четвъртък, 21 февруари 2013 г.
David Legge Brainard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| David Legge Brainard | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 21, 1856 Norway, New York |
| Died | March 22, 1946 (aged 89) |
| Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/branch |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1876-1919 |
| Rank |  Brigadier General |
| Unit | Howgate Expedition Lady Franklin Bay Expedition 2nd Cavalry |
| Battles/wars | Indian Wars Spanish-American War |
| Awards | Charles P. Daly Medal The Explorers Club Medal |
Brigadier-General David Legge Brainard (December 21, 1856−March 22, 1946) was an American arctic explorer and soldier.
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[edit]Early life
Brainard was born in Norway, New York, the fifth son to Alanson Brainard and Maria C. Legge.
[edit]Military career
Brainard enlisted in the US Army in 1876, and served in the Sioux, Bannock and Nez Perce campaigns in 1877 and 1878 under General Nelson Appleton Miles, where he was wounded on his face and right hand.[1][2]
[edit]Arctic exploration
Labeled photo of the six survivors of the lady Franklin Bay Expedition with their rescuers. Brainard is number 24, sitting second from the left on the front row.
In 1880, he volunteered and was selected for the Howgate Expedition, which was canceled. However, the next year he was detailed as first sergeant for the ill-fated Lady Franklin Bay Expedition under Adolphus Greely. Over the three years of this expedition he continuously kept a journal. Among the men to die on this expedition was James Booth Lockwood, second-in-command of the expedition and Brainard's companion on many excursions, including their record breaking push north to 83°23'30". Brainard wrote of his passing on April 9, 1884:
Lieut. Lockwood became unconscious early this morning and at 4:30 p.m. breathed his last. This will be a sad blow to his family who evidently idolized him. To me it is also a sorrowful event. He had been my companion during long and eventful excursions, and my feeling toward him was akin to that of a brother. Biederbick and myself straightened his limps and prepared his remains for burial. This was the saddest duty I have ever yet been called upon to perform.[2]
Shortly before rescue, in the spring of 1884, freezing, starving and suffering from scurvy, he wrote:
Our own condition is so wretched, so palpably miserable, that death would be welcomed rather than feared...[3]
Brainard was one of only six survivors rescued by Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley on June 22, 1884. On that day, he was reportedly too weak to hold his pencil to make a note in his log.[2] He was awarded the Back Grant by the Royal Geographical Society in 1885.
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