Evening star., 1896-10-23
NOW CAPT. BRAINARD
Promotion Of Man Who Won Distincta
in the Arctic.
He Was q SerEeant When He Went
North With the Greely ExDeditto.
-Recognition of Services.

For captain. commissary-F1rst Lieut.
David Legge Brainard. Troop G, I'd Cav
airy"
If the casual readers memory be not
retentive, he will attach no especial signifi-
canoe to this note of a promotion Of an
army officer, made last week by the Presi-
dent. The nomination seems sufficiently
| routine and ordinary. deserving Of no par
ticular remark. But If the casual readers
memory serves him WELL the paragraph
will. perhaps. for moment give him
pause. He will recall that this man who
by direction Of the chief magistrate will
henceforth wear two bars on his shoulder
straps instead Of one, and who less than
decade ago wore the chcvrons of ser
geant of cavalry in the United States
army, Is of decided distinction in the world
Of living men. David Legge Brainard was
with the Greedy arctic expedition, and.
with two companions. both of whom
succumbed to the rigors Of that ter
of the farthest point north on the
globe ever gazed upon by human eyes up to
that time. To have achieved this distinction
az asa cavalry sergeant. in common with two
other men, one Of them his superior in
official rank. the other an Eskimo. is q
sufficient honor to insure the passing of
his name along in the annals Of hardy and
adventurous explorers, an honor compared
as such recognition unquestionably is. is
none the less trifle.
Nor was the mead of honor and fame
which came to this sturdy. dashing. hand
some trooper based solely upon the fact
that. In penetrating to latitude So degrees
"a minutes ncrth. within 1876 geographical
miles OF the north pole, he, with his two
comrades. wrenched from England her
3O0 years supremacy Of the "farthest
north"
His Moral Courage.
or the entire party, Brainard was the
only man whom Lieut.. Greedy could safe
ly place in charge of the rations when
all hards were confronted by starvation.
The poor dole which each man received
as his daily allotment Of food toward the
last was rot sufficient to keep alive the
workings OF conscience in any Of the men
except one. In charge of the distribution
OF FOOD, standing guard over plenty while
ne was starvtng day by day, Brainard
never took for his own portion the thou
sandth part of what did not belong to him.
He served himself as he served the others
no more. 1t is no wonder that Gen. Gree
ly calls this the most remarkable exhibi-
ton OF moral courage he had ever seen.
Even when the scanty allowance of food
was completely exhausted, and the men,
surrerdering to complete despair, could
only lie In their sleeping bags and MUNICH
bits of leather from their boots this young
soldier, strong IN poise, Indifferent to either
physical or mental suffering, became the
Provider for the party. He ranged the desc
late nils for game, the barren shores for
seals and shrimps. Every man who return
| ed from the Greely expedition, including it's
commander, owed his life to Sergt. Brain
ard He Kept them alive for rescue. Every
one Of them acknowledges this today
1t was OF until several years after the
remnant Of the expedition was brought
back to the United States by the relief
SHIPS that Sergt. Brainard, who in the
m q q n tr0n hoI
duties as a non-commissioned officer Of
the signal Corps, was given Official recog-
niti'n by the United States government
Then, ir 1856. at the suggestion of Presi-
dent Cleveland, Congress gave Braiuard
a commission as second lieutenant of cav
| airy, as recognition of the gallant and
meritorious services rendered by Kim in
the arctic expedition Of 1SS1'S4" The
words quoted are written on the face of
his commission, and they are also prin: led
In connection with his official record, in a
separate class together with famous gen.
erals of the United States army who re-
ceived promotions for conspicuous bray
cry on the field of battle"
His Army Record.
Lieut.. Brainard was assigned to service
with his old outfit, the I'd Cavalry, in COM
mand of troop the men of which had
often been his ''bunkies'' in hard cam
paigns. Army officers often say that there
is not man in G Troop or in any troop
Of the I'd who would not fight for Brainard
who wears his shoulder straps with all the
modest dignity that characterized his wear
Ing OF the scrgeant's chevrons.
he was promoted to the grade of first
lieutenant In 1892, remaining on duty with
his troop at Fort Wingate, New Mexico.
NOW. President Cleveland. who has watch
ed Brainards career in the army with great
interest. transfers him from the line to the
staff. and makes him a captain commissary.
AS Capt. Brainard is only forty years of
age and will not retire until the year 1920
he stands fair chance Of becoming COM
missary general OF subsistence before his
retirement by age limit. He is at present
with his troop at Fort Riley, Kan, and
with his newly-bestowed rank, he will not
unlikely be assigned to duty in the COM
missary generals office here In course of
time.