The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-10-29
NOW GAIT. BRAINARD.
Promotion OF Man Who Won Dis
tinctiOn in the Arctic.

tinctiOn in the Arctic.
He Was a Sergeant When He Went North
With the Greedy Expedition-Recog-
milton of Services.
"For captain, conmissary First Lieut.
David Legge Bra:nard, Troop G. I'd Cav
airy"
If the causal readers memory be not
retsntive, he will attach no especial sig
nificance to this note CT a promotion OF
an army officer, made last week by the
President. The nomination seems
sufficiently routine and ordinary deserv-
ing of no particular remark. But if the
casual readers memory serves him well,
the paragraph will. perhaps, for mo-
ment give him pause. He will recall that
this man who, by the direction OF the
chief magistrate will henceforth wear
two bars on his shoulder straps instead
of one, aud who less than a decade a go
wore tie chevrons of sergeant Of caval-
ry in thes Omitted States army, is of de-
oided distinction in the world Of living
men. David Legge Brainard WAS with
the Greedy Arctic expedition, and, with
two companions, both of whom sue
oumbed to the rigors of that terrible
journey. he trod the icy land of the
farthest poiut north on the globe ever
gazed upon by human eyes up to that
time. TO have achieved this distinction
as cavalry sergeant, in common with
two other men, one of them his superior
in off cial rank, tie other an Eskimo, is
and adventurous explorers. an honor COM
pared with which mere official recogni-
tion sweet as such recognition unques-
tionably is, is none the less a trifie.
Nor was the mead of honor and fame
which came to this sturdy, dashing,
handsome trooper based solely upon the
fact that, in penetrating to latitude IS
degrees "a minutes north, within 1856
geographical miles of the north pole,
with his two comrades, he wrenched from
England her 300 years supremacy Of the
'farthest north.
OF the entire party, Brainard was the
only man whom Lieut.. Greedy could
safely place in charge of the rations
when all hands were confronted by star
Walton. The poor dole which each man
received as his daily allotment of food to-
ward the last was not 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 he was starving day
by day, BraiDard never took for bis
own portion the thOusandth part of what
did not belong TO him. He served him
1t is no wonder that Gen. Greedy calls
this the most remarkable exhibition of
moral courage he had ever seen.
Even when the scanLy allowance of
food was completely exhausted, and the
men, surrendering to complete despair,
could only lie in their sleeping bags AND
MUNICH bits of leather from their boots,
this young soldier, strong in poise, in
different to either physical or mental
suffering became the provider for the
patty. He ranged the desolate hills for
game, the barren shores for seals and
shrimps. Every man who returned from
the Greedy expedition, including it's COM
mander, owed his life to Sergt. Brainard.
He kept them alive for rescue. Every
one of them acknowledges this today.
1t was lot until several years after the
VI bAo 6AH0ultlOH was OIOuHuO
back to the United States by the relief
ships that Sergeant Brainard, who in the
meantime had modestly returned TO his
duties as nOn-co m missioned officer of
the Signal Corps, was given official rec.
ognition by the United States govern
ment. Then, IN 1885, at the suggestion
of President Cleveland, Congress gave
Brainard a commission as second lieu.
| tenant Of cavalry, "as recognition OF
| tie gallant and meritorious services rem.
| dered by him in the Arctic expedition Of
18S1-S4." The words quoted are writ
| ten on the face of his com N isai on and
they are also printed in connection with
| his official records in a separate class, to.
gether with famous generals OF the
United States army, who received pro.
motions for conspicuous bravery on the
| field of battle.''
| Lieut.. Brainard was assigned to seq.
vice with his old outfit, the I'd Cavalry
| in command of troop the men of which
had often been his "bunkies'' in hard
campaigns. Army officers often say that
| there is not man in G Troop or in any
| troop Of the and who would not fight
| for Brainard, who wears his shoulder
| straps with all the modest dignity that
characterized his wearing of the ser.
geant's ohevrons.
He was promoted to the grade of first
| lieutenant in 1899, remaining on duty
with his troop at Fort Wingate, New
Mexico. Now President Cleveland, who
has watched Brainard's career in the
army with great interest, transfers him
from the line to the staff, and makes
him captain commissary. AS Capt.
Brainard is only forty years of age, and
will not retire until the year 1920, he
stand fair chance of becoming com mis-
sar general of subsistence--bef his re-
tirement 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
comlnissary generals Office here in
course of time.-Washington Star.
Portland District Epworth League.