What can I do? But your Excellency will make  him at 
least a lieutenant?"  Washington, with a long face, "I wish I 
could, my child,but Congress has taken out of my hands all power 
of promotion." "Isn't there some medal, some ribbon?"
"We ought to have, Miss Hetty, but we haven't, and no money for 
medals."


When at last Hetty's father dragged her off, the sergeant went to 
the sentry lines with her. He was now in Continental uniform, and 
she said, tearfully, "Give me that piece of silk."
"You're not going to take it from me?" stammered Daniel. She shook 
her head, and pinning it on his breast, she kissed him. Then she 
sobbed, "Since your country won't decorate you, I will," and then 
she kissed him again.


"That ought to be reward enough." said a voice behind them. The 
two turned, to look into the face of General Washington.


As the sergeant's hand darted to snatch the ribbon from his 
blouse, the General's hand checked him. Washington gave Hetty one 
of his inimitable bows and kissed her. As he moved away, he was 
heard muttering to himself, "A Purple Heart, a Purple Heart!"


A few days later the seargents were called together to write down 
the General Order, dated August 7, 1782.


"WHENEVER ANY SINGULARLY MERITORIOUS ACTION IS PERFORMED, THE 
SOLDIER OR AUTHOR SHALL BE PERMITTED TO WEAR ON HIS FACINGS OVER 
THE LEFT BREAST, THE FIGURE OF A HEART OF PURPLE CLOTH OF SILK, 
EDGED WITH NARROW LACE OR BINDING....MEN WHO HAVE MERITED THIS 
LAST DISTINCTION TO BE SUFFERED TO PASS ALL GUARDS AND SENTINELS 
WHICH OFFICERS ARE PERMITTED TO DO. THE ROAD TO GLORY IN A 
PATRIOT ARMY AND A FREE COUNTRY IS THUS OPEN TO ALL."


Thereafter when Hetty visited the army, she always dragged her 
horrified Daniel across the sentry line and ordered the sentinel 
to salute him. When he protested that non-coms did not rate 
salutes, Hetty would quote the General's order giving the Purple 
Heart all the privileges accorded the epaulets of officers.



-------IN CONCLUSION-------


As the Purple Heart Medal of Honor fell into disuse after the 
Revolutionary War and was forgotten even in the War of 1812, it 
is highly probable that President Lincoln did not know of its 
existnce  in 1862. However, on July 12, 1862, President Lincoln 
signed the joint resolution of Congress which established another 
Medal of Honor to be awarded the heroes of the Civil War.  This 
medal fell into disuse and was used  as a model for convention 
badges, etc., until it was a disgrace to the medal itself. In 
1896, the Medal of Honor was redesigned with laws to protect its 
design, but again in 1904 the medal was redesigned and a neck 
ribbon added, and was adopted as the Congressional Medal of 
Honor.

In 1931, General Pershing proposed the revival of the original 
Purple Heart Medal of Honor; and on advice of the then Bi-
Centennial Committee of the 200th birth of Washington, President 
Hoover revived the Order of the Purple Heart in 1932, to be 
conferred on men who were and are wounded in action in the 
service of their Country.


-------STATISTICS-------


Since the  Medal of Honor has been in existence (i.e.,1862), the 
Army has awarded over 2200, as follows:
Civil War - 1199;--Indian Campaigns--419; War of 1812 - 30;--
Philippine Insurrection--70; Boxer Rebellion--4;--Mexican 
Campaign--1; World War I - 91;--World War II - 255;
Korean Conflict - 78;--Vietnam Conflict - 154.


Thus, from what started with a little piece of purple silk torn 
from the hem of a little girl, (Hetty Blanchard)  was born the 
Congressional Medal of Honor.


Researched and copied by W. A. Brown.
