When the office of Quartermaster General was established on June 16, 1775, the most pressing issues facing Major Thomas Mifflin involved bare necessities: providing adequate clothing and supplies to ensure the survival of the troops of the Continental Army as they bivouacked through the chilling winters of the American Northeast. Meeting the clothing needs of its Soldiers was a major and continuing problem for the Continental Army and the Quartermaster General, making it quite fitting that in 1997 the Order of Saint Martin was established to recognize those Quartermaster Corps members and veterans who have displayed the highest levels of integrity, moral character, and stellar professional competence.
Born between 316 and 336 AD in Hungary, Martin of Tours spent his childhood years in Italy as the son of a cavalry officer in the Roman army. Following in his father’s footsteps (or stirrups), Martin joined the Army and was assigned to serve on garrison duty in modern-day France. On a brutally cold day, Martin was about to enter the gates of Amiens when he saw a beggar outside the city, clothed only in tattered rags. Moved by the sight, Martin removed his wool-lined mantle, slashed it in half with his saber, and gave the beggar a portion to protect him from the elements.
The image of a Soldier providing an essential of life befits the mission of the Quartermaster Corps perfectly—particularly in light of the struggle it faced to keep the men fighting for liberty supplied with the equipment and clothing they needed during the Revolutionary War.
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