By Rebecca Goodman
The Cincinnati Enquirer

It's National Purple Heart Day and Revolutionary War hero Sgt. William Brown, along with eight other local veterans - including Lance Corp. Michael Jones of the 1st Marine Division who was wounded about a month ago while fighting for Iraqi Freedom - will be honored at a noon ceremony on Fountain Square today.

The mayor's office also declared today Purple Heart Day in Cincinnati and will sponsor - along with the Military Order of the Purple Heart chapters 156 and 3620, the U.S. Post Office and Fifth Third Bank - the tribute to Purple Heart recipients.

Born in Stamford, Conn., Sgt. Brown was only 16 when he enlisted with the 5th Connecticut Regiment in 1777. He had already received commendations for valor during the battles of Germantown, Monmouth and Stony Point and endured the cold winter of Valley Forge before he led a first wave against a British redoubt at the Battle of Yorktown - the last battle of the war.

"He was a sergeant - only 20 years old," said Vietnam veteran John W. Erby of Sharonville, commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter No. 156. "He was among a handpicked group of guys. They were called "forlorn hope" because there was very little chance of them succeeding.

"Instead of cutting down the barriers - the sharp sticks they (the enemy) used instead of barbed wire - he led them through it in hand-to-hand battle. It was their unconventional assault that confused the British. They were able to take the thing in less than a half-hour."

According to Erby, Brown should have received a promotion, but Gen. George Washington had been ordered to stop promoting soldiers because the government couldn't cover the pay increases.

On Aug. 7, 1782, Washington wrote an order to create the Badge of Military Merit to be presented for valor. Brown was one of only three known recipients of the medal, which was the precursor to the Medal of Honor.

In 1932, on Washington's Birthday, the Purple Heart - based on the design of the Badge of Military Merit - was instituted to honor soldiers wounded or killed in action.

E-mail rgoodman@enquirer.com