Creation of the Badge of Military Merit

Background. By 1782 the Revolutionary War's fighting had largely ended: Yorktown had fallen in October 1781, and the British Parliament agreed to cease hostilities in March 1782, with peace negotiations opening that April. Washington, who had led Patriot forces to victory as commander of the Continental Army, issued the Badge of Military Merit order from his Newburgh, New York, headquarters on 7 August 1782; in March 1783 he would defuse the Newburgh Conspiracy.

The Order of 7 August 1782. The original Purple Heart, designated the Badge of Military Merit, was established by Washington by order issued from his Newburgh, New York, headquarters on 7 August 1782. The badge took the form of a heart made of purple cloth. Washington authorized his subordinate officers to issue Badges of Merit as appropriate, though he personally awarded it to only three Revolutionary War soldiers.

Later Legacy. The Badge of Military Merit endures as the forerunner of the Purple Heart, the oldest United States military award still given to U.S. military members. The modern Purple Heart, awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, was revived by War Department General Order No. 3 on 22 February 1932, the 200th anniversary of Washington's birth.