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Show Thursday, August 27, 1931 THE MIDVALE JOURNAL r.der o the Sally Sez URPLE EART -Dy Jen1Ma .. ---- • -- • Yoor cow would have a right to kick if you fed all of tlut hay to some other cow. Then give home industry your patron. age. You will be much surer of returns. These Brands Are Intermountain Made And Deserve Your Support Geo1"<j e Wash1n.9to:n. Pholv of f,.m.ovsflou.doTI..:BUSt: HEWLETT'S By ELMO SCOTT WATSON .----.liEN Gen. John J. Pershing, commander in chief of the A. E. D'. in the World war, made repeated recommendations for the creation of a special decoration for our fi;;hting men to be awarded in exceptional cases which would not come within the scope of the Congressional ::\Iedal of Honor, the Distinguished Service cross or the Distinguished ServIce medal, he did not know that authority for such a decoration was already in existence, In fact, had ' been in existence for nearly 140 years. It wa!'l not until John C. Fitzpatrick, formerly assistant chief of the manuscr.cipt division of the Library of Congress, now affiliated with the George Washington E!centennial Celebration commission, re'\'ealed the result of researches which he had made several years ago, that the War department realized just such a decoration had been authorized way back ln 1782 and, so far as It has been possible to learn, authority to award it has never been revoked either by congress or the President. While Gen. Charles P. Summerall was chief of statr, a study of the situation was made and a recommendation that the award of this decoration be resumed without additional authority from congress seemed probable. No definite action was taken at the time, however, but, with preparations for the nation-wide celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Washington nearing completion, It seems likely that this award may yet be re-established. For it was George Washington who established this award, the first military decoration ever conferred by this country and the second oldest reward for valor In existence, being antedated only by the Russian Cross of St. George. Known officially as the "Badge of the Order of Military Merit," it I~ al ~o referred to as the "Order of the Purple IIeart" because of the Bhape of the badp;e. It consists of a heartshaped piece of purple silk, fringed with lace, which was to be sewn on the left breast of the soldier's tunic. A pe-euliar situation led 'Vashington to establish the award. During the Revolution It was the custom for 'va~hin :; ton and other generals to give commissions and promotions as rewards for valor. But congress decided that it alone had the power to issue commissions to officers and took that power away from the generals. :Money was scarce and Washington could not use It as a reward, so he conceived the id('a of awarding n badge of merit. Accordin:;:ly on August 2, 17S!l, he i:>sued the following general order: "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 merltorlus action Is performed, the author of it shall be permitted to wear on the facings over his left breast, the figure of a heart In purple cloth or silk, edged with narrow lace or binding. "Not only instances of unusual ga!lantry, but also of extraordinary fidelity and essential service In any way shall meet with a due reward. Before this favor can be conferred on any man, the particular fact, or facts, on which It is to be grounded must be set forth to the com· mander in chief, accompanied with certificates from the commanding officers ot' the regiment and brigade to which the candidate for reward belonged, or other incontestable proofs, and upon granting It, the name and regiment of the per· son with the action so certified are to be enrolled in the book of merit wlllch will be kept at the orderly office. "Men who have merited this last distinction to be sufl'ered to pass all guards and sentinels which officers are permitted to do. "The road to glory ln a patriot army and a free country Is thus opPn to all-this order Is also to have retrospect to the earliest stages of the war, and to be considered as a permanent one." So far as it has been po::;sible to learn, the only names ever written in the "book of merit" and the only men empowered to wear the Purple Heart badge were three sergeants In the Continental army-all from the state of Connecticut. They were Sergt. EliJah Churchill '>f the Second Continental dra!:{oons, Sergt. Daniel Brown of the Fifth Connecticut regiment and Sergt. Daniel Bissell of the Recond Connecticut regiment. The original citation of Sergeant Churchill's exploits whieh won h\m this award Is preserved in the Library of Congress and states that "Sergt. Churchill of the 2nd. Regiment of Light Dragoons, In the several enterprises against Fort St. George and Fort Slongo on Long Island acted a very conspicuous and singularly meritorius part, In that at the head of each body of attack he not only acquitted himself with great gallantry, flrmne!';s and address, but that, the surprise ln one Instance and S~preme ··Jam ··· . the success of the attack in the other, proceed· ed in a considerable degree from his conduct and management." Accr • 'ing to the story, as it has been dug out of musty old records by Mr. Fitzgerald, Sergeant Churchill first attracted the attention of his superior officers for his daring in leading a dangerous raid Inside the British lines before dawn on November 23, 1780. He again displayed outstanding valor In another hazardous raid right under the 'noses of the British on October 3, 1781. Both raids were planned and directed by Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge of the Second Continental dragoons, chief of Washington's Intelligence service. Major Tallmadge had received information concerning a huge supply of hay-several hundred tons of it-that had been stored for winter forag~> in a building at Coram, on the north shore of Long Island. Hay, In that day of cavalry supremacy, was one of the Important supplies of warfare. Major Tallamdge relayed the information direct to General Washington, with an astounding plan t'or attempting not only to destroy the forage, but to storm a fortification which protected it. The Intrepid major was authorized to make the attempt. Late on the blustery afternoon of November 21, 1780, a detachment of half a hundred dismounted dragoons of the Second Continental embarked in whaleboats at Fairfield, Conn., and headed across tile sound toward Fort St. George, 20 miles away, with Major Tallmadge in com· mand. They landed about eight o'clock in the • evening and deciding that it was too late to attempt a march on the fort they pulled their boats out of sight and camped for the night. All the next day they huddled In the woods, trying to keep warm, and when night came they set out at a rapid pace for the fort. By three o'clock in the morning they arrived, undiscov· ered, within two miles of Fort St. George. Here they halted for final orders. 1\Iajor Tallmadge divided his force Into three groups, each assigned to storm a particular blockhouse. Sixteen of the most daring members were picked for the assault on the main blockhouse and Sergeant Churchill was put In command of this group. Just before dawn the three detachments moved toward the fort, tak· ing different routes to minimize the chances of discovery and to enable thf'm to launch concerted attacks from three dlfl'erent points. The Eritlsh sentinels seem to have been sleepIng at their posts for they did not discover the attackers until Churchill and his men were less . than 50 f('et away and sprinting toward the walls. Tllf'y Immediately gave the alarm, but by this time the Americans hnd swarmed over tl1e wall, crossed the ditch and were inside the stockade, where they opened fire on the British soldiers as they came tumbling out of their barracks. "'.rbe other two attacking parties had expended their energies In getting inside the defenses and two blockhouses still remained to be taken," writes Mr. I•'!tzgerald In an account of this battle, which appeared In the magazine of the Daughters of the American Revolution several years ago. "A brisk fire was beginning to pour upon the Americans from these two houses, but battering parties beat In the doors and Inside of 10 more minutes Tallmadge's men had possession of the entire works. "The growing light now showed a Brrtlsh supply schooner at anchor close to the shore near the fort. A detachment captured her with ridiculous ease. The rapidity of the attack had protected the attackers and they had not lost a man, and only one ot' them was wounded. The British loss was several killed and wounded and most of the latter were mortally hurt. "The fort and the schooner were set on fire and the prisoners, over 50 in number, were started back toward the boats under a guard. Leaving a small force to see to tt that the fort was completely destroyed, Tallmadge marched with the rest toward Coram. "The few sentries found there fled, and the hny was pulled loose and set on fire. Over 300 tons went up In roll!ng clouds of smoke and as soon a!! the fire was going beyond all hope of extinguishment, Tallmadge and his hay burners started back toward their boats. "The party of Americans reached their hidden boats late In the af(ernoon, after one or two brief skirmishes with the pursuers, and the force succeeded in getting away from shore without casualtle~. They arrived back at Fairfield before midnight." That wM the first of the affairs which won for Churchill the Purple Heart flecoratlon. The next was in the following October when Washington made plans for destroying Fort Slongo, lQcated on the north !'lhore of Long Island, northeast of Brooklyn. Again Major Tallmadge secured the nece11sary exact information which led to the attack on this post. The attacking party consisted of 100 men from the Fifth Connecticut regiment and the Seconfl Continental UTAH HIGH SCHOOL OF BEAUTY-CULTURE 3rcl Floor, Clift Biela-. Salt Lake City, Ut. U J''OU are Planning a Paying Businea• Future. lnveaticate Our Plan Write For Catalo111e MaJ. Gen. C B. Summerall dragoons. Maj. Lemuel Trescott, a Massachl). setts officer, volunteered to lead the party. "The expedition started across the S(lttnd at eight o'clock In the evening ot' October Z, 1781," writes Mr. Fitzpatrick, "and at three o'clock 1B the morning the fort was in· its hands. "Again Sergeant Church!ll was in the van of the first attacking party and again he acquitted himself with the utmost gallantry. The fort was so strong that Tallmadge had advised Trescott not to make a direct attack, but to fi'y to draw otr the defenders by a feint. This Idea was not followed, the attacking force went at their job with such vigor that the fort was taken without the loss of a single man and only tour of tile British force were killed before the works surrendered. "The report of the atralr shows 21 prisoners taken, and the destruction of a goodly quantity of artillery and stores or arms, ammunition and clothing." Se£geant Brown was his Purple Heart 12 days later at Yorktown. The citation of the board of awards, dated April 24, 1783, Is among the Washington papers in the Library of Congress. The board was composed of Brig. Gen. John Greaton, Col. Walter Stewart, Lieut. Col. Ebenezer Sprout and Majs. Nicholas Fish and Lemuel Trescott. The board declared that Sergeant Brown, "in the assault of the enemy's left redoubt at York· town, In Virginia, on the evening of October 14, 1781, conducted a forlorn hope with great bravery, propriety and deliberate firmness and that his general character appears unexceptionable." Sergeant Brown was serving under Lieut. Col. Alexander Hamilton, who had been assigned the task of tak4ng one of two British redoubts that were stubbornly resisting the siege of Yorktown. The other redoubt was to be attacked by allied French troops. The Americans volunteered to storm the outer redoubt, which was clolle to the river, and the French were to attack the Inner redoubt. The sergea t led his "forlorn hope" at the forefront of the attackers and refused even to await destruction of the abatis and other obstructions. Calling to his men to follow closely, he surmounted all the obstacles and led his men directly Into the redoubt. A withering barrage failed to stop them, and the unhPlievable courage of the little party so confounded the defenders that the redoubt surrendered in less than 115 minutes from the time Brown and his men launched the attack. The American losses were comparatively few. As t'or the exploit which won the Purple Heart decoration t'or Sergeant Bissell, the record is far from complete, due to the fact that it was In line of duty as a spy. In order to accomplish hls mission he had to "desert" from the Amerl•can army and in the faded Revolutionary records in the War department he is listed as a deserter. But the citation for the Purple Heart decoration, contained In Washington's General Orders for June 8, 1783, while lt does not con· taln the full story of Bissell's heroism, contains a hint of what It must have been and removea from his name the stigma attached to It by tht> notation in the official records. The cltat!or rends as follows: "Sergt. Bissell of the 2nd. Connecticut Regiment having performed some important services within the Immediate knowledge of the Commander-In-Chief, In which the fidelity, perseverance and good sense of the said Sergt. Bissell were conspicuously manifested, it Is, therefore, ordered: That he be honored with the badge of merit; he will call at headquarters on Thursday next for the Insignia nod certificate to which he is hereby entitled." So far as lt Is possible to reconstruct the story, Bissell "deserted" from the army In August, 1781, and made his way into New York city. Hls mission was to obtain aU the Information he could about the plans of the British and to stay no longer than was necessary to accomplish hls purpose. A ;year passed and nothIng was heard from Bissell by his regimental officer, Lieut. Col. Robert Hanson Harrison, or hls commander In chief. For all that they knew his mission may have been discovered by the British anfl he mny have paid the usual penalty for he!ng a spy. Tl1en one day In September, 1782, Bissell reported at Washington's head· quarters at Newburgh, N. Y., nnfl marie his ver bal report which was taken down by Lieut. Col David Humphreys. <©by Western Newspaper Union.) Gethsemane, the garden mentioned in the New Testament as the l!cene of the betrayal of Christ by Judas, is now the property of the Franciscan fathers. EL.IS. BRAND . Pl C·· K ·L:· E S THIS WEEK'S PRIZE STORY Wake up! All you people of this intermountain region, stand in line with your dollars, fill up your baskets with intermountain made goods, then shake hands again with old man prosperity. Just try it and see the old fellow greet us with a smile once more--'let's go. 1\IRS. G. C. HAGLER, :Monticello, U tab. ASK YOUR GROCER FOR PIPE AND FITTINGS SALT LAKE PIPE CO. WANTED: Names of Agent• to oell Christmu Cards in 1931 throul'h your local printer. Plano for 1931 beinl' made no,... Send in your name for details which will a>ake your selliltlr easier without the troubles, miata.kes and delay"ll you had in repruenting- eastern factories. Write W. N. U.-P. 0. Box 1545, Salt Lake City. K·HAND LOTION Aok Your Drunist For AN l:NTERMOUNTAJN PRODUCT I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed, that never sallies out and sees her adversary, but sinks out of the race, where that immortal garland is to be run for, not without dust and heat.-~ilton. FIT-WELL ARTIFICIAL LIMB CO. Braces Artificial Limbs l'russea Crutches Auh Supporta Extension Shoe• Elastic Ho1sery Established In Salt Lake In 1908 Ph. Was. 6264-Satisfa<tion Guaranto~d 135 W. Third So. • Salt Lake City, Ut. In classic myth, Polyxena was a daughter of Priam and Hecuba. The early poets say little about h er, but according to later legends she is the heroine of a tragic love affair with Achilles, the Greek hero. TH~ ' New and Reclaimed Write WI for Prices "GRAINS OF GOLD" WHOLE WHEAT CEREAL ' Makes Cream Taste Better" Western Made For Western Trade Ask Your Grocer Indium is an extremely rare metal recovered from zinc. It is about 10 times as valuable as platinum. Several carloads of zinc ore are required to produce one pound of the metal. FOREST DALE POTATO CHIPS 475 West 6th So Salt Lake Cl~ Send tblo ad and get a 10% diseount ''Scumbling," in art, is the process of softening the colors of a pie.ture by blending them with a nelltral tint, applying this neutral tiut over the colors with a nearly dry brush. BLUE SEAL CLEANSER Wonderful Sanitary Bouoehold Cleanser and Water Softener SOLE DISTRIBUTORS -= =:-·'fhe!tttttate _ PCtlarowareeo. -. ASK YOUR DEALER "Free Wheeling" is not new. It was first discovered during the gay nineties by a gentleman while riding on the back seat of a tandeJil bicycle with his wife on the front seat.-Exchange. HELP UTAH-·- HELP YOU Br always a sking your dealer for Intermountain Made Brooms B:r Name Blue Ribbon • Black Beauty Gold Crown Centuries ago, when books were written by hand, their cost was proverbially great, and large estates were frequently set apart for the parpose of purchasing books. ClAUDE NEON LIGHTS ELECTRICAL PRODUCTS CoRPORATION 1046 So. Main Some used by were of tremely Salt Lake City of the swords and daggers Mayan Indians in Yucatan cholul wood, which is exhard. No Equal For Crispness and Quality Faetoey-47 Kenoinl'ton Ave. Salt Lake City-'l'el. H:r 1Ul ~s tJ' • 00 paid per week will be for the best 50-word article on "Why you should u s e Intermountain made Goods" - Similar to above. Send your story in prose or verse to lntermoun· tain Products Column .P. 0. Box 1545, Salt Lake City. U your story appears in this column you wlll ~s receive check for .... tJ' • 00 "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear," is an early English proverb, and the first use of it appears to be in "The Pigeon of Cotgrave" (1738). It appears also in Swift's "Polite Conversation• (1748) and again in Richardson's "Clarissa" (1785) and repeatedly thereafter. FALL TERM STARTS AUGUST 31 We have places for students to earn board and room. Enroll Now :. - A Position ' V'~GIL ca••·~~d Henagers Busine·s~ College .. Was. 2753 · - ,, . ;Broadway,• · : SaltL:ikc· .f5 E. City,: Utah · Largest and Best Equipped School in the Intermountain Territory Buffalo Bill's Memory The tomb of Buffalo Bill is on Lookout mountain, near Golden, Colo., about ten miles from Denver, where he died on January 10, 1917. There is an equestrain statue of him by Mrs. Henry Payne Whitney of Cody, Wyo., near one of the entrances of the Yellowstone National park. There is also a Cody shrine and museum at Cody. Feared for Watch My little daughter was with me in the washroom on a train. She took up my wrist watch, and I warned her to be careful. It slipped from her hands and it fell to the floor. I took up the watch and held it to my ear, at which my daughter exclaimed: 'Oh, mother, is it unconscious? "-Chicago Tribune. You might like to know without riding a horse that the human body contains about 500 muscles.-'J'nl.edo Blade. There is no worse way of mistreating a noun than by associating it ·with a disagreeable adjective.Rev. Lynn Harold Hough, D. )). • |