The Book of Merit: Honorary Badges of Distinction

By Kenneth Wayne Virgil

In 1782 George Washington authorized the Badge of Honorary Distinction to acknowledge enlisted soldiers who had completed three or more years of service in the Revolutionary War. It appeared as a written notation on soldiers' discharge papers, entered by commanding officers at the moment of separation from service. Those handwritten endorsements preserved today within the Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files (M804) at the National Archives form the foundation of this book.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806322136
• ISBN13: 9780806322131
• Release Date: March 2026
• Publisher: Genealogical Publishing Company
• Length: 546 Pages
• Weight: 2.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.5" x 11.0"