Who was Elijah Churchill?

Churchill, who was born near the Pennsylvania/ New York border at the “source of the Delaware River,” was a 32-year-old carpenter living in Connecticut who entered the service as a private on July 7, 1775. He reenlisted for the duration of the war in 1777 as a corporal in the 2nd Continental Light Dragoon Regiment and was promoted to Sergeant on October 2, 1780. He was cited for gallantry in action at Fort St. George on Long Island, at Coram in 1780, and at Tarrytown in 1781.

On November 21, 1780, Sergeant Churchill and his unit crossed Long Island Sound in whaleboats, and marched to Fort St. George at Mastic. Sergeant Churchill was in charge of one of three attacks. Shouting “Washington and Glory,” he and his dragoons ran across the parade ground and stormed the fort. Three hundred British soldiers were taken prisoners, the fort destroyed, and heavily laden British vessels at the wharf were burned.

On October 2, 1781, Churchill took part in a second raid, crossing from Westport to attack the British outpost at Fort Slongo, near present-day Northport and a notorious rendezvous for Tories and Loyalists. The successful attack, which resulted in the destruction of artillery and munitions, resulted in the capture of 21 prisoners. Sergeant Churchill was the only American wounded in the assault.

Churchill was awarded one of the first Badges of Military Merit by Washington in 1783. His badge was handed down within his family for generations, as was his sword. Both the badge and sword were purchased by the New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site in the 1960s. Churchill’s Badge of Military Merit is the only surviving example from Washington’s inaugural presentations.

What is the Purple Heart Hall of Honor?

In the closing days of the Revolutionary War, General George Washington ordered the creation of a new award that recognized enlisted men for unusual gallantry, extraordinary fidelity and essential service. He ordered his men to assemble at the New Windsor Cantonment and there awarded the first Badges of Military Merit, symbolized by pieces of purple wool in the shape of a heart. More than 150 years later, in May 1932, a new award called the Purple Heart, inspired by the Badge of Merit and emblazoned with the image of Washington, was bestowed upon 138 veterans who had been wounded during World War I, at the Cantonment.

The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor was dedicated on Veterans’ Day 2006 at the New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site as the permanent national archives, museum and memorial to the nearly 2 million Americans who have earned the Purple Heart in service to our nation. The 7,500-square-foot facility features interactive displays and the stories of some 12,000 veterans -- with hundreds of new additions arriving each week.