I grew up in the lushness of history on Long Island's North Shore. The echoes of the Revolutionary War surrounded me---particularly near the ruined site of Fort Slongo (now 'Salonga')---a battle for which the first merit badge for martial bravery was presented by His Excellency, George Washington, to Sergeant Elijah Churchill of the 2nd Regiment, Light Dragoons (Connecticut Line). That cloth badge was the forerunner of the Medal of Honor and actual template for the Purple Heart.

Northport, NY was a patriot stronghold and gave many soldiers to the cause---just as it later did in the Civil War as a hamlet within the township of Huntington. Both conflicts spurred my very intense interest in history---American history particularly and military history especially. We would not be the great nation we are without having had countless, redoubtable citizen soldiers willing to sacrifice life and limb for our independence and freedom. They deserve to be remembered in every way possible, and in that vein, I seek to add faces and information to the gravestones of these valorous men to whom we owe so much. Others should join me in this effort, as volunteers dedicated to building this site for their perpetual remembrance---and, as a worthy resource for posterity's future writers, researchers, students and buffs. History demands nothing less.

I grew up in the lushness of history on Long Island's North Shore. The echoes of the Revolutionary War surrounded me---particularly near the ruined site of Fort Slongo (now 'Salonga')---a battle for which the first merit badge for martial bravery was presented by His Excellency, George Washington, to Sergeant Elijah Churchill of the 2nd Regiment, Light Dragoons (Connecticut Line). That cloth badge was the forerunner of the Medal of Honor and actual template for the Purple Heart.

Northport, NY was a patriot stronghold and gave many soldiers to the cause---just as it later did in the Civil War as a hamlet within the township of Huntington. Both conflicts spurred my very intense interest in history---American history particularly and military history especially. We would not be the great nation we are without having had countless, redoubtable citizen soldiers willing to sacrifice life and limb for our independence and freedom. They deserve to be remembered in every way possible, and in that vein, I seek to add faces and information to the gravestones of these valorous men to whom we owe so much. Others should join me in this effort, as volunteers dedicated to building this site for their perpetual remembrance---and, as a worthy resource for posterity's future writers, researchers, students and buffs. History demands nothing less.