David Legge Brainard (December 21, 1856 – March 22, 1946) was a career officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. He enlisted in 1876, received his officer's commission in 1886, and served until 1919. Brainard attained the rank of brigadier general and served during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as U.S.

military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. A native of

Norway, New York Norway is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 762 at the 2010 census. The town is located in the central part of the county and is northeast of Utica. The town borders the Adirondack Park. History The town w ...

, Brainard was raised and educated in Norway and nearby

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

, and graduated from the State Normal School in

Cortland, New York Cortland is a city and the county seat of Cortland County, New York, United States. Known as the Crown City, Cortland is in New York's Southern Tier region. As of 2024, the estimated population of Cortland, New York, is 17,196, reflecting a dec ...

. In addition to his First World War service, Brainard was a veteran of the

American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonization of the Americas, European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States o ...

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, and

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

. He was also a noted

arctic explorer Arctic exploration is the physical exploration of the Arctic region of the Earth. It refers to the historical period during which mankind has explored the region north of the Arctic Circle. Historical records suggest that humankind have explored ...

who attained fame as one of only six survivors of the 1881 to 1884

Lady Franklin Bay Expedition * The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition of 1881–1884 ( the Greely Expedition) to Lady Franklin Bay on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic was led by Lieutenant Adolphus Greely, and was promoted by the United States Army Signal Corps. Its purp ...

. He was the recipient of several civilian awards in recognition of his explorations. He died in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on March 22, 1946, and was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Early life

Brainard was born in

on December 21, 1856, the fifth son of Alanson Brainard and Maria C. Legge. His family moved to a farm in

Freetown, New York Freetown is a town in Cortland County, New York, United States. The population was 757 at the 2010 census. Freetown is in the southeastern part of the county and is southeast of Cortland. History Freetown was in the former Central New Yo ...

, when he was ten years old, and Brainard was raised and educated in Norway and Freetown. He attended the State Normal School in

, and then decided upon a military career.

Military career

Start of career

Brainard enlisted in the

in September 1876. He was assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and served at

Fort Keogh Fort Keogh is a former United States Army post located at the western edge of modern Miles City, Montana, Miles City, in the U.S. state of Montana. It is situated on the south bank of the Yellowstone River, at the mouth of the Tongue River (Mont ...

Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries ...

during the

Great Sioux War of 1876 The Great Sioux War of 1876, also known as the Black Hills War, was a series of battles and negotiations that occurred in 1876 and 1877 in an alliance of Lakota people, Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne against the United States. The cause of t ...

. On May 7, 1877, Brainard fought in the

Battle of Little Muddy Creek The Battle of Little Muddy Creek, also known as the Lame Deer Fight, was fought on May 7–8, 1877, by United States soldiers and scouts against a village of Miniconjou Lakota. The battle occurred near Little Muddy Creek in Montana Territory, ...

, Montana, where he was wounded in the face and right hand. In August 1877, Brainard was one of four soldiers assigned to escort the Army's commanding general,

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...

and Sherman's party on an inspection tour of

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...

. In 1877 and 1878, he served under

Nelson Appleton Miles Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was a United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War (1861–1865), the later American Indian Wars (1840–1890), and the Spanish–American War, (1898). From 1895 to 1903 ...

in Montana during the

Nez Perce War The Nez Perce War was an armed conflict in 1877 in the Western United States that pitted several bands of the Nez Perce tribe of Native Americans and their allies, a small band of the ''Palouse'' tribe led by Red Echo (''Hahtalekin'') and ...

and

Bannock War The Bannock War of 1878 was an armed conflict between the U.S. military and Bannock and Paiute warriors in Idaho and northeastern Oregon from June to August 1878. The Bannock totaled about 600 to 800 in 1870 because of other Shoshone peoples ...

.Dartmouth College Library
collection of papers and chronology.
. Accessed March 18, 2010. He was promoted to

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

in October 1877, and

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

in July 1879.

Arctic exploration

In 1880, he was selected for the Howgate expedition, which started for

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

in July 1880, but turned back after a heavy storm damaged the expedition's ship. In 1881, he was detailed as

first sergeant First sergeant is typically a senior non-commissioned officer rank, used in many countries. Singapore First sergeant is a Specialist (Singapore), specialist in the Singapore Armed Forces. First sergeants are the most senior of the junior spe ...

for the

, which was commanded by

Adolphus Greely Adolphus Washington Greely (March 27, 1844 – October 20, 1935) was a United States Army officer and polar explorer. He attained the rank of major general and was a recipient of the Medal of Honor. A native of Newburyport, Massachusetts, ...

. Over the three years of this expedition he continuously kept a journal. Twenty-five men began the expedition, which ran into difficulty when several attempts to resupply it failed, and several rescue attempts were forced to turn back. Among those who died was James Booth Lockwood, second-in-command and Brainard's companion on many excursions, including their record breaking push north to latitude 83° 23' 30". Brainard wrote: Brainard was later credited with saving as many expedition members as possible by closely rationing the group's limited food. Shortly before the survivors were rescued in the spring of 1884, Brainard, freezing, starving, and suffering from

scurvy Scurvy is a deficiency disease (state of malnutrition) resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, anemia, decreased red blood cells, gum d ...

wrote: "Our own condition is so wretched, so palpably miserable, that death would be welcomed rather than feared ..." Brainard was one of only six survivors rescued by Rear Admiral

Winfield Scott Schley Winfield Scott Schley (9 October 1839 – 2 October 1911) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy and the hero of the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War. Biography Early life Born at "Richfields" (his father's far ...

on June 22. On that day, he was reportedly near death himself, too weak to hold a pencil so he could make an entry in his log.

Later career

In January 1885, Brainard sought a commission in the 10th Infantry Regiment, but the appointment went to Andre W. Brewster. In 1886, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 2nd Cavalry "as recognition of the gallant and meritorious services rendered by him in the Arctic expedition of 1881–1884." He then had the distinction of being the only living US Army officer, active or retired, who had been commissioned as a commendation for specific services. Brainard was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

in August 1893. In October 1896 he transferred to the Subsistence Department and received promotion to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. In December 1897, he participated in the

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

Relief Mission, which provided emergency assistance to Klondike Gold Rush miners who were experiencing shortages of food. In May 1898, Brainard was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel and he served as chief commissary of the military forces in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

during the

in 1898 and

in 1899. In May 1900, he was promoted to permanent

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. His subsequent assignments included chief commissary of the

Department of the East The Department of the East was a military administrative district established by the U.S. Army several times in its history. The first was from 1853 to 1861, the second Department of the East, from 1863 to 1873, and the last from 1877 to 1913. ...

Department of California The Department of California was an administrative department of the United States Army. The Department was created in 1858, replacing the original Department of the Pacific, and it was ended by the reorganizations of the Henry L. Stimson Plan ...

, and Philippine Division. In 1905, Brainard received promotion to permanent lieutenant colonel. Brainard was a charter member of

The Explorers Club The Explorers Club is an American-based international multidisciplinary professional society with the goal of promoting scientific exploration and field study. The club was founded in New York City in 1904 and has served as a meeting point for ex ...

and served its president from 1912 to 1913. He was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in June 1912. In 1914, Brainard was assigned as U.S.

military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. In October 1917, Brainard received promotion to temporary brigadier general. During

, he served as

military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

, and he retired as a brigadier general in October 1919.

Family

Brainard married Anna Chase in 1888, and they divorced in 1893. In 1917, he married Sara Hall Guthrie (1880–1953). Brainard had no children and was the stepfather of his second wife's daughter Elinor.

Retirement and death

After leaving the Army, Brainard was appointed vice president of the Association of Army and Navy Stores, and was named to the association's board of directors. He remained active in these roles until his death. He was elected an honorary member of the

American Polar Society The American Polar Society was founded in 1934 by August Howard. Honorary members Starting in 1936 the following explorers, arctic scientists and geographers have been honored: * David Legge Brainard (1936). He was the first to receive an honora ...

in 1936, on his 80th birthday. He was a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, and belonged to Marathon Lodge No. 438 in

Marathon, New York Marathon is a town in Cortland County, New York, United States. The population was 1,967 at the 2010 census. The town of Marathon contains a village also named Marathon. The town is on the southern border of the county and is in the Southern t ...

. Brainard died at

Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), officially known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951, was the United States Army, U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in Washington, D.C., it served more ...

in Washington, D.C. on March 22, 1946. He was buried at

. He was the last survivor of the Greely Arctic Expedition.

Awards

Military awards

The

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

medal was created in 1932. On January 27, 1933, Brainard received the award for wounds he sustained at the

on May 7, 1877. His was one of only two Purple Hearts known to have been awarded for the

, because posthumous awards were not authorized and eligible individuals had to proactively submit applications. In addition to the Purple Heart, Brainard's military awards and decorations included: *

Indian Campaign Medal The Indian Campaign Medal is a decoration established by War Department General Orders 12, 1907.

Spanish Campaign Medal The Spanish Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which recognized those men of the U.S. military who had served in the Spanish–American War. Although a single decoration, there were two versions of the Spanish ...

Philippine Campaign Medal The Philippine Campaign Medal is a medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created to denote service of U.S. military men in the Philippine–American War between the years of 1899 and 1913. Although a single service medal, the Philippin ...

* World War I Victory Medal *

Military Order of Christ The Military Order of Christ is a Honorific orders of Portugal, Portuguese honorific order. It is the former order of Knights Templar as it was reconstituted in Portugal. Before 1910, it was known as the Royal Military Order of Our Lord Jesus Chr ...

(Grand Officer) (

) *

Military Order of Aviz The Military Order of Aviz (), known previously to 1910 as the Royal Military Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz (), and before 1789 as the Knights of Saint Benedict of Aviz () or ''Friars of Santa Maria of Évora'', is one of the four former ancien ...

(Grand Officer) (Portugal) *

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

(Officer) (

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

)

Civilian awards

In addition to his military awards, Brainard received the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

Back Award The Back Award, also referred to as the Back Grant, was first given by the Royal Geographical Society in 1882 for "applied or scientific geographical studies which make an outstanding contribution to the development of national or international pub ...

in 1886. He was a fellow of the

American Geographical Society The American Geographical Society (AGS) is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are United States, Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows f ...

, and his arctic explorations resulted in award of the society's Charles P. Daly Medal in 1926. He was also a 1929 recipient of the civilian Explorers Club Medal. Brainard was also inducted into the

Cortland County Cortland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population of Cortland County was 46,809. The county seat is Cortland. The county is named after Pierre Van Cortlandt, president of the convention a ...

Hall of Fame. The hall is maintained by the Homeville Museum in Cortland, and recognizes significant county residents in eras from pre-1850 to 1975-current.

Publications

* *

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

* *
The Papers of David L. Brainard
at Dartmouth College Library
Elinor McVickar Correspondence with Ellen R. Brainard
at Dartmouth College Library * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brainard, David 1856 births 1946 deaths United States Army Cavalry Branch personnel United States military attachés Military personnel from New York (state) United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American Polar Society honorary members Burials at Arlington National Cemetery American explorers of the Arctic People from Herkimer County, New York United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals Grand Officers of the Order of Christ (Portugal) Grand Officers of the Order of Aviz Officers of the Legion of Honour State University of New York at Cortland alumni