You may think that I have selected a strange title for this post. Regular readers will know that I have been experimenting with artificial intelligence via Chat GBT. They also know that I often post about historical events that occurred on this day.
On 7th August 1782 George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit which was the forerunner of the Purple Heart. It was to be awarded to enlisted men and non-commissioned officers. They appear to be the first medals to be awarded to ordinary soldiers.
So I asked ChatGBT to write 400 words on the first medals to be issued to ordinary soldiers. This is the synopsis of what it wrote. The first medal to be issued to an ordinary soldier was the Victoria Cross, established in 1856 by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. The story behind the first Victoria Cross recipient, Private Charles Davis Lucas, is a testament to the extraordinary valour displayed by ordinary soldiers. In 1854, during the Battle of Alma in the Crimean War, Lucas was serving as a midshipman aboard the HMS Hecla. The British fleet was engaged in a fierce battle against the Russian forces when a live shell landed on the deck of Lucas’ ship. Without hesitation, Lucas seized the explosive and hurled it overboard, saving the lives of his fellow crew members and preventing a catastrophic explosion.
Why was there no mention of Washington’s Badge of Military Merit? I did some more research and discovered that the first of these medals were awarded in 1783 to Sergeants Churchill and Bissell, and to Corporal Brown. So I then asked ChatGBT to tell me when the first medal was awarded to an enlisted man.
The earliest recorded instance of a medal being awarded to an enlisted man can be found during the reign of Emperor Augustus (27 BCE – 14 CE). The “Golden Crown” or “Corona Aurea” was a prestigious military decoration given to soldiers who had saved the lives of fellow soldiers or captured enemy standards during battle.
Another prominent historical example is the Medal of Honour in the United States. Created in 1861 during the American Civil War, it is the highest military decoration awarded to members of the US Armed Forces. It was initially only given to enlisted men, non-commissioned officers, and commissioned officers below the rank of captain. The first Medal of Honour was awarded to Private Jacob Parrott of the Union Army’s Andrews Raiders on March 25, 1863, for his actions during the Great Locomotive Chase.
I checked and Wikipedia tells me that the Corona Aurae were awarded to centurions and principales (junior officers). My conclusion is that AI can be useful but you have to frame your questions quite tightly (ordinary soldier v enlisted man) and check the veracity of the results.