George Washington Created the Purple Heart

On August 7, 1782, from his headquarters in Newburgh, New York, General George Washington established the Badge of Military Merit — the decoration we now know as the Purple Heart. The Continental Congress had barred Washington from rewarding ordinary soldiers with commissions or promotions, so he devised an honor instead: a heart-shaped patch of purple cloth, edged in silver, with the word Merit stitched across its face.

This was a radical idea for its time. Most military honors recognized officers and the well-born; Washington’s badge was meant for enlisted men, awarded for “any singularly meritorious action.” It made the United States one of the first nations to decorate common soldiers for valor.

Wear it, Washington decreed, and you could pass any guard or sentinel unchallenged.

Only three soldiers are known to have received the original badge before it fell into disuse. It was revived in 1932, on the bicentennial of Washington’s birth, as the modern Purple Heart — still the oldest American military decoration in continuous use.