Army history in August

Beyond its role in defense of the nation, the Army and its Soldiers have contributed to medicine, technology, exploration, engineering and science. The milestones listed in this monthly chronology offer only a small glimpse of that proud story of selfless service. It is also your story.

1700s

1777--Battle of Bennington. The Vermont militia defeats a large Hessian force on Aug. 16, causing supply problems for the British forces advancing on Saratoga, N.Y.

1781--GEN George Washington fools the British into keeping their forces in New York City, then on Aug. 21 begins marching American and French forces south toward Yorktown, Va., where another British army, under Lord Cornwallis, is short of supplies.

1782--Washington establishes the first American military decoration, the Badge of Military Merit. Made of purple cloth, its heart-shaped design is later used for the Purple Heart medal.

1789--Under the authority of the new Constitution, Congress establishes the Department of War on Aug. 7.

1800s

1814--Battle of Bladensburg, Aug. 24. Taking advantage of confusion among the poorly trained American leaders defending the approaches to Washington, D.C., British troops rout the predominately militia force. The British advance into the city and burn many public buildings.

1846--The 1st Dragoon Regiment brings the town of Santa Fe, N.M., permanently under American authority. The regiment, with 1,700 troops under BG Stephen W. Kearny, had marched from Fort Leavenworth, Kan., at the beginning of the Mexican War, and entered Santa Fe on Aug. 18.

1847--On Aug. 6 troops under LTG Winfield Scott begin their march inland to capture Mexico City. They break through Mexican defenses at Contreras and Churubusco on Aug. 19 and 20 to arrive at the city's final defenses.

1861--On Aug. 28 a Union Army and Navy amphibious force under MG Benjamin Butler takes Fort Hatteras and Fort Clark, N.C., capturing more than 700 Confederates.

1862--Battle of Cedar Mountain. Confederate GEN Stonewall Jackson's corps in the Shenandoah Valley attacks the Union's II Corps, Army of Virginia, on Aug. 9. A Union counterattack almost wins the day, but Jackson rallies his men and, with reinforcements, defeats the Union force.

1867--Wagon Box Fight. On Aug. 2 a woodcutting detail of four civilians and 28 Soldiers from the 27th Inf. near Fort Kearny, Wyo., successfully holds off several hundred Sioux warriors for almost five hours. The men, armed with new breech-loading Springfield rifles and using their wagon boxes as a fort, inflict heavy losses on the Indians.

1869--CPT Charles W. Raymond of the Corps of Engineers conducts a three-month exploration of the Yukon River Valley.

1900s

1903--LTG Samuel B.M. Young is sworn in on Aug. 16 as the first chief of staff of the Army. Prior to this the Army's senior position was "commanding general." Changes in the Army's structure are a result of reforms proposed by Secretary of War Elihu Root.

1907--On Aug. 1 the Signal Corps establishes an Aeronautical Division to supervise everything concerning "military ballooning, air machines and all kindred subjects."

1919--Soldiers of the North Russian Expeditionary Force are withdrawn from northern Russia on Aug. 5 after almost a year of fighting the Bolsheviks.

1940--The Army parachute Test Platoon makes its first parachute jump at Fort Benning, Ga., on Aug. 16.

1943--In Europe, Paris is liberated on Aug. 25.

1945--On Aug. 6 the U.S. Army Air Force drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. A second bomb is dropped on Nagasaki three days later. The Japanese government accepts Allied surrender terms on Aug. 30.

1948--General of the Army Omar Bradley is appointed as the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Aug. 16.

1950--Army helicopters conduct the first medical evacuation of the Korean War, on Aug. 4.

1955--The Civil Affairs/Military Government Branch is established in the Army Reserve, Aug. 17. The name is changed in 1959 to the Civil Affairs Branch.

1968--on Aug. 28 National Guard and active-duty Soldiers are called in to restore order during the Democratic National Convention.

1972--The 3rd Bn., 21st Inf., the last Army ground-combat unit in South Vietnam, is inactivated on Aug. 23, ending the Army's ground role there.

1990--On Aug. 9 the 2nd Bde., 82nd Airborne Div., arrives to set up defensive positions in Saudi Arabia. This is the first Army ground element deployed in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

2000s

2002--Elements of the 82nd Abn. Div., 75th Ranger Regt. and Army aviation units conduct Operation Mountain Sweep, Aug. 18 through 26, in Afghanistan. Soldiers capture several suspected Taliban guerrillas and weapons caches.

2003--Nearly three years after retiring from active duty, GEN Peter J. Schoomaker is sworn in on Aug. 1 as the Army's 35th chief of staff.

COL Raymond K. Bluhm Jr. (Ret.) An officer of the Army History Foundation and co-author of "The Soldier's Guide" and "The Army."

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