THE 
 
 MEDICAL DEPARTMENT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNITED STATES ARMY 
 
 FROM 
 
 1775 to 1873. 
 
 COMPILED UNDER THE DIRECTION OP THE SURGEON GENERAL BY 
 
 HARVEY E. BROWN, 
 
 Assistant Surgeon, U. S. Aemy. 
 
 WASHINOTON, D. C: 
 SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 1873.
 
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 'Jkraiy 
 
 1273 
 
 I
 
 HISTORICAL NOTES 
 
 CONCERNING 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNITED STATES ARMY. 
 
 PART I. 
 The Medical Department during the Revolution. 
 
 The history of the Hospital Department of the army commences with 
 the siege of Boston in 1775, for the first legislative enactments of the 
 Colonial Congress only legalized what was already in existence, and gave a 
 fixed organization to what the emergencies of the occasion had called into 
 being months before. The army which gathered at Cambridge, after the 
 battle of Lexington, was assembled almost without any effort of public 
 authority; it was rather the spontaneous result of the burst of patriotism 
 and alarm which extended throughout the country, calling the farmer from 
 his plough, the mechanic from his shop, the clergyman from the pulpit, and 
 the physician from the sick bed. Few of these, who thus responded to the 
 call upon their loyalty, had any idea that there would be a war; or, they 
 thought that at worst it would be one of but short duration. Far the 
 larger portion of them looked forward to a compromise with the Mother 
 country, and as a consequence had made arrangements for leaving their 
 homes for but a short period. The parties of men collected at Cambridge 
 formed consequently but a heterogenous mass, without brigade or regimental 
 organization, and as a necessary sequence, without any staff establishment. 
 \ Among them were many physicians who had come from their native towns, 
 like the rest ready to do anything to assist the cause of liberty; but they 
 held no appointments, except perhaps from the Captains of companies or 
 self-elected Colonels of regiments, and had not the means for establishing a 
 hospital. 
 
 The Second Provincial Congress of Massachusetts Bay was at this time 
 in session and earnestly occupied in the organization of the troops, and early
 
 4 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 foresaw the necessity that existed for action looking towards the proper care 
 of the sick and wounded. With rare common sense, their first enactment 
 provided for an examination of all persons asking appointment as surgeons. 
 On the eighth of May, 1775, they ordered: 
 
 "That the President j?ro tempore. Doctor Church, Doctor Taylor, Doctor Holteo 
 and Doctor Dunsmore be a committee, to examine such persons as are, or may be 
 recommended for Surgeons for the Army, now forming in this Colony. 
 
 Resolved; That the persons recommended by the Commanding Officers of the 
 several regiments, be appointed as Surgeons to their respective regiments, pro- 
 Tided, they appear to be duly qualified, on examination." 
 
 Doctors Whiting, Bailies, Hall and Jones were subsequently added to 
 this committee, and a proviso adopted that any three present should con- 
 stitute a quorum. 
 
 The following extract from Thacher's " Military Journal during the 
 Revolutionary War, from 1775 to 1783," will show the manner in which 
 this original board of medical examiners performed their duty. 
 
 "On the day appointed, the medical candidates, sixteen in number, were sum- 
 moned before the board for examination. This business occupied about four 
 hours; the subjects were anatomy, physiology, surgery, and medicine. It was not 
 long after, that I was happily relieved from suspense, by receiving the sanction, 
 and acceptance of the board, with some acceptable instructions, relative to the 
 faithful discharge of duty, and the humane treatment of those soldiers, who may 
 have the misfortune to require my assistance. Six of our number, were privately 
 rejected as found disqualified. The examination was in a considerable degree close, 
 and severe, which occasioned not a little agitation in our ranks." 
 
 \ After the battle of Breed's Hill a hospital was established at Cam- 
 
 bridge, ' in several private but commodious houses,*' and Dr. John Warren, 
 a brother and pupil of Dr. Joseph Warren, who fell while commanding the 
 troops in that battle, was placed in charge. This gentleman had already 
 acquired a fine reputation, both for professional skill and humanity to the 
 .sick. He was soon after succeeded by Dr. Isaac Foster, of Cambridge, who 
 was afterwards Deputy Director General. About this same time a hospital 
 wa^ also established at Watertown, and another at Roxbury under charge 
 of Dr. Isaac Rand, and on the twenty-seventh of June a fourth, for the 
 exclusive care of small-pox patients. 
 
 It may be mentioned Iiere, that in all the legislative enactments of this 
 period, the word "hospital" is not used in the sense of a building for the 
 treatment of the sick and wounded, but in a wider signification, as denoting 
 the whole medical management of the war, or in other words, that "depart- 
 ment" or "bureau" of the service having charge of all matters pertaining 
 to medicine and surgery.
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 5 
 
 The regulations of this hospital at Cambridge were very simple. On 
 the first of July, the Provincial Congress passed the following preamble and 
 resolutions : 
 
 "In order that all the sick and wounded of the Army may be provided for, 
 and taken care of, in the best way and manner possible ; 
 
 Resolved, and it is hereby ordered ; 
 
 That, when any person in the Army is so ill, either by a wound, or otherwise, 
 that the Surgeon of the Regiment to which the sick or wounded person belongs, 
 finds the sick or wounded as abovesaid, cannot be properly taken care of in the 
 regiment to which he belongs, said surgeon shall send the sick, or wounded as 
 abovesaid, to the hospital provided for the use of the camps to which they belong; 
 and a certificate of the man's name, and the company, or regiment to which he 
 belongs ; and in that case, the Surgeon of the said hospital, shall receive the said 
 sick or wounded, under his care; and in case said hospital shall become too full, 
 the Surgeon of the said hospital, shall send such of his patients, as may with 
 safety be moved, to the hospital at Watertown, and a certificate setting forth the 
 man's name, what company and regiment each belongs to ; and in that case, the 
 Surgeon of the Watertown hospital, shall receive such sick or wounded under his 
 care." 
 
 The allowance of medical officers to a hospital was fixed at two sur- 
 geons and two surgeon's mates, and for a regiment in the field at one sur- 
 geon and two mates. For fear that persons might be appointed who were 
 not agreeable to the officers and men, it was advised by the Committee of 
 Safety, and resolved by the Congress, that surgeons should be nominated 
 by the Colonels of regiments to which they were to be attached, and sur- 
 geon's mates by the surgeons. 
 
 The pay of hospital surgeons was fixed at eight pounds per month, 
 and that of mates at four pounds ten shillings per month. 
 
 To each medical officer, thus appointed, a warrant was issued in the 
 following form. 
 
 "THE CONGRESS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY, 
 I To A. B., Greeting; 
 Being informed of your skill in Surgery, and reposing especial trust in your 
 ability, and good conduct; we do by these presents, constitute, and appoint you, 
 
 the said A. B. to be Surgeon of the Regiment of foot, whereof is 
 
 Colonel, raised by the Congress aforesaid, for the defence of said Colony. You 
 are, therefore, carefully, and diligently, to discharge the duty of a Surgeon to the 
 said Regiment, in all things appertaining thereunto, observing such orders, and 
 instructions, as you shall from time to time receive, from the Colonel of said regi- 
 ment, according to military rules and discipline, established by said Congress, or 
 any your superior officers, for which, this shall be your sufficient warrant. 
 
 By OKDEE OF THE CONGRESS, 
 
 , President. 
 
 Dated at Watertown, 
 
 , 1775."
 
 6 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 Warrants or commissions of a similar character, with the necessary 
 alterations in the phraseology, were also issued to hospital surgeons. 
 
 Notwithstanding, how;ever, the anxiety of the Provincial Congress (as 
 evinced by their numerous enactments on the subject) to provide for the 
 welfare of the sick and wounded soldiers, the plan adopted by them did not 
 work well in practice. The vicious privilege, so fatal to all discipline, had 
 been permitted of allowing the soldiers to choose their own officers, and 
 these officers in turn had the nomination of surgeons, and too often personal 
 popularity was sought for rather than professional fitness; a defect which 
 was not entirely obviated by the examination to which all candidates were 
 subjected. Again, surgeons and patients came from the same country 
 village or town, and it took them a long time to appreciate the fact that the 
 social equality which was to be admired in civil life, was incompatible with 
 the discipline of the field. Medical supplies of all kinds were extremely 
 scarce and the army ill supplied, as we learn incidentally from a resolution 
 of Congress, authorizing two surgeons, who were so fortunate as to possess 
 medicine chests, to lend them to those of other regiments that were not so 
 well supplied. The Provincial Congress had done all that they could in 
 this particular, but they could exercise no supervision except over the troops 
 from Massachusetts, while as time passed, the forces from other States had 
 assembled at Cambridge, and added to the aggregate of the army. 
 
 What was wanted was a general head, and that the Hospital did not 
 have, and the Provincial Congress could not give it. For the correction of 
 this, and all other defects, only one body was competent, and that was the 
 Colonial Congress, then in session at Philadelphia. 
 
 This assemblage commenced its second session on the tenth of May, and 
 was occupied in devising ways and means fur carrying on the approaching war. 
 
 They had selected Washington as Commander-in-Chief, and passed an 
 
 act for the appointment of General Officers and officers of the General StaflF, 
 
 but strangely enough this bill made no provision for the Hospital Department. 
 
 Washington had arrived at Cambridge and assumed command, and his first 
 
 inspections convinced him of the necessity for some action on the part of 
 
 the Colonial Congress. On the twenty-first of July he thus expressed 
 
 himself, in a letter to the President of Congress. 
 
 *' I have made enquiry into the establishment of the hospital, and find it in a 
 very unsettled condition. There is no principal director, nor any subordination 
 among the Surgeons; of consequence, dii<pute8 and contentions have arisen, and 
 must continue until it is reduced to some system. I could wish it was immediately 
 taken into consideration, as the lives and health of both officers and men so much 
 depend on a due regulation of this department."
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 7 
 
 Two days before this letter was written, however, Congress had passed 
 a resolution, "That a Committee be appointed to consider the method of 
 establishing a hospital." This committee consisted of Robert Treat Paine, 
 of Massachusetts, Francis Lewis, of New York, and Henry Middleton, of 
 South Carolina; and on the twenty-seventh of July they reported a bill, 
 which after some discussion was agreed to, as follows : 
 
 " That, for the establishment of an Hospital, for an Army consisting of twenty 
 thousand men, the following ofi&cers, and other attendants, be appointed, with the 
 following allowance of pay, viz : 
 
 One Director General and Chief Physician, his pay per day, four Dollars. , 
 Four Surgeons, each ditto, one and one third of a dollar. 
 One Apothecary, ditto, one and one third of a dollar. 
 Twenty Surgeon's mates, each ditto, two thirds of a dollar. 
 One Clerk, ditto, two thirds of a dollar. 
 Two Storekeepers, each four dollars per month. 
 
 One nurse to every ten sick, one fifteenth of a dollar per day, or two dollars 
 per month. 
 
 Laborers occasionally. 
 
 The Duty of the above officers ; 
 
 The Director to furnish bedding, medicines and all other necessaries; to pay 
 for the same, superintend the whole, and make his report to, and receive orders 
 from the Commander in Chief. 
 
 Surgeons, Apothecaries, and mates; To visit the sick, and the mates to obey 
 the orders of the Physicians, Surgeons, and Apothecary. 
 
 Matron ; To superintend the nurses, bedding, etc. 
 
 Nurses; To attend the sick, and obey the Matron's orders. 
 
 Clerks; To keep accounts for the Director, and Storekeepers. 
 
 Storekeeper; To receive, and deliver bedding, and other necessaries, by order 
 of the Director." 
 
 It is probable that the committee only intended this plan to be provis- 
 ional ; either this, or they had no idea of the magnitude of the struggle 
 before them. On no other grounds can we reconcile the adoption of so 
 vague and unsatisfactory a scheme, with the clear judgment which charac- 
 terized all the other actions of this remarkable body. "With all its defects 
 it was, at all events, a long step in advance out of the chaos which reigned 
 in medical affairs at Cambridge, and by the provisions made for a competent 
 chief of the department, gave promise of increased efficiency. Congress 
 proceeded without delay to the election of officers for the Hospital, and 
 "Doctor Benjamin Church was unanimously elected to be director of, and 
 physician in the Hospital." 
 
 Instead, however, of electing any persons to fill the other offices named 
 in the act, it was resolved :
 
 8 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 "That the appointment of the four Surgeons, and the Apothecary, be left to 
 Doctor B. Church. 
 
 That the mates, be appointed by the Surgeons. 
 
 That the number of mates, do not exceed twenty. 
 
 That this number be not kept in constant pay, unless the sick and wounded 
 should be so numerous, as to require the attendance of twenty ; and to be dimin- 
 ished, as circumstances will admit; for which purpose, the pay is fixed by the day, 
 that they may only receive pay for actual service. 
 
 That one Clerk, two Storekeepers, and one nurse to every ten sick, be appointed 
 by the Director." 
 
 Doctor Benjaniin Church, who by this election became the first head of 
 the Hospital Department of the army, was a native of Boston, where he 
 had long enjoyed an enviable reputation both of a professional and personal 
 character. He was a physician of genius and culture, and as a patriot had 
 long occupied a high position among the "Sons of Liberty." In 1773 he 
 had delivered an oration in Boston, after the massacre, which was fervid with 
 the impassioned denunciations of the outrages committed by Great Britain, 
 which were so characteristic of the oratory of that period. He was a mem- 
 ber of the Provincial Congress and had been selected by that body in May. 
 1775, to proceed to Philadelphia and lay before the Congress the anxiety 
 felt by the people-of Massachusetts at having so large a body of ill-disciplined 
 troops within her borders, and requesting advice as to the proper action on 
 the part of government to allay it. On his return from this mission he was 
 deputed by the same body, to receive and welcome the new Commander-in- 
 Chief, General Washington, on his arrival at Cambridge, a duty which he 
 fulfilled with grace and dignity. 
 
 There had been much talk of the appointment of the illustrious Warren 
 to the position of Director General, but he preferred the more hazardous 
 life of an active command in the field, and accepting a Major General's 
 commission, was killed at Breed's Hill. Next to him. Doctor Church was 
 universally regarded as the proper man for the position, and his appointment 
 gave great satisfaction, especially to the Boston patriots. But, alas for the 
 fallibility of human judgment! Doctor Church did little or nothing to 
 improve the efficiency of the Hospital, quarreled with the regimental sur- 
 geons, and had so many complaints against him that Washington was obliged 
 to order investigations to be made in every brigade, into thd management 
 of the sick ; and within three months of the date of his appointment, was 
 arrested for carrying on a traitorous correspondence with the enemy in 
 Boston. He entrusted a letter written in cypher, to a woman with whom 
 he was intimate, to be by her conveyed to Boston. This letter she left with a 
 man by the name of Wainwood to be delivered, but he, suspecting something
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 9 
 
 wrong, caused the matter to be laid before the Commander-in-Chief. The wo- 
 man was immediately arrested, but for a long time refused to divulge the name 
 of the writer, until she became terrified by threats of severe punishment, 
 when she acknowledged that she had received the letter from Doctor Church. 
 The latter was confronted with the woman, when he became greatly agitated 
 and manifested marks of guilt, making no attempt to vindicate himself. 
 But after the letter was deciphered, he then acknowledged its authorship 
 and disclaimed any intention of injuring the patriot cause, asserting that he 
 hoped by this means to gain some important information from the enemy. 
 The letter itself does not seem to have contained anything of much im- 
 portance, being chiefly a statement of the numbers and disposition of the 
 American forces, assertions of his devotion to the cause of the crown, and 
 directions for continuing the correspondence. A Court of Inquiry was 
 immediately ordered to investigate the circumstances. This was composed 
 of the Commander-in-Chief, all the Major and Brigadier Generals then on 
 duty with the army, and Adjutant General Horatio Gates. 
 The following is the official record of its proceedings : 
 
 "At a Council of War, held at Head Quarters, Cambridge, October 3rd, 1775, 
 present, 
 
 His Excellency, General Washington; Major Generals Ward, Lee, and Putnam ; 
 Brigadier Generals Spencer, Heath, Sullivan, Green, and Thomas; Adjutant Gen- 
 eral Gates. 
 
 The General communicated to this Board, a discovery of a correspondence 
 carried on with the enemy by Doctor Church, by letter in characters, which was 
 deciphered by Rev'd Mr. West, and laid the same letter, before the members of the 
 Council. 
 
 After considering and discussing the matter, it was determined to adjourn until 
 tomorrow, and then, that Doctor Church be examined. 
 
 October 4th. Council of War met; present as before. Doctor Church being 
 sent for, and shown the letter in characters, was asked whether the said letter was 
 written by him, to which he answered, he believed it was. He was shown the 
 explanation of said letter as deciphered, and asked whether it was a true one, to 
 which he answered in the affirmative. Doctor Church then explained his intentions 
 in writing said letter, as calculated to impress the enemy with a strong idea of our 
 strength, and situation, i]|j order to prevent an attack, at a time when the Continental 
 Army was in great want of ammunition, and in hopes of effecting the more 
 speedy accommodation of the present dispute; and made solemn asseverations of his 
 innocence. 
 
 The General then asked the opinion of the Council severally, whether it did 
 not appear, that Doctor Church had carried on a criminal correspondence with the 
 enemy; to which, they unanimously answered in the affirmative. The question was 
 then taken, and discussed, what were the proper steps to be taken with respect to 
 him, and after examining the articles of the Continental Army, and particularly 
 the articles twenty eight, and fifty one, it was determined from the enormity of the 
 1*
 
 10 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 crime, and the very inadequate punishment pointed out, that it should be referred 
 to the General Congress, for their special direction, and that in the mean time, he 
 be closely confined, and no person visit him but by special direction." 
 
 As Doctor Church was. a member of the Provincial Congress of Mas- 
 sachusetts, it was also considered advisable that the matter should be referred 
 to that body, in order that they should take such action as might be justified 
 by the circumstances. 
 
 The report of Washington to the President of Congress is as follows : 
 
 "Camp at Cambridok, 
 
 October 5th, 1776. 
 (Extract.) 
 * * 
 
 I have now, a painful though necessary duty to perform, respecting Doctor 
 Church, the Director of the Hospital. About a week ago, Mr. Secretary Ward of 
 Providence, sent up one Wainwood, an inhabitant of Newport to me, with a letter 
 directed to Major Cane in Boston, in occult characters, which he said had been 
 left with Wainwood, some time ago, by a woman who was kept by Doctor Church. 
 She had before pressed Wainwood to take her to Captain Wallace, Mr. Dudley the 
 Collector, or George Rowe, which he declined. 
 
 She then gave him the letter, with strict injuntions to deliver it, to either of 
 those gentlemen. He, suspecting some improper correspondence, kept the letter, 
 and after some time opened it, but not being able to read it, laid it up, where it 
 remained until he received an obscure letter from the woman, expressing an anxiety 
 as to the original letter. He then communicated the whole matter to Mr. Ward, 
 who sent him up with the papers to me. I immediately secured the woman, but for 
 a long time, she was proof against every threat and persuasion to discover the 
 author. However, at length she was brought to a confession, and named Doctor 
 Church. I then immediately secured him, and all his papers. Dpon the first ex- 
 amination, he readily acknowledged the letter, said it was designed for his brother, 
 etc. The Army and Country are exceedingly irritated." 
 
 The first action taken by Congress was to elect a new Director General, 
 "theafiairs of the Hospital requiring," as Washington writes, "that the 
 appointment should be made as soon as possible." Lieutenant Colonel 
 Hand, formerly a surgeon of the 18th Regiment, and Doctor Isaac Foster, 
 the surgeon of the General Hospital at Cambridge, were candidates for the 
 position, but Congress passed by them both, and on the seventeenth of 
 October, elected Doctor John Morgan of Philadelphia, to fill the vacant place. 
 Their next action was to dispose of Doctor Church. On the seventh of 
 November they passed a resolution 
 
 "That Doctor Church be close confined in some secure jail, in the colony of 
 Connecticut, without the use of pen, ink, and paper, and that no person be allowed 
 to converse with him, except in the presence, and hearing, of a magistrate of the 
 town, or the sheriff of the county where he shall be confined, and in the English 
 language, until further orders from this, or a future congress."
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 11 
 
 In accordance with this resolution he was removed to the jail in Nor- 
 wich, Connecticut. Previous to this action, however, his case had come up 
 before the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts. On the second of Novem- 
 ber he was arraigned before that body. He made an eloquent speech in his 
 defence, in which he attempted to vindicate himself from any design un- 
 friendly to the country, but it was all in vain, and he was unanimously 
 expelled as a member of the House. 
 
 Confinement in jail had an unfavorable effect upon his health, and in 
 the following January Congress so far relaxed the rigor of his imprisonment 
 as to permit him " to be removed to some more comfortable place of confine- 
 ment, than that where he now is, if such can be found in the Colony, 
 and that for the advancement of his health, the said Doctor Church be 
 permitted to ride out at proper seasons, under a trusty guard, who will be 
 careful to prevent his carrying on any correspondence, or doing any act 
 prejudicial to the safety and welfare of the United Colonies." On the 
 thirteenth of May, 1776, his health still failing, he was permitted to go to 
 Massachusetts and be set at liberty, on condition of his giving a bond for one 
 thousand pounds to appear for trial when called upon, and his parole that 
 he would indulge in no treasonable practices. 
 
 Soon after his release he sailed from Boston for the West Indies, but 
 the vessel in which he took passage was never heard from again. 
 
 Doctor John Morgan, the successor to Benjamin Church, was a native 
 of Pennsylvania, having been born in Philadelphia in 1735. He was a 
 pupil of Doctor John Redman, and on the completion of his medical studies 
 entered the army and served as a surgeon during the French war. In 
 1760 he went to Europe and pursued his studies with John Hunter, obtain- 
 ing the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1761. On his return, in 1765, he 
 found Shippen, the Bonds and others engaged in founding a medical school 
 in Philadelphia, and joining their enterprise, was elected to the chair of 
 theory and practice of medicine. From this time Until he reentered the 
 service, he was a leader among the literary and scientific men of that city, 
 and he brought to his new position a cultured intellect, sound judgment 
 in professional matters, and what was of the greatest value to the Continental 
 cause, a ripe experience in military surgery, gained in early life in the 
 struggles between the English and French for the possession of Canada. 
 
 Immediately on his appointment he reported for duty at Cambridge. 
 He found the hospitals crowded to excess with sick soldiers from camp, 
 many of whom should have been treated by their regimental medical officers. 
 The principal diseases were autumnal remittents, typhoid fever and camp
 
 12 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 dysentery; and in consequence of the universal practice of inoculating for 
 the small-pox, a considerable amount of that disease. 
 
 He set to work to introduce more systematic arrangements in the man- 
 agement of the hospitals; the wards were cleaned out and men sent back to 
 their regiments, the number of surgeon's mates in the hospital reduced and 
 the surplus officers transferred to vacancies in the regiments, and he 
 subjected the medical officers to another examination and caused those who 
 were disqualified to be discharged. 
 
 While these events were transpiring, the concentration of troops on the 
 northern frontier, for the projected invasion of Canada, rendered the 
 creation of a separate department necessary, of which General Philip 
 Schuyler was given the command. These forces were totally destitute of 
 everything necessary for the comfort of the sick. Medicines and stores 
 had been ordered, but owing to the difficulties of transportation through 
 the wilderness between Albany and Lake Champlain, they had never reached 
 the camp. General Schuyler thus describes the situation, in a letter to the 
 Continental Congress, and although it refers more especially to the condition 
 of aflFairs at Ticonderoga, yet his description applies equally to the 
 command under Montgomery, then encamped near the St. Lawrence 
 river : 
 
 "TicoNDEEOGA, August 6th, 1775. 
 (Extract.) 
 * * * , * 
 
 Out of about five hundred men that are here, near a hundred are sick, and I 
 have not any kind of hospital stores, although I had not forgot to order them, im- 
 mediately after my appointment. The little wine I had for my own table, I have 
 delivered to the Regimental Surgeons. That being expended, I can no longer bear 
 the distress of the sick, and impelled by a feeling of humanity, I shall take the 
 liberty immediately to order a physician from Albany, (if one can be got there, as 
 I believe there may,) to join me, with such stores as are indispensably necessary. 
 If Congress will approve of this measure, they will please to signify what allow- 
 ance of pay shall be made. If not, I shall discharge the person whoever he be, 
 paying him for the services he may have performed." 
 
 Congress, however, adjourned without taking any action on the subject, 
 and Schuyler consequently addressed the Provincial Congress of New York, 
 who gave as their opinion, that in view of the urgent necessity that existed 
 for some provision for the sick, the establishment of a hospital should be 
 ordered by the General himself, without waiting for legislation by the Con- 
 tinental Congress. Acting on this advice. General Schuyler on the twenty- 
 sixth of August, requested Doctor Samuel Stringer, of Albany, to undertake 
 the management of the Hospital, promising that he would take the earliest
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 13 
 
 opportunity to get the decision of Congress on the establishment, and to 
 see that Doctor Stringer was confirmed in his position, and reimbursed for 
 any expense he might be put to for medicines and instruments. Accord- 
 ingly, on the fourteenth of September, Congress appointed Doctor Stringer 
 to be Director of the Hospital and Chief Physician in the Northern De- 
 partment, with pay at four dollars a day, and authority to appoint not 
 exceeding four surgeon's mates as his assistants, and with the same proviso 
 for the reduction of their number when no longer needed, which was 
 inserted in the original bill organizing the General Hospital for the army 
 at Cambridge. They also passed a resolution, directing the Deputy Com- 
 missary General to pay Doctor Stringer for all medicines he had furnished 
 for the Northern Army, and authorizing him to purchase whatever other 
 articles might be needed, on receiving General Schuyler's warrant to that effect. 
 
 There was no more legislation of any importance in reference to the 
 Hospital Department during the year 1775. 
 
 The fourteenth section of a bill, enacting "Additional rules and reg- 
 ulations for the Continental Army," provided : 
 
 "That at every muster, the Surgeons or their mates, shall give to the' Com- 
 missary of Musters, a certificate signed by them, signifying the health, or sickness, 
 of those under their care ; and the said certificates shall, together with the muster 
 rolls, be by the said Commissary, transmitted to the General, and to this, or any 
 future Congress of the United Colonies ; or Committee appointed thereby; within 
 twenty days next after such muster being taken." 
 
 On the eighth of December, Congress authorized the appointment of 
 surgeons to the battalions then raising in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, at a 
 monthly pay of twenty-five dollars; and in the following March, when a 
 number of regiments had been raised, enacted that each regiment should 
 also have a surgeon's mate, at eighteen dollars a month. The reason for 
 this legislation is to be found in the fact, that previous to this time the 
 army had been almost entirely composed of either militia, or regiments 
 raised by authority of the various Provincial Congresses, and these bodies 
 had (as we have seen in the case of Massachusetts,) provided means for 
 supplying them with medical attendance. These troops, however, were 
 enlisted for a very short period, and the terms of service of many of them 
 were about expiring, and as they showed but little disposition to reenlist, 
 it became necessary for Congress to raise a force which could take their place. 
 
 The winter of 1775-6 was a very sevjere one to the army, both at Cam- 
 bridge and on the northern frontier. The latter were insufficiently clothed 
 and fed, and lacked a well organized medical department; they were dis-
 
 14 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 heartened by their unsuccessful attack on Quebec and the loss of their 
 commander; and, unaccustomed to the hardships of a soldier's life, soon 
 broke down under the trials of a winter campaign. From the time of their 
 retreat from Quebec, until they were concentrated at Ticonderoga, they 
 suffered great loss from the ravages of small-pox. The soldiers were in the 
 practice of inoculating themselves. This was forbidden in General Orders, 
 but failed to stop the custom, and among the victims of the disease was 
 Major General Thomas, who had been sent from Cambridge to command 
 the army after the death of Montgomery. Another disease which, 
 although not fatal, caused much distress, and unfitted a large portion of 
 the army for duty, was nostalgia; which first made its appearance during 
 the dark days that followed the defeat at Quebec, and did not leave the 
 army until the excitement of an anticipated attack from Burgoyne in 
 1777, roused the troops from the ennui into which they had fallen in their 
 dull camp life at Ticonderoga. 
 
 At Cambridge, during the summer and fall of 1775, the troops of tha 
 army had been healthy, if we take into consideration the unparalleled 
 circumstances under which they were assembled, and the general deficiency 
 of all the comforts to which they were accustomed. The only serious dis- 
 ease had been small-pox. With the advent, however, of troops from the 
 Middle and Southern States, typhus and typhoid fevers and dysenteries made 
 their appearance, and the sick lists increased rapidly. On the twenty-third 
 of September, 1775, the aggregate present and absent of the army was 
 19,365; and of these, 1,886 were reported as "present sick," and 931 
 "absent sick;" a total of 2,817 on sick report a ratio of 145.4 per 
 thousand of mean strength. In December the number taken sick each 
 week varied between 676 and 1,500; the larger portion of whom were 
 treated in general hospital, and nearly one-third in the one at Roxbury, 
 which was reserved for small-pox patients. The hospitals were destitute of 
 everything that was needed to render the men comfortable. Few of the 
 surgeons had any instruments, medicines were very scarce, and such nes- 
 cessary articles, as old linen for bandages and compresses, tape, thread, 
 needles, adhesive plaster, blankets, sheets, pillows, &c., were almost entirely 
 wanting. In this emergency, Doctor Morgan appealed to the charity and 
 patriotism of the inhabitants of the towns in the vicinity, and with success, 
 for on the first of January he issued a circular addressed " to the Publick," 
 in which he details the interest with which the good people of Concord, 
 Sudbury, Bedford, &c,, had supplied his wants, and tenders them the 
 hearty thanks of the Hospital Department for their much needed relief
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 15 
 
 The sick of the army on the second of March numbered 2,398 present, 
 and 367 absent; total, 2,765, out of an aggregate strength of 18,524. 
 
 The new levies which were raised in the winter of 1776, were most of 
 them concentrated at New York; and on the ninth of February, General 
 Charles Lee wrote to Washington, urging the establishment of a hospital in 
 that city. It was not, however, until after the evacuation of Boston by the 
 British that this was done. This event took place on the seventeenth of March, 
 and was almost immediately followed by a transfer of the seat of war to the 
 Middle States. In view of the movement of the greater portion of the 
 army from the vicinity of Boston, the following instructions were issued to 
 Doctor Morgan by Gleneral Washington : 
 
 "As the grand Continental Army, immediately under the command of his 
 Excellency, General Washington, will as soon as it i practicable, be assembled at 
 New York, you are with all convenient speed, to remove the General Hospital to 
 that city. 
 
 As the sick in the different houses cannot be removed, but must be left until 
 they are able to march, you will leave such Surgeons, Surgeon's Mates, Apothe- 
 cary and Attendants under the direction of , as are necessary, for 
 
 the care of the sick now in the General Hospital. 
 
 The medicines, stores, bedding, etc., not immediately wanted in the General 
 Hospital, should be loaded in carts, that will be provided next Saturday, by the 
 Assistant Quartermaster General, and sent under the care of a proper officer, or 
 officers, to Norwich, Connecticut. Upon their arrival there, they will find his 
 Excellency's orders, how, and in what manner, to proceed from thence, whether by 
 land or water. 
 
 The medicines ordered upon his Excellency's application, by the Honorable the 
 General Court of the Province, to be taken out of the town of Boston, should be 
 sent with the first of the hospital stores that go to Norwich ; a careful person 
 having orders to take charge of the same. 
 
 The fixing, and completing the Regimental Medicine chests, according to your 
 plan lately proposed, had better be deferred until your arrival in New York, when 
 that may be set about, under your inspection. 
 
 As the removing of the General Hospital, must be attended with such a variety 
 of duty, and attention, I must refrain from giving more particular directions, leaving 
 a latitude to your experience and knowledge of your profession, to govern and 
 direct all your motions. 
 
 Before you leave Cambridge, it will be necessary to see a proper Regimental 
 Medicine chest provided, and delivered to each of the Surgeons of the four Regi- 
 ments left in garrison there, under the immediate command of Major General 
 Ward ; also a chest for Colonel Glover's Regiment, on command at Beverly. 
 
 Reposing entire confidence in your care, diligence, and zeal for the service, 
 I remain satisfied of your best exertions, for the public benefit. 
 
 Given at Cambridge Head Quarters, 3rd day of April, 1776. 
 
 GEORGE WASHINGTON."
 
 16 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 How well Doctor Morgan carried out these important instructions. Is 
 best shown in his own words, in a letter to the Commander-in-Chief: 
 
 "Cambridge, April 22d, 1776. 
 Sib: 
 
 I take this opportunity to inform your Excellency, that I am constantly engaged 
 in collecting, and forwarding the Hospital Stores to New York, and in executing your 
 orders, relative to the drugs, medicines, etc., left in the Ministerial hospital, and 
 Messrs. Perkins' and Gardner's stores, at Boston ; of which, I hare given a more 
 minute detail, in my letters to General Gates. I have, and am collecting a noble 
 store of medicines, for the ensuing campaign, and I hope to leave no room for com- 
 plaint of any scarcity, or want of either medicines, bedding, blankets, or other hospital 
 stores for the Army, having got a sufficient supply, (except of a few capital articles, 
 which I hope to procure from Philadelphia,) of medicines for a year or more to 
 come; with fifteen hundred additional blankets, and rugs; as many beds and pil- 
 lows, etc., by the care and attention of my steward, and quartermaster of the 
 Hospital, Mr. Games, who has spared no pains in executing my orders, in collecting 
 them from Boston, and in washing and fitting them for use. 
 
 The sick in the several hospitals, are reduced to about eighty. I flatter my- 
 self, with the number already gone. Doctor Foster will be capable of managing the 
 affairs of the hospital at New York, so that the sick will not suffer. The rest of 
 the gentlemen in this department will follow with the remainder of the stores, and 
 I expect in a few days after, to join them. To-morrow, I purpose to set out for 
 Portsmouth, to learn whether there are any tidings of the ten packages of medicine, 
 formerly mentioned to be in the prize carried in there ; that nothing of so great 
 value be lost, for want of looking after. 
 
 Your Excellency's most obedient, 
 
 and humble servant, 
 
 JOHN MORGAN." 
 
 After the removal of Head-quarters to New York, the summer was 
 passed in improving the condition of the Medical Department. The general 
 hospital was in an efficient condition, but there began to be a great deal of 
 trouble with the regimental hospitals. The surgeons and their mates 
 complained that they had not pay enough to enable them to live like gentle- 
 men, and memorialized Congress for an increase. A further grievance was 
 found in some of the provisions of an act, passed by Congress on the seven- 
 teenth of July, which was thought to limit the usefulness of the regimental 
 medical officers, and subordinate them to too great an extent to the General 
 Staff. The act referred to is as follows : 
 
 "Resolved; That, the number of hospital Surgeons, and Mates be increased, 
 in proportion to the augmentation of the army, not exceeding one Surgeon, and 
 five Mates, to every five thousand men ; to be reduced, when the army is reduced, 
 or when there is no further occasion for such a number. 
 
 That as many persons be employed in the several hospitals, in quality of store- 
 keepers, stewards, managers, and nurses, as are necessary for the service for the 
 time being, to be appointed by the directors of the respective hospitals.
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 17 
 
 That the several regimental chests of medicines, and chirurgical instruments, 
 which now are, or hereafter shall be in possession of the regimental surgeons, be 
 subject to the inspection and inquiry of the respective directors of hospitals, and 
 of the director general; and that the said regimental Surgeons shall, from time to 
 time, when thereto required, render account of said medicines and instruments, to 
 the said Director, or if there be no director in any particular department, to the 
 Director General. The said accounts, to be transmitted to the Director General, and 
 by him to this Congress. And the medicines and instruments, not used by any 
 Regimental Surgeon, to be returned, when the regiment is reduced, to the respec- 
 tive directors, and an account thereof by them rendered to the Director General, 
 and by him to this Congress. 
 
 That the several directors of Hospitals in the several departments, and the 
 Regimental Surgeons, where there is no Director, shall transmit to the Director 
 General, regular returns of the number of Surgeon's Mates, and other officers 
 employed under them; their names and pay. Also, an account of the expenses, and 
 furniture of the Hospitals under their direction; and that the Director General 
 make report of the same, from time to time, to the Commander in Chief and this 
 Congress. 
 
 That the several regimental and hospital surgeons, in the several departments, 
 make weekly returns of the sick to the respective directors, in their departments. 
 
 That no regimental surgeon, be allowed to draw upon the hospital of his depart- 
 ment for any stores, except medicines, and instruments ; and that when any sick person 
 shall require other stores, they shall be received into said hospital, and the rations 
 of the said sick persons be stopped, as long as they are in said hospital ; and that 
 the directors of the said hospitals, report to the Commissary, the names of the sick, 
 when received into, and when discharged from hospital ; and make a like return, 
 to the Board of Treasury. 
 
 That all extra expenses for bandages, old linen, and other articles necessary for 
 the service, incurred by any regimental surgeon, be paid by the Director of that 
 department, with the approbation of the Commander thereof. 
 
 That no more medicines belonging to the Continent, be disposed of, until further 
 orders of Congress. 
 
 That the pay of Hospital Surgeons be increased to one dollar, and two thirds 
 of a dollar by the day ; and the pay of hospital apothecary to one dollar, and two 
 thirds of a dollar by the day ; and that Hospital Surgeons, and Mates, take rank of 
 regimental surgeons, and mates. 
 
 That the Director General, and the several directors of Hospitals, be empowered 
 to purchase, with the approbation of the Commander of the respective departments, 
 medicines, and instruments for the use of their respective hospitals, and draw upon 
 the paymaster for the same; and make report of such purchase to Congress." 
 
 A bill of this character had been long needed. In the act organizing 
 the hospital, passed on the twenty-seventh of July of the previous year, the 
 powers of the Director Gleneral had been very vaguely expressed. It is probable 
 that this was owing to a want of appreciation, on the part of Congress, of 
 the magnitude of the contest before them. They did not foresee the necessity 
 that would arise for the creation of other armies and departments than that 
 at Cambridge; and hence, failed to define distinctly the official superiority 
 2
 
 18 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 of the Director General over all other directors that might thereafter be 
 appointed. Washington had some months before written to the President 
 of Congress, expressing his opinion, that the efficiency of the hospital 
 would be much increased by having one chief, to whom all others should be 
 subordinate; and it was probably owing to his recommendations, that all 
 directors were required to send their returns through the Director General, 
 thus plainly asserting his position as the head of the bureau. The provis- 
 ions establishing a property accountability were also of great importance, 
 especially in the distressed condition of the country, when the scarcity 
 of all kinds of hospital stores made every old rag too precious to be wasted. 
 But to the surgeons of regiments the bill was particularly obnoxious. In 
 the first place, it increased the pay of hospital surgeons to a much 
 greater amount than theirs, which, by a resolve of the fifth of June, 
 had been fixed at thirty-three and a third dollars per month. Again, it 
 gave precedence of rank to the hospital surgeons, a regulation of which it 
 was hardly to be expected they could see the propriety or justice. But the 
 clause which gave them the most uneasiness, was that which forbade their 
 drawing upon the hospital for any stores, except medicines and instruments. 
 If this resolve stands, they said, there is nothing for us to do, but to order 
 all of our sick into general hospital. We cannot feed a man sick with 
 fever on the soldier's ration, and we are forbidden to draw anything else ; 
 while if we send all our men to general hospital, there will be nothing for 
 us to do, and Congress will disband us as supernumeraries. There was 
 much reason in this view of the case, and the disafifection became so great, 
 that Doctor Morgan thought it of sufficient importance to ask the advice of 
 the Commander-in-Chief. In his letter to Washington, he showed that to 
 take all the sick into the hospital would increase the number of its inmates 
 from about three hundred, to upwards of three thousand, and that, as dysen- 
 teries and putrid fevers were prevalent, " the crowding so many together 
 into the General Hospital, would certainly engender a malignant pestilential 
 fever, that would threaten the ruin of the army," The remedies he sug- 
 gested were; first, to adopt regulations for the management of the regi- 
 mental hospitals, by which, without infringement on the legislation of Con- 
 gress, the rations of the sick could be commuted by the commissary, and 
 articles of diflFerent character purchased with the money; or in other words, 
 the creation of a " hospital fund." Second, to bear those sick with putrid 
 fevers on the rolls of the general hospital, but to allow them to be treated 
 in camp; in this way, their rations would be stopped and the benefits there- 
 from obtained, while there would be no danger from crowd poisoning in the
 
 DTTRING THE REVOLUTION. , 19 
 
 general hospital. Of the two plans he preferred the first, as most likely to 
 give the greatest satisfaction, not only to the regimental surgeons hut also 
 to the officers and troops. The opinion of Doctor Morgan was approved 
 by the Commander-in-Chief, and a conference was held with the regimental 
 surgeons, which resulted in a code of regulations for the regimental hospi- 
 tals. As these 'are the earliest hospital regulations ever established in our 
 ^rmy, they are, though somewhat lengthy, considered of sufficient interest 
 to be inserted in full. 
 
 "HOSPITAL REGULATIONS, 
 agreed upon betwixt the Director General of the American Hospital, and the Regi- 
 mental Surgeons and Mates, at New York, July, 1776. 
 
 Rule 1. That every full regiment, and battalion provided with a Surgeon, or 
 mate; or each Brigade as the occasion may point out, ought to have some convenient 
 quarters to be appropriated by the proper quartermaster, for the reception of such 
 of the sick of that corps, and entitled a Regimental Hospital; which sick are to be 
 attended by their own Regimental Surgeons and mates. 
 
 2. That it shall be the business of Surgeons and mates in all regiments, to 
 "exan^ine the soldiers in the same, who are reported to be unfit for duty ; and to 
 separate from the well, those who are sick; and to receive them into the Regimental 
 Hospital. 
 
 3. That they keep a Register of those who are admitted into the Regimental 
 hospital, containing the patient's name, the company he belongs to, the days of his 
 admission to, and discharge from the hospital, (agreeable to a form annexed.) 
 
 4. That he shall make daily returns of the sick in his regiment, to the Com- 
 manding Officer of the same, that it may be known who are fit for duty, and who 
 are not ; and that such as are on the Doctor's list, may not be included in the pro- 
 vision return of the regiment. 
 
 5. That the Surgeon shall every day prescribe the diet of each sick person 
 under his care, according to the diet tables established in the General Hospital; (or 
 other suitable tables to be agreed upon;) under the titles, "full diet, half diet, spare 
 diet, dry diet, milk diet, etc." 
 
 6. That he make out and sign the provision return every day for the sick, and 
 draw upon the Director General of the hospital, agreeable to the tables of diet 
 before mentioned; for the regulation of which, weekly returns of the number of 
 sick, (in that week,) shall be made out on a stated day, so that, whatever the price 
 of diet drawn for said sick shall fall short of the rations stopped from the sick 
 during the week, so much may be drawn for their use in other stores ; as, wine, 
 rum, sugar, coflfee, tea, molasses, candles, soap, etc. 
 
 [If that surplus of money is not sufficient, there are no other ways to supply, 
 than either to do it by stoppages of the soldier's pay, (as in the British Army,) or, 
 by its being advanced by himself, or by the Colonel, or Captain of the Regiment to 
 which he belongs, and allowed in his Abstract; the General Hospital having nothing 
 to do with the expenses of Regimental hospitals, and no provision for the purpose 
 being yet made by Congress.] 
 
 7. That no Regimental Surgeon shall send any sick from his regiment, or 
 regimental hospital, to the General Hospital, without a ticket expressing the name
 
 20 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 of the sick, his company, and the regiment to which he belongs, signed by himself 
 or mate, and mentioning likewise the disorder he labors under, and the time he has 
 been ill. 
 
 8. That he send none to the General Hospital, labouring under infectious, 
 putrid, or malignant diseases ; for the introduction of such fevers into a General 
 Hospital will only injure the person sent, and may endanger the Surgeon's mates, 
 and other officers, as well as all that are sick of other diseases in the General 
 Hospital; engender the jail, or hospital fever, and ruin the Army. Such sick, are 
 to be kept separate if possible, and be taken care of by the Regimental Surgeons. 
 
 9. That whatever stores or utensils may be wanted for the use of a Regimental 
 Hospital, whether kettles to cook, victuals, blankets, etc. ; they ought to be got 
 from the Quartermaster General's store, or purchased from the same place and in 
 the same manner, as the like articles are procured for the well soldiers of the 
 Regiment; to be provided by an order from the Colonel, the Surgeon to give his 
 receipt for, and take care of the same; for the preservation of which, he may 
 establish such regulations as he sees fit. 
 
 10. That the medicine chest, and a number of articles, as, old linen, bandages, 
 etc., have been supplied to the Regiments, at the voluntary motion of the Director 
 General of the General Hospital, with the approbation of the Commander in Chief; 
 whenever the Regiments are disbanded, all such articles are to be returned to the 
 General Hospital ; otherwise, when new troops are levied, under the present scarcity, 
 and difficulty to procure them, it may not be practicable or easy to supply the 
 Army again, with those articles for another year. 
 
 11. That for every regimental hospital a cook should be allowed, to prepare 
 the diet of the sick, agreeable to the tables; or nurses, who may serve for cooks; 
 one to every ten men ; the pay the same as in the General Hospital, viz ; half a 
 dollar per week, and rations allowed by the Regiment. 
 
 12. That each regimental hospital ought to have a Corporal's guard, or at 
 least three men, one of which is to stand sentinel at the hospital door, to prevent 
 the sick from leaving without the permission of the Surgeon, and to keep persons 
 from going in without orders, to disturb the sick, or carry liquor to them. The 
 other persons whilst relieved from standing Sentinel, to serve for the time as waiters, 
 and obey the Surgeon and mate, in respect to any assistance, which may reasonable 
 be required in behalf of the sick. 
 
 Lastly ; That in all cases not provided for by the foregoing, or any future 
 regulations that may be agreed upon, the Surgeons and Mates shall observe the 
 customs and usages of the British Army ; and shall at all times obey such orders, 
 as they shall (in the way of duty,) receive from the Director General, for the treat- 
 ment of the sick, or for the discharge of the duties of their station." 
 
 On the fifteenth of July, Congress elected Doctor William Shippen, of 
 Philadelphia, to be chief physician to the flying camp of ten thousand men, 
 which by a resolution of the sixth of June, they had established at Trenton, 
 New Jersey. Previous to this, they had elected Doctor William Rickman to 
 be director of the Continental Hospital at Williamsburg, Virginia, which was 
 established under the same rules and regulations as to number of officers 
 and attendants, their pay and manner of appointment, and reduction in case 
 of necessity, as obtained in the Eastern Department. About this same time.
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 21 
 
 Doctor Jonathan Potts was appointed surgeon in the Canada Department, 
 (or at Lake George, as the General might direct,) with the understanding 
 that the appointment was not to supercede Doctor Stringer. 
 
 The increase in the number of general hospitals, and some want of 
 uniformity in the resolutions of Congress appointing these various directors, 
 soon gave rise to renewed controversies as to the official status of the Direc- 
 tor General. It would seem as if the act of the seventeenth of July had 
 sufficiently indicated the subordination of all other officers in the Medical De- 
 partment to the Director General as the official head of the bureau; but 
 the Northern Department had been originally formed under circumstances 
 which rendered it to a great extent a separate command, and while the army 
 remained at Cambridge, Doctor Morgan does not seem to have exercised any 
 authority over the aflfairs of the hospital in the north; but subsequent to 
 the establishment of Head-quarters at New York, the condition of affairs 
 became so bad at Crown Point, as to render some action absolutely necessary 
 to save that portion of the army from destruction. Upwards of three 
 thousand men were oh sick report, and the losses during and since the 
 unfortunate campaign in Canada, from disease and desertion, had amounted 
 to upwards of five thousand men. The army was in the utmost distress for 
 want of medicines, hospital stores and surgeons ; and Doctor Stringer 
 asserted, in a letter to General Gates, July 24, 1776, that the men were 
 literally dying for want of proper assistance and medical attendance. Sir 
 Guy Carleton was straining every effi)rt to accomplish a successful invasion 
 of the Colonies, by way of Lakes Champlain and George; which made it very 
 important that the troops in the Northern Department should be in the 
 highest state of efficiency, while in fact they lacked everything needed for 
 an active campaign, and were especially deficient in the points above noted. 
 In the one hospital at Fort George, the following was the return for the 
 fortnight ending July 26th. Admitted, 1,497. Discharged 439. Died 51. 
 Deserted 3. 
 
 Under these circumstances, a number of the officers and Doctor Stringer 
 among the rest, made application to the Director General for medicines; but 
 he had received no official notice of either Doctor Stringer's or Doctor Potts' 
 appointments, and was in doubt whether they could call upon him for assist- 
 ance, and so wrote to Doctor Stringer. However, he sent him medicines enough 
 for six regimental chests, and also appointed surgeons and an apothecary 
 for the Northern Hospital, on being further informed of the absolute desti- 
 tution they were in for medical officers. This Doctor Stringer considered 
 an infringement on his rights. Availing himself of a permission from
 
 22 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 General Gates to go to Albany to procure medicines, he went on to Philadel- 
 phia and laid his complaints before Congress; delaying the transportation 
 of the medicines to such an extent, as to occasion severe animadversion on his 
 conduct from General Gates. Meanwhile, information reached Doctor Mor- 
 gan that the gentlemen whom he had appointed surgeons to the, Northern 
 Department had been refused their pay. This circumstance, conjoined with 
 the position taken by Doctor Stringer, decided Doctor Morgan to bring the 
 whole matter in an official form before Congress, and ask them for further 
 legislation on the question of rank, which he did in a letter of great vigor 
 and ability. He showed that Doctor Stringer and other officers had repeat- 
 edly applied to him for assistance in their straightened condition ; that sick 
 had been sent from the Northern Department to the general hospital at 
 New York; that Doctor Potts on passing through New York en route to 
 Ticonderoga had reported to him, and applied, as to a superior, for advice 
 and assistance. Further, that the resolution of September 14, 1775, 
 appointing Doctor Stringer to be Physician-in-Chief of the Northern De- 
 partment, had distinctly limited his powers , (as the latter had already com- 
 plained to General Gates,) by refusing to give him the appointment of sur- 
 geons, but only of mates, (an authority which the organic act of July 27. 
 1775, gave to every Surgeon). 
 
 He also stated, that being unwilling to incur the imputation of having 
 exceeded his authority, he had visited Philadelphia and had a long confer- 
 ence with the Medical Committee, and returned with the full impression 
 that there was " but one General Hospital, though consisting of Divisions, 
 each under a separate Director, and united under one head, viz. ; the Director 
 General." Moreover, he advanced as an additional argument, that Congress 
 itself had recommended persons to him for appointment as surgeons, thus 
 showing clearly that they recognized him as the head of the Department. 
 He concluded his communication as follows : 
 
 " After all I have said, I cheerfully submit the propriety of my conduct, in 
 making the before mentioned appointments in the General Hospital, and am desirous 
 of conforming strictly to my instructions. If I have exceeded my commission, it 
 has been for want of knowing the designs, or resolves of Congress, or their being 
 misunderstood. Should the Congress on that footing, annul my appointments, and 
 make others, I must at least stand acquitted of having intentionally gone beyond 
 the line of duty, and it will behoove Congress to be more explicit, in respect to its 
 intentions ; for if the Congress does not suppose the appointment of any new Surgeons 
 rests with me, of what use is it, to recommend one to me, for my approbation? I 
 must pay an implicit obedience to their simple recommendation. In that case, I do 
 not imagine there will be the same security for harmony, or for having the business 
 of the hospital so well executed, as where the choice of the Surgeons is left to the 
 Director Qeneral, which is an additional incentive to industry, and an obliging
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 23 
 
 behaTior in the Surgeon thus freely elected, to approve himself worthy of the choice. 
 Be that as it may, wherever the path of duty is plain, I shall endeavor to walk 
 steadily in it, having no design, or inclination to exceed those bounds, which the 
 good of the service, or the inclinations of Congress, may prescribe to me." 
 
 One would suppose that this letter, so cogent in argument and manly 
 in sentiment, would have carried conviction into the minds of the members 
 of Congress ; but they already had the fear of centralization before their 
 eyes, and the decision arrived at left the matter very much as it was before. 
 On the twentieth of August, Congress resolved : 
 
 "That Doctor Morgan was appointed Director General, and Physician in Chief 
 of the American Hospital. 
 
 That Doctor Stringer was appointed director, and physician of the hospital in 
 the Northern department. 
 
 That every director of a hospital, possesses the exclusive right of appointing 
 Surgeons and hospital officers of all kinds, agreeably to the resolutions of Congress 
 of the 17th of July, in his own department, unless otherwise directed by Congress. 
 
 That Doctor Stringer be authorized to appoint a Surgeon for the fleet now fitting 
 out upon the Lakes." 
 
 This for the time being settled the question in favor of the directors, 
 
 and practically left the Hospital Department without a responsible head; 
 
 the inconveniences resulting from which faulty organization became so great, 
 
 as to result, as will be shown hereafter, in an entire reorganization of the 
 
 Medical Corps. 
 
 On the thirtieth of September, 1776, a resolution was passed which is 
 
 of interest, being the first attempt on the part of Congress to legislate an 
 
 enactment, looking towards the appointment of boards of examination for 
 
 all applicants for appointment. If is true, this resolution was only partial 
 
 in its application, but it was a commencement, which eventuated in the 
 
 perfection of that system, which, it may be truly said, has done more than 
 
 anything else to maintain the high standard of the medical service of the 
 
 army. The resolution was as follows : 
 
 "That it be recommended to the legislatures of the United States, to appoint 
 gentlemen in their respective states, skillful in physic and surgery, to examine those 
 who offer to serve as Surgeons, or Surgeon's Mates in the Army, or Navy ; and that 
 no Surgeon, or Mate shall hereafter receive a commission or warrant, to act as such 
 in the Army or Navy, who shall not produce a certificate from some, or one of the 
 examiners so to be appointed, to prove that he is qualified to execute the office." 
 
 The same act also further defined the duties of directors, by providing : 
 
 "That all regimental surgeons and mates, as well as those of the hospital, be 
 subject to the direction and control of directors in the several departments. 
 
 That no soldier be discharged from the service as disabled, unless the certifi- 
 cate be countersigned by the director, assistant physician, or first surgeon of the 
 hospital; nor be excused from duty for sickness, unless the certificate of sickness 
 be countersigned by one of those persons, where access may be had to them."
 
 24 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 In order to understand some legislation of Congress which was adopted 
 about this time, it will be necessary to review briefly in this place the 
 customs which had obtained since the commencement of the war, for sup- 
 plying the army with medicines, instruments, hospital stores, &c. When 
 the provincial troops first collected at Cambridge after the battle of Lexing- 
 ton, the physicians who came with them brought their own instruments 
 and such medicines as they had in their offices, which sufficed for the present 
 necessities of the soldiers. Subsequently to the action at Breed's Hill, the 
 Provincial Congresses took measures for providing their own troops with the 
 necessary stores; but after the permanent organization of the Colonial army 
 some more systematic arrangement became necessary. 
 
 This want was but very imperfectly met in the act of July 27, 1775, 
 which made it the duty of the Director, "to furnish medicines, bedding, 
 and all other necessaries, to pay for the same, and superintend the whole j" 
 and to enable him to perform this duty allowed him a clerk to keep the 
 accounts, and storekeepers to make the necessary issues. It was very mani- 
 fest that this plan could not work well, for the articles required were such as 
 could only be obtained in the large cities, and the other duties of the Director 
 required his constant presence at Head-quarters. He was, consequently, while 
 personally responsible for the supply of the army, obliged to delegate his 
 authority as purveyor to agents living in New York or Philadelphia, and 
 the army was poorly supplied as a result. Rush says, that one great cause 
 of the sickness in the Continental army, was "the inconveniences and 
 abuses that usually follow the union of the purveying and directing depart- 
 ments of a hospital in one person." Nor was the matter at all improved by 
 extending the authority to purchase medicines and instruments to all direc- 
 tors, upon the simple order of the Department Commander, for this only 
 multiplied the very evils which had existed before. A committee was 
 appointed by Congress on the fourteenth of September, 1775, "to devise 
 ways and means for supplying the Continental army with medicines." This 
 committee, however, could suggest nothing better than the old system, and 
 only modified it to the extent of requiring all accounts to be audited by the 
 President, before being paid by the Treasurer. The defects in administra- 
 tion, however, became so great, and so many complaints were made that the 
 army was inadequately supplied, that on the twentieth of August, Congress 
 resolved: "that a druggist be appointed in Philadelphia, whose business it 
 shall be to receive and deliver all medicines, instruments and shop furni- 
 ture for the benefit of the United States." To this position Doctor William 
 Smith was elected, with a salary of thirty dollars a month. It cannot now
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 25 
 
 be ascertained to what extent the Director General was relieved by this act 
 from the duty of purchasing stores; but it is probable from sundry allusions 
 in contemporary records, that although he nominally controlled the business 
 of the purveying department, yet the active duties gradually devolved 
 entirely upon Doctor Smith, who became, de facto ^ Chief Medical Purveyor; 
 Congress, however, reserving to itself the right to supervise all purchases 
 and audit all accounts. 
 
 On the twenty -seventh of August, 1776, the battle of Long Island took 
 place, and soon after Washington, finding the city of New York untenable, 
 removed the array about nine miles up the river, and established his head- 
 quarters on Haarlaem Heights. This, of course, necessitated the breaking 
 up of the general hospital at New York, which had been located in various 
 houses at Kipp's Bay, Greenwich and Bloomingdale. Special provision had 
 also now to be made for the troops in New Jersey who had hitherto had no 
 general hospital, (except that attached to what was called the flying camp at 
 Trenton.) but drew all their supplies from New York. It was also thought 
 advisable at this juncture, to define more distinctly the relations between 
 general and regimental hospitals and the duties of the regimental surgeons. 
 Consequently, on the ninth of October, 1776, Doctor Morgan was directed 
 to establish a general hospital in some suitable place not in the immediate 
 vicinity of the camp, for the army posted on the east side of the Hudson 
 river, and Doctor William Shippen to perform a similar office for the troops 
 stationed in New Jersey. Under this new arrangement regimental hospitals 
 were forbidden in the neighborhood of a general hospital, and all officers or 
 soldiers, that from the nature of their wounds or diseases were likely to 
 require constant attention, were directed to be treated in general hospital. 
 Weekly returns of all officers and attendants employed in the general hospi- 
 tal, and also all changes among the sick by discharge, desertion, death, or 
 return to duty, were ordered to be made both to Congress and to the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief. The last resolution of this series directed commanding 
 officers of regiments to cause weekly inspections to be made of the sick in 
 their respective regiments in general hospital, and a report submitted of 
 their condition. 
 
 In consequence of the resolutions locating general hospitals at a con- 
 siderable distance from camp, and the inconveniences resulting from soldiers 
 leaving them to draw their pay, it was resolved on the nineteenth of November : 
 
 "That on any sick or disabled non-commissioned officer or soldier, being sent 
 
 to any hospital or sick quarters, the captain, or commandant of the troop or company 
 
 to which he belongs, shall send to the surgeon or director of the said hospital, or give 
 
 to the non-commissioned officer or soldier, so in the hospital or quarters, a certificate 
 
 2*
 
 26 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 countersigned by the paymaster of the regiment, if he be with the regiment, of what 
 pay is due such sick non-commissioned oflBcer or private, at the time of his entering; 
 the hospital or quarters; and the captain or commandant of the troop or company, 
 shall not receive the pay of the said soldier in hospital or quarters, nor include him 
 in any pay abstract, during his continuance therein. And in case any non-com- 
 missioned oflBcer or soldier, shall be di^^charged from the hospital or quarters, as 
 unfit for further service, a certificate shall be given him by the surgeon or doctor, 
 of what pay is then due him, and the said non-commissioned oflScer or soldier 
 discharged, shall be entitled to receive his pay at any pay office, or from any pay- 
 master in the service of the United States ; the said paymaster keeping said original 
 certificate to prevent imposition, and giving the non-commissioned oificer or soldier 
 his discharge, or a certified copy thereof, mentioning at the same time that he has 
 been paid." 
 
 There was no further legislation by Congress in reference to the Medi- 
 cal Corps in .1776, except a resolution of the twenty-eighth of November, 
 that all the sick on the east side of the Hudson river should be under the 
 charge of Doctor Morgan, and all those on the west, of Doctor Shippen. 
 Arrangements were also made for providing accommodation for some of the 
 sick at Philadelphia, by the use of the Pennsylvania Hospital. 
 
 During the latter part of the year 1776, a congressional committee 
 had been investigating the affairs of every department of the army, and in 
 consequence of their report. Congress on the ninth of January, 1777, passed 
 a resolution: 
 
 "That Doctor John Morgan, Director General, and Doctor Samuel Stringer, 
 director of the hospital in the Northern Department of the army of the United 
 States, be, and they are hereby dismissed from any further service in said ofl&ces. 
 
 That the directors of the military hospitals throughout the army, with the 
 assistance of the hospital and regimental surgeons in each department, make returns 
 to Congress, as soon as possible, of the kind and quantity of medicines, instruments, 
 and hospital furniture that remain on hand." 
 
 In regard to Doctor Stringer, it is much to be feared that the dismissal 
 was but tardy justice for continual neglect of duty. General Gates had 
 been very much dissatisfied with him for a long time, and had latterly 
 confided everything to Doctor Jonathan Potts, who seems to have 
 been an able and energetic officer. Doctor Stringer had, on the twenty-ninth 
 of July, obtained permission to go to New York to procure the much needed 
 supplies for the department, making at the same time a solemn promise to 
 General Gates, that he would not delay an instant beyond what was abso- 
 lutely necessary in returning to his command, which was in very great 
 distress for want of stores. Instead, however, of doing this he went on to 
 Philadelphia, to discuss with members of Congress the disputed question of 
 rank between Doctor Morgan and himself; " preferment hunting," as Gates
 
 BtTRlNG THE REVOLUTION. 27 
 
 called it, in a letter to Egbert Benson. He remained absent over two months, 
 taking Boston en route back, during which time, as Dr. Potts writes, there 
 was not enough lint or material for bandages in the whole army to dress the 
 wounds of fifty men. Although from its -situation the army was very much 
 exposed to malarial fevers, the hospital did not possess a pound of cinchona 
 bark; and snakeroot, centaury, and dogwood bark were used instead, as 
 antiperiodics. Ten medicine chests which Doctor Morgan had forwarded 
 had not arrived, and it was impossible to find out what had become of them. 
 There was no straw or bedding for the sick, who were laid on bare boards, 
 and the organization of the hospitals as regards nurses, was very defective. 
 In fact, the army was on the brink of a mutiny, and Gates wrote: " T can- 
 not long be answerable for the consequences of the shameful neglect of the 
 army in this Department. The United States expect the same good service 
 from their troops here as everywhere else. This they cannot have, unless 
 they command the same attention to be paid the health of the soldiers here 
 as elsewhere." To counteract to some extent this disaffection, the General 
 on the thirty -first of August issued the following order : 
 
 "HEAD QUARTERS, 
 
 August 81st, 1776. 
 
 The officers and soldiers may be satisfied that the General has left no means in 
 his power unattempted to procure medicine and every comfort for the sick. The 
 director of the general hospital in this department, Doctor Stringer, was sent to 
 New York three and thirty days ago, with positive orders to return the instant he 
 had provided the drugs and medicines so much wanted. Since then repeated letters 
 have been wrote to New York and Philadelphia, setting forth in the strongest terms, 
 the pressing necessity of an immediate supply of these articles. The General is 
 credibly informed that a principal surgeon from the General Hospital at New York, 
 has been dispatched from thence above a fortnight ago, with a supply of medicines, 
 and apprehends that the badness of the roads and weather has alone prevented 
 his arrival. 
 
 It is the soldier's duty to maintain the post he is ordered to defend. The same 
 climate and season that affect us affect our enemies, and the favour of the Almighty, 
 to whom we have appealed, will, if we trust in him, preserve us from slavery and 
 death. 
 
 The General recommends it to the surgeons of the different regiments, to com- 
 municate to each other, the state of the sick in their respective corps, the various 
 diseases, the remedies principally wanted, and the comforts most in request; for he 
 will leave nothing unattempted in his power to provide whatever he can command 
 for their recovery. 
 
 The General also desires the medical gentlemen will consult upon and adopt the 
 most proper measures for obtaining those salutary purposes." 
 
 During the following month matters somewhat improved. Doctor 
 Morgan ordered a surgeon's mate from New York to Ticonderoga with a
 
 28 THE MEDICAL DEPAKTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 large supply of excellent medicines, in addition to the regimental chests 
 previously forwarded. Doctor Potts also received from some relief committees 
 a timely supply of old linen and bandages, and Doctor Stringer at length 
 wrote from Boston that he had purchased a large quantity of stores in 
 that city. Still the sick in hospital were in want of many necessary com- 
 forts; for the congressional committee, who visited the army in November, 
 reported as follows: 
 
 " Your Committee beg leave further to report, that they have visited the General 
 Hospital for the Northern Army, situated at Fort George ; that there is a range of 
 buildings erected convenient for the purpose, which on the twentieth of October last, 
 contained about four hundred sick, including those wounded and sick sent from 
 General Arnold's fleet ; that they were sufficiently supplied with fresh mutton and 
 Indian meal, but wanted vegetables: that the Director General in that department 
 obtained a large supply of medicines, but the sick suffered much for want of good 
 female nurses and comfortable bedding; many of those poor creatures being, obliged 
 to lay upon the bare boards. Your Committee endeavored to procure straw as the best 
 temporary expedient, but they earnestly recommend it to the attention of Congress 
 that a quantity of bedding be speedily furnished. ****** 
 Your Committee cannot omit mentioning under this head, the complaints which they 
 have received from persons of all ranks, in and out of the army, respecting the 
 subject of ill treatment of the sick. It is shocking to the feelings of humanity, as 
 well as ruinous to the public service, that so deadly an evil, has been so long with- 
 out a remedy. Your Committee do not undertake to determine from what quarter 
 this mischief has arisen, but they most earnestly recommend that a strict inquiry 
 be immediately made into the conduct of Directors General of Hospitals; their 
 surgeons, other officers and servants ; and that exemplary punishment be inflicted 
 on all such as shall be found to have neglected their duty." 
 
 To the report of this committee and the resolution dismissing Doctor 
 Stringer, General Philip Schuyler, commanding the Northern Department, 
 strongly objected in a letter to Congress. Doctor Stringer was a warm per- 
 sonal friend of General Schuyler's, (from whom he had received his original 
 appointment,) and the latter did not coincide in the strictures of General 
 Gates on the conduct of the director. His protest, however, only served to 
 draw down the indignation of Congress upon himself, for on the fifteenth of 
 March, 1777, they passed a series of resolutions censuring him in the 
 severest manner for his interference, and placed it on record : 
 
 " That as Congress proceeded to the dismissal of Doctor Stringer, upon reasons 
 satisfactory to themselves. General Schuyler ought to have known it to be his duty 
 to have acquiesced therein. 
 
 That the suggestion in General Schuyler's letter, that it was a compliment due 
 to him to have been advised of the reasons of Doctor Stringer's dismissal, is 
 highly derogatory to the honour of Congress, and that the President be desired to 
 acquaint General Schuyler that it is expected his letters for the future be written in 
 a style more suitable, etc.
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 29 
 
 That it is altogether improper and inconsistent with the dignity of Congress to 
 interfere in disputes subsisting among the officers of the army, which ought to be 
 settled, unless they can be otherwise accommodated, in a court-martial agreeably to 
 the rules of the army." 
 
 After the dismissal of Doctor Stringer, Doctor Potts became the senior 
 medical oflScer in the Northern Department, and remained on duty as acting 
 director until the reorganization of the hospital department. 
 
 In considering the question of the dismissal of the Director General, 
 we are unfortunately without those details which would be so interesting 
 relative to the causes which led to this summary procedure; but it is a mat- 
 ter of gratification that we do have the most positive proof that the dismissal 
 was an unjust one. This evidence we shall come to in a short time; mean- 
 wjiile we can offer plausible conjectures, derived from letters written at the 
 time, of the charges against Doctor Morgan. 
 
 We find abundant evidence in contemporary records that great dissatis- 
 faction existed throughout the army, both among officers and soldiers, at the 
 management of the hospital. It was of course very unreasonable, but they 
 would not understand the difficulties the Director General labored under 
 in procuring supplies of all kinds. The officers continually wrote to Con- 
 gress, or to men of prominence in their respective states, making the 
 gravest charges against the surgeons. A fair sample of these communica- 
 tions may be found in the following extract of a letter written by Colonel 
 William Small wood' of Maryland, to the Council of Safety of his state : 
 
 "PHILLIP'S HEIGHTS, 
 
 October, 1776. 
 
 Our next greatest suffering proceeds from the great neglect of the sick, and the 
 orders relative to this department are most salutary, were they to be duly attended 
 to ; but here too there is not only a shameful but even an inhuman neglect daily exhib- 
 ited. The directors of the general hospitals, who supply and provide for the sick, are 
 extremely remiss and inattentive to the well being and comfort of these unhappy 
 men ; out of this train they cannot be taken. I have withdrawn all mine long ago, 
 and had them placed in a comfortable house in the country, and supplied them with 
 only the common rations ; even this is preferable to the fare of a general hospital. 
 Two of these regimental hospitals, after I have had them put in order, one has been 
 taken away by the directors for a general hospital, and my people turned out of doors, 
 and the other would have been taken in the same manner had I not have applied to 
 General Washington, who told me to keep it. The misfortune is that every supply 
 to the regimental hospital of necessaries suitable for the sick must come from an 
 order from the directors, and is very seldom obtained. I have more than once 
 applied that my quartermaster might furnish and make a charge for what was sup- 
 plied, by which means I could have rendered the situation of the sick much more 
 comfortable at a less expense, but it could not be allowed. I wish this could be
 
 30 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 obtained. I foresee the evils resulting from the shameful neglect in this depart- 
 ment. One good-seasoned and well-trained soldier recovered to health, is worth a 
 dozen new recruits, and is often easier recovered than to get a recruit, exclusive of 
 which, this neglect is very discouraging to the soldiery, and must injure the service 
 upon the new enlistments after the troops go into winter quarters. 
 
 ********** 
 
 WILLIAM SMALLWOOD. 
 To the Honorable, the Council of Safety of Maryland." 
 
 The animus of this letter is very evident. It was the old feeling of 
 jealousy on the part of the regimental surgeons against those of the general 
 staflF, which found an exponent in this communication and dozens more of 
 the same character. We know already that Doctor Morgan had made great 
 efforts to establish the regimental hospitals on a firm basis, and if he now 
 withdrew his countenance from them and discouraged their continuance, 
 he doubtless had good reason for his action. That reason we find an ink- 
 ling of in a letter from General Washington to John Hancock, written about 
 this time. Speaking of the improvement of the hospital department, 
 he says: 
 
 "No less attention should be paid to the choice of surgeons than of other 
 officers of the army; they should undergo a regular examination, and if not 
 appointed by the Director General, they ought to be subordinate to, and governed 
 by his directions. The regimental surgeons I am speaking of, many of whom are 
 very great rascals, countenancing the men in sham complaints to exempt them from 
 duty, and often receiving bribes to certify indispositions, with a view to procure 
 discharges or furloughs. But, independently of these practices, while they are 
 considered as unconnected with the general hospital, there will be nothing but 
 continual complaints of each other, the director of the hospital charging them with 
 enormity in their drafts for the sick,"and they him for denying such things as are 
 necessary. In short, there is a constant bickering among them, which tends greatly 
 to the injury of the sick, and will always subsist until the regimental surgeons are 
 made to look up to the Director General of the hospital as a superior. Whether this 
 is the case in regular armies or not I cannot undertake to say, but certain I am, there 
 is a necessity for it in this or the sick will suffer. The regimental surgeons are 
 aiming I am persuaded to break up the general hospitals, and have in numberless 
 instances drawn for medicines, stores, etc., in the most profuse and extravagant 
 manner for private purposes." 
 
 But in spite of this strong testimony of the conspiracy against the 
 general hospital, from one who always took a dispassionate view of aflFairs, 
 there seems no doubt that complaints multiplied, and the cause of the sick 
 was a popular one. They found a distinguished advocate in General 
 Nathaniel Greene, who wrote a harrowing picture of the sufferings of the 
 soldiers in consequence of the insufficiency of the general hospital and general 
 neglect, and was especially severe on the Director General for his refusal to 
 supply the regimental hospitals with medicines which he did not have.
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 31 
 
 " I can see no reason," said he, " either from policy or humanity that the stores 
 for the general hospital should be pres.erved for contingencies which may 
 never happen, and the present regimental sick left to perish for want of 
 proper necessaries. It is wholly immaterial in my opinion, either to the state 
 or army, whether a man dies in the general or regimental hospital. The 
 platform of the general hospital should be large enough to receive all the 
 sick that are unfit to continue in quarters, or else to supply the regimental 
 hospitals with such medicines and necessaries as the state of the sick requires." 
 In a postscript to this letter he denies any intention of reflecting on the 
 Director General, but such was doubtless its efi'ect. Unfortunately for 
 Doctor Morgan, his lofty ideas of the prerogative of his office got him at 
 this time into a controversy with Doctor Shippen, who was, as will be 
 remembered, director of the hospital on the west bank of the Hudson. 
 The report of the congressional committee followed soon after. It was 
 evidently necessary, so great was the clamor, to find a scape-goat; nothing 
 would satisfy the complainants but a change of the administrative head of 
 the department, and Doctor Morgan was sacrificed. He was called on to 
 offier his resignation, but refused to do so and was summarily removed. He 
 remained under the stigma of dismissal for upwards of a year, but at length 
 in 1778, he prepared an elaborate memorial in his defence, requesting an 
 enquiry into his conduct, which he transmitted to Congress, and on the 
 eighteenth of September, that body referred the matter for investigation to 
 a special committee. The committee did not report until the twelfth of the 
 succeeding June, when the following preamble and resolutions were presented 
 to Congress and unanimously passed: 
 
 "Whereas, by report of the Medical Committee, confirmed by Congress on the 
 ninth of August, 1777, it appears that Doctor John Morgan, late Director General, 
 and Chief Physician of the General Hospital of the United States, had been removed 
 from office on the ninth of January, 1777, by reason of the general complaint of 
 persons of all ranks in the army, and the critical state of affairs at that time ; and 
 that the said Doctor John Morgan requesting an enquiry into his conduct, it was 
 thought proper that a committee of Congress should be appointed for that purpose; 
 and whereas, on the eighteenth day of September last, such a committee was appointed, 
 before whom the said Doctor John Morgan hath in the most satisfactory manner, 
 vindicated his conduct in every respect, as Director General and Physician in Chief, 
 upon the testimony of the Commander in Chief, General officers, officers in the 
 general hospital department, and other officers in the army, showing that the said 
 Director General did conduct himself ably and faithfully in the discharge of the 
 duties of his office, therefore : 
 
 Resolved, That Congress are satisfied with the conduct of Doctor John Morgan, 
 while acting as Director General and Physician in Chief in the general hospitals in 
 the United States; and that this resolution be published."
 
 32 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 This was a very handsome apology for the wrong done, but it would 
 have been more to the purpose if they had ordered the investigation before 
 they disgraced him by a summary dismissal. Even now they did not restore 
 him the position of which he had been so unjustly deprived, and he retired 
 to private life, broken in spirit by the treatment he had received; a blow 
 from which he never entirely recovered. He died on the fifteenth of 
 October, 1789, at the age of fifty-four years. 
 
 Among the many striking characters furnished by our revolutionary 
 annals, few are more admirable than that of John Morgan. His life was 
 passed amid stirring scenes, in all of which he found opportunities for useful- 
 ness to his fellow men. As a student he was laborious and painstaking ; as 
 a physician, learned far beyond the most of his contemporaries; as a young 
 surgeon in the British army, " he acquired both knowledge and reputation. 
 He was respected by the officers and beloved by the soldiers; and so great 
 were his diligence and humanity in attending the sick and wounded who 
 were the subjects of his care, that I well remember," says Benjamin Rush, 
 "to have heard it said, that if it were possible for any man to merit Heaven 
 by his good works. Doctor Morgan would deserve it for his faithful attend- 
 ance upon his patients." He may be said to have been the father of medical 
 education in America, for while abroad he elaborated a plan for the institu- 
 tion of medical colleges in the Colonies, and he sustained his views in an 
 elegant and scholarly discourse on the subject at the commencement of the 
 College of Philadelphia on the thirty-first of May, 1765, and it was by his 
 eflForts, aided by Shippen and others, that the college was induced to estab- 
 lish a medical department. " The historian who shall hereafter relate the 
 progress of medical science in America, will be deficient in candour and 
 justice if he does not connect the name of Doctor Morgan with that auspi- 
 cious era, in which medicine was first taught and studied as a science in this 
 country. He possessed an uncommon capacity for acquiring knowledge. His 
 memory was extensive and accurate; he was intimately acquainted with the 
 Latin and Greek classics. He had read much in medicine. In all his pur- 
 suits he was persevering and indefatigable." 
 
 As Director General of the army he evinced great administrative ability, 
 untiring industry often under the most discouraging circumstances, a "most 
 amiable and exemplary tenderness" towards the sick, and a strict tenacity for 
 his own dignity and the rights of the corps of which he was the chief The 
 errors into which he fell, grew out of his desire for the increased efficiency 
 of the hospital the failures of his administration were the result of causes 
 beyond his control. When he had finally gone from it, the army found out
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 33 
 
 how great a mind and true a friend had been lost to its ranks; and all, from 
 the Commander-in-Chief to the junior subaltern, united in their testimony 
 before the congressional committee to relieve him from the aspersions cast 
 upon his character by the malevolence of his enemies. 
 
 Those who served with the army in the field, and especially the officers 
 of the Hospital Department, had long been convinced that the increased 
 area over which the operations of the campaign had been extended necessi- 
 tated a complete reorganization of the medical service. The old regulations 
 had been established when there was but one army in the field that in front 
 of Boston and it was not foreseen at the time that the war would attain 
 such proportions as to require the division of the whole country into depart- 
 ments. In consequence, the jurisdiction of the Director Greneral had not 
 been distinctly expressed in the act of July 27, 1775, and subsequently, 
 when directors were appointed for new departments, it was left an 
 open question whether these were subordinate to the Director General, or 
 only to the commanders of their own departments. Doctor Morgan so 
 clearly saw the necessity of a centralization of authority for the preservation 
 of efficiency and discipline, that he sometimes gave a construction to the law 
 in which the directors were not disposed to acquiesce, and hence conflicts of 
 authority had arisen, which being referred to Congress had excited a preju- 
 dice against the existing management of the department. That body made 
 no appointment to fill the vacancy caused by the dismissal of Doctor Mor- 
 gan, and in the interregnum which followed, Doctors William Shippen and 
 John Cochran drew up a plan modelled on that of the British army, which 
 they submitted to the Commander-in-Chief. Washington gave it his warm 
 approval in a letter to the President of Congress, which contains opinions as 
 to the importance of a well organized medical corps that demonstrated the 
 great interest he always took in this branch of the public service : 
 
 " MORRISTOWN, February 14, 1777. 
 
 I do myself the honor to enclose to you, a plan drawn up by Doctor Shippen, 
 in concert with Doctor Cochran, for the arrangement, and future regulation of the 
 General Hospital. As this plan is very extensive, the appointments numerous, and 
 the salaries affixed to them at present large, I did not think myself at liberty, to 
 adopt any part of it, before I laid it before Congress for their approbation. I will 
 just remark, that though the expense attending an hospital upon the enclosed plan, 
 will be very great, it will in the end, not only be a saving to the public, but the only 
 possible method of keeping the Army afoot. 
 
 The number of officers mentioned in the enclosed plan, I presume are necessary 
 for us, because they are found so in the British hospitals, and as they are established 
 upon the surest basis, (that of long experience, under the ablest physicians, and 
 3
 
 34 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 surgeons,) we should not hesitate a moment, in adopting their regulations, when 
 they so plainly tend to correct and improve our former want of knowledge, and 
 method, in this important department. 
 
 The pay aflBxed to the different departments, is, as I said before, great, and 
 perhaps more than you may think adequate to the service. In determining upon 
 the sum that is to be allowed to each, you ought to consider, that it should be such, 
 as will induce gentlemen of character, and skill to step forth ; and in some manner 
 adequate to the practice which they have at home; for unless such gentlemen are 
 induced to undertake the care, and management of our hospitals, we had better trust 
 to the force of nature, and our constitutions, than suflFer persons entirely ignorant 
 of medicine, to destroy us, by ill directed application. I hear from every quarter, 
 that the dread of undergoing the same miseries, for want of proper care, and atten- 
 tion has much retarded the new enlistments, particularly to the southward. This 
 is another reason for establishing our hospital upon a large, and generous plan. 1 
 could wish that Congress would take this matter under their immediate con- 
 sideration." 
 
 Washington also earnestly desired some improvement in the character of 
 the regimental medical officers; a class of which, as we have seen, he had the 
 lowest possible opinion. On the fourteenth of March he wrote again to 
 John Hancock on this subject: 
 
 "There is one more thing which claims in my opinion, the earliest attention of 
 Congress. I mean the pay of regimental Surgeons, and that of their mates. These 
 appointments are so essential, that they cannot be done without. Their pay in the 
 first instance is so low, so inadequate to the services which should be performed, 
 that no man sustaining the character of a gentleman, and who has the least medical 
 abilities, or skill in the profession, can think of accepting it; that in the latter is so 
 paltry, and mean, that none of the least generosity of sentiment, or pretensions to 
 merit, can consent to act for it. In a word, these are inconveniences of an inter- 
 esting nature ; they amount to an exclusion of those persons, who could perform 
 the duties of those offices; and if not redressed, there is not the smallest probability, 
 that any can be prevailed on, to enter them, again." 
 
 In consequence of these and other equally urgent appeals, Congress in 
 March appointed a special committee, consisting of Oliver Wolcott, of Con- 
 necticut, Jonathan Witherspoon, of New Jersey, Samuel Adams, of Massa- 
 chusetts, Daniel Roberdeau, of Pennsylvania, and Abraham Clark, of New 
 Jersey, to "devise ways and means for preserving the health of the troops." 
 The report of this "committee was made the subject of debate and several 
 times recommitted, until April second, when the former committee were 
 discharged and a new one appointed consisting of Messrs. Elbridge Gerry, 
 John Adams, and Thomas Burke. On the seventh of April they reported 
 the following bill, which was substantially Doctor Shippen's plan, and which 
 after debate, was passed : 
 
 "Resolved, That there be one Director General of all the military hospitals, 
 which shall be erected for the Continental Army in the United States, who shall 
 particularly superintend all the hospitals, between Hudson's and the Potomac rivers.
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 35 
 
 2. That there be one deputy director general, who in the absence of the Direc- 
 tor General, shall superintend the hospitals to the eastward of Hudson's river. 
 
 3. That there be one deputy director general, who in the absence of the Direc- 
 tor General, shall superintend the hospitals in the Northern Department. 
 
 4. That when the circumstances of war shall require it, there be one deputy 
 director general, who in the absence of the Director General, shall superintend the 
 hospitals in the Southern Department. 
 
 5. That the Director General, or in his absence, the deputy director general 
 in each separate department, be empowered, and required, with the consent of the 
 Commander in Chief therein, to establish, and regulate a sufficient number of hos- 
 pitals, at proper places for the reception of the sick and wounded of the Army; to 
 provide medicines, instruments, dressings, bedding and other necessary furniture, 
 proper diet, and everything necessary for the sick and wounded soldiers, and the 
 officers of the hospitals; to pay the salaries, and all other expenses of the same. 
 
 6. That there be assistant deputy directors, to superintend the hospitals com- 
 mitted to their care, and assist in providing the articles before specified, under the 
 orders, and control of the director, or deputy director general, of the respective 
 districts. 
 
 7. That there be one apothecary general for each district, whose duty it shall 
 be, to receive, prepare, and deliver medicines, and other articles of his department, 
 to the hospitals and army, as shall be ordered by the Director General, or deputy 
 directors general respectively. 
 
 8. That the apothecaries be allowed as many mates, as the Director General, 
 or respective deputy directors general, shall think necessary. 
 
 9. That there be a commissary of the hospitals, in each of the aforesaid dis- 
 tricts, whose duty it shall be, to procure, store, and deliver provisions, forage, and 
 such other articles, as the Director General, or deputy director general shall judge 
 necessary, for the use of the hospitals ; in the purchase of which, he shall frequently 
 consult with the Commissary and Quartermaster General, and be regulated by the 
 prices, which they give. 
 
 10. That the commissary be allowed such assistants and storekeepers, as the 
 Director General, or deputy director general of the district, shall judge necessary. 
 
 11. That a steward be allowed for every hundred sick, who shall receive pro- 
 visions from the commissary, and distribute them agreeable to the orders of the 
 Director General, or in his absence of the deputy director general, or physician, or 
 surgeon general, and be accountable to the commissary for the same. 
 
 12. That a matron be allowed to every hundred sick or wounded, who shall 
 take care that the provisions are properly prepared; that the wards, beds, and 
 utensils be kept in neat order; and that the most exact economy be observed in her 
 department. 
 
 13. That a nurse be allowed for every ten sick, or wounded, who shall be under 
 the direction of the matron.* 
 
 17. That such officers, and soldiers as the general shall order to guard the 
 hospital, and to conduct such as shall be weekly discharged the hospital, to their 
 respective regiments, shall while this on duty, obey the director, or deputy director 
 general, or the physicians and surgeon general. 
 
 * Sections 14, 15 and 16 provide for an hostler to each hospital, to take care of the horses; a clerk, 
 to keep the acconnts ; and such number of assistant clerks, as may be judged necessary.
 
 36 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 18. That the director, and deputy directors general be empowered respectively 
 to appoint, and discharge their assistant deputy directors; and other said ofiBcers 
 and attendants at the hospital, in such numbers, as the necessities of the army may 
 require, and the Commander in Chief of the department, in writing may approve; 
 report of which to be immediately made to Congress, as hereafter directed. 
 
 19. That there be also one physician and one surgeon general in each dis- 
 trict, to be appointed by Congress, whose duty it shall be, respectively to super- 
 intend the practice of physic and surgery, in all the hospitals in the district, to 
 which they shall be appointed; and in the absence of the director, or deputy director 
 general, they shall have power to order the physicians, surgeons, and other officers 
 of the several hospitals, to such duty as they shall think proper ; and shall report 
 weekly to the Director General, or in his absence, to the deputy director general, or 
 in his absence, to the assistant deputy director, the state and number of the sick, 
 and wounded in the hospitals, and the delinquent officers of the same, and see, that 
 such as may be fit, shall be delivered every week, to the officer of the guard. 
 
 20. That there be allowed also, senior physicians and surgeons, who shall 
 attend, prescribe for, and operate upon, and see properly treated, such sick and 
 wounded, as shall be allowed them by the director general, deputy directors general, 
 or assistant deputy director, or physician, or surgeon general; the number for the 
 district, to be determined by the director general, or deputy director general, and 
 appointed by the surgeon and physician generals. 
 
 21. That there be also, such a number of second surgeons, as the director, or 
 deputy director general for the district, shall judge necessary, to assist the senior 
 surgeons ; and to be under the same direction, and to be appointed by the physician 
 and surgeon general, as aforesaid. 
 
 22. That there be also such a number of mates, as the director, or deputy 
 director general of the district shall direct, who shall assist the surgeons, in the 
 care of the wounded, and see that the medicines are properly, and regularly admin- 
 istered ; and appointed in the same manner before directed for senior, and second 
 surgeons. 
 
 23. That a suitable number of covered and other wagons, litters, and other 
 necessaries for removing the sick and wounded; shall be supplied by the Quarter- 
 master, or deputy quartermaster general; and in cases of their deficiency by the 
 director, or deputy director general. 
 
 24. That there be one physician and surgeon general, for each separate army, 
 who shall be subject to the orders and control, of the director, or deputy director 
 general, of the district in which he acts ; that his duty shall be to superintend the 
 regimental surgeons, and their mates, and to see that they do their duty, to hear 
 all complaints against the said regimental surgeons, and their mates, and make 
 report of them to the Director General, or in his absence to the deputy director 
 general; or in their absence from the army, to the commanding officer thereof, that 
 they may be brought to trial by court martial for misbehavior ; to receive from the 
 Director General, or deputy director general a suitable number of large strong tents, 
 beds, bedding, medicines, and hospital stores for such sick and wounded as cannot 
 be removed to the general hospital with safety; or may be rendered fit for duty in 
 a few days ; and shall also see that the sick and wounded while under his care, are 
 properly attended, and dressed, and conveyed when able to the general hospital ; for 
 which last purpose he shall be supplied by the Director General, or deputy director 
 general with a proper number of convenient wagons, and drivers.
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 37 
 
 25. That each physician and surgeon general of the army, shall appoint such 
 a number of surgeons, nurses, and orderly men, as the director, or deputy director 
 general shall judge necessary, for the more effectual care of the sick, and wounded, 
 under the care of such physician and surgeon general, as provided in the last fore- 
 going section; and the said physician and surgeon generals, shall have under them 
 in each army, a steward to receive and properly dispense such articles of diet, as 
 the director, or deputy director general shall give, or order to be given him, by the 
 commissary of the army, or hospital. 
 
 26. That whenever any regimental surgeon, or mate shall be absent from his 
 regiment without leave from the said surgeon general, or the Commander in Chief 
 of the army where his duty lies, the said surgeon general shall have power to 
 remove such surgeon or mate, and forthwith to appoint another in his stead. 
 
 27. That the director, deputy directors, physicians and surgeons general, and 
 all other oflScers above enumerated, shall be tried by a court martial for any mis- 
 behavior, or neglect of duty, as the Commander in Chief of the several armies shall 
 direct. 
 
 28. That the physician and surgeon general of each army shall cause daily 
 returns to be made to him, of all the sick and wounded, who have been removed to 
 the hospital ; all that remain in the hospital tents ; all that have become fit for duty ; 
 all who are convalescent ; and all who may have died ; specifying the particular 
 maladies, under which the sick, and wounded labor. 
 
 29. That the said physician and surgeon general shall cause weekly returns 
 to be made of the same to the director, and deputy directors general, respectively.* 
 
 32. That the deputy directors general cause the like returns to be made, once 
 every month, to the director general, together with the names, and denominations 
 of all the officers in the respective hospitals, and that the director general shall 
 make a like return for all the hospitals, and armies of these United States, once 
 every month, to the Medical Committee. 
 
 33. That the Medical Committee have power to appoint any of their number, 
 to visit and inspect all, or any of the Medical Departments, as often as they shall 
 think proper ; enquire into the conduct of such general officers of the hospital, as 
 shall be delinquent in this, or any part of their duty ; and to report their names 
 to Congress, with the evidence of the charges, which shall be brought against 
 them. 
 
 34. That in times of action, and other emergency, when the regimental sur- 
 geons are not sufficient in number, to attend properly to the sick, and wounded, that 
 cannot be removed to the hospitals, the Director General, or deputy director general 
 of the district be empowered and required, upon the request of the physician or 
 surgeon general of the army, to send from the hospitals, under his care, to the 
 assistance of such sick, or wounded, as many physicians, and surgeons as can pos- 
 sibly be spared from the necessary business of the hospital. 
 
 35. That the director, deputy directors general, assistant deputy directors, 
 physicians, and surgeons general, be, and are hereby required, and directed to 
 employ such parts of their time, as may conveniently be spared from the duties 
 before pointed out to them, in visiting and prescribing for the sick, and wounded, 
 in the hospital under their care." 
 
 * Sections 30 and 31 provide, that physicians and surgeons general of hoepitals shall cause like 
 daily returns to be made, and shall make like weekly returns.
 
 38 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE AMY 
 
 The pay and allowances of the oflScers to be appointed under this act 
 were fixed as follows : 
 
 "Director General, six dollars a day, and nine rations. 
 
 Deputy Director General, five dollars a day, and six rations. 
 
 Assistant Deputy Director, three dollars a day, and six rations. 
 
 Physician General and Surgeon General, each, five dollars a day, and six rations. 
 
 Physician and Surgeon General of the Army, five dollars a day, and six rations. 
 
 Senior Surgeons, each, four dollars a day, and six rations. 
 
 Second Surgeons, each, two dollars a day, and four rations. 
 
 Surgeon's Mates, each, one and one-third dollars a day, and two rations. 
 
 Apothecaries General, each, three dollars a day, and six rations. 
 
 Apothecaries' Mates, one and one-third dollars a day, and two rations. 
 
 Commissary, two dollars a day, and four rations. 
 
 Clerk, who is to be Paymaster, two dollars a day, and four rations. 
 
 Assistant Clerks, two-thirds of a dollar a day, and one ration. 
 
 Stewards, one dollar a day, and two rations. 
 
 Matrons, one-half dollar a day, and one ration. 
 
 Nurses, each, twenty-four-ninetieths of a dollar a day, and one ration. 
 
 Regimental Surgeons, two dollars a day, and four rations. 
 
 Regimental Mates, one and one-third of a dollar a day, and two rations." 
 The defects of this law consisted in the complex character of the organi- 
 zation and the multiplication of unnecessary offices. It would seem, from 
 our own experience, that there would have been less danger of conflicts 
 of authority had the offices of physician and surgeon general of hospi- 
 pitals been united in one person ; but it should be remembered in this con- 
 nection, that even as late as one hundred years ago the professions of surgery 
 and medicine were still essentially distinct, and that surgery had compara- 
 tively recently been elevated, from being one of the acquirements of an 
 accomplished barber, to the dignity of a science. The relations between 
 these officers and the deputy directors general should have been more clearly 
 defined. The clause directing the latter to spend their available time in 
 visiting and prescribing for the patients in hospital was liable to lead to 
 misunderstanding. Practically, they probably confined themselves to occa- 
 sional inspections, but they had the power, de Jure, at any time to alter the 
 treatment of patients in hospital, without consulting the physician or surgeon 
 general; an authority, which, if exercised, must have given rise to endless 
 confusion, and great detriment to the sick. Above all the continued union 
 of the administrative and purveying departments of the service under one 
 head was a most injudicious provision, and caused, as we shall see, a series 
 of difficulties which only ended with another complete change in the organ- 
 ization. 
 
 Still, notwithstanding these grave faults, the new law gave promise of a 
 much more efficient administration of affairs than had hitherto been possible.
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 39 
 
 It met with the cordial approval of the Commander-in-Chief, who saw most 
 desirable benefits to the army at large from its enactment. It definitely 
 fixed the status of the Director General, by making him really the executive 
 head of the Department; while the sections providing for the returns and 
 reports from the various hospitals enabled him at all times to know their 
 exact condition. There was a point gained also in placing the regimental 
 medical officers under a supervising officer of their own corps; for they 
 had hitherto been rather disposed to ignore all authority, except what came 
 from their own colonels, and had always shown an antagonism, (by no means 
 beneficial to the army at large.) towards the Hospital Department. The 
 number of officers created by the act was very large; but we find a reason 
 for this in a statement made by General Whipple, a member of Congress at 
 the time. Writing to Doctor James Tilton, he says: "Congress, being sen- 
 sible of the mismanagement in the Medical Department last year, and deter- 
 mined to remedy the evil if possible, have formed a plan on the most liberal 
 principles, with a design to draw, if possible, into the service of their country 
 gentlemen of the first eminence from difi"erent parts of the continent, many 
 of whom have already engaged." 
 
 On the eleventh of April Congress proceeded to the election of officers 
 of the Medical Department, called for by the new organization. 
 
 To the position of Director General, Doctor Philip Turner, of Connect- 
 icut, was at first nominated and elected; but before adjournment a recon- 
 sideration was moved, and it was urged with great propriety that the author 
 of the plan had claims, not only of great distinction in his profession, but of 
 previous service, which were superior to those of others. Accordingly, a 
 new election being held. Doctor William Shippen received the unanimous 
 vote of all the thirteen states. 
 
 The positions in the Middle Department were filled as follows : 
 
 Physician General of the Hospital; Doctor Walter Jones, of Virginia. 
 
 Surgeon General of the Hospital; Doctor Benjamin Rush, of Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 Physician and Surgeon General of the army ; Doctor John Cochran, of 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 In the Eastern Department the appointments were : 
 
 Deputy Director General ; Doctor Isaac Foster, of Massachusetts. 
 Physician General of the Hospital; Doctor Ammi R. Cutler, of New 
 Hampshire.
 
 40 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Surgeon Greneral of the Hospital; Doctor Philip Turner, of Connecticut. 
 Physician and Surgeon General of the army; Doctor William Burnet, 
 of New Jersey. 
 
 For the Northern Department: 
 
 Deputy Director General ; Doctor Jonathan Potts, of Pennsylvania. 
 Physician General of the Hospital; Doctor Malachi Treat, of New York. 
 Surgeon General of the Hospital ; Doctor Forgue. 
 Physician and Surgeon General of the army; Doctor John Bartlett. 
 
 Doctor William Shippen, jun., the successor of Doctor Morgan as 
 Director General, was the son of a distinguished physician of Philadelphia, 
 where he was born in 1736. His father was one of the founders of, and a 
 trustee in the college of New Jersey at Princeton, and thither he sent his 
 son to receive his academic education. He graduated with the highest 
 honors in 1754, and after studying medicine for three years in his father's 
 oflfice, went to Europe to take his degree. In London he resided in the 
 family of John Hunter, and studied anatomy under his direction, and mid- 
 wifery under that of William Hunter. From London we went to Edinburgh, 
 and placed himself under the tutelage of Cullen, graduating in 1761. He 
 then spent a year in France, and returning to America in 1762, immediately 
 commenced a course of lectures on anatomy in Philadelphia. He had 
 delivered three courses, when Morgan, in 1765, laid before the trustees of 
 the college his plan for the establishment of medical schools in America. 
 Doctor Shippen cordially endorsed the former's views, and on the organiza- 
 tion of the school was chosen to the chair of anatomy. He delivered lec- 
 tures every year to constantly increasing classes, until the war caused a 
 suspension of the college. In 1776 he entered the service of the United 
 States as director of the flying camp established at Trenton, and was subse- 
 quently given the entire supervision over all hospitals on the west bank of 
 the Hudson river. Both of these positions he had filled with great ability. 
 
 Doctor Walter Jones, the Physician General of the Hospital in the 
 Middle Department, was a native of Northampton County, Virginia. He 
 received his medical education at Edinburgh, enjoying the especial esteem of 
 Cullen and others among the professors and graduating in 1770. Return- 
 ing to America, he settled in practice in his native county, and at the outbreak 
 of the war had obtained a high character as a scholar and a physician. 
 " He was, for the variety and extent of his learning, the originality and 
 strength of his mind, the sagacity of his observations, and the captivating 
 powers of his conversation, one of the most extraordinary of men." He held
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 41 
 
 his position in the army but two months, finding country practice among 
 the cultivated gentry of Virginia more to his taste. He resigned on the first 
 of July, and was succeeded by Doctor Rush. 
 
 Doctor Benjamin Rush, Surgeon General of the Hospital in the Mid- 
 dle Department, was born near Philadelphia, December 24, 1745. He 
 received his education at Princeton, and graduated in 1760, when but fifteen 
 years old. He then studied medicine for six years with Doctor John Red- 
 man, attending during this time the first course of anatomical lectures given 
 by Shippen. He went to Edinburgh in 1766, where he received his degree 
 of doctor of medicine in 1768. After spending a year in the London and 
 Paris hospitals, he returned to Philadelphia in 1769, and immediately com- 
 menced practice. In the same year he was elected professor of chemistry in 
 the medical school. Before the Revolution he was an active friend of liberty, 
 taking a great interest in public affairs, and represented Pennsylvania in the 
 Colonial Congress of 1776, and was in consequence one of the signers of the 
 Declaration of Independence. His reputation as a patriot, author, teacher 
 and physician is too well known to need more than a passing mention in this 
 place. The position of Surgeon General was not congenial to him, and on 
 the resignation of Doctor Jones he was transferred to the oflBce of Physician 
 General, which was more in accordance with the scope of his studies and 
 abilities. 
 
 Doctor John Cochran, Physician and Surgeon General of the army in 
 the Middle Department, was a native of Pennsylvania, born in Chester 
 county in 1730. He never received a collegiate education, but at an early 
 age studied medicine in a physician's office in Lancaster. During the French 
 war he served in the army in the position of surgeon's mate in the Hospital 
 Department, and gained a good reputation as an officer of ability and skill. 
 After leaving the service he settled in practice in New Brunswick, New 
 Jersey, where he was " eminently distinguished as a practitioner in medicine 
 and surgery." As soon as the Revolution commenced he proffered his servi- 
 ces as a volunteer, and remained on duty with the army without holding any 
 official position, until his present appointment. Washington had a high 
 appreciation of his character, and it was chiefly owing to his recommenda- 
 tion that he received the appointment. Writing to the President of Con- 
 gress, early in April, 1777, he says: "If the appointments in the hospital 
 are not filled up before the receipt of this, I would take the liberty of men- 
 tioning a gentleman whom I think highly deserving of notice, not only on 
 account of his abilities, but for the very great assistance which he has 
 afforded in the course of this winter merely in the nature of a volunteer. 
 3*
 
 42 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 The gentleman is Doctor John Cochran, well known to all the faculty, and 
 particularly to Doctor Shippen, who I suppose has mentioned him among 
 the candidates. The place for which the Doctor is well fitted, and which 
 would be most agreeable to him, is Surgeon General of the Middle Depart- 
 ment. In this line he served all the last war in the British service, and has 
 distinguished himself this winter, particularly in his attention to the small- 
 pox patients, who but for him and Doctor Bond must have sufiered much, if 
 not been totally neglected, as there were no other medical gentlemen to be 
 found. If the appointment of Surgeon General is filled up, that of Deputy 
 Director in the Middle Department would be acceptable." 
 
 Doctor Isaac Foster, Deputy Director General in the Eastern Depart- 
 ment, was a physician of high standing and in large practice in the village 
 of Charlestown, Massachusetts, when the siege of Boston commenced. He 
 immediately abandoned his office and reported to the army at Cambridge, 
 and was appointed by the Provincial Congress of the Colony a senior hospi- 
 tal surgeon, and assigned to the charge of the hospital at Cambridge. Upon 
 the organization of the Continental army he was retained as a surgeon, and 
 placed in charge of the general hospital in New York city, and had been in the 
 service ever since, having gained an excellent reputation as an efficient officer. 
 
 Doctor Ammi R. Cutter, who was appointed to be Physician General 
 of the Hospital in this department, was a native of North Yarmouth, Maine, 
 and born in 1734. He graduated at Harvard in 1752, and studied medi- 
 cine in the office of a physician in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Imme- 
 diately after admission to practice he was appointed surgeon to a body of 
 rangers, which formed part of the frontier army against the Indians in 1755. 
 In 1758 he served as surgeon to the New Hampshire troops at the siege of 
 Louisbourg, and at the close of that campaign entered into private practice 
 in New Hampshire. At the commencement of the war, though bound by 
 the strongest ties of friendship and gratitude to Sir John Wentworth, the 
 tory governor, and though every possible influence was brought to bear to 
 shake his loyalty, he gave in his allegiance to the whigs and became an 
 ardent patriot. He held no official position prior to the present one. 
 Thacher says of him "his manners were dignified, yet courteous, and his 
 countenance was strongly marked with the moral energy, intelligence, and 
 benevolence, which formed the leading traits of his character. He united 
 to a naturally fine temper, great vivacity and a social disposition ; his collo- 
 quial powers were remarkable ; he had a tenacious memory, and the diversi- 
 fied scenes of his long life, he used to relate with a felicity of language and 
 happiness of allusion, that made him an instructive and delightful companion.'^
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 43 
 
 Doctor Philip Turner, the Surgeon General of the Eastern Department, 
 was born at Norwich, Connecticut, in 1740. He studied medicine in his 
 native town, and at the age of nineteen was appointed assistant surgeon to a 
 provincial regiment under General Amherst at Ticonderoga. He remained 
 in the service until 1763, when he returned to Norwich, married the daughter 
 of his former preceptor, and settling in practice soon gained a wide spread 
 reputation as an operating surgeon. He reentered military life as soon 
 as the war broke out, and was the first surgeon of the Connecticut 
 troops, at the siege of Boston. He subsequently participated in the battles 
 of Long Island and White Plains, gaining great distinction as the most 
 skillful surgeon in the army. Doctor Shippen said of him, that neither in 
 America nor in Europe had he ever seen an operator that excelled him. He 
 is reported to have been successful in eighteen out of twenty operations of 
 lithotomy. As before stated, his great fame gained him the appointment of 
 Director General in the reorganization, but motives of policy induced Con- 
 gress to vote a reconsideration, and the position was given to Doctor Shippen. 
 
 Doctor William Burnet, Physician and Surgeon General of the army 
 in the Eastern Department, was born at Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1730. 
 He graduated in 1745 at the college of New Jersey, then located at Newark. 
 He practiced for many years in Newark, and was highly esteemed as a 
 gentleman, a scholar, and a christian. He had represented New Jersey in 
 Congress, besides holding many other official positions of importance. The 
 epitaph on his tombstone says : " In all his public services, he exhibited in 
 the cause of his beloved country unshaken firmness, zeal, patriotism and 
 fidelity." 
 
 Doctor Jonathan Potts, who was elected to be Deputy Director General 
 of the Northern Department, was a native of Pennsylvania, and graduated 
 as bachelor of physic at the college in Philadelphia in 1768, when he 
 delivered the valedictory address. He received the degree of doctor of 
 medicine in 1771. He had already been a long ^time on duty in that depart- 
 ment, first as hospital surgeon, and since the dismissal of Doctor Stringer as 
 acting director, and had proved capable and efficient. Congress thought bo 
 well of his services as to pass a resolution specially commending him, on the 
 fifth of November of this year. 
 
 Of the early life of Doctor Malachi Treat nothing is known ; but he 
 was a distinguished practitioner in New York city, and had originally entered 
 the army under the appointment of the Provincial Congress of his native 
 state. He had been for a long time one of the board of examiners for 
 admission of candidates into the Hospital Department from New York.
 
 44 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 Doctor John Bartlett and Doctor Forgue seem to have been entirely 
 unknown. Except the single record of their appointments in the journals 
 of the Colonial Congress, there is no mention of them in any of the litera- 
 ture of the Revolution. In the reorganization of the medical corps in 1780 
 their names do not appear, and it is probable that they did not remain long 
 in the service. 
 
 As before stated, Doctor Walter Jones did not long retain his position 
 as Physician General to the Hospital in the Middle Department. On the 
 first of July he resigned, and Doctor Rush succeeded to his place, and 
 Doctor William Brown was elected by Congress to the vacancy caused by 
 Rush's promotion. He was a native of Maryland, and was educated in medi- 
 cine at the University of Edinburgh, where he received his degree in 1768. 
 Up to this time he had been in extensive practice in Alexandria, Virginia. 
 
 In April of this year the question of a speedy reinforcement of Wash- 
 ington's army became the subject of serious discussion by Congress, and it 
 was finally resolved that a medical oflBcer should be sent to inspect the 
 hospitals between Philadelphia and Annapolis, and clear the wards of all 
 soldiers fit for duty, sending them to their proper regiments. That officer 
 found so many in hospital who, although not capable of field service, were 
 manifestly able to do garrison and other light duty, and who were occupying 
 the space in hospital needed for others, that the advisability of forming an 
 invalid corps was considered, and on the sixteenth of July Congress agreed 
 upon a plan which was substantially as follows : 
 
 1. The Director General was directed to notify all hospital surgeons to make 
 strict inquiry, before discharging any non-commissioned officer or private, whether 
 the soldier was likely to be fit for garrison duty ; in which case he was to report him 
 for transfer to an invalid regiment. 
 
 2. All generals in command of armies were required to give notice to officers 
 in command of regiments, that if they had any non-commissioned officers or soldiers 
 unfit for field duty, they should send such men to be examined by the Deputy 
 Director General; and upon his report, that they could do duty in garrison, the men 
 were not to be discharged, but transferred to the invalid corps. 
 
 3. Any soldiers who had already lost an arm or a leg in action, were declared 
 suitable for transfer. 
 
 4. All persons already pensioned on half pay were notified to report themselves 
 for duty in the corps. 
 
 During the summer the attention of the country was more especially 
 directed to affairs in the Northern Department, where Burgoyne was 
 advancing to capture or annihilate Schuyler's army. In July he compelled 
 St. Clair to abandon Ticonderoga and Crown Point. The sick were moved 
 in batteaux down the lake to Fort Edward, where a temporary tent hoBpital
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 45 
 
 waa instituted; and on the twenty-fifth the general hospital was established 
 in Albany, in a fine building erected for that purpose during the French 
 war, which contained forty wards with accommodations for five hundred 
 patients, besides rooms for storage, dispensary, surgeon's quarters, etc. 
 Then followed the battle of Stillwater and the subsequent surrender of Bur- 
 goyne, and after this the hospital in Albany was crowded with wounded 
 soldiers, the Hessians and British being treated with equal care and atten- 
 tion as our own troops, and accommodated in the same wards. Thacher has 
 given us the following picture of the condition of the hospital at this time : 
 
 "The foreigners are under the care and management of their own surgeons. 
 I have been present at some of their capital operations, and remarked, that the 
 English perform with skill and dexterity, but the Germans with a few exceptions, 
 do no credit to their profession; some of them are the most uncouth and clumsy 
 operators I ever witnessed, and appear to be destitute of all sympathy and tender- 
 ness towards the suflFering patients. Not less than one thousand sick and wounded 
 are now in this city; the Dutch church, and several private houses, are occupied 
 as hospitals. We have about thirty surgeons and mates, and all are constantly 
 employed. Some of our soldiers' wounds, which had been neglected while on the 
 way here from the field of battle, being covered with putrefied blood for several 
 days, were found on the first dressing, to be filled with maggots. It was not difficult, 
 however, to destroy these vermin, by the application of tincture of myrrh. Here 
 is a fine field for professional improvement. Amputating limbs, trepanning fractured 
 skulls, and dressing the most formidable wounds, have familiarized my mind to 
 scenes of woe." 
 
 Meanwhile, in the Middle Department aflPairs were not prosperous so far 
 as the hospital was concerned. The new arrangement of the department 
 worked smoothly for but a short time. The Director of the hospital at 
 Alexandria, Virginia, was arrested on complaints of officers and men for not 
 giving proper attention to the soldiers undergoing inoculation. Investigation 
 showed these charges to be unfounded, and he was restored to his position; 
 but he could not regain the confidence of his patients. 
 
 The want of supplies of all kinds caused great sufiering among the 
 troops in the Jerseys. Three thousand men who were fit for duty, were 
 detained in the various hospitals because they had no shoes. The hospital 
 stores were scanty, and all available means of supply had been exhausted. 
 A severe winter was approaching, and the sick were without blankets and 
 many of them almost naked. Stoves were erected in the hospitals and all 
 the hospital wagons employed in transporting fuel, so as to make up for the 
 scarcity of blankets and clothing; but these efibrts failed to check the 
 growing discontent against the management of the Medical Department. 
 The sick could not believe that their distress was the necessary result of 
 the impoverishment of the country, and they were, unfortunately, led by the
 
 46 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 imprudent statements of many of the officers to think that they suffered in 
 order to enrich those high in authority. Governor Livingston wrote severe 
 letters to Washington and to Congress on the subject, and the Commander- 
 in-Chief detailed a field officer to attend daily at the hospital and see that 
 the sick were properly provided for, in the hope that the presence of one 
 of their own officers would allay the murmurs of the men. Doctor Benjamin 
 Rush, who with all his virtues was too much of a politician to render him- 
 self amenable to discipline as a medical officer, wrote letters to Congress 
 complaining of the abuses which existed in the hospital. Doctor James 
 Tilton, a surgeon of the very highest standing and most unquestionably 
 sincere in his statements, who was in charge of the general hospital at 
 Princeton, did not hesitate to ascribe the prevailing distress to the union of 
 the directing and purveying departments in one person. " I mention it, 
 without a design to reflect on any man," he wrote, "that in the fatal year, 
 1777, when the Director General had the entire direction of the practice in 
 our hospitals, as well as the whole disposal of the stores, he was interested in 
 the increase of sickness, and consequent increase of expense, as far at least, as 
 he would be profited, by a greater amount of money passing through his hands." 
 
 Under these gloomy circumstances the campaign of 1778 opened at 
 Valley Forge. Congress on the first of January appointed a committee to 
 consider the complaints of Livingston, Rush, and others, empowering them, 
 " to take every measure, which they may deem necessary, for the immediate 
 relief of the sick, and report such alteration in the medical department, as 
 they shall judge best adapted to answer the end of its institution." The 
 result of the deliberations of this committee was, that Doctors Rush and 
 Shippen were ordered to present themselves before Congress for examination 
 on the state of affairs ; a member was sent to inspect all the hospitals in the 
 Middle Department and report their condition ; and the Clothier General of 
 the army was ordered to turn over to the Director General as much linen 
 and as many blankets as could be spared, to be retained in hospital for 
 the permanent use of the sick. 
 
 They also endeavored to obtain funds to supply the deficiency in cloth- 
 ing, by the passage of the following rather singular resolution : 
 
 "Retolved, That the sum of ten dollars, shall be paid by every officer, and the 
 sum of four dollars, by every soldier, who shall enter, or be sent into any hospital, 
 to be cured of the venereal disease; which sum shall be deducted out of their pay, 
 and an account thereof, shall be transmitted by the physician or surgeon who shall 
 have attended them, to the regimental paymaster, for that purpose ; the money so 
 arising, to be paid to the director general, or his order, to be appropriated to the 
 purchasing blankets and shirts, for the use of sick soldiers in the hospital."
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 47 
 
 There is no record of what amount of money was ever collected, in 
 consequence of this resolution. The most probable result would be, that 
 the soldiers so affected would conceal their disease rather than pay a tax on 
 the confession, and thus a serious evil result both to the men themselves 
 and to the army at large. 
 
 On the thirtieth of January, Doctor Rush resigned his commission as 
 Physician General of the Hospital in the Middle Department, and was suc- 
 ceeded by Doctor William Brown. He does not seem, however, to have 
 given up the case against Doctor Shippen, for early in March he made 
 charges of the gravest character against that officer, accusing him of mal- 
 practice and neglect in his department. These he enclosed to Washington, 
 and on the third of April sent copies of them to Congress, who referred 
 them to a special committee, "with power to send for persons and papers." 
 It does not seem, however, that anything came of the reference, at least not 
 during the year 1778. This was the last appearance of Benjamin Rush as 
 a member of the medical corps. Whatever may have been his merits as a 
 patriot, statesman, physician, and man of letters, it may be truthfully said 
 that his military career was not a success. Apart from his continual com- 
 plaints to Congress about his superiors, he had been more than suspected of 
 a connection with the infamous " Conway cabal," and was thought by Wash- 
 ington to have written some anonymous letters, which appeared about this 
 time, in connection therewith. Nevertheless, the latter does not seem to 
 have cherished any ill feeling against him, for on becoming President he 
 appointed him Director of the Mint in Philadelphia, an office which he held 
 for fourteen years. He died on the fourteenth of April, 1813, aged sixty- 
 eight years. 
 
 Meanwhile, other changes took place in the Medical Department. Doc- 
 tor Charles McKnight was on the twenty-first of February elected Surgeon 
 General of the Hospital in the Middle Department, vice Brown, promoted. 
 He was a native of Cranbury, New Jersey, born in 1750. He was educated 
 at Princeton College, where he graduated in 1771. He then commenced 
 his ni<^.dical studies with Shippen; but the war breaking out before they 
 were completed, he entered the service, and had risen to be senior surgeon 
 of the flying hospital in the Middle Department. He had a good reputation 
 as an able and industrious officer. 
 
 On the ninth of March, Doctor Cutter, Physician General of the East- 
 ern Department, resigned. He returned to his home in New Hampshire, 
 where he lived many years, dying in 1819, at the age of eighty-five. There 
 does not seem to have been any election held to fill the vacancy.
 
 48 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Before these last events bad taken place, the special committee on the 
 state of the Hospital made a further report; which was made the special 
 order for February sixth, and after debate, agreed to, as follows: 
 
 "For the better regulating of the Hospitals of the United States; Resolved, 
 
 1. That there be a deputy director general, for the hospitals between Hudson's 
 and the Potomac rivers, and that the superintending care of the director general, be 
 extended equally over the hospitals in every district; and that he be excused from 
 the duty of providing supplies, when the deputy director general shall be ready to 
 enter upon the office. 
 
 2. That the several officers of the hospitals, shall cease to exercise such of 
 their former powers, as are herein assigned to other officers thereof. 
 
 3. That in the absence of the director general from any district, the physician 
 general, and surgeon general, shall hereafter determine the number of hospitals, to 
 be provided by the deputy director general, for the sick and wounded, and shall 
 superintend and control the affairs of said hospitals. 
 
 4. That the director general shall consult with the physician general and sur- 
 geon general in each district, about the supplies necessary for the hospitals, and 
 shall give orders in writing to the deputy director general, to provide the same, and 
 that in the absence of the director general, the physician general and surgeon gen- 
 eral shall issue such orders. 
 
 6. That each deputy director general, shall appoint one or more of the assistant 
 deputy directors under him, to the sole business of providing beds, furniture, 
 utensils, hospital clothing, and such like articles, and shall appoint one, or more, to 
 provide medicines, instruments, dressings, herbs, and necessaries of a similar kind. 
 
 6. That the director general shall frequently visit the hospitals in each district, 
 and see that the regulations are carried into eflFect; shall examine into the number, 
 and qualification of the hospital officers; report to Congress, any abuses that may 
 have taken place, and discharge the supernumerary officers, if there be any, so that 
 all unnecessary expense, may be saved to the public; and that whenever the director 
 general is in any particular district, the physician general and surgeon general in 
 that district, shall not appoint any officers, without his consent. 
 
 7. That on the settlement of hospital accounts, the officers entrusted with 
 public money, shall produce vouchers to prove the expenditure, and receipts from 
 the proper officers of the hospital, specifying the delivery of the stores, and other 
 articles purchased ; and the apothecaries, mates, stewards, matrons, and other 
 officers receiving such stores, and other articles, shall be accountable for the same, 
 and shall produce vouchers for the delivery thereof, from such officers, and accord- 
 ing to such forms, as the physician general and surgeon general have directed, or 
 shall from time to time direct, which forms and directions, the physicians and 
 surgeons general shall report to the board of treasury. 
 
 8. That the director general, or in his absence from the district, the physician 
 general or surgeon general, shall appoint a ward master for each hospital, to receive 
 the arms, accoutrements and clothing of each soldier admitted therein, keeping 
 entries of, and giving receipts for such articles, which on the recovery of the soldier, 
 shall be returned to him, or in case of his death, the arms and accoutrements shall 
 be delivered to the commissary, or deputy commissary of military stores, and receipts 
 be taken for the same; the ward master shall receive and be accountable, for the' 
 hospital clothing, and perfqrm such other services, as the physician general, or 
 surgeon general, shall direct.
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 49 
 
 9. That the physician general, and surgeon general shall hereafter make no 
 returns to the deputy director general, but the returns shall be made by the said 
 officers, respectively, to the director general, who shall carefully transmit copies of 
 each, with his monthly return to Congress, and suspend such of the ofEcers afore- 
 said, as neglect this, or any other part of their duty, and shall report their names to 
 Congress. 
 
 10. That the director, and deputy directors general, forthwith prepare their 
 accounts, and adjust them with the commissioners of claims. 
 
 11. That four dollars a day, and the former allowance of rations, be hereafter 
 allowed to each assistant deputy director, and the commissary of the hospitals in 
 each district; one dollar a day, and two rations, to each ward master." 
 
 In accordance with section one of this act, Doctor Potts was transferred 
 from the Northern to the Middle Department as Deputy Director General. 
 
 There was no further legislation of any importance in 1778, in reference 
 to the Hospital Department. In the fall a good many claims were presented 
 to the Director General which gave rise to trouble, being for the subsis- 
 tence of sick men who had been left behind by their commands in various 
 marches. A resolution of the twenty-second of April, 1777. had provided 
 that in the event of any portion of the army breaking camp, those who were 
 unable to march could be left in the hands of private physicians, and the 
 Director or Deputy Director General was ordered to pay such physicians 
 for their services. No provision was, however, made for the quarters and 
 subsistence of such men ; and, consequently, a large number of claims were 
 constantly being made from all over the country, which the Director General 
 had no authority to pay. The matter was referred to Congress, which passed 
 a resolution : 
 
 "That the deputy directors, respectively, be authorized and instructed, to dis- 
 charge such of the said accounts, as shall appear to be reasonable and just, 
 provided however, that the person reported the case to the authorities, for removal 
 to a hospital." 
 
 The frequent movements made by the American forces during the past 
 year, rendered it necessary that some latitude should be given to the previous 
 legislation, confining the officers of the Hospital to duty only in the depart- 
 ment to which they had been originally appointed. Consequently, Congress 
 instructed the Director General, by resolution of January 23, 1779, to 
 assign any Deputy Director General, Physician or Surgeon General, or other 
 medical officer, to duty at such post as any change in the position of the 
 army might render necessary; and in the event of any dispute between differ- 
 ent officers that might thus be brought in contact, about seniority, the 
 Director General was authorized to decide, giving to the aggrieved officer 
 the right of appeal to the Medical Committee of Congress. 
 4
 
 50 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 In June of this year the complaints against the Director General again 
 took a definite form, this time in the shape of charges of malpractice and 
 misconduct in oflBce, preferred by Doctor John Morgan, who had been 
 himself just exonerated by Congress after a long investigation. Morgan pro- 
 fessed himself abundantly able to prove his charges against Shippen, if 
 allowed to testify before a proper court, and Congress sent the charges to 
 the Commander-in-Chief, with instructions to have justice done, by bringing 
 Doctor Shippen speedily to trial. Although it is somewhat anticipating the 
 regular course of events, it may be here remarked that Doctor Shippen was 
 honorably acquitted of every charge brought against him, and on the eigh- 
 teenth of August, 1780, Congress approved the finding of the court and 
 ordered him to be released from arrest. 
 
 For some time previous to this it had been found so difficult for officers 
 in the field to purchase clothing and subsistence, that an act had been passed 
 authorizing them to procure clothing from the store of the Clothier General, 
 and to draw a fixed allowance or commutation in lieu of subsistence. This law 
 had been confined to the officers of the line, but on the twenty -seventh of Octo- 
 ber its privileges were extended to the Medical StaflF. This fact in itself would 
 hardly merit any mention, were it not that in this act, for the first time, 
 medical officers are recognized as having assimilated rank with officers of the 
 line. Hitherto they had been only civil attaches to the military body, with- 
 out any comparative official status whatever. The act in question allowed 
 them subsistence as follows: 
 
 "1. Director General, the same as a Colonel. 
 
 2. Deputy Director General, Physician and Surgeon Generals, and Apothecary 
 General, the same as Lieutenant Colonel. 
 
 3. Senior Physicians and Surgeons, the same as Majors. 
 
 4. Junior Surgeons and Apothecaries, the same as Captains. 
 
 5. Surgeon's Mates, the same as Ensigns." 
 
 By a subsequent act (on the twentieth of November,) the sums for 
 which subsistence could be commuted were fixed. In considering the 
 amounts which follow, it must be remembered that the Continental money 
 had by this time depreciated to almost the same extent that confederate 
 money did in the last year of the rebellion; articles of which the 
 price was three shillings in specie, were sold for forty dollars in Conti- 
 nental bills: 
 
 "Retolved, That until the further order of Congress, every officer be entitled 
 to receive monthly for their subsistence money, the following sums, viz: 
 
 Deputy Directors General, Physicians General, and Surgeons General, five 
 hundred dollars.
 
 i
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 51 
 
 Assistant Deputy Directors, Apothecary General, Senior Surgeon, four hundred 
 dollars. 
 
 Junior Surgeon, three hundred dollars. 
 
 Surgeon's Mates, Apothecaries Assistants, one hundred dollars." 
 
 Towards the close of this year Congress became satisfied that still 
 further improvements could be made in the organization of the Hospital 
 Department; they consequently instructed the Medical Committee, on the 
 twenty-second of November, " to revise the several resolutions passed respect- 
 ing the Hospital Department, and to digest and arrange them, with such 
 amendments, as may make the whole consistent with, and conformable to, 
 the alterations made by Congress in the original system ; and to report the 
 same to Congress." 
 
 This year the first Army Regulations were issued, in the shape of a small 
 volume, from the pen of Major General, the Baron Steuben, Inspector Gene- 
 ral to the army, and which received the official approval of Congress. The 
 chapter relating to the "Treatment of the Sick" is of sufficient interest to 
 deserve quotation: 
 
 " There is nothing which gains an officer the love of his soldiers, more than his 
 care of them, under the distress of sickness; it is then he has the power of exerting 
 his humanity, in providing them every comfortable necessity, and making their 
 situation as agreeable as possible. 
 
 Two or three tents should be set apart in every regiment, for the reception of 
 such sick, as cannot be sent to the general hospital, or whose cases may not require 
 it; and every company shall be constantly furnished with two sacks, to be occa- 
 sionally filled with straw, and serve as beds for the sick. These sacks to be provided 
 in the same manner as clothing for the troops, and finally issued by the regimental 
 clothier, to the captain of each company, who shall be answerable for the same. 
 
 When a soldier dies, or is dismissed the hospital, the straw he lay on is to be 
 burnt, and the bedding well washed and aired before another is permitted to use it. 
 The sergeants and corporals shall every morning at roll call, give a return of the 
 sick of their respective squads, to the first sergeant, who must make out one for the 
 company, and lose no time in delivering it to the surgeon, who will immediately 
 visit them, and order such as he thinks proper, to the regimental hospital ; such 
 whose cases require their being sent to the general hospital, he is to report imme- 
 diately to the Surgeon General, or principal surgeon attending the army. 
 
 Once every week, and oftener when required, the surgeon will deliver the 
 commanding officer of the regiment, a return of the sick of the regiment, with their 
 disorders, distinguishing those in the regimental hospital from those out of it. 
 
 When a soldier is sent to the hospital, the non-commissioned officer of his squad, 
 shall deliver up his arms and accoutrements to the commanding officer of the com- 
 pany, that they may be deposited in the regimental arm chest. 
 
 When a soldier has been sick, he must not be put on duty, till he has recovered 
 sufficient strength, of which the surgeon should be judge. 
 
 The surgeons are to remain with their regiments, as well on a march as in camp, 
 that, in case of sudden accidents, they may be at hand, to apply the proper remedies.
 
 52 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Each regiment will furnish a non-commissioned officer, to conduct the sick and 
 lame, who are not able to march with their regiments. These men are to repair at 
 the beating of the general, to the rendezvous appointed, where a sufficient number of 
 empty wagons will be ordered to attend, for the reception of their knapsacks; and 
 their arms if necessary. 
 
 A surgeon of each brigade, is to attend the sick belonging to it. 
 
 The commanding officer of each battalion, will inspect the sick before they are 
 sent from the battalion, in order that none may be sent but those who are really 
 incapable of marching with their regiments." 
 
 The winter of 1779-80 was very severe, and the soldiers sick in tent 
 hospitals suffered very much, f From the commencement of the war, so great 
 had been the exigencies of the army in other respects and so frequent had 
 been its movements, that it had not been found practicable to devote any 
 time to the building of general hospitals; in fact but very little attention had 
 been given to the matter by the medical officers. The literature of the 
 subject was very scanty; indeed, the only work accessible to army surgeons at 
 all was an excellent little book, published in 1776, written by Doctor John 
 Jones, Professor of Surgery in King's College, New York. This was entitled, 
 " Plain, concise, practical remarks on the Treatment of Wounds and Fractures; 
 to which is added an Appendix, on Camp and Military Hospitals; principally 
 designed for the use of young military and naval surgeons in North America." 
 Doctor Jones shows that the main cause of the great mortality in the 
 London and Paris hospitals was overcrowding, the air of the wards becoming 
 so vitiated and contagious that jail or hospital fever and dysenteries were 
 engendered. He also instances some of the European campaigns, when all 
 the sick and wounded being crowded together in one general hospital, a 
 similar mortality resulted; while at other times, those who remained sick in 
 camp, though wanting many of the comforts and necessaries to be found in 
 hospital, generally recovered. For these and other reasons he advised that 
 the slighter cases should be treated in camp, and that in no case should 
 private houses be occupied for hospitals, but churches, barns, or outhouses, 
 without any ceiling, open to the rafters; and that such buildings should only 
 be occupied to the extent of one-third of their capacity. But even these 
 simple directions had not been generally followed in the campaigns of the 
 Continental army. Almost always private houses or tents had been occupied 
 for hospitals; and the general antagonism between the staff and the regi- 
 mental surgeons had prevented the proper development of the regimental 
 hospital system. At the time of which we write, Doctor James Tilton, of 
 Delaware, was in charge of the general hospital at Trenton, New Jersey, and 
 to him is to be accorded the credit of endeavoring to diminish the sickness
 
 \
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. . 53 
 
 resulting from crowd poisoning by a new system of hospital construction. He 
 did away with the hospital tents and private houses then in use, and caused 
 to be constructed a large number of log huts, built roughly, so that the air 
 could freely penetrate the crevices. These were without wooden floors, the 
 ground being hardened, or baked by heat, and each hut was intended to 
 accommodate but five or six men. The fireplace was in the center of the 
 hut, and a hole left at the ridge, so as to permit the exit of the smoke. 
 Doctor Tilton found his plan very successful. The mortality from typhus 
 diminished very decidedly, and the general results were so good as to warrant 
 the introduction of the system throughout/the army. J 
 
 On the twenty-first of July, 1780, Doctor William Brown, Physician 
 Greneral of the Hospital in the Middle Department, resigned. As the Medical 
 Committee of Congress was then engaged in perfecting a plan by which the 
 organization of the corps was to be simplified, and a number of unnecessary 
 offices abolished, no election was held to fill the vacancy. The committee 
 reported on the thirtieth of September, and the following bill was passed: 
 
 "Whereas, the late regulations for conducting the affairs of the general hospital, 
 are in many respects defective; and it is necessary that the same be revised and 
 amended, in order that the sick and wounded may be properly provided for, and 
 attended, and the business of the hospitals conducted with regularity and economy, 
 therefore : 
 
 Resolved, That there be one director of the military hospitals, who shall have 
 the general superintendence, and direction of all the hospitals to the northward of 
 North Carolina; that within the aforesaid limits, there shall be three chief hospital 
 physicians, who shall also be surgeons; one chief physician, who shall also be a 
 surgeon, to each separate army; fifteen hospital physicians, who shall also be 
 surgeons; twenty surgeon's mates for the hospitals; one purveyor, with one assist- 
 ant; one apothecary ; one assistant apothecary; and to each hospital a steward, a 
 matron, orderly men, and nurses as heretofore. 
 
 2. That the director, or in his absence, one of the chief hospital physicians, be 
 empowered and required, with the advice and consent of the Commander-in-Chief, 
 or commander of a separate army, to establish and regulate such a number of 
 hospitals at proper places, for the reception of the sick and wounded of the army, 
 as may be found necessary. 
 
 3. That the director be authorized and instructed to enjoin the several chief 
 hospital physicians, and other officers of the hospital under his superintendence, to 
 attend at such posts or stations, as he may judge proper, and also to attend and 
 perform such duties, at any post or place, as a change in the position of the army, 
 or other circumstances may from time to time make necessary, and shall be required 
 by the Commander-in-Chief; and that in the case of any dispute concerning their 
 seniority or precedence, the director shall determine the same in the first instance, 
 the party supposing himself aggrieved being at liberty to appeal for redress to the 
 medical committee. 
 
 4. That in time of action, and every other emergency, where the regimental 
 surgeons are not sufficient in number, to attend properly to the sick and wounded that
 
 54 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 cannot be removed to the hospitals; the director, or in his absence, the nearest chief 
 hospital physician, be empowered and required, upon the request of the chief 
 physician and surgeon of the army, to send from the hospitals under his care, to the 
 assistance of such sick and wounded, as many surgeons as can possibly be spared 
 from the necessary business of the hospital. 
 
 5. That the director, or in his absence two of the chief hospital physicians, 
 shall make out and deliver from time to time to the purveyor, proper estimates of 
 hospital stores, medicines, instruments, dressings, and such other articles, as may be 
 judged necessary for the use of the hospitals; also, direct the apothecary or his 
 assistant to prepare and deliver medicines, instruments, dressings and other articles 
 in his possession to the hospitals, and surgeons of the army, and navy as he, or 
 they may judge necessary. 
 
 6. That the director, or in his absence the chiefhospital physicians respectively, 
 be empowered occasionally to employ second mates, when the numbers of the sick 
 shall increase so as to make it necessary, and to discharge them as soon as the 
 circumstances of the sick will admit. 
 
 7. That the director, or in his absence the chief hospital physicians respect- 
 ively, shall appoint a wardmaster for each hospital, to receive the spare regimental 
 arms, accoutrements and clothing, of each soldier admitted therein, keeping entries 
 of, and giving receipts for every article received, which when the soldier is dis- 
 charged, shall be accounted for by the said wardmaster, with the commanding officer 
 of the regiment to which said soldier belonged, or the officer directed to take charge 
 of the convalescents from said hospital; or, in the case of the death of the soldier, 
 shall be accounted for with, and delivered to the quartermaster of the regiment to 
 which the said soldier belonged ; and the wardmaster shall receive and be account- 
 able for the hospital clothing, and perform such other services, as the chief hospital 
 physician shall direct. 
 
 8. That the director shall make returns of all the sick, and wounded in the 
 hospitals, once every month to the medical committee, together with the names and 
 rank of the officer^, and others employed in the several hospitals. 
 
 9. That the director be required to employ such parts of his time, as may be 
 spared from the duties before pointed out to him, in visiting and prescribing for the 
 sick, and wounded in the hospitals; and that he pay particular attention to the 
 conduct of the several officers in the hospital department, and arrest, and suspend, 
 and bring to trial all delinquents within the same. 
 
 10. That the duty of the chief hospital physicians shall be to do, and perform 
 all the duties herein before enjoined them to do in the absence of the director; to 
 receive and obey the orders of the director, made and delivered to them in writing; 
 to superintend the practice of physic and surgery, in the hospital put under their 
 particular care by the director, or which by the order of the Commander-in-Chief, 
 or the commander of a separate army, may be by them established; to see that the 
 hospital physicians, and other officers attending the same do their duty; and make 
 monthly returns to the director, of the state and number of the sick and wounded 
 in the hospitals under their care, and also make returns to the director, and to the 
 medical committee of all delinquent officers, in order that they may be speedily 
 removed or punished; and to take measures that all such sick and wounded as are 
 recovered, and fit for duty, be delivered weekly to the officer of the guard, to be 
 conducted to the army. When present at any hospital, to issue orders, to the proper 
 officers, for supplying them with necessaries; and generally, in the absence of the
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 55 
 
 director, to superintend and control the business of such hospitals, suspend delin- 
 quent, and remove unnecessary non-commissioned officers, making report to the 
 director; and when in their power, to attend and perform or direct all capital 
 operations. 
 
 11. That the hospital physicians shall take charge of such particular hospitals, 
 as may be assigned them by the director; they shall obey the orders of the director, 
 or in his absence of the chief hospital physician; they shall have power to suspend 
 officers under them, and to confine other persons serving in the hospitals under their 
 charge for negligence, or ill behavior, until the matter be regularly inquired into; 
 they shall diligently attend to the cases of the sick, and wounded of the hospitals 
 under their care, administering at all times proper relief so far as it may be in their 
 power; they shall respectively give orders, under their hands, to the assistant 
 purveyor, or steward at the hospital, for the issuing of provisions, and stores, as 
 well as for the procuring of any other small articles that the exigencies of the 
 hospital may require, and which the store is not provided with, having always a 
 strict regard to economy as well as the welfare of the sick, there to be provided for, 
 and they shall make weekly returns to the nearest chief hospital physician, of the 
 state of the hospitals under their respective care. 
 
 12. The mates shall take charge of, and attend the patients assigned them, 
 and perform such other duties as shall be directed by the director, chief, or other 
 physicians and surgeons. 
 
 13. The chief physician and surgeon of the army, shall be subject to the orders 
 and control of the director; his duty shall be to superintend the regimental surgeons 
 and their mates, and to see that they do their duty; to hear all complaints against the 
 said regimental surgeons, and their mates, and to make report of them to the direc- 
 tor, or in his absence to the Commander-in-Chief, or the commanding officer of a 
 separate army, that they may be brought to trial by court martial for mis- 
 behavior ; to draw for and receive from the purveyor, a suitable number of large 
 strong tents, beds, bedding and hospital stores, and from the apothecary, or his 
 assistajit proper medicines for such sick, and wounded persons as cannot be removed 
 to the general hospital with safety, or may be rendered fit for duty in a short time; 
 he shall also see, that the sick and wounded who are under his care, are properly 
 attended, and provided for, and conveyed when fit to be moved to the general 
 hospital; for which last purpose he shall be supplied by the Quartermaster General, 
 with a proper number of convenient waggons, and drivers; he shall have a steward, 
 whom he is to appoint to receive and properly dispense such articles of diet, and 
 refreshment as shall be procured for the sick, and also shall appoint such a number 
 of nurses, and orderly men, as may be necessary for the attendance on the sick and 
 wounded under his care. He shall cause daily returns to be made to him, of all 
 the sick and wounded who have been removed to the hospital, all those remaining 
 in the hospital tents, and all who have become fit for duty, all that are convalescent, 
 and all who may have died, specifying the particular maladies, under which the 
 sick labor; and shall make a monthly return thereof to the director, who shall add 
 it to his general hospital returns to be transmitted monthly to the medical 
 committee. 
 
 14. That whenever any regimental surgeon or mate shall be absent from his 
 his regiment, without leave from the chief physician or surgeon, or Commander-in- 
 Chief of the army where his duty lies, the said chief physician and surgeon shall 
 have power to remove such surgeon, or mate, an(J forthwith to appoint another in 
 his stead.
 
 56 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 15. That the purveyor provide, or cause to be provided, all hospital stores, 
 medicines, instruments, dressings and utensils, and such other articles as shall be 
 prescribed by the written order of the director, or two of the chief hospital physi- 
 cians, and deliver or cause the same to be delivered upon written orders, under the 
 head of the director, or chief hospital physicians, or one of the hospital physicians 
 having charge of a particular hospital, or of the chief' physician and surgeon of the 
 army, which with receipts therefrom, for delivery of the same, shall be his sufficient 
 vouchers. He shall be allowed a clerk, and as many storekeepers as occasion may 
 require, and the director may approve of. He shall also pay the salaries of the 
 officers, and other expenses of the hospital. He shall render his accounts every 
 three months to the Board of Treasury for settlement, and make application for the 
 money to the medical committee, before whom he shall lay estimates of the articles 
 necessary, which shall previously have been signed, and approved by the director, 
 or two of the chief hospital physicians; at the same time he shall render to them 
 an account of the expenditures of the last sum of money, advanced to him, and the 
 said medical committee shall lay such estimates before Congress with their opinion 
 thereon. That the assistant purveyor, shall procure such supplies, and do and 
 perform such parts of a purveyor's duty, as by him shall be particularly assigned 
 to him. That the apothecary and his assistants, receive, prepare and deliver 
 medicines, instruments and dressings, and such other articles of his department to 
 the hospitals and army, on orders in writing from the director, or either of the 
 chief hospital physicians, or chief physician or surgeon of the army, and that he be 
 allowed as many mates as occasion may require, and the director shall approve of. 
 That the director or in his absence the chief hospital physician, shall appoint a 
 steward for each hospital, whose duty it shall be to purchase vegetables, and other 
 small articles under the direction of the purveyor, and receiva hospital stores from 
 the purveyor, and provisions from the Commissary General, and issue the same for 
 the use of the sick and wounded, agreeably to the order of the physician and 
 surgeon attending such hospital ; the steward to account to the purveyor for all 
 such issues. 
 
 16. That the director or in his absence the chief hospital physician, appoint a 
 proper number of matrons, nurses, and others necessary for the proper management 
 of the hospitals, and fix, and ascertain their pay, not exceeding the suras heretofore 
 allowed, and point out and prescribe their particular duties, and employments in 
 writing, which they are enjoined to obey and observe. 
 
 17. That the director, with two chief hospital physicians be empowered to fix 
 the pay of second mates, and of such clerks, storekeepers, and other persons as 
 may occasionally be employed ; and felso to make such regulations, and point out 
 and enjoin such further particular duties for the several officers in the hospital 
 department, as they may judge necessary for the regular management of the same ; 
 which duties shall always be consistent with, and in nowise contradictory to any of 
 the duties heretofore particularly enumerated, and which being reported and 
 approved of by the medical committee, shall therefore become obligatory to all 
 those concerned. 
 
 18. That the Quartermaster General furnish the Hospital Department from 
 time to time, as occasion may require, with such a number of horses, and waggons, 
 as may be necessary for removing the sick and wounded, and transporting the 
 hospital stores; but that no other horses than those belonging to the officers of the 
 department, for which forage may be herein allowed, be kept separately at the 
 expense of the department.
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 57 
 
 19. That no person, concerned in trade on his own account, shall be suffered to 
 act as an officer in the hospitals, or medical department of the army. 
 
 20. That no oflBcer, or other person in the hospital department, except the 
 sick and wounded, be permitted to use, any of the stores provided for the sick. 
 
 21. That the director, chief hospital physician, and the chief physicians and 
 surgeons of the army, physicians and surgeons, purveyor, apothecary, assistant 
 purveyor, and assistant apothecary, be appointed and commissioned by Congress; 
 the regimental surgeons and mates, be appointed as heretofore. 
 
 22. That the director, with the advice, and concurrence of two of the chief 
 hospital physicians, appoint all hospital mates, which appointments shall be con- 
 firmed by warrants under the hands of the director; in which appointment no 
 person shall be admitted under the age of twenty one years. 
 
 23. That all oflBcers of the hospital or medical department, shall be subjected 
 to trial by court-martial for all offences, in the same manner as the Hue of the army. 
 
 24. That the pay, and establishment of the officers, of the hospital depart- 
 ment, and medical staff be as follows : 
 
 Director; one hundred and fifty dollars per month; two rations for himself, 
 and one for his servant, per day; and forage for two horses. 
 
 Chief Physicians and Surgeons of the army and hospital; each one hundred and 
 forty dollars per month ; two rations a day for themselves, and forage for two horses. 
 
 Purveyor and Apothecary; one hundred and thirty dollars per month; one 
 tation a day, and forage for one horse. 
 
 Physicians and Surgeons of the Hospital; one hundred and twenty dollars per 
 month ; one ration per day and forage for one horse. 
 
 Assistant Purveyors and Apothecaries; each seventy five dollars per month. 
 
 Regimental Surgeons; sixty five dollars per month; one ration per day, and 
 forage for one horse. 
 
 Surgeon's Mates in Hospitals; fifty dollars per month, and one ration per day. 
 
 Surgeon's Mates in the army; forty five dollars per month, and one ration 
 per day. 
 
 Stewards for each hospital; thirty five dollars per month, and one ration 
 per day. 
 
 Wardmaster for each hospital; twenty five dollars per month, and one ration 
 per day. 
 
 25. That none of the aforesaid officers, or other persons employed in any of 
 the hospitals, be entitled to rations of provisions, or forage while on furlough. 
 
 26. That the chief physician of the army, be allowed a two horse covered 
 waggon, for transporting his baggage. 
 
 27. That the several officers above mentioned shall receive their pay in the 
 new currency emitted pursuant to a resolution of Congress on the eighteenth day of 
 March last, and that they be allowed, and paid at the rate of five dollars of said 
 currency per month, for every retained ration; and shall be entitled annually to 
 draw clothing from the stores of the Clothier General, in the same manner, and 
 under the same regulations, as were established for officers of the line, by a resolu- 
 tion of Congress, of the twenty fifth day of November, 1779. 
 
 28. That the return for clothing for officers of the medical staff, [regimental 
 surgeons and their mates, who are to draw with the regimental staff, excepted,] be 
 signed by the director, or one of the chief hospital physicians; and such clothing 
 shall be delivered either by the Clothier General, or any sub-clothier in the state 
 
 4*
 
 58 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 in which the oflBcer to receive clothing shall reside, in the same manner as is 
 provided, in the cases of other staflF oflScers not taken from the line. 
 
 29. That the several oflBcers, whose pay is established as above, (except the 
 stewards and wardmasters,) shall at the end of the war, be entitled to a certain 
 provision of land in the proportion following: 
 
 The Director to have the same quantity as a Brigadier General. 
 Chief Physician and Purveyor, the same as a Colonel. 
 Physicians, Surgeons, and Apothecary, the same as a Lieutenant Colonel. 
 Regimental Surgeons, and assistants to the Purveyor and Apothecary the same 
 as a Major. 
 
 Hospital and Regimental Surgeon's Mates, same as Captain. 
 
 30. That the former arrangements of the hospital, and all regulations hereto- 
 fore passed touching the same, so far as they are inconsistent with the foregoing, 
 be repealed ; excepting that the hospitals in the Southern Department, from North 
 Carolina to Georgia inclusive, be continued under the same regulations as heretofore, 
 until the further order of Congress." 
 
 The election of officers of the Department under the foregoing law 
 took place on the sixth of October: William Shippen, jr., was reelected 
 Director, and John Cochran was appointed Chief Physician and Surgeon of 
 the army. The following were appointed chief hospital physicians : James 
 Craik, Malachi Treat and Charles McKnight. The other appointments 
 were as follows : purveyor, Thomas Bond; assistant purveyor, Isaac Ledyardj 
 apothecary, Andrew Craigie; hospital physicians and surgeons, James Tilton, 
 Samuel Adams, David Townshend, Henry Latimer, Francis Hagan, Philip 
 Turner, William Burnet, John Warren, Moses Scott, David Jackson, Bodo 
 Otto, Moses Bloomfield, William Eustis, George Draper, Barnabas Binney; 
 and surgeon to the regiment of invalids, Matthew Mans. 
 
 Previous to the election General Washington had written the following 
 letter to a member of Congress, which shows the estimation in which he 
 held several of the gentlemen who were retained on the Medical Staff: 
 
 "HEAD QUARTERS, BERGEN COUNTY, 
 
 September 9th, 1780. 
 Dkar Sib: 
 
 I have heard, that a new arrangement is about to take place in the medical 
 department ; and that it is likely to be a good deal curtailed, in respect to many of 
 its present appointments. Who will be the persons generally employed, I do not 
 know, nor do I wish to know. However, I will mention to you, that I think Doctor 
 Cochran, and Doctor Craik for their services, abilities, experience, and close atten- 
 tion, have the greatest claim to their country's notice, and are among the first 
 officers in the establishment. Doctors Latimer, Tilton, Hagan, and Townshend, who 
 are now senior surgeons, are also gentlemen of great merit, and have a just claim 
 to be continued, from their abilities, attention, and other considerations. They are 
 all single men, and therefore, being otherwise well qualified, are the most eligible. 
 I have received also the most favorable reports, of the merits and attention of Doc- 
 tor Jenifer, a junior surgeon, who is in the same situation. Doctor Craigie, the
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 59 
 
 I 
 
 present Apothecary General, a gentleman not personally known to me, has been 
 reported as very deserving of the appointment. The several gentlemen I have 
 mentioned, as I have observed, appear to me to have the greatest pretensions to the 
 public esteem; and if they are honored with proper places, I am satisfied, the public 
 will be greatly benefitted by their services. The reason of my mentioning these 
 particularly, proceeds from a hint given me, that the new arrangement might 
 possibly be influenced by a spirit of party out of doors, which would not operate 
 in their favor." 
 
 Of the gentlemen composing this new establishment, some have already 
 been mentioned as occupying positions of importance under the old organi- 
 zation. Doctors Shippen, Cochran, Treat, McKnight, Craigie, Burnet, 
 Tilton and Turner, were already well known to the whole army as surgeons 
 of the very highest character. Brief sketches of some of the rest may be 
 appropriately introduced in this place. 
 
 Doctor Thomas Bond, Purveyor to the army, belonged to a family illus- 
 trious in the annals of medicine in Philadelphia. His father had been for 
 many years a leading practitioner in that city; was one of the founders of 
 the college and the hospital; and had been intimately associated with 
 Franklin in his philosophical pursuits. The son had seen continuous service 
 in the army, both in the field and as director of hospitals on the Delaware 
 river; was thoroughly conversant with the wants of the army, and well fitted 
 by his education and experience for his new position. , 
 
 Doctor John Warren was born at Roxbury, Massachusetts, in 1753. 
 He graduated at Harvard College in 1771, and studied medicine in the ofl5ce 
 of his brother, Doctor Joseph Warren. He settled in practice in Salem. 
 When the war broke out he entered the service as surgeon to the Salem 
 regiment of Massachusetts militia, marched with them to Lexington, and 
 attended those wounded in that fight. After the battle of Breed's Hill he 
 was appointed hospital surgeon in the army, and remained on duty as such 
 throughout the siege of Boston and until after the campaign in New Jersey. 
 In 1777 he was placed in charge of the hospitals in Boston and vicinity, a 
 position which he maintained until the close of the war. 
 
 Samuel Adams was a son of the distinguished Grovernor, Samuel Adams, 
 of Massachusetts, and was born in Boston in 1751. He was educated at 
 Harvard College, where he graduated in 1770. He studied medicine in 
 Joseph Warren's office, in company with John Warren, David Townshend 
 and William Eustis, and was admitted to practice in 1774. He was one of 
 the earliest to enter the service, attending to the wounded at Lexington and 
 Concord. Subsequently he was in charge of a general hospital at Danbury, 
 and remained in service throughout the war.
 
 60 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 David Townshend was a fellow student of the preceding, and like him 
 had been continuously with the army from the commencement of hostilities. 
 He had performed efficient service in charge of hospitals in the Northern 
 Department and during the campaign which ended with the surrender of 
 Burgoyne. 
 
 William Eustis was born in Boston in 1753. He graduated at Harvard 
 in 1772, with the highest honors, and until the commencement of the Rev- 
 olution was a favorite student of Doctor Joseph Warren, who thought so 
 highly of his abilities that he secured him the appointment of surgeon to 
 the Massachusetts Artillery Regiment. He was appointed hospital surgeon 
 after the removal of the army to New York, and had been continuously on 
 duty ever since, with the reputation of a humane, faithful and indefatigable 
 officer. His career subsequent to the war was one of the highest distinction, 
 and will be mentioned hereafter. 
 
 James Craik was a native of Scotland, who came to this country and 
 entered the British army soon after the completion of his education. He 
 accompanied Washington in an expedition against the French and Indians 
 in 1754, and the following year participated in the unfortunate march against 
 Fort Duquesne, and attended to General Braddock when he was wounded. 
 In these two campaigns a warm friendship grew up between him and Wash- 
 ington, which lasted till the death of the latter. He settled in Virginia, 
 where he remained until the war broke out, when he accompanied Washing- 
 ton to the field. At the time of receiving this present appointment he 
 was in Rhode Island, conferring with Count Rochambeau as to the establish- 
 ment of hospitals for the recently arrived French forces. 
 
 Bodo Otto was from Pennsylvania, and received the degree of bachelor 
 of physio at the college in Philadelphia in 1771. 
 
 Moses Bloomfield was a native of Woodbridge, New Jersey, born in 
 1729. He had been for thirty years a practitioner of medicine in his native 
 village, had been a member of the Provincial Congress of New Jersey, and 
 was highly esteemed as a christian, a patriot and accomplished physician. 
 
 It has not been found possible to obtain any information about the other 
 gentlemen whose names are found on the list of surgeons. 
 
 On the third of January, 1781, three months after his reelection, 
 William Shippen resigned the office of Director, and was succeeded by 
 John Cochran. Doctor Shippen returned to Philadelphia and resumed 
 practice, devoting himself more especially to obstetrics. In 1798 he received 
 a severe blow in the death a very promising son, aft/Cr which he partially 
 retired from practice, and spent the last years of his life in religious pursuits.
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 61 
 
 He died in Germantown on the eleventh of July, 1808. Wistar says of 
 him: "His person was graceful, his manners polished, his conversation 
 various, and the tones of his voice singularly sweet and conciliatory. In 
 his intercourse with society he was gay without levity, and dignified with- 
 out harshness or austerity." 
 
 The place lately held by Doctor Cochran was filled on the third of 
 March by the promotion of James Craik, and that of Craik by the promo- 
 tion of William Burnet to be chief hospital physician. 
 
 Some time during the year 1780 Congress had provided, that all officers 
 who served to the close of the war should be entitled to half-pay for life. 
 By some oversight this provision only extended to officers of the line. The 
 stafi" officers therefore appointed three of their number to wait on a congres- 
 sional committee that visited the army at Morristown and lay the matter 
 before them. In consequence of this action, Congress, on the third of 
 January, 1781, passed a resolution, extending the privileges of half-pay to 
 medical officers on the following basis, viz : 
 
 Director, the half-pay of a Lieutenant Colonel. 
 
 Chief Physicians and Surgeons of the army, and all other officers except mates, 
 the half-pay of a Captain. 
 
 On the seventeenth of January, the power heretofore given to the chief 
 physician and surgeon of the army to remove regimental surgeons and their 
 mates for neglect of duty was so modified as to authorize them to suspend 
 such delinquents from duty until they could be brought to trial. 
 
 On the twenty-second of March, Congress extended the provisions of the 
 act reorganizing the Medical Department, so as to include the South; ordering 
 the appointment of a deputy director, to have in the absence of the Director, 
 general superintendence of the Southern Hospitals, under the orders of the 
 'Commanding G-eneral of the Southern army for the time being. The South 
 Carolina delegation endeavored to have a separate establishment, with a 
 director of their own, but their resolution to this effect was negatived by a 
 vote of three ayes to twenty-two noes. The regulations were the same as 
 those already in operation in other portions of the country. The officers 
 elected under this arrangement were : 
 
 Deputy Director; Doctor David Olyphant. 
 
 Deputy Purveyor; Doctor N. Brownson. 
 
 Chief Physician of the Hospital; Doctor Peter Fayssoux. 
 
 Chief Physician of the army; Doctor James Brown. 
 
 Hospital Physicians; Doctors Robert Johnson and William Reed.
 
 62 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Up to this period in the history of the war all the affairs of the Hos- 
 pital Department had been referred to a special comaiittee of Congress, 
 entitled the " Medical Committee." This body had very extensive powers, and 
 seem on the whole to have exercised them with great good sensa. Some of 
 their number frequently inspected the hospitals, and they always appeared 
 ready to listen to any complaints about the management of the Department, 
 or any suggestions for the better organization of the Corps. By the creation 
 of the Board of War this committee had become unnecessary, and on the 
 twenty-eighth of May their existence terminated, and their business was 
 transferred to the board before spoken of. 
 
 On the twentieth of September, chiefly through the exertions of Doctor 
 James Tilton, Congress adopted an act providing for promotion by seniority 
 in the Medical Corps. Tilton had presented his plan long before to the 
 Medical Committee, but that body had passed out of existence without taking 
 any action upon it, although they expressed their approval of the principle 
 involved. Eventually the resignation of a number of the surgeons brought 
 the question up for consideration before the Board of War, and the final 
 result was the adoption of the following resolution : 
 
 "That the present vacancies of hospital physicians and surgeons, be filled up 
 by the senior surgeons of the hospitals lately deranged, the eldest hospital mates, 
 or regimental surgeons, as shall be recommended by the director, and chief physi- 
 cian and surgeon to the army. 
 
 That all future vacancies of hospital physicians and surgeons, be filled by the 
 eldest regimental surgeons and hospital mates, who shall be reckoned of equal 
 grades, who shall upon examination be found qualified ; and obtain a certificate of 
 recommendation from the director, and chief physician and surgeon of the army; 
 or of the deputy director, and chief physician in a separate department. 
 
 That the persons requisite to fill the higher grades in the medical and hospital 
 department, be appointed from time to time by Congress, according to merit and 
 abilities. 
 
 That all surgeons to regiments or corps, not belonging to the line of any par- 
 ticular state, be nominated by the director of the hospitals, and the chief physician 
 and surgeon of the army, subject to the approval of the Commander-in-Chief; and 
 shall be equally entitled to promotion to hospital physicians and surgeons with the 
 regimental surgeons of state lines." 
 
 There were at this time five vacancies in the Corps, caused by the pro- 
 motion of Doctor Burnet and the resignations of Doctors Hagan, Scott, 
 JacksoDi, and Bloomfield. These were filled by the appointment of Joseph 
 Young, a "deranged" senior surgeon, and the following promotions of sur- 
 geon's mates: Goodwin Wilson, Daniel Jenifer, Samuel Edmondson, and 
 George Campbell, to be hospital surgeons.
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 63 
 
 Opposition was manifested in some quarter to this new plan of promo- 
 tion, for on the twenty-first, a motion was made to rescind the promotions 
 just made. This was lost; but a resolution was passed the day following 
 that no more appointments of surgeon's mates to be surgeons should be made, 
 until further Orders of Congress. Probably the friends of the regimental 
 surgeons objected to their being placed on an equality as regards rank to the 
 mates, as they had hitherto ranked next after hospital surgeons, and although 
 it had never been definitely so stated in any law, they had always considered 
 themselves the superiors in rank of hospital mates. 
 
 During the latter part of December Congress was again occupied with 
 the reorganization of the Corps. The improved prospects of the country 
 afibrded a hope of the early termination of the war, and the transfer of 
 active hostilities from the Middle States had rendered unnecessary a number 
 of the hospitals ; sO that the deliberations of Congress at this time were 
 directed towards effecting reductions in the Medical Staff. After consider- 
 able discussion, the following ordinance was adopted on the third of Janu- 
 ary, 1782: 
 
 "That for the more regular conducting the General Hospital, the oflBces of 
 chief physician and surgeon of the army, and of chief hospital physician, be, and 
 hereby are abolished; and that the chief physician and surgeon to the army eldest 
 in appointment, be continued in service under the title of physician, with the pay 
 and emoluments heretofore allowed to a chief hospital physician. 
 
 2. That the number of surgeons, to all the military hospitals of the United 
 States, be reduced, so as not to exceed fifteen, 
 
 3. That the director have the general superintendence and direction of all the 
 military hospitals ; and of ptactice both in camp and hospitals. 
 
 4. That in the absence of the director his duty devolve upon the deputy 
 director, or physician, and in their absence upon the hospital surgeons, according 
 to seniority. 
 
 5. That the director, or In his absence the senior medical officer, with the 
 approbation of the Commandelr-in-Chief, or Commanding General of a separate 
 army, be, and is hereby authorized and empowered, as often as may be judged 
 necessary, to call a medical board which shall consist of the three senior medical 
 officers then present; and it shall be the duty of this board, to appoint all hospital 
 mates, to examine all candidates for promotion in the hospital department, and 
 recommend to the Secretary of War such as they judge best qualified; and gen- 
 erally to take cognizance of, and give their advice and opinion upon every matter 
 relative to the Department, which may be submitted to them by the Commander-in- 
 Chief, or Commanding General of a separate army; provided always; that no reg- 
 ulation, plan, or order of the board, shall be valid, and take eflFect, until approved 
 by the Commander-in-Chief, or Commander of a separate army, and issued in 
 general orders. 
 
 6. That all returns heretofore Ordered to be made by the director, or deputy 
 director, to the Medical Committee, bfe made to the Secretary of War.
 
 64 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 7. That the stewards may in the first instance, when the purveyor or his 
 assistant is at a distance, be appointed by the director, or senior medical officer, 
 but shall be removeable at pleasure, and others substituted in their stead by the 
 purveyor, and his assistant. And although in their purchases and issues, they are 
 to obey the orders of the prescribing surgeons, yet for the faithful discharge of 
 their duty they are to be accountable to the purveyor, who shall in like manner be 
 accountable to the United States. Wherefore, the said stewards shall keep separate 
 accounts of all they receive, and of what they themselves purchase; and shall 
 render an account monthly of all their issues, with the stock on hand, to the pur- 
 veyor, who shall render the said accounts, together with a particular account of the 
 supplies furnished by himself, or his assistant, to each respective hospital once 
 every three months, to the Superintendent of Finance. 
 
 8. That the Secretary of War be, and he is hereby empowered and directed, 
 on or before the first day of February next, and hereafter from time to time, as the 
 service may require, to arrange the department, agreeably to the foregoing resolu- 
 tions; and to issue his orders to such as he thinks proper to remain; paying a due 
 regard in his first arrangement, to such of the chief physicians and surgeons as 
 may choose to continue in service; and in his subsequent arrangements, to such of 
 the senior oflBcers, as may choose to remain in service. 
 
 9. That such of the oflBcers as shall not be called into service, agreeably to the 
 foregoing resolution, be considered as reduced by Congress, and be entitled to the 
 emoluments granted by the act of Congress of the seventeenth of January, 1781. 
 
 10. That when by reason of vacancies, or otherwise, any oflBcers be hereafter 
 to be appointed to the Hospital Department, and whose appointment is reserved to 
 Congress, due regard be paid to the officers next in rank; and that the appointment 
 of hospital surgeons be from among the regimental surgeons and hospital mates; 
 provided that no regimental surgeon shall be so appointed, who shall not have sub- 
 mitted himself to examination by a medical board, and obtained from them a 
 certificate that he is well qualified for the oflBce of regimental surgeon, by which 
 certificate the regimental surgeon shall be considered as superior in rank to the 
 hospital mates, but not otherwise. 
 
 11. That the director, deputy director, physician, surgeons and mates, as well 
 hospital as regimental, receive their pay out of the military chest, at the same time, 
 and in the same manner, as the army with which they serve ; the abstracts to be 
 signed by the director, deputy director, or physician, or in their absence by the 
 senior hospital surgeon, and the warrant to issue in the same manner, as for the pay 
 of the army." 
 
 By the act of the tenth of January, organizing the Inspector General's 
 Department, it was resolved : 
 
 "The Inspector General, or inspector of an army, shall be authorized and 
 required to visit the military hospitals of the United States from time to time ; to 
 examine the general state of them, and the treatment of the patients, which he shall 
 report to the oflBcer commanding the army ; and the director, deputy director, or 
 superintending surgeon of the hospital, shall furnish them with such returns as 
 they may find necessary for the better execution of their office." 
 
 A resolution of the twenty-fifth of March directed, that any soldiers 
 sick in hospital might elect to be discharged with a pension of five dollars a 
 month, if they so desired, in preference to being transferred to the invalid corps.
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 65 
 
 From this time until the middle of summer the War Department was 
 occupied in perfecting a bill to regulate the accountability of the disbursing 
 officers of the Hospital Department. This was rendered very necessary, not 
 only by the entire removal of the purveying branch of the service from the 
 hands of the Director, but also by the indications which existed of the 
 approaching close of the war, making it desirable that all accounts should 
 be in such a condition as to render their audit convenient and immediate. 
 On the twenty-fifth of July Congress passed a bill which, although long, is 
 given in full, as it may be useful for comparison with subsequent enactments 
 on the subject. 
 
 " That in conducting the business of the general hospitals, there shall be an 
 invariable standard of prices established, by which the apothecary shall be charged 
 with every article he shall issue. This standard to be established by the Medical 
 Board, or such person, or persons, as they shall appoint, which shall only be con- 
 sidered as a certain ratio, whereby to keep the accounts. But, that in the settlement 
 of all the accounts in that department, all deficient articles not issued, or returned, 
 to be accounted for at such real value as shall be estimated by the Medical Board, 
 and approved by the Secretary of War. An account shall be taken as soon 
 as possible, of all the medicines, instruments, and property in the apothecaries' 
 department, belonging to the public, in the hands of the apothecary, the deputies, 
 assistants, and mates, the surgeons of hospitals, and surgeons of regiments, for 
 which they shall severally be charged at the standard value, ascertained by the 
 board as aforesaid, and for all they may hereafter receive ; but they shall account 
 for deficiencies at the real value, to be ascertained as aforesaid. 
 
 That the apothecary be accountable for all articles in his department to the 
 purveyor, throughout the states, until they come into the hands of the prescribers. 
 
 That all deputies, assistants, and mates, shall make returns, and be accountable 
 to the apothecary, for the medicines, instruments, and other property belonging to 
 the public in the department, now in their hands, and of such as they may here- 
 after be possessed of. 
 
 That the apothecary shall make up his accounts at the end of every year, and 
 settle them as soon after as possible, and before the expiration of six months. He 
 shall at the same time, make out two returns for the director of the hospitals; one, 
 specifying what has been received and issued, and the amount of what remains on 
 hand; the other, exhibiting a particular account of the value of the medicines, and 
 other public property, each prescriber has received within the year. 
 
 All losses which may happen by the events of war, and other circumstances 
 unavoidable, shall be borne by the public. In cases of loss by fraud, or neglect, in 
 any deputy, assistant, or mate, the apothecary shall not be accountable for such 
 loss, provided the delinquent be convicted thereof, before a Court Martial appointed 
 to try the same. 
 
 The hospital prescribers shall be supplied on their own application, with med- 
 icines and instruments necessary for the sick and wounded under their care. 
 
 Every regimental surgeon shall receive yearly from the apothecary, a supply 
 of medicines, to such amount by the above standard, as the Medical Board shall 
 judge necessary. 
 5
 
 66 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Every prescribing physician or surgeon either in the hospital, or with the army, 
 shall be supplied by the apothecary with such a set of capital instruments, as the 
 Medical Board shall judge necessary, and shall be accountable for all losses of med- 
 icines or instruments, not arising from the events of war, and other circumstances 
 unavoidable. 
 
 Duplicates of all returns, made by the apothecary to the director shall be lodged 
 in the War office. 
 
 That in the army of the United States, except in the Southern army at present 
 under command of Major General Greene, the offices of assistant purveyor, and 
 assistant apothecary, and storekeepers under the purveyor and apothecary, except 
 one storekeeper under the purveyor, to keep a store near the army and all the 
 clerks except two to the purveyor, shall hereafter be discontinued. " 
 
 During its passage through Congress the following additional clauses 
 were added to the original bill : 
 
 " That all surgeons to the hospital shall take rank after the director, deputy 
 director, and physician to the army in the following order, viz: those surgeons of 
 the army, who have been either deputy director, physician general, or surgeon 
 general, chief physician or chief surgeon to the army, shall take rank next to the 
 above mentioned officers ; and their relative rank to each other, shall be according 
 to the dates of their respective appointments, to either of the above mentioned officers. 
 
 That all such as were regimental surgeons, when appointed senior physicians 
 or surgeons to the hospital, shall take rank with such senior physicians and surgeons, 
 agreeably to the date of their first appointment, whether totheregiment or hospital. 
 
 All surgeons the date of whose first appointments, either to regiments, or 
 hospitals, shall have been on the same day, shall decide their rank by lot." 
 
 The only further legislation for the Hospital Department in 1782 had 
 reference to the pay and subsistence of officers. An act of the twenty-fifth 
 of July fixed the following schedule : 
 
 Director ; four rations per day for himself and servants ; forage for two horses ; 
 and twenty-five dollars per month subsistence. 
 
 Deputy Director and Physician ; each, three rations for himself and servants ; 
 forage for two horses ; and twenty dollars per month subsistence. 
 
 Hospital Surgeons; each, two rations a day for himself and servant; forage for 
 two horses; and fifteen dollars per month subsistence. 
 
 Deputy Purveyor and Deputy Apothecary ; each, one ration per day ; forage 
 for one horse ; and ten dollars per month subsistence. 
 
 Hospital Mates ; each, one ration per day ; and five dollars per month subsistence. 
 
 Stewards ; each, one ration per day ; and five dollars per month subsistence. 
 
 Wardmasters ; each, one ration per day ; and three dollars per month subsistence. 
 
 On the third of December this table of allowances was repealed and 
 the following substituted, to take eflfect on the first of January, 1783 : 
 
 Director; one hundred and two dollars pay per month, and sixty dollars sub- 
 sistence. 
 
 Deputy Director and Physician ; each, one hundred dollars pay, and forty-eight 
 dollars subsistence.
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 67 
 
 Surgeons ; each, ninety dollars pay, and forty dollars subsistence. 
 
 Apothecary and Purveyor; each, ninety-two dollar* pay, and thirty-two dollars 
 subsistence. 
 
 Deputy Apothecary and Deputy Purveyor ; each, fifty-nine dollars pay, and 
 sixteen dollars subsistence. 
 
 Mates; each, forty-two dollars pay, and twelve dollars subsistence. 
 
 , This was the last act of Congress, passed during the Revolutionary 
 period, which referred to the organization of the Medical Department. The 
 surrender of the army under Cornwallis had now taken place, and com- 
 missioners had been some time before appointed on the part of the govern- 
 ments of the United States, France and Great Britain to arrange terms of 
 peace. The attention of Congress was hereafter to be directed to the reduction 
 of the military force, and making additional provision for the reward of those 
 who had served throughout the struggle. That body had already enacted that 
 all who served to the close of the war should be entitled to half-pay for life; 
 but most of the officers were so poor, that they needed something to com- 
 mence civil life anew, and preferred a sum in gross to the monthly 
 allowance. It was accordingly resolved, on the twenty-second of March, 
 1783, that in lieu of the half-pay for life, allowed by the resolution of 
 October twenty-first, 1780, the veterans should be entitled to five years full 
 pay on discharge, or an equivalent in securities, with interest at six per cent. 
 The officers of the Hospital Department were permitted collectively, to refuse 
 or accept this oflfer. 
 
 The reduction of the army took place rapidly in 1783, and on the 
 twenty-sixth of September the Commander-in-Chief was authorized to grant 
 furloughs to such of the Medical Staff whose services were no longer neces- 
 sary. This was equivalent to a practical disbandm'ent of the Hospital 
 Department. The last act in the drama was on the second of June, 1784, 
 when, after an animated debate, in which various efforts were made to retain 
 or enlist anew a sufficient force for guarding the public property and garri- 
 soning the frontier posts, the following resolution was adopted : 
 
 "That the Commanding Officer, be, and he is hereby directed to discharge the 
 troops now in the service of the United States, except twenty five privates to guard 
 the stores at Fort Pitt; and fifty five to guard the stores at West Point, and other 
 magazines; with a proportionate number of officers; no officer to remain in service 
 above the rank of Captain, and those privates to be retained who were enlisted on 
 the best terms ; Provided, Congress before its recess, shall not take other measures, 
 respecting the disposition of those troops," 
 
 Before closing this division of the subject, the duty remains of tracing 
 the subsequent career of the distinguished men, who held important posi- 
 tions in the Corps, and who by their energy and fidelity under the most
 
 68 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 discouraging circumstances had contributed to the cause of American inde- 
 pendence as much, though in a less brilliant way, as those who fought its 
 battles. Unfortunately the records of American Medical Biography are 
 very incomplete; of some of those who occupied prominent positions, we 
 are without any information; of others the subsequent career was so distin- 
 guished as to form part of the history of the country. 
 
 John Cochran, Director of the army, after his discharge from the 
 service, removed with his family to the city of New York and pursued the 
 practice of his profession; when Washington became President, he appointed 
 him Commissioner of Loans for the State of New York, which office he held 
 for some years, when a stroke of paralysis put an end to his usefulness, and 
 he retired to Palatine, Montgomery county, New York, where he passed 
 the decline of life. He died on the sixth of April, 1807, in the seventy- 
 seventh year of his age. Thacher, who served throughout the war with 
 him, thus eulogizes his character: "He united a vigorous mind and correct 
 judgment, with information derived and improved from long experience, and 
 faithful habits of attention to the duties of his profession. He possessed 
 the pure and inflexible principles of patriotism, and his integrity was unim- 
 peachable. It is gratifying to have this opportunity of expressing a 
 respectful recollection of his urbanity and civilities, and of affording this 
 small tribute to his cherished memory." 
 
 James Craik settled in practice at Port Tobacco, Maryland, but soon 
 after, at the urgent request of General Washington, he removed to the neigh- 
 borhood of Mount Vernon. In 1798, when war was threatened with France, 
 he was appointed Physician General to the army, but held the position but 
 a very short time, returning to Mount Vernon, where he was soon called on 
 to attend the death-bed of Washington. He lived to the age of eighty-four 
 years, dying on the sixth of February, 1814. 
 
 William Eustis returned to Boston and commenced practice, but 
 abandoned it again in 1787 to serve as surgeon of a regiment of militia, 
 raised to defend the frontier against the Indians. He then resumed practice, 
 to leave it for the third time as surgeon to the forces employed in the 
 suppression of Shay's rebellion. He then went into political life, and in 
 1800 was elected to Congress from Massachusetts. In 1809 he was appointed 
 in the Cabinet of James Madison as Secretary of War, an office which he 
 held until after the surrender of Hull. In 1815 he went abroad as Minister 
 to Holland; and on his return was reelected to Congress for four sessions; 
 when he succeeded Governor Brooks in the Executive chair of Massachu- 
 setts. He died in 1825, at the age of seventy-two.
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION. 69 
 
 Moses Bloomfield returned to his native village in New Jersey, and 
 pursued the unostentatious career of a country practitioner, respected and 
 beloved by all who knew him. He died on the fourteenth of August, 1791. 
 
 Two months after, he was followed to the grave by William Burnet, who 
 since the war had resumed his practice in Newark, New Jersey. He died 
 on the seventh of October, 1791, at the age of sixty-one. 
 
 John Warren settled in Boston, and rose to the highest eminence in 
 his profession. He became the most celebrated surgeon in New England, 
 and was the first Professor of Anatomy and Surgery in the Harvard Medical 
 College. On the fourth of April, 1815, he died at the age of sixty-two, 
 and received a public funeral in the city of Boston, his death being regarded 
 as a general calamity. 
 
 Philip Turner practiced in Norwich, Connecticut, until 1800, when he 
 removed to New York city. Soon after this he was reappointed in the army 
 as stafi" surgeon, and was permanently stationed in New York Harbor until 
 his death, which took place in 1815, in the seventy-fifth year of his age. 
 He was buried with military honors. 
 
 James Tilton occupies such an important position in our history, as the 
 Physician General of the army 'in the war of 1812-15, that any further 
 notice of him will be reserved until the operations of the Corps during that 
 period are considered. 
 
 Of the subsequent career of the rest of the surgeons of the army but 
 little can be said. Malachi Treat practiced in New York, and fell a victim 
 to his devotion to his duty as Health Officer of the port, dying of yellow fever 
 in one of the epidemics in that city. David Townshend lived to a great age 
 in Boston, honored by all. The remainder passed from public view with 
 their withdrawal from the army, and we hear no more of them. Of the few 
 who composed the Corps at its reorganization in 1780, we have seen that a 
 considerable number rose to high distinction either in professional or political 
 life J it is not to be wondered at, that the lives of some should have been 
 unrecorded, passed, as they doubtless were, in the quiet routine of medical 
 practice.
 
 70 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 . . PART II. 
 
 From the close of the Revolution, to the reduction of the 
 
 Army in 1821. 
 
 The act of the second of June, 1784, practically left the United States 
 without any army. The general sentiment both of Congress and the country 
 was very strong against the maintenance of any military force whatever. 
 The immense armaments of Europe were chiefly used to preserve the balance 
 of power on the continent, or to overawe the people, and were considered 
 unnecessary for the first and incongruous as regards the latter, in a republic 
 separated from all possible enemies by a broad ocean, and having the will of 
 the people as the supreme law. What trifling force might be required for 
 the protection of the frontier could always be obtained by a call on the states 
 most interested; no contingency was likely to arise which would render 
 necessary any permanent establishment. 
 
 Hence it is found that the earlier acts providing for the employment of 
 troops carefully avoid any reference to the appointment of officers by the 
 general government, and only require that certain states to be named shall 
 be called upon to furnish so many men for temporary service. Of this 
 character was a resolution of the third of June, 1784, that " a body of troops, 
 to consist of seven hundred men, are indispensably necessary for taking 
 possession of the western posts as soon as evacuated by the troops of His 
 Britannic Majesty; for the protection of the northwestern frontier, and the 
 guarding of public stores." The states were called upon to furnish these 
 men from their militia in the following proportion, viz: Connecticut, 165; 
 New York, 165; New Jersey, 110; Pennsylvania, 260; and they were to 
 be organized by the Secretary of War into a regiment of infantry and two 
 companies of artillery, to serve twelve months. To the force thus raised 
 was allowed one surgeon and four mates. This regiment was discharged in 
 the following March, and on the seventh of April, 1785, a further draft 
 ordered, to be made in the same manner as the last. To this new regiment 
 one surgeon was allowed, at a monthly compensation of forty-five dollars, 
 and four surgeon's mates, at thirty dollars each. This force was increased
 
 I
 
 FROM 1784 TO 1812. 71 
 
 on the twentieth of October, 1786, to two thousand and forty officers and 
 men, and on the third of October, 1787, a further increase of seven hundred 
 was made, to take the place of those about to be discharged. All these 
 were, however, militia and formed no part of the army of the United States, 
 which at this time had no existence. By the report of a committee of the 
 last Colonial Congress, appointed to examine into, and close up the Revolu- 
 tionary Department of War, we find that the total number of troops in 
 service in October, 1788, was but five hundred and ninety-five, who were 
 distributed at West Point, Springfield and several block-houses in Western 
 Pennsylvania and Ohio. There was no Medical Department recognized by 
 the government, and what medical officers were required were employed by 
 the states furnishing the troops. 
 
 Meanwhile, the Constitutional Convention had completed its work, and 
 the first Congress commenced its sessions in New York. Their earlier labors 
 were chiefly devoted to the organization of the new government. They 
 created three executive departments; of War, of the Treasury and of Foreign 
 Afiuirs. To the head of the former the President appointed Major General 
 Henry Knox. The condition of affairs demanded that his first attention 
 should be directed towards an increase of the military forces. Ever since 
 the close of the war the Indians on the frontier had manifested a hostile 
 attitude, inspired thereto it was asserted by the machinations of British 
 agents. The western posts were still held by the British troops, and our 
 small force of less than six hundred men was totally inadequate to keep the 
 Indians in check. It was therefore enacted by Congress on the twenty-ninth 
 of September, 1789, that a corps of seven hundred rank and file, should be 
 organized, to be stationed on the frontier, and to constitute (together with 
 two companies of artillery already in service) a regiment of infantry and a 
 battalion of artillery. To the former were allowed one surgeon and three 
 surgeon's mates; and to the latter one surgeon's mate. 
 
 Of the regiment of infantry thus organized, Josiah Harmar, of Penn- 
 sylvania, was appointed Lieutenant Colonel; and by virtue of a brevet ot 
 Brigadier General conferred on him by Congress, he was assigned to the 
 command of the whole force. The medical officers of the regiment of 
 infantry were: surgeon, Richard Allison, of Pennsylvania, (who had served 
 as surgeon's mate during the Revolution) ; surgeon's mates, John F. Car- 
 michgel, of New Jersey, John Elliot, of New York, and John M. Scott, of 
 New Jersey; and of the battalion of artillery, surgeon's mate, Nathan 
 Hayward, of Massachusetts. During the following spring this organization 
 was supplanted by one formed by the act of the thirtieth of April, 1790.
 
 72 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 This provided for the immediate enlistment of twelve hundred and six- 
 teen men, to be divided as before into infantry and cavalry; the regiments 
 of infantry to be allowed two surgeon's mates instead of four. The pay of 
 surgeon was fixed at thirty dollars per month, and of the mates at twenty- 
 four dollars each per month. The surgeon was allowed subsistence at the 
 rate of three rations a day, and each surgeon's mate at two rations; or they 
 might at their option receive money by way of commutation for their sub- 
 sistence, at the contract price of the ration at the posts where due. The 
 surgeon was further allowed ten dollars per month, and each surgeon's mate 
 six dollars per month instead of forage. It was further enacted, that the 
 sum of ten cents should be deducted from the monthly pay of every enlisted 
 man for the purpose of forming a fund for the purchase of hospital stores. 
 The officers remained the same as before, except that the number of surgeon's 
 mates of infantry being reduced. Doctor Carmichael was discharged on the 
 second of June. During the summer the Indians broke out into open hostilities, 
 and Harmar marched with this force and some Pennsylvania and Kentucky 
 militia into Ohio, but was defeated by the Indians on the nineteenth and twenty- 
 second of October, on the Miami river. A congressional investigation acquitted 
 the General of any blame, and it being evident that a larger force was needed 
 to subdue the savages, an act was passed on the third of March, 1791, to 
 raise and employ General and StaflF Officers, and one additional regiment of 
 infantry to be organized as the preceding one; and further, in lieu of the 
 state militia previously called out, the President was authorized to employ 
 troops " under the denomination of Levies, not exceeding two thousand rank 
 and file, with a suitable number of commissioned officers, for a term not 
 exceeding six months ; and to organize such levies, and alone to appoint the 
 commissioned officers." Section xiii of this act provided : 
 
 "That in case the nature of the service upon which the troops of the United 
 States may be employed, should require a greater number of surgeon's mates, than 
 are provided for in the before mentioned act, [April 30, 1790], the President of the 
 United States may engage from time to time, such additional number of surgeon's 
 mates, as he shall judge necessary. 
 
 Surgeon's mate John Elliot, of the first infantry, was promoted surgeon 
 of the second infantry, and Joseph Waldo was appointed to the " Levies ;" 
 and the following mates: James Woodhouse, of Pennsylvania, Charles 
 Brown, of Pennsylvania, John Hamill, of Pennsylvania, Victor Grasson, of 
 France, Joseph Phillips, of New Jersey, and William McCoskry, of Penn- 
 sylvania, who were assigned to the difi'erent battalions of the levies; John 
 F. Carmichael (late of the first infantry), and Elijah Tisdale to the second
 
 FROM 1784 TO 1812. 73 
 
 infantry. With this new force General St. Clair (who had succeeded Har- 
 niar as General-in-Chief) undertook an active campaign against the Indians, 
 but was surprised near the source of the Maumee and defeated, losing 
 upwards of six hundred killed and two hundred wounded. Among the 
 former was Doctor Victor Grasson, surgeon's mate of Gaither's battalion of 
 Darke's regiment of the levies; being the first ofl&cer of the Corps who lost 
 his life in battle, and as such deserving of a respectful record in these pages, 
 though unfortunately beyond this simple mention nothing is known of his 
 history. 
 
 The term of service of the levies expired in the fall of 1791, and it 
 became necessary for Congress to legislate further for the protection of the 
 frontier. Consequently on the fifth of March. 1792, an act was passed entirely 
 reorganizing the military force of the United States. This bill provided 
 for the retention in service of the two regiments of infantry, and for the 
 enlistment of three additional regiments, two to be organized as before, and 
 the other to consist of two battalions of infantry and one squadron of light 
 dragoons ; all the additional troops to serve for three years. This force the 
 President was authorized to organize in such manner as might appear most 
 proper; "diminishing the number, or taking from one corps and adding to 
 another." On the twenty-fourth of December, the Secretary of War com- 
 municated to the House of Representatives the following organization of the 
 army, as directed by the President : 
 
 The whole force was formed into a " Legion," under command of a 
 Major General, with the usual staff, among others a " Surgeon to the Legion" 
 as chief medical officer. This legion was divided into four sub-legions, each 
 of twelve hundred and eighty rank and file, to be commanded by Brigadier 
 Generals. Each sub-legion was allowed a surgeon and three surgeon's mates, 
 one to each battalion. By section vii of this act, the pay of surgeons of the 
 General Staff was fixed at seventy dollars per month, and that of regi- 
 mental surgeons or surgeon's mates at forty-five dollars. 
 
 Richard Allison, surgeon of the first infantry, was appointed surgeon 
 on the General Staff, and the following to be surgeons of sub-legions: 
 John Elliott, surgeon of the second infantry; John M. Scott, surgeon's 
 mate first infantry ; John F. Carmichael, surgeon's mate second infantry, 
 and N. Hay ward, surgeon's mate of the battalion of artillery. The following 
 were either retained or appointed surgeon's mates of the battalions : Charles 
 Watrous, Joseph Phillips, William Ms?Go3kry, Joseph Strong, Elijah 
 Tisdale, J. C. Wallace, Charles Brown, James Woodhouse, John Hammill, 
 Joseph Andrews, Thomas A. Claiborne and Frederick Dalcho. Several 
 5*
 
 74 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 garrison surgeon's mates were also appointed, to date from April 11, 1792, 
 under the thirteenth section of the act of Congress of March 3, 1791. 
 These were, John Sellman, of Maryland, James Clayton, of Delaware, 
 Thomas Hutchins, of Pennsylvania, and Elihu Lyman, of Georgia. 
 
 Major General Anthony Wayne was appointed General-in-Chief under 
 the new organization, and marched with the legion into the Indian country. 
 The year 1793 was occupied in constructing forts and opening roads, and 
 in several minor skirmishes. In August, 1794, he struck a decisive blow at 
 the battle of Maumee Rapids, in which a force of over two thousand Indians 
 were completely defeated, with but a loss of thirty-three killed and about 
 one hundred wounded on our side. Soon after this the Indians commenced 
 negotiations looking towards a permanent treaty of peace. 
 
 By an act passed May 9, 1794, a regiment of artillerists and engineers 
 was organized. The medical officers of this regiment were one surgeon and 
 four surgeon's mates. The following were appointed: Surgeon's mate 
 Charles Brown to be surgeon, and John G. Coffin, of Massachusetts, Francis 
 G. Brewster, of New Jersey, John R. Lynch, of New York, and Richard 
 Griffith, of Delaware, to be surgeon's mates. 
 
 This year trouble arose with the British government which threatened 
 to involve the country in another war. The Americans complained that no 
 indemnification had been made for negro slaves which had been carried 
 away on British ships at the close of the war ; that contrary to the treaty 
 of peace between the two countries, the English troops still garrisoned the 
 frontier posts; and that British agents were living on friendly terms with 
 the western Indians, and had incited them to hostilities. 
 
 Counter recriminations were made on the part of England, and John 
 Jay was sent as a special envoy to the court of St. James j in the mean- 
 time the aspect of affairs was such as to render any reduction of the military 
 force of the country extremely inadvisable. The terms of service of the 
 troops composing the legion of 1792 was about expiring, and it was necessary 
 to make further provision for a military force. This was attempted in the 
 act of March 3, 1795, which repealed the previous laws establishing the 
 military organization, and provided that the army should consist of the regi- 
 ment of artillerists and engineers, and a legion of forty-eight hundred men 
 to be organized by the President into sub-legions, as was previously the 
 case. The medical officers of the new organization were essentially the 
 same as in the old, and the only items of interest to the Medical Depart- 
 ment related to the pay and emoluments of the staff. The pay of the 
 surgeon was fixed at seventy dollars, with an allowance of twelve dollars per
 
 FROM 1784 TO 1812. 75 
 
 month for forage, and three rations. Regimental surgeons were to be 
 paid forty-five dollars, ten dollars for forage per month, and three rations; 
 and mates, thirty dollars pay, six dollars for forage and two rations; 
 matrons and nurses in hospital, each eight dollars per month. The force 
 called for under this act could not have been enlisted, for on the third of 
 February, 1796, Hon. Timothy Pickering, Secretary of War, addressed a 
 letter to the chairman of the House Military Committee, in which he calls 
 attention to the inadequacy of the force at the disposal of the department. 
 Troops were needed to garrison a line of posts from Lake Champlain to 
 Mackinac; to occupy the forts at Natchez and Chickasaw Bluffs, about to 
 be evacuated by the Spanish troops ; to establish new posts along the Indian 
 frontier northwest of the Ohio; and to garrison the sea-coast fortifications. 
 In consequence of this appeal Congress once more reorganized the army on 
 the thirtieth of May, 1796. The regiment of artillerists and engineers was 
 retained, and the infantry force fixed at four regiments, each to have one 
 surgeon and two surgeon's mates; " provided always; that the President of 
 the United States may at his discretion, appoint an additional number of 
 surgeon's mates not exceeding two, and distribute the same, according to the 
 necessity of the service." This act was to take effect on the last day of 
 October. 
 
 On the twenty-seventh of April, 1798, a second regiment of artillerists 
 and engineers was organized to serve for five years. The medical officers of 
 this regiment were ; surgeon, James Scanlan, of Maryland; surgeon's mates, 
 Bur Harrison, of Kentucky, and Thomas Tillinghast, of Rhode Island. 
 
 War now became imminent with France, in consequence of troubles 
 and differences between the two governments which had been agitated for 
 over a year, and in May the President was authorized to raise a provisional 
 army of ten thousand men, with the necessary general and staff officers. 
 The seventh section of this act reads: 
 
 *^And be it further enacted. That in case the President shall judge the employ- 
 ment of a quartermaster general, physician general and paymaster general, or either 
 of them essential to public interest, he is hereby authorized by and with the advice 
 and consent of the Senate, to appoint the same accordingly, who shall be entitled to 
 the rank, pay and emoluments which follow, viz: quartermaster general, the rank, 
 pay and emoluments of a Lieutenant Colonel ; physician general, and paymaster 
 general each the pay and emoluments of a Lieutenant Colonel. Provided, That in 
 case the President shall judge it expedient to appoint a commander of the army, 
 an inspector general, adjutant general, quartermaster general, physician general and 
 paymaster general, or either of them in the recess of the Senate, he is hereby 
 authorized to make any or all of said appointments, and grant commissions thereon, 
 which shall expire at the end of the next session of the Senate thereafter.
 
 V 
 
 76 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 And be it further enacted, That the commander of the army, inspector general, 
 adjutant general, quartermaster general, physician general, and paymaster general, 
 who may be appointed by this act, shall respectively continue in commission during 
 such time only as the President shall judge requisite for the public service, and 
 that it shall be lawful for the President to discharge the whole or any part of the 
 troops, which may be raised or accepted under this act, whenever he shall judge 
 the measure consistent with the public safety." 
 
 On the sixteenth of July the regular army was further increased by 
 twelve regiments of infantry and one of dragoons, with the usual number of 
 medical oflScers, and with the previous proviso, that such additional surgeon's 
 mates might be appointed as the good of the service might require. 
 
 Under the provisions of the act of March 3d, for the appointment of a 
 physician general, James Craik, of Virginia, formerly physician to the 
 Army of the Revolution, was at the earnest request of Washington 
 selected. 
 
 Medical officers were selected for the new regiments, and vacancies 
 filled in the old ones. Still Congress had made no provision for a Hospital 
 Department proper, an omission of the greatest importance in the event of war. 
 
 In a report to the President, dated December 24, 1798, Hon. 
 James McHenry, Secretary of War, calls his attention to this defect 
 in the legislation of Congress. He had himself served as a surgeon during 
 the Revolution, and well understood the importance of organization to pro- 
 cure efficiency. He says: "The Secretary does not discover in any of the 
 acts the necessary provision for the appointment of hospital officers or a 
 hospital establishment. As military hospitals are indispensable to an army, 
 especially in time of war, it is respectfully suggested that provisions on the 
 subject ought to be made by law, and that the regulations to be found in 
 the resolutions of the old Congress, more particularly in those under date of 
 September 30, 1780, and January 3, 1782, as certainly the faithful results 
 of much experience, may afford some' important lights respecting this 
 Department. The certain consequences of disregarding so essential a 
 measure in the event of war, and the encampment of an army, will be a 
 train of diseases which must cut off a large proportion of our troops." This 
 was communicated to Congress on the thirty-first of December, and on the 
 second of March, 1799, Congress passed the following " Act to regulate the 
 Medical Establishment :" 
 
 " Section I. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repretentativet of the United 
 States of America in Congress assembled. 
 
 That in the Medical establishment of the United iStates there shall be the fol- 
 lowing officers : a physician general who shall be charged with the superintendence, 
 and direction of all military hospitals, and generally of all medical and chirurgical
 
 PROM 1784 TO 1812. 77 
 
 practice, or service concerning the army or navy of the United States, and of all 
 persons who shall be employed in and about the same, in camps, garrisons and hos- 
 pitals. An apothecary general and one or more' deputies, who shall be charged 
 with the safe keeping and delivery of all medicines, instruments, dressings and 
 other articles for the use of the hospital and the army. A purveyor who shall be 
 charged with providing medicines, stores, and whatsoever else may be necessary in 
 relation to the said practice, or service. A competent number of hospital surgeons, 
 who shall be liable to serve in the field, and who shall have the immediate charge 
 and direction of such military hospitals, as may be committed to their care respec- 
 tively. A suitable number of hospital mates, who are to observe the directions of 
 the hospital surgeons, and shall diligently perform all reasonable duties required of 
 them for the recovery of the sick and wounded. 
 
 Section II. And be it further enacted, That each military hospital shall have 
 a steward, with a competent number of nurses and other attendants; which steward 
 shall be charged with the procuring of such supplies, as may not otherwise be 
 furnished, and with the safe keeping, and issuing of all supplies. 
 
 Section III. And be it further enacted, That the said physician general, hos- 
 pital surgeons, purveyor and apothecary, and apothecaries' deputy or deputies, 
 shall be appointed as other officers of the United States; that the said mates, and 
 steward shall be appointed by the authority, and at the direction of the said phy- 
 sician general, subject to the eventual approbation, and control of (he President of 
 the United States, and shall be removeable by the authority of the said physician 
 general; and that the surgeons of each hospital shall appoint, employ, and fix the 
 compensation of the nurses, and other attendants of such hospital, subject to the 
 control of the said physician general, or the hospital surgeon of senior appoint- 
 ment with a separate army, or in a separate district. 
 
 Section IV. And be it further enacted. That as often as the regimental sick 
 will not suffer by the employment of regimental surgeons, or mates, in the tem- 
 porary or other hospitals of the United States, the physician general, or the 
 hospital surgeon of senior appointment with a separate army, or in a separate 
 district, with the consent of the general and Commander-in-Chief, or the officer 
 commanding a separate army, may require the attendance of such surgeons, or 
 surgeon's mates, as in his opinion can be with safety so withdrawn from their 
 regiments. 
 
 Section V. And be it further enacted. That it shall be the duty of the phy- 
 sician general, with two or more hospital surgeons, to frame a system of directions 
 relative to the description of patients to be admitted into the hospitals ; to the 
 means of promoting cleanliness in the hospital; to the prevention of idleness, 
 skulking and gambling in the hospitals; to the prevention of the spread of infec- 
 tious distempers in the camps, and hospitals, and the government of nurses, and 
 all others charged with the care of the sick in camps or hospitals, subject in the first 
 instance to the approbation and revision of the Commander-in-Chief, the commander 
 of a separate army, or in a separate district as the case may be, and eventually to 
 the approbation and control of the President of the United States ; Provided 
 always. That the said directions having received the sanction of the Commander- 
 in-Chief, or the commander of a separate army shall be operative, and remain in 
 full force unless altered or annulled by the President of the United States. 
 
 Section VI. And be it further enacted, That the compensations of the several 
 officers, shall be as follows: of the physician general, one hundred dollars pay per
 
 78 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 month, which shall be in full compensation for forage, rations, and travelling 
 expenses; of the purveyor one hundred dollars pay per month, in full compensation 
 for his services, and all expenses ; of the apothecary general eighty dollars per 
 month, and thirty dollars per month in full compensation for forage, rations and 
 all expenses; of each of his deputies fifty dollars pay per month, and sixteen dol- 
 lars per month in full compensation for forage, rations and all expenses; of each 
 hospital surgeon eighty dollars pay per month, and forty dollars per month in full 
 compensation for forage, rations, and all expenses ; of each mate thirty dollars per 
 month, and twenty dollars per month in full compensation for forage, rations, and 
 all expenses; of each steward twenty-five dollars per month, and eight dollars per 
 month in full compensation fc>r forage, rations and all expenses. Provided, That 
 none of the officers shall be entitled to any part of the pay, or emoluments afore- 
 said, until they shall respectively be called into actual service. 
 
 Section VII. And be it further enacted, That for the accommodation of the 
 sick of the army and navy of the United States, the physician general, and hospital 
 surgeons of senior appointment, with the approbation of the general commanding 
 the army within the district where he shall be, shall have power to provide tem- 
 porary hospitals ; and the physician general with the approbation of the President 
 of the United States, shall have power to provide and establish permanent hospitals. 
 
 Section VIII. And be it further enacted. That all the said officers, and others, 
 shall as touching their several offices and duties, be liable to the rules and regula- 
 tions for the government and discipline of the army ; and shall be bound to obey, 
 in conformity with law, and the usages and customs of armies, the orders and 
 directions of the chief military officers of the respective armies, and within the 
 respective districts, in which they shall respectively serve and be. 
 
 Section IX. And be it further enacted, That the physician general or in his 
 absence, the senior medical officer, with the approbation of the Commander-in- 
 Chief, or commanding officer of a separate army be, and hereby is authorized and 
 empowered, as often as may be judged necessary, to call a medical board which 
 shall consist of the three senior medical officers then present, whose duty it shall 
 be to examine all candidates for employment, or promotion in the hospital depart- 
 ment, and certify to the Secretary at War, the qualifications of each." 
 
 Before the troops called for by these and other acts passed about this 
 time could be brought into complete organization, envoys had been appointed 
 to settle the questions in dispute between the two nations, and early in the 
 year 1800 it became almost a matter of certainty that there would be no 
 war, and consequently on the fourteenth of May, Congress passed a bill to 
 discharge by the fifteenth of June, all the troops raised for the increase of 
 the army, "except the general and other staflf, the engineers, the inspector of 
 artillery, the inspector of fortifications, two troops of dragoons, the two 
 regiments of artillerists and engineers and the first four regiments of 
 infantry." This disbanded all the medical officers except six surgeons and 
 twelve surgeon's mates, and by December, 1801, this number of mates had 
 been still further reduced to seven, existing vacancies not having been filled 
 in view of a still greater reduction of the army. Under the provision of
 
 PROM 1784 TO 1812. 79 
 
 this act, Doctor James Craik was mustered out of service as Physician 
 General. He returned to his home near Mount Vernon, Virginia, where he 
 passed the remainder of his life. The medical ofl&cers who remained in ser- 
 vice on the nineteenth of December, 1801, were: Surgeons Charles Brown, 
 first artillerists and engineers, James Scanlan, second artillerists and engi- 
 neers, John Elliot, first infantry, William McCoskry, second infantry, Joseph 
 Phillips, third infantry, and John F. Carmichael, fourth infantry; Surgeon's 
 mates Prescott Barron and Samuel M. Griffith, first artillerists and engineers, 
 Charles Blake and George Dill, second artillerists and engineers, and of the 
 infantry regiments, Eben Lawrence, J. C. Wallace, Edward Reynolds and 
 Reuben Everett. 
 
 The act of March 16, 1802, still further defined the Military Peace 
 Establishment of the United States, by directing that after June 1st, the 
 army should consist of but one regiment of artillery and two of infantry, 
 besides the necessary stafi" and the engineers; all officers not retained in 
 some of these organizations to be discharged. The number of small posts 
 to be garrisoned, however, rendered a relatively large medical stafi" absolutely 
 necessary, and the following section was included in the bill : 
 
 "Section III. And be it further enacted, That there shall be * * * 
 
 two surgeons and twenty-five surgeon's mates to be attached to garrisons or posts 
 and not to corps." 
 
 The provisions of this bill in respect to pay, subsistence and forage, were 
 the same as existed in previous statutes on the subject. The garrison 
 surgeons appointed under the above section were John F. Carmichael, late 
 surgeon of the fourth infantry, and David Davis, late regimental surgeon's 
 mate. The surgeon's mates were Alexander A. Peters, Samuel M. Griffith, 
 George Dill, Charles Blake, Prescott Barron, Edward Reynolds, Southworth 
 Harlow, John Rippey, Thomas R. Jack, Philip Turner, Robert Stark, 
 Fiducis Tuttle, Lyman Spalding, Henry Jackson, James Lee, Nathaniel 
 Bradford, Samuel McKee, jr., Francis Le Barron, Thomas Van Dyke and 
 John F. Heileman. Many of these had seen service, and one, Philip 
 Turner, had been distinguished as a hospital surgeon during the Revolution, 
 and it will be remembered attracted especial attention from his great skill 
 as an operator. 
 
 Even with the small military force now in service the number of medical 
 
 officers was found insufficient, and on the twenty-sixth of March, 1804, the 
 
 following act was passed : 
 
 'Section I. Be it enacted, etc.. That there shall be appointed, in addition to the 
 surgeon's mates provided for by the ' act fixing the military peace establishment of the
 
 80 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 United States,' as many surgeon's mates not exceeding six, as the President of the 
 United States may judge necessary, to be added to garrisons or posts, agreeably to 
 the provision of the said act." 
 
 The returns made to Congress by the Secretary of War in 1803 
 showed two surgeons and twenty-three mates attached to garrisons. In 
 December, 1804, the number of mates was increased to twenty-nine, by the 
 filling of original vacancies caused by the act just quoted. The new 
 appointments were, George Hall, of South Carolina, Hanson Catlett and 
 Richard Davidson, of Kentucky, Corneilius Baldwin, of Virginia, Hugh M. 
 Hall, of Georgia, and Abraham Edwards, of New Jersey. 
 
 From 1806 to 1808, various events occurred of a hostile character on 
 the part of the government of Great Britain, and in the latter year it was 
 thought advisable to once more raise for a limited time an additional military 
 force, which was done by the act of the twelfth of April. This added to 
 the army for the term of five years, (unless sooner discharged) one regiment 
 of light artillery, one regiment of riflemen, one of light dragoons, and five 
 of infantry; each to be provided with one surgeon and one surgeon's mate. 
 
 The third section of this bill provided: 
 
 ft 
 ' That when in the opinion of the President of the United States, a suitable 
 
 . proportion of the troops authorized by this act shall be raised, there may be ap- 
 pointed * * * such a number of hospital surgeons and surgeon's 
 mates, as the service may require, but not exceeding five surgeons and fifteen mates, 
 with one steward and one wardmaster to each hospital." 
 
 The pay and allowances of the officers provided for by this act was 
 fixed as follows: 
 
 *' And be it further enacted, That the compensation of the oflBcers * * * 
 authorized by this act shall be, viz: * * to each hospital surgeon seventy- 
 five dollars per month, six rations per day or an equivalent in money, and twelve 
 dollars per month for forage when not furnished as aforesaid; each hospital sur- 
 geon's mate, forty dollars per month, two rations per day or an equivalent in money, 
 and six dollars per month for forage when not furnished as aforesaid; each hospital 
 steward, twenty dollars per month, and two rations per day or an equivalent in 
 money ; each wardmaster sixteen dollars per month, and two rations per day or its 
 equivalent in money; Provided, The oflScers furnish their own horses and accoutre- 
 ments, and actually keep in service the aforesaid number of horses, to entitle them 
 to the aforegoing allowance for forage, or its equivalent in money." 
 
 It would appear that the additional hospital officers provided for by 
 this law were never ;ippuiiit(;',l, tor their names do not appear on the Army 
 Register for 1809, and *1ie general return of the army for 1810 shows but 
 one hospital surgeon and one mate, two garrison surgeons and twenty-nine 
 mates, and seven regimental surgeons and four mates j the garrison medical
 
 FROM 1784 TO 1812. 81 
 
 officers belonging to the permanent establishment, and the others to the 
 additional military force. 
 
 It will be proper before proceeding to consider the events connected 
 with the Corps during the war of 1812-15, to offer a few words of explana- 
 tion as to the relative duties of the officers composing the rather complex 
 organization, which seems to have found favor in all the enactments of this 
 period. The early legislation for the army after the close of the Revolution, 
 it has been seen, provided only for regimental medical officers. The first regi- 
 ments were raised for active service against the Indians, and it was supposed 
 that the regiment would always act as a unit, or at most broken up into not 
 more than two or three battalions, so that there could always be a medical officer 
 with each detachment. Afterwards, when the extension of our sea-coast 
 fortifications, the acquirement of the frontier posts from Great Britain, and 
 the necessity of keeping a force permanently at the West for the protection 
 of settlers, largely increased the number of military posts, garrison surgeons 
 and mates were appointed, who were generally though not always selected 
 from that part of the country where they were expected to serve, and who 
 were permanently stationed at the various military posts, not being assigna- 
 ble to any other duty. On the approach of war hospital officers were 
 provided for, whose duties were to act as medical directors and inspectors of 
 departments and armies ; to have charge of general and depot hospitals, and 
 to generally perform such service as is now assigned to the senior surgeons 
 in the Corps. The regimental medical officers accompanied their regiments 
 on the march and into action, and attended to the minor cases in their own 
 hospitals, but as soon as a man became seriously ill or had a wound of such 
 a character as to require a capital operation, the regulations required his 
 transfer to a general hospital. It will be seen that in the point of corps 
 organization, matters had advanced but very little since the Revolutionary 
 period, and that no wisdom had been learned from the vexatious controver- 
 sies of those days between the general and regimental staff. It is impossible 
 to ascertain from any positive enactments on the subject, what was the 
 relative rank of these different grades, but it would appear from the schedules 
 of pay and allowances of each, that the hospital officers took precedence, 
 next those attached to garrisons, and lastly the regimental surgeons and mates. 
 Very early in the year 1812 it became evident that the long pending 
 troubles between the United States and Great Britain would result in war, 
 and the sessions of the twelfth Congress were chiefly occupied with devising 
 ways and means for carrying it on. On the eleventh of January an act 
 was passed for the immediate enlistment of an additional military force, to 
 6
 
 82 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 consist of ten regiments of infantry, two of artillery and one of light 
 dragoons ; each regiment to be allowed one surgeon and two surgeon's mates. 
 The fourth section of this act provides, "That there shall also be appointed 
 * * * such a number of hospital surgeons and mates as the 
 service may require, with one steward to each hospital." This force was 
 increased by the act of June 26th to twenty-five regiments of infantry, with 
 the same organization as before. 
 
 The country was at this time illy provided in all the essentials necessary 
 for the formation of an efficient army. A long period of peace had caused 
 all the experience of the war of the Revolution to be forgotton. Most of 
 those who had served in that struggle, and whose experience would at this 
 time have been of the greatest value, were either dead or superannuated. 
 No efficient army organization had been kept up, all the various staff" depart- 
 ments were such as would be required for a force of but two or three 
 regiments, and were without executive chiefs or any regulations by which , 
 they could be systematized. Especially was this true of the Medical 
 Department, which for many years only had an existence in the persons of 
 a few garrison and regimental surgeons and their mates, who were stationed 
 at various isolated posts, seldom or never having communication with each 
 other and having no official head other than the commanding officer of the 
 post or regiment to which they were attached. The surgeons of the 
 Revolutionary Army had left behind them no records of their experience ; 
 and the management of military hospitals, the police and hygiene of camps, 
 the diseases peculiar to troops and the surgical conduct of a campaign were 
 topics of which the profession of the country were entirely ignorant, 
 the only American work on these subjects having a general circulation 
 being a volume of " Observations on the means of preserving the health of 
 soldiers and sailors," written in 1807, by Dr. Edward Cutbush, a naval 
 surgeon. Under these circumstances the army provided for by the acts laat 
 mentioned assembled at Greenbush, New York. Doctor James Mann, of 
 Massachusetts, who had just been appointed hospital surgeon, was ordered to 
 superintend the Medical Department for this Northern Army. Speaking of 
 the difficulties which he had to encounter, he says : 
 
 "The mere organization of hospitals was the least perplexing part of duty. 
 The illy defined powers with which the hospital surgeons were invested, even in 
 their own department, subjected them to many disagreeable interferences of the 
 officers of the line. Collisions will always exist between officers of diflferent depart- 
 ments of an army, when their several powers and duties are not explicitly pointed 
 out. Officers tenacious of authority, assume as much as may be implied by rules 
 and regulations. In addition to multiplied embarrassments, the various duties
 
 DURING THE WAR OP 1812-15. 83 
 
 attached to the office of hospital surgeon with those merely professional, was always 
 so pressing, that little time was allowed to record particularly the diseases and 
 medical transactions of the army, as they occurred." 
 
 The average number of men at Greenbush, during the summer and 
 fall of 1812, was from fifteen hundred to three thousand, varying between 
 these numbers as troops were organized and marched to the northern 
 frontier. The average on sick report was from one hundred to one hun- 
 dred and thirty, the diseases being chiefly dysentery and diarrhoea, due to 
 want of cleanliness, bad cooking and intemperance. No hospital accommo- 
 dations having been provided, the sick were treated in tents. As the troops 
 marched to the frontier general hospitals were established at Burlington, 
 Vermont, and Plattsburgh, New York, and a little later at Malone, New 
 York. The hospital at Burlington was placed in charge of Doctor Joseph 
 Lovell, surgeon of the ninth infantry, (afterwards the Surgeon General of 
 the army). That at Plattsburgh was organized and conducted by Doctor 
 William H. Wilson, hospital surgeon's mate, of New York. At Buffalo 
 there was also a hospital for the troops on the Niagara frontier, which in 
 December, 1812, was in charge of Surgeon Silas Fuller, of the twenty-third 
 infantry. 
 
 The diseases of the troops composing the eastern division of the army 
 were as at Greenbush, intestinal disorders, to which was added in October 
 the measles, which prevailed with such severity that nearly one-third of the 
 total strength of the command was sick in November. As the winter 
 advanced, pneumonias of a sthenic type became prevalent along the whole 
 frontier, and there were upwards of four hundred deaths from this disease 
 alone, during the winter in the two hospitals at Plattsburgh and Burlington. 
 It was especially noticed by the surgeons that those regiments suffered the 
 most in which discipline was lax ; the light artillery regiments had fewer sick 
 than any other. "Their quarters and encampments were generally in the best 
 state ; the men were mostly neat and clean in their dress and appearance." Of 
 another case Doctor Mann remarks: "There was one regiment on the 
 frontier, which at one time counted nine hundred strong; but was reduced 
 by a total want of good police to less than two hundred fit for duty in the 
 course of two months. This regiment in its appearance was at that time 
 dirty in the extreme. * * * At one period more than three 
 hundred and forty of this regiment were in hospital; in addition to these 
 a large number were reported sick in camp. At the close of the war this 
 regiment had established a high reputation. Its good discipline and bravery 
 were excelled by none."
 
 84 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 The troops on this frontier did not suffer, as did their predecessors in 
 this locality during the Revolution ^ from want of supplies. On the contrary, 
 the hospitals were abundantly provided with every thing necessary for the 
 comfort of the sick, both in the shape of medical oflGicers and stores. The 
 obstacles to a proper administration were due to the want of any executive 
 head of the bureau, for which Congress had strangely neglected to provide, 
 and to the fact that the hospital officers had no rank even of an assimilated 
 character to protect them in the performance of their duties. The following 
 extract from an official report of the Medical Inspector of the Northern 
 Department is of interest, as showing the condition of the hospitals at the 
 close of 1812 : 
 
 "The hospital department at Plattsburgh has not been destitute of the common 
 supplies, which are usually furnished the sick of an army; while every requisition 
 made for hospital stores has been promptly answered. During the month of 
 November, ample supplies of stores as wine, spirits, sugar, molasses, rice, tea, 
 and chocolate were ordered by General Dearborn to be forwarded to Plattsburgh, 
 under the charge of Doctor Wilson, hospital surgeon's mate. In December an 
 additional quantity was by orders, directed to the same post, and to Burlington. 
 * * * * The hospital under direction of Doctor Wilson, [at Plattsburgh] 
 ia found in the best state. The beds are amply furnished, the wards clean, the 
 kitchen neat. No less credit is due to Doctor Lovell, surgeon of the 9th regiment, 
 under whose charge the hospital at Burlington is placed, on account of its good 
 condition and the unremitted attention bestowed on the sick. The hospital at 
 Greenbush is in good order and the patients comfortable." 
 
 The experience of the campaign during the fall of 1812 and the winter 
 of 1812-13, convinced Congress of the necessity of a more thorough 
 organization of the staff departments, and on the third of March an act 
 was passed for " the better organization of the General Staff of the Army of 
 the United States," which is given herewith, in so far as it referred to the 
 Medical Department: 
 
 "Section VII. And be it further enacted, That for the better superintendence 
 and management of the hospital and medical establishment of the army of the 
 United States, there shall be a physician and surgeon general, with an annual 
 salary of two thousand five hundred dollars, and an apothecary general, with an 
 annual salary of eighteen hundred dollars; whose respective duties and powers 
 shall be prescribed by the President of the United States. 
 
 *** 
 
 Section XI. And be it further enacted, That all letters and packages to and 
 from * * * the physician and surgeon general, and apothecary 
 
 general, which relate to their official duties, shall be free from postage." 
 
 For the position of Physician and Surgeon General created by this act. 
 Doctor James Tilton, of Delaware, was selected. We have already seen that this
 
 DURING THE WAR OP 1812-15. 85 
 
 gentleman had distinguished himself greatly by his abilities as a hospital 
 surgeon during the Revolution. Since that time he had represented his 
 native state in the National Congress, and had been for many years living in 
 retirement in the vicinity of Wilmington, devoting his attention chiefly to 
 agriculture. He had on the outbreak of the war given to the world a work 
 entitled "Economical Observations on Military Hospitals, and the prevention 
 and cure of diseases incident to the army," in which he elaborated the plan 
 for hospital organization presented by him to Congress in 1781. In this 
 work he condemns the practice which had hitherto prevailed of conforming 
 to the organization which obtained in the various European armies. The 
 book is now very rare, but from a review of it which may be found in the 
 Medical Repository for 1813, the following summary of its contents is 
 extracted. It is of value historically, because it was the first publication in 
 reference to this subject which had been written in this country as the result 
 of personal experience : 
 
 "Doctor Tilton does not distinguish medical officers into physicians and sur- 
 geons, but considers them one or the other as circumstances may require. He 
 proposes to establish a medical board in each military district or separate army, to 
 be composed of two or more hospital surgeons and several regimental surgeons. 
 This board is to have a field officer to sit as chairman, and meet monthly or oftener 
 if necessary, by general order, to regulate the concerns of that department. This 
 board is to examine and appoint all vacancies of hospital and regimental mates, 
 with the consent of the commanding officer; to examine candidates for hospital 
 surgeons, and recommend them to the physician and surgeon general for appoint- 
 ment, and establish rules for the medical department. The oldest hospital surgeon 
 is to be the director of general or regimental hospitals in the army or district where 
 stationed, and to act as prescribing surgeon only, without interfering in commis- 
 sarial duties. His attention will thus be drawn to visit the several establishments 
 for the sick within his charge, and as director to superintend their concerns. Such 
 an arrangement is to prevent impositions on the government, and hereafter to pro- 
 cure surgeons adequate to their respective duties. 
 
 Instead of establishing extensive and costly buildings for hospitals. Doctor 
 Tilton proposes to extend the circle of regimental practice, and diminish the scale 
 of hospital practice ; thus if possible to prevent disease and ward off infection. 
 His object is to have a harmonious understanding between the surgeons of the 
 army, and by a proper regulation of the medical board, keep in check any dispo- 
 sition to throw the sick into general hospitals beyond moderation and propriety, 
 whereby they must become crowded, producing the inevitable consequences of 
 camp, jail, typhus, or hospital fevers, from which armies have suffered more than 
 from their enemies.'! 
 
 The enunciation of these advanced views doubtless led to his appoint- 
 ment. On account of his age he was very adverse to accepting the position, 
 but being assured that his duties would be chiefly of an executive character, 
 and that he would not be required to take the field he consented, and was
 
 86 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 confirmed by the Senate, to date from June 13th. At the same time Doctor 
 Francis Le Barron, of Massachusetts, was appointed Apothecary General. 
 He had already had a long experience in the army. His original entry into 
 service was in December, 1800, as surgeon's mate of the navy; was trans- 
 ferred to the army as surgeon's mate, March 26, 1802, and promoted surgeon 
 in 1808, and had been continuously on duty as such up to the date of his 
 present appointment. 
 
 Immediately after the passage of the before mentioned act, the Presi- 
 dent caused to be issued " Rules and Regulations for the Army, May 1 , 1 813." 
 The duties of the Physician and Surgeon General are thus defined: 
 
 "It shall be the duty of the Physician and Surgeon Qeneral to prescribe rules for 
 the government of the hospitals of the army, to see these enforced, to appoint stewards 
 and nurses, to call for and receiye returns of medicines, surgical instruments and 
 hospital stores, to authorize and regulate the supply of regimental medical chests, 
 to make out general half yearly returns of these, and of the sick in hospital to the 
 War Department, and yearly estimates of what may be wanted for the supply of 
 the army. 
 
 The apothecary general shall assist the Physician and Surgeon General in the 
 discharge of the above mentioned duties, and shall receive and obey his orders in 
 relation thereto." 
 
 There are no regulations in reference to the duties of hospital surgeons 
 or the management of the sick, which may be accounted for by the fact that 
 the above gave special authority to the Physician and Surgeon General to 
 prescribe all such rules. These regulations, however, define for the first time 
 the uniform and dress of the army, and now that a new uniform has just 
 been adopted, it will be interesting to quote the clauses relative to the equip- 
 ments of the Medical Corps, and compare them with our own : 
 
 "The uniform of the physician and surgeon, and apothecary generals, and 
 hospital surgeons and mates shall be black ; the coats with standing collars, and on 
 each side of the collar, a star of embroidery within half an inch of the front edge. 
 
 The coat to be single breasted with ten buttons, and button holes worked in 
 blue twist in front five inches long at the top and three at the bottom. The standing 
 collar to rise to the tip of the ear, which will determine its width. The cuffs not 
 less than three and a half, nor more than four inches wide. The length of the 
 skirt to reach to the bend of the knee. The bottom of the breast and the two hip 
 buttons to range. On the collar there shall be one blind hole five inches long with 
 a button on each side. 
 
 Breeches or pantaloons to be worn, with four buttons, on the knee and gilt 
 knee buckles. 
 
 High military boots and gilt spurs. 
 
 The stock to be black of leather or silk. 
 
 Chapeaux with button and loop black, and black cockade four and a half inches 
 in diameter, with a gold eagle in the center.
 
 DURING THE WAR OP 1812-15. 87 
 
 The sword to be straight, yellow mounted, with black or yellow gripe. The 
 waist belt to be of black leather, and no sashes to be worn. 
 
 The epaulettes to be of gold. 
 
 The dress of the hospital staff will conform as to fashion to the uniform of the 
 staff, except that they will wear pocket flaps, and buttons placed across the cuffs, 
 four to each, and covered buttons in all instances of the colour of the coat." 
 
 Notwithstanding that Doctor Tilton had been informed that no active 
 service would be required of him, he considered it his duty on acceptance of 
 his appointment to visit and inspect the hospitals along the northern frontier. 
 The troops under General Dearborn had been concentrated during the spring 
 at Sackett's Harbor, preparatory to the expedition against Little York in 
 Upper Canada. This post had been occupied during the previous winter by 
 militia troops, among whom the winter epidemic had been very fatal, and 
 the Surgeon Gleneral found the hospital in such a filthy and neglected con- 
 dition that he immediately convened a Medical Board to prepare additional 
 regulations for the management of the hospitals, and to examine all incompe- 
 tent officers.- He also directed that a general hospital should be established 
 at Watertown, twelve miles distant; where the village academy was secured 
 for the purpose and fitted up for the accommodation of one hundred persons. 
 There was a temporary hospital at this place, which had been established 
 two months before on the departure of the troops for Canada. This was in 
 charge of Hospital Surgeon's mate David March, U. S. A. On the twenty- 
 seventh of April the attack on Little York took place, and after four days 
 occupation of the town, the army with the wounded and sick were moved to 
 Fort Niagara, where a tent hospital was organized two miles from the river. 
 The ground was wet and low, and many of the wounded died from camp 
 diarrhoea and typhus fever, and in June, after the capture of Fort George, 
 a general hospital was established at Lewistown, eight miles up the river, by 
 advice of Surgeon Mann, Medical Director. This hospital consisted of two 
 barns, besides a large number of hospital tents, and was well supplied with 
 every thing necessary for the comfort of the sick and wounded ; which by 
 the first of August had increased to nearly seven hundred. Here the patients 
 improved very rapidly, the position of the hospital being salubrious, the 
 tents policed with great care, and the diet being generous. In the army at 
 Fort George, however, a most lamentable degree of sickness prevailed. Doctor 
 Mann writes: 
 
 "During the month of August an uncommon proportion of the army were sick 
 or unfit for duty. More than one-third of the soldiers were on the sick reports. 
 The officers shared with the privates in the prevailing diseases. Half of the med- 
 ical staff attached to regiments were also unable to perform their duty. Of seven
 
 88 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 surgeon's mates attached to the hospital department, one died and three had leave 
 of absence by reason of indisposition; the other three were for a short period sick. 
 So general was the sickness, the few remaining surgeons could not do full justice to 
 their patients. At the time when the returns of the sick in the general hospital 
 counted between six and seven hundred, there were only three surgeons of this 
 department present for duty. At this period of General Boyd's command, the 
 troops were under excellent dicipline, the encampment in good condition, and the 
 men neat in their apparel. The general and regimental hospitals were reported 
 during the summer months by the inspectors of the army, 'in the best possible 
 order.'" 
 
 The following account of the condition of the army at this time is 
 taken from an official report of Hospital Surgeon Joseph Lovell, U. S. A., 
 and may be found in Mann's Medical Sketches: 
 
 " The division of the army stationed at Fort George from the beginning of 
 June to the beginning of October, 1813, was encamped on the bank of the Niagara 
 extending from the fort to the village nearly on the lake shore. The surrounding 
 country is flat, and the camp was deprived of the lake breezes, from the position of 
 Newark. During the month of June it rained almost incessantly ; while the latter 
 part of July, and the whole of August were extremely hot; the whole of September 
 was however remarkably mild and pleasant. Thus after having been wet for nearly 
 a month, the troops were exposed for six or seven weeks to intense heat during the 
 day, and at night to a cold and chilly atmosphere, in consequence of the fog arising 
 from the lake and river. The enemies' advance being within a short distance of 
 the camp, the details for duty were large, and skirmishes taking place at the picquets 
 every morning; the soldiers were for a length of time stationed at the several works 
 for several hours before daylight; and thus exposed to the influence of a cold damp 
 atmosphere, at the time the system is most susceptible of morbid impressions. The 
 diseases consequent to this alternate exposure to a dry hot, and cold damp atmos- 
 phere, were such as might have been expected ; typhus and intermittent fevers, 
 diarrhoea and dysentery. A detachment- of artillery, stationed at the right wing 
 near the lake, was particularly exposed to the heat of the day, and the dampness of 
 the night, and sufl'ered much from typhus and intermittents. * * * * 
 
 These diseases however though severe, bore but a small proportion to the usual 
 pestilences of our army, diarrhoea and dysentery. During two years and a half, I 
 was on the frontiers, at every post from Buffalo to Burlington, Vermont, these com- 
 plaints almost invariably absorbed all others. They were the only ones which could 
 be called our camp diseases. All others arose from obvious or local causes, and 
 were as common to the citizen as soldier." 
 
 From the establishment of the hospital at Lewistown until the end of 
 the year, the number of patients admitted was between nine hundred and 
 fifty and one thousand, and there were fifty-nine deaths. 
 
 In the fall of 1813 General Wilkinson, who had succeeded Dearborn 
 in the command of the army, organized an expedition down the lake, and 
 ordered all convalescents to the hospital at Lewistown, with orders that they 
 should be furnished with winter quarters out of reach of the enemy. In
 
 DURING THE WAR OP 1812-15. 89 
 
 November, Doctor Mann determined to break up this hospital, its exposed 
 situation rendering it less suitable for winter quarters than some place 
 would be more removed from the lake. With this view, he selected about 
 a hundred of those who were subjects for discharge, and sent them to 
 Greenbush, under charge of a young surgeon's mate, Doctor William E. 
 Horner, (afterwards the well known Professor of Anatomy at the University 
 of Pennsylvania). The remainder, numbering about two hundred and fifty, 
 were moved to Williamsville, about forty miles from Lewistown. The 
 barracks at this place were repaired, well supplied with stores, and placed 
 in charge of Hospital Surgeon's mate Joshua B. Whiteridge, a young man 
 who had gained a high reputation as executive ofiicer of the hospital at 
 Lewistown, and who ''for assiduous attention to duty was exceeded by no 
 physician in the army." 
 
 Meanwhile, Greneral Wilkinson had located his head-quarters at Malone, 
 and in December a general hospital was established in that village. The 
 academy, the arsenal and some private houses were selected, and accommo- 
 dations for two hundred and fifty men thus afforded. The regimental hospi- 
 tals of the division were at French's Mills, sixteen miles distant, where the 
 sick suffered greatly from the severity of the weather and the effects of 
 unwholesome diet, insufficient accommodations and want of stores, many of 
 which had been lost during the open boat passage down the lake. These 
 were causes over which the Medical Staff had no control; nevertheless they 
 were very severely criticized, and most unjustly made responsible for the 
 great mortality which took place at this time. 
 
 At the commencement of the year 1814 the chief general hospitals 
 were those already mentioned, at Greenbush, Plattsburgh, Malone, Williams- 
 ville and Burlington. The latter had acquired the reputation of being a 
 model hospital. It was originally established in 1812 by Surgeon Joseph 
 Lovell, ninth infantry, who was succeeded in charge by Hospital Surgeon 
 Walter V. Wheaton, (long a distinguished ornament to the Corps). He in 
 turn was relieved by Hospital Surgeon James Mann, who turned over the 
 charge of the hospital to Hospital Surgeon Henry Hunt in 1814. All of 
 these gentlemen had labored faithfully to bring the institution to the highest 
 state of efficiency, and one of them has fortunately left on record an account 
 of the regulations adopted therein and its general management, which is of 
 sufficient interest to be given in detail : 
 
 " The following regulations were adopted in the General Hospital at Burlington ; 
 where in no instance from its first establishment, even when the monthly reports count- 
 ed from six to nine hundred men, was an infectious disease generated or propagated: 
 6*
 
 90 THE MEOICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 The washing of the walls and floors with soap and water or lime water was of 
 the first importance. This was frequently repeated especially during hot weather. 
 In cold weather when the wards were occupied by the sick, washing them was not 
 only inconvenient, but hazarded the health of the patients. A coat of sand half an 
 inch thick or more, renewed on the floors every day, was never attended with ill 
 consequences, but was refreshing to the sick, while it superceded the necessity of 
 washing. Whitewashing the walls with lime and water never incommoded the sick; 
 it sweetened the rooms, and corrected infectious principles. By daily sanding the 
 floors, they were kept not only clean but perfectly white. The opportunity of 
 washing them was improved, when the number of sick was reduced so as to admit 
 their removal from one ward to others. The wards were thus alternately washed 
 and thoroughly repaired. Bunks as soon as they were unoccupied were removed 
 from the wards, and after cleansing returned. The straw of the sacks was burned 
 as soon as the bed was vacated. The sacks were washed once in two weeks, and 
 the straw changed. Blankets were always clean and frequently changed. During 
 hot seasons the windows and doors of the wards were continually open. In cold 
 seasons the windows were opened for a short time, repeatedly in the day; care 
 being taken that the sick in their beds were not exposed to the direct currents of 
 air. No person was permitted to spit on the floors of the wards. Spit boxes were 
 furnished every bed, and filled with sand twice a day, sometimes oftener where the 
 patients expectorated largely. Close stools, bed pans, and urinaries were removed 
 as soon as employed. No culinary process was performed at the hearth of the sick 
 wards. Attached to each ward was a^closet where the table furniture after washing 
 was deposited in neat order. Each ward was furnished with a large table, con- 
 stantly covered with a clean cloth of linen the better to ensure its cleanliness; on 
 which was placed a box with a number of little apartments, wherein were set in 
 order, the vials and medicine for the patients, each vial and parcel labelled with 
 directions, so as to obviate mistakes. 
 
 Attention was paid to the distribution of the sick. The wards appropriated to 
 infectious or contagious diseases were less crowded than those occupied by patients 
 with less important complaints. Surgical cases had rooms separate from the febrile. 
 Venereal and itch patients were assigned to their separate wards, and not inter- 
 mixed with men of different diseases. 
 
 Personal cleanliness was also a mean which promoted health, and obviated the 
 generation of new diseases. The sick previous to admittance were washed in tepid 
 water, in an apartment appropriated to this use ; then placed in a clean bed with a 
 clean shirt. Daily ablutions of the hands and face were ordered. The sick with febrile 
 diseases under the immediate direction of a surgeon, were occasionally washed or 
 apunged with vinegar and water at some seasons. The patients in hospital were 
 shaved every other day, and shirted twice a week. 
 
 The beds throughout the hospital were always in order whether occupied or 
 not. If a patient left his bed ever so frequently in the day, if only for five minutes, 
 it was immediately put in order; so that the wards were always in a condition to 
 be visited or inspected by officers of the army. * * 
 
 The Hospital at Burlington, during five months in succession when under my 
 immediate direction was not one hour in a state so bad that it would not meet the 
 approbation of an inspecting officer who knew his duty. This hospital was visited 
 repeatedly by officers of the line when under the direction of Doctors Wheaton and 
 Hunt, and during every period after August, 1813, was always seen in the best
 
 DURING THE WAR OP 1812-15. 91 
 
 possible order, and deservedly merited the high encomiums it received, not only 
 from inspectors of the army, but private citizens. * * * * 
 
 During the winter of 1813-14, there were at one period between seven 
 and eight hundred patients, distributed in forty wards, nearly equally divided 
 among eight hospital surgeons and mates. These young gentlemen felt themselves 
 highly responsible for the state of their respective wards, and condition of the sick ; 
 who were not a little benefitted by a competition excited to excel each other in their 
 duty ; which was manifested by daily improvements, in respect to cleanliness and 
 accommodations of their patients. * * * * 
 
 The location of this military hospital is most eligible, situated on the highest 
 bank, elevated sixty or seventy feet above the water. The soil of this spot is sand 
 mixed with gravel, dry and hard*at all seasons of the year. 
 
 During the campaign, 1814, a convenient garden was laid out, under the direc- 
 tion of Doctor Hunt, hospital surgeon, for the benefit of the convalescents and 
 invalids, which by their labor was kept neat and in good order. 
 
 The interior of this hospital has been already noticed, its exterior was not less 
 attended to. In an adjoining house, the surgeons were accommodated with com- 
 fortable rooms, where one or more always remained. 
 
 The wards of this hospital were regularly swept and put in order by sunrise 
 through the year. The wards were visited by their several surgeons, in the summer 
 months at eight o'clock in the morning, in the winter at nine. Previous to these 
 hours, the patients had breakfasted. The rooms were not only in perfect order, 
 but every patient was found in his own lodging. While the surgeons were making 
 their prescriptions silence was preserved. The prescriptions were taken by the 
 attendants to the dispensary, where they were immediately made up by the apothe- 
 caries. During the winter,1813-14, four apothecaries were constantly employed in 
 their appropriate duty." 
 
 The general hospital at Malone was broken up in February, 1814, by 
 reason of movements of the army, and the sick, some four hundred and fifty 
 in number, removed in sleighs to Plattsburgh and Burlington. This formi- 
 dable undertaking was successfully accomplished under the direction of 
 Hospital Surgeon Mann, with a loss of but six men, while a large number 
 of the patients decidedly improved in health. The diseases from which the 
 men suffered were chiefly pneumonia, rheumatism and dropsy, besides a great 
 many cases of frost-bite, and mortification of the lower extremities from 
 exposure in boat service on the lakes. From the first of January to the 
 ninth of February, at Malone, there had been admitted three hundred and 
 eighty, of whom twenty died. At Burlington, during the first four months 
 of 1814, the admissions were two thousand four hundred and twelve, and 
 there were seventy-five deaths. Remaining on hand April 30th, one hun- 
 dred and sixty-one, most of whom were convalescent. 
 
 In the summer of 1814 the general hospital for the troops operating 
 on the Niagara frontier was established at Buffalo. A plat of ground was 
 selected near the present site of the Central Railroad depot, and a large
 
 92 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 number of hospital tents erected, which were amply provided with bunks 
 and straw and hospital stores, and placed under charge of Hospital Surgeon 
 William Thomas. Hither the wounded were brought after the battle of 
 Chippewa. Doctor Horner gives the following account of their transporta- 
 tion from the field of battle to the hospital : 
 
 "The battle being fought on the banks of the Niagara river, the wounded were 
 brought up in boats to the general hospital at Buffalo. They were conveyed from 
 the boats on Buffalo creek to the hospital, a distance of three or four hundred 
 yards, on blankets the sides of which were nailed to poles nine or ten feet long. 
 This formed an easy and convenient litter by which four strong men could safely 
 convey one wounded, without exposing him to the unspeakable pain from jolts, etc., 
 which would be the inevitable consequence of transportation by wheel carriages. 
 Besides this advantage of the litter, when the wounded soldier was to be placed on 
 it, it was spread smoothly on the ground, and he slipped gently on. It was then 
 taken up carefully by the assistants, and carried to the hospital, when the patient 
 was either assigned at once to his tent, or placed on the hospital parade ground, as 
 the convenience of dressing required. A litter thus constructed can be easily pulled 
 away from under the patient without pain, and is in that respect, much better than 
 the brancard, or the wheelbarrow." 
 
 The battle of Bridgewater, on the twenty-fifth of July, crowded the 
 hospital to excess. On the first of August it contained nearly eleven 
 hundred patients. On the fourth of that month the enemy made a sudden 
 attack at Black Rock, and Buffalo being threatened with capture it was 
 thought advisable to remove the hospital to Williarasville, where one had 
 existed the previous winter. Accordingly all who were able to be moved 
 were sent to the latter place, and a general hospital established under charge 
 of Hospital Surgeon Ezekiah Bull, assisted by Hospital Surgeons Thomas 
 and Lovell. The more severe cases, to the number of eighty or ninety, were 
 left at Buffalo, under charge of Surgeon's mate W. E. Horner. The latter 
 was constituted the receiving hospital for the army, then at Fort Erie, and 
 Doctor Horner was directed to retain the worst cases and send all the rest 
 to Williamsville. These hospitals were kept filled to their utmost capacity by 
 the operations of the army, but on the termination of the campaign by the 
 evacuation of Fort Erie in November, that at Buffalo was closed, and the 
 remaining sick transferred to Williamsville. 
 
 The interest of the fall campaign at the east centered at Plattsburgh. 
 On the first of September, the sick in the general hospital numbered seven 
 hundred and twenty men ; and as these could not be protected within the 
 lines of works, they were, in view of the approaching fight, transferred to 
 Crab Island, two miles distant, and placed under charge of Hospital 
 Surgeon's mate Edward Purcell. No accommodations had been provided
 
 DURING THE WAR OF 1812-15. 93 
 
 for them on the island, and they remained for three days exposed to the wet 
 and cold, when Doctor Purcell determined to transport them to Burlington, 
 which he did in open batteaux across the lake. This crowded the hospital 
 at Burlington to such an extent, that the ill cflFects of crowd poisoning were 
 soon perceived in the increased number of deaths and the slow convalescence 
 of many. Typhus, dysentery and diarrhoea became very prevalent. 
 
 The wounded in the battle of Plattsburgh and in the naval action on 
 the lake were transferred to Crab Island, where they were placed under 
 charge of Doctor Mann. 
 
 The legislation of the year 1814 embraced but one bill which was of 
 any interest to the Medical Corps. This was passed on the thirtieth of 
 March, and was entitled, " An act for the better organizing, paying and 
 .supplying the army of the United States." The sections having any refer- 
 ence to the Hospital Department were as follows: 
 
 "Section IX. And be it further enacted. That from the first day of June next, 
 the officers of the army shall be entitled to waiters agreeably to grades, as follows, 
 * * * * the physician and surgeon general two, * * * * 
 hospital surgeons, one. 
 
 * * * * * * 
 
 Section XI. And be it further enacted. That the President of the United States 
 be authorized to appoint as many assistant apothecaries as the service may in his 
 judgment require, each of whom shall receive the same pay and emoluments as a 
 regimental surgeon's mate. 
 
 ****** 
 Section XVIII. And be it further enacted. That the physician and surgeon gen- 
 eral of the army be entitled to two rations per day and forage for two horses; and 
 that in addition to their pay as at present established by law, the regimental sur- 
 geons, and surgeon's mates be entitled to fifteen dollars per month each." 
 
 This last section was inserted in consequence of the numerous com- 
 plaints that had come from the army of the inadequacy of the pay of the 
 regimental medical officers. In fact their status throughout the war had 
 been very low. They were without i*ank of any kind, were hardly more 
 respected officially than the non-commissioned officers and did not really have 
 as much authority, and though constantly performing the most arduous 
 duties, their pay was far less than the hospital officers. Surgeon Mann 
 writing to Doctor Tilton in the name of the medical officers of his depart- 
 ment says, in a letter dated Malone, February 14, 1814: 
 
 "This is a fact and a serious one too, that the surgeons and mates of regiments, 
 under existing encouragements have no inducements to continue long in service. 
 Curiosity alone, will induce them to sacrifice the term of one year in service. This 
 being gratified its exciting powers lose their effects. The pay and emoluments of 
 surgeons and mates of regiments do not give them a support, especially on the 
 frontiers of Canada, where the articles of life are procured at the most extravagant 
 prices."
 
 94 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMV 
 
 In December, 1814, a general order was issued from the War OflSce 
 establishing Regulations for the Army of the United States. In this docu- 
 ment the duties of medical ofiBcers are for the first time clearly defined. The 
 paragraphs relating to the Medical Department are as follows : 
 
 REGULATIONS FOR THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT. 
 
 Hospital Surgeons and Mates. 
 
 The senior hospital surgeon shall be ex officio director of the medical sfaff, in 
 the army or department to which he may be attached. It shall be his duty tn 
 examine, and (if he approves) countersign all requisitions for hospital stores, medi- 
 cines and surgical instruments, of the surgeons or mates in his department ; to 
 inspect the hospitals or infirmaries, under his direction as often as he may deem it 
 necessary, and as often as he shall be required by the commanding general; to 
 correct all abuses, and to prescribe and enforce such rules and regulations for the 
 government of the attending surgeons and mates, as may be considered most condu- 
 cive to the comfort of the sick and the interest of the service, with the approbation 
 of the general commanding the army or department. 
 
 It shall be his duty to consolidate the reports of the surgeons and males in his 
 department, and to transmit a copy thereof quarterly, to the commanding officer of 
 the department; to keep a book in which shall be registered all the reports trans- 
 mitted by him ; and to make from time to time such remarks on meteorological 
 phenomena, and the appearance of epidemicks, as may be deemed useful in pro- 
 moting medical science. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the hospital mates, to observe the directions of the 
 medical director; to have the police rules of the hospital or infirmary, written in a 
 legible hand, and hung up in some conspicuous part thereof, for the information 
 and government of the patients; to assign to each patient an appropriate ward; to 
 keep a register of all patients admitted, and a diary, in which shall be recorded the 
 history of every important or interesting case of disease. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the senior attending surgeon at every hospital, infirmary, 
 or post, to make requisitions for such medicines, hospital stores, etc., as may be 
 considered necessary for the comfort of the sick, and to submit the same to the 
 director for his approval. 
 
 They shall make monthly and quarterly reports to the director agreeably to the 
 forms prescribed. 
 
 It shall also be their duty to communicate frequently and freely with the director, 
 and to consult him in all cases, wherein his advice may be deemed necessary. 
 
 There shall be kept at every hospital and infirmary under the direction of the 
 senior surgeon, a book in which shall be entered the name and description of every 
 patient, to be taken from hie descriptive list, when admitted, and his disease. To 
 which will be added the date of his discharge from the hospital, and the disposition 
 made of him. When a soldier is returned to his corps, furloughed, or furnished 
 with a certificate to obtain a discharge for inability, his descriptive list shall be 
 returned with him, having been carefully kept in the hospital for that purpose, 
 noting on the same the payments which have been made at the hospital.
 
 DURING THE WAR OP 1812-15. 95 
 
 Under the direction of the commanding officer of the army or department, the 
 senior attending surgeon shall make out regular muster rolls of the stewards, ward- 
 masters, nurses, attendants, and patients attached to his hospital or infirmary, and 
 deliver them to the inspector, who shall correct and sign the same for the guidance 
 of the paymaster, as in all other cases of musters and inspections for payment. 
 
 Hospital Stewards and Waedmasters. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the steward, under the direction of the surgeon, to 
 provide for the hospital, to receive and take charge of all hospital stores, furniture, 
 utensils, etc., to keep an accurate account of all issues, and specify not only for 
 whom but by whom ordered. The surgeon's certificate shall be his voucher. 
 
 The stewards are authorized to draw from contractors any of the component 
 parts of the ration which may be necessary to the supply of hospitals, and which 
 the said contractors are obliged to furnish. The component parts of the ration not 
 actually employed as food in the hospital, may be sold, and the avails applied to 
 the purchase of vegetables, etc., etc., as directed by the superintending surgeon. 
 
 The wardmaster shall be under the direction of the steward. He shall receive 
 the arms, accoutrements and clothing of every patient, admitted into the hospital. 
 
 He shall see that the clothes are immediately washed, numbered and labelled 
 with the name, regiment, and company of the patient, and put away in a place 
 provided for that purpose. If the arms and accoutrements are not brought with the 
 patient, the wardmaster shall so report. He shall be responsible for the cleanliness 
 of the patients and the wards ; shall call the roll every morning and evening and 
 report all absentees. 
 
 He shall be particularly careful in the proper construction of the close stools, and 
 see that that they have always a proper quantity of water, or charcoal in them, and 
 that they are cleansed at least three times a day. He shall see that the beds and 
 bed clothes are properly aired and exposed every fair day to the sun, and that the 
 straw in each bed sack is changed at least once in every month, and that each patient 
 is washed and his hair combed every morning. When a patient has died, or been 
 discharged, he shall see that the bed and bed clothes are properly cleaned, and the 
 straw burned, and that the nurses and attendants are kind and attentive to the 
 sick and wounded. All the attendants shall be considered as under his immediate 
 direction, and he shall be held responsible for the faithful performance of the duties 
 assigned them. 
 
 No non-commissioned officer or private shall be removed from the situation of 
 nurse or attendant, without the consent of the senior attending surgeon. 
 
 Regimental Surgeons and Mates. 
 
 The surgeon shall be responsible for the order, regularity and cleanliness of 
 the regimental hospital, or infirmary, as well as for the comfort and convenience of 
 all other ^ick men confided to his care. 
 
 He shall send as few patients as possible to the general hospital, and these 
 shall be confined to the wounded, and chronic cases ; excepting when the sick are 
 ordered to be left behind on a march. In that event all cases may be sent to the 
 general hospital, unless otherwise provided for by the director. When a patient is 
 to be sent to the general hospital, the surgeon shall send with him a descriptive
 
 96 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 list, together with a certificate containing the name, regiment, and company of the 
 patient: the symptoms and duration of his disease, with some general remarks on 
 the mode of treatment pursued. He shall likewise send with him, his clothing, 
 arms and accoutrements. He shall keep a strict record of all cases sent to general 
 hospital. 
 
 When the troops are in permanent encampments or cantonments, he shall pro- 
 vide some suitable place for the reception of the sick. In this regimental infirmary, 
 the common camp diseases, such as inflammatory and typhus fevers, diarrhoeas and 
 dysenteries, shall be attended. He shall be careful to have the infirmary well 
 ventilated, and shall not crowd his patients. 
 
 He shall use every precaution to prevent the origin of contagion, and should it 
 appear, he shall immediately report to the commanding ofiBcer, and make every 
 exertion to counteract it, by paying a strict attention to personal cleanliness, and 
 frequent changes of the bedding and linen of the sick, etc., etc. 
 
 The surgeon shall with the consent of the commanding ofiicer of the regiment 
 or corps, select a capable and careful non-commissioned officer, who shall act as 
 steward and wardmaster; and such number of men as may be necessary to attend 
 upon the sick, who are to be considered as attached to the medical staff", and not to 
 be removed but by the consent of the surgeon. 
 
 The surgeon shall frequently inspect the provisions furnished to the troops, and 
 report the same when unsound, to the commanding officer, as well as every thing in 
 diet, dress, or situation, which can afi"ect the health of the troops. 
 
 He shall require of the orderly sergeant of each company a written and daily 
 report of the sick, and shall report all cases of feigned sickness to the commanding 
 officers of the companies to which they belong. 
 
 He shall examine each case reported at least once a day, and all dangerous cases 
 more frequently. 
 
 He shall attend at the commencement of a march, and designate such men as 
 should be permitted to ride or have their knapsacks transported in the wagons. 
 
 He shall attend all musters and inspections, and report such men as are unfit 
 for service, assigning the cause of their inability. 
 
 He shall have on hand a sufficient supply of medicines, instruments, dressings, 
 and hospital stores, and be always ready to render services in case of an engagement. 
 
 He shall see that the mates are attentive to their duties, and endeavor to aff"ord 
 them every opportunity of improvement. 
 
 He shall keep a daily journal and prescription book, wherein shall be recorded 
 an account of all cases of sickness, the nature of the complaints, and the means 
 used to eflfect a cure, together with the result. 
 
 He shall make out a morning report of the sick and convalescent, and deliver 
 it to the commandant of the regiment or corps. He shall make out monthly and 
 quarterly reports, agreeably to the forms prescribed, which he shall forward to the 
 medical director of the department. 
 
 In the absence of the surgeon, the mate oldest in commission shall act as 
 surgeon. When the surgeon is present, it shall be the duty of the mate or mates 
 to prepare his prescriptions, see that they are regularly taken, and to attend to the 
 directions of the surgeons in all cases. They shall have charge of all medicines 
 and instruments, and be held responsible to the surgeon for their good condition. 
 They shall be attentive to the order and cleanliness of the regimental infirmary, 
 and see that the patients are kept clean in their persons, linen and bedding.
 
 DURING THE WAR OF 1812-15. 97 
 
 Post Surgeons. 
 
 The duties of these officers are the same as those prescribed for the hospital 
 and regimental surgeons and mates, and have their rank with the mates when serv- 
 ing together. 
 
 Apothecary General, and his Assistants. 
 
 The apothecary general and his assistants will receive and take charge of all hos- 
 pital stores, medicines, surgical instruments, and dressings, bought by the commis- 
 sary general of purchases, or by his deputies, or by any other person under. the 
 direction of the said commissary or deputies, and shall account to the superintendent 
 general of military supplies for all expenditures of the same. 
 
 The apothecary general and his assistants, will compound and prepare all 
 ofiicinals, and put up and issue medicines, &c., in chests or otherwise, conformably 
 to requisitions signed by the director, or senior surgeon of the department. 
 
 Returns are to be made to the apothecary general quarterly, by the assistant 
 apothecaries, surgeons, and mates, or any one having charge of instruments, med- 
 icines, hospital stores, or hospital equipments of any description. 
 
 The forms of these returns will be regulated by the apothecary general, under 
 the direction of the superintendent general of military supplies, to whom one copy 
 of the returns will be sent. 
 
 Miscellaneous. 
 
 No surgeon of the army shall be engaged in private practice. 
 
 When medical or surgical aid is required, if no surgeon or mate of the army be 
 at or near the post or place, the senior officer shall have authority to obtain such by 
 special agreement in writing, under the following rules, viz: 
 
 When the number of sick does not exceed twenty, the compensation shall not 
 exceed two hundred dollars per annum; for more than twenty and less than thirty, 
 three hundred dollars; for any number of sick more than thirty, the rate of com- 
 pensation shall not exceed the pay and emoluments of a surgeon's mate of the army. 
 
 Whenever it becomes necessary to employ a citizen surgeon, the circumstances 
 of the case will be immediately reported to the commanding officer of the depart- 
 ment, and to the Adjutant and Inspector General. 
 
 No candidate will hereafter be appointed in the medical department of the army, 
 who shall not have received a diploma from a respectable medical school or college, 
 without first passing the examination of an army medical board. 
 
 Whenever a body of troops shall arrive at any military station, accommodation 
 for the sick will be first provided, and subsequently those for officers and privates 
 who are well, and to accomplish this, all artificers and mechanics shall be instanta- 
 neously put in requisition. 
 
 Every hospital and infirmary shall be supplied with one or more female attend- 
 ants, at the discretion of the senior surgeon. It shall be the business of these to 
 scour and cleanse the bunks and floors, to wash the blankets, bed-sacks, and clothes 
 of the patients, to cook the victuals of the sick, and to keep clean and in good order 
 the cooking utensils. 
 
 The pay of nurses shall not exceed six dollars per month, and one ration per 
 day, to be established by the senior attending surgeon, and made up and certified by 
 him in the hospital muster rolls. 
 
 7
 
 98 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Women infected by the venereal disease shall in no cjise, nor on any pretense, 
 be allowed to remain with the army, nor to draw rations. 
 
 Allowance of Qcaiiteks and Fuel. 
 
 To each hospital surgeon, regimental surgeon, post surgeon, and to two hospital 
 surgeon's mates, or two regimental surgeon's mates, one room, one half cord of wood, 
 from May 1st to October 31st, and one and one-half cords, from November Ist to 
 April 30th. 
 
 When the army went into winter quarters in the winter of 1814-15, 
 the commissioners had been for some time in session at Ghent endeavoring 
 to arrange terms of peace. The original demands of Great Britain were 
 such as rendered a concurrence on the part of the United States impo-ssible, 
 and Congress prepared to carry on the campaign with increased vigor, and 
 for this purpose proposed to raise one hundred thousand fresh troops by 
 means of a draft. This was, however, rendered unnecessary, as the com- 
 missioners on the part of Great Britain withdrew their extravagant 
 demands, and peace being an accomplished fact, the first military legislation 
 of the session was (instead of an increase of the army), an " Act fixing the 
 Military Peace Establishment of the United States." This reduced the army to 
 ten. thousand men, to be divided into infantry, artillery and riflemen, in such 
 proportions as the President might direct; each regiment to be provided 
 with one surgeon and two surgeon's mates. It also contained the following 
 section relative to the general Medical Staff : 
 
 "Section III. And be it further enacted, That there shall be * * * 
 such a number of hospital surgeons and surgeon's mates as the service may require, 
 not exceeding five surgeons and fifteen mates, with one steward and one wardmaster 
 to each hospital. * * * Approved, Mai'ch 3d, 1815." 
 
 By the provisions of this bill a large proportion of the medical officers 
 who had performed faithful service throughout the war retired to private 
 life. Among them was the Physician and Surgeon General, James Tilton. 
 He had been compelled, in consequence of a malignant tumor of the knee, 
 to submit to an amputation of the thigh the year before, and was incapaci- 
 tated by his age and this disability from any further service. He carried 
 with him into his retirement the admiration and good will of all his subordi- 
 nates in the Medical Corps, and the respect of his superiors in the War 
 Department. The remainder of his life was spent on his farm near Wil- 
 mington, his time being occupied in the preparation of a number of articles 
 on agricultural subjects, some of which attracted considerable attention at 
 the period. He died on the fourteenth of May, 1822, at the age of 
 seventy-seven.
 
 FROM 1815 TO 1821. 99 
 
 By a general order issued May 15, 1815, from the Adjutant and Inspec- 
 tor Greneral's Office, defining the Military Peace Establishment of the 
 United States in accordance with the foregoing legislation, the President 
 directed that the following officers should be provisionally retained in ser- 
 vice, until further legislation by Congress, viz: the Apothecary General, 
 two assistant apothecaries, five hospital surgeons, fifteen hospital surgeon's 
 mates, two garrison surgeons, and ten garrison surgeon's mates. 
 
 The duties of a medical officer are of such an unassuming character 
 that it is but seldom that his name in mentioned in general orders, or found 
 in the official reports of a campaign. It will, therefore, be but a just tribute 
 to those who distinguished themselves in the war of which we have just 
 treated to give a few extracts from orders and reports in which praise is 
 awarded to members of the Corps for their conduct. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel George Mac Feely of the twenty-second infantry, in 
 his report of the bombardment of Fort Niagara on the twenty-first of Novem- 
 ber, 1812, says: 
 
 "To Doctor West of the garrisou, Doctor Hugan of the 14th Regiment, U. S. 
 Infantry, and Doctor Craig of the 22nd Regiment, U. S. Infantry, I offer my thanks ; 
 they were employed during the entire day in the most critical duties of their 
 profession." 
 
 Brigadier General E. W. Ripley, commanding the second brigade or' 
 the Northern Army, closes his I'eport of the action at Fort Erie, Upper 
 Canada, on the fifteenth of August, 1814, as follows : 
 
 " I close this long report by stating to you in the highest terms of approbation, 
 the skilfulness exhibited by Doctor Fuller, Surgeon of the 23rd, and Doctor Trow- 
 bridge, Surgeon of the 21st Infantry, with their mates Doctor Gale of the 23rd, and 
 Doctors Everett and Allen of the 21st; their active, humane, and judicious treat- 
 ment of the wounded both of the enemy, and of our own, together with their steady 
 and constant attention to the duties of their station, must have attracted your 
 personal observation, and I am confident will receive your approbation." 
 
 General Gaines, in forwarding this report to the Hon. John Armstrong, 
 Secretary of War, reiterates the above praise in the following words : 
 
 " The surgeons. Doctors Fuller, 23rd, Trowbridge, 21st, with their mates. 
 Doctors Gale of the 23rd and Everett and Allen of the 21st, deserve the warmest 
 approbation for their indefatigable exertions and humane attention to the wounded 
 of our army, as well as to the prisoners who fell into our hands." 
 
 Hospital Surgeon Mann, Medical Director at Plattsburgh, reports from 
 that place in November, 1814, to Surgeon General Tilton: 
 
 "In events of high importance it is seldom the medical staflF are noticed. This 
 is discouraging to the ambitious young surgeon of the army. It may be alleged,
 
 / 
 
 100 THK MEDICAL DKPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 the surgeons being non-combatants are out of danger. This, however, is not alwnys 
 the case. During the investment of Plattsburgh by the enemy, the surgeons were 
 constantly passing from fort to fort, or block-houses to dress the wounded, exposed 
 to a cross fire of round and grape shot; while the greater part of the army were 
 covered by fortifications. The cool bravery of the surgeons, was in private con- 
 versation noticed by the Commander-in-Chief; had half as much been reported to 
 the War Department respecting them, they would have felt themselves amply com- 
 pensated. While making this observation I do not include myself; because I was 
 snug on duty at Crab Island, out of much danger while our fleet continued master 
 of the lake. If reports honorable to officers, are founded upon good conduct and 
 cool bravery, who more deserving than the non-combatants? They have fewer 
 motives to excite them, and are equally exposed to danger as officers of the line, 
 whose minds as well as bodies, are constantly exercised by their commands. If any 
 officer has hardships attached to bis office, it is the surgeon who executes his duty 
 with fidelity and assiduity. 
 
 I feel myself bound to report with much respect, the conduct of all the medical 
 gentlemen attached to this army, who have at all times during this campaign per- 
 formed their duty; and who for their particular services, during and after the 
 investment of Plattsburgh by the enemy, merit the applauses of the country. 
 
 To discriminate would be an act of injustice. Doctors Lawson and Mason, surgeons 
 of regiments, Warmsley, Beaumont and Hugo, surgeon's mates, have all deserved 
 well of their government. I would particularly mention Russell, hospital surgeon's 
 mate, and Low, Assistant Apothecary General, who volunteered his services, for 
 their attention and professional abilities at a time when the wounded of both fleets 
 and army were placed under my charge; on whom were performed immediately 
 after the action, more than thirty capital operations. It is with much pride this 
 opportunity is improved to state, that the medical gentlemen of our army and navy, 
 were not inferior, but superior to the medical gentlemen of the British navy; several 
 of whom were made prisoners of war, and assisted to dress the wounded of their 
 own fleet. This circumstance in very flattering to our infant medical institutions ; 
 and is good evidence, they are not less respectable than the ancient schools of 
 Europe. 
 
 With the highest respect, etc., 
 
 JAMES MANN, 
 
 Hospital Surgeon." 
 
 It is much to be regretted that we have no medical reports of the cam- 
 paign of 1814-15 on the Gulf, but we have the high authority of General 
 Jackson that the Medical StafiF did their duty with their usual fidelity. In 
 his general order of congratulation to the army after the victory at Chal- 
 mette, dated January 21, 1815, he says: 
 
 "The medical stafiF has merited well of the country, and the General would not 
 do justice to his own feelings, were he to withhold from Doctor Ker, hospital 
 Burgeon, who volunteered his services, and Doctor Flood, the just tribute of applause, 
 deserved by them for their medical skill and personal bravery." 
 
 The act before quoted, " Fixing the Military Peace Establishment," 
 reduced the staff to too great an extent. So serious were the evils likely to
 
 FROM 1815 TO 1821. 101 
 
 result, that the Hon. William H. Crawford, Secretary of War, addressed a 
 communication on the subject on the twenty-seventh of December, 1815, to 
 the chairman of the House Military Committee. Among other recommen- 
 dations he advises the permanent retention of the Apothecary General and 
 four assistant apothecaries, and an increase in the number of hospital sur- 
 geons and mates, together with the appointment of a sufficient number of 
 post surgeons to meet the requirements of the army. His recommendations 
 were taken into consideration, and a bill passed on the twenty-fourth of 
 April, 1816, " For organizing *the General Staff, and making further provis- 
 ions for the Army of the United States." The items of this act which are 
 pertinent to the subject under discussion are as follows: 
 
 ^-Be it enacted, etc.. That in addition to the act providing for a military peace 
 establishment, the provisions of the act of March the third, one thousand eight 
 hundred and thirteen, for the better organization of the general staff, be, and the 
 same are hereby so far established that the general staff shall consist of one adjutant 
 and inspector general, etc., * * * and that the apothecary general as 
 heretofore authorized, be allowed two assistant apothecaries. 
 
 Section II. And be it further enacted. That the medical staff shall be so extended, 
 that there shall be four hospital surgeons, and eight hospital surgeon's mates to 
 each division, with as many post surgeons as the service may require, not exceeding 
 twelve to each division, who shall receive the same pay and emoluments as hospital 
 surgeon's mates. * * * * 
 
 Section X. And be it further enacted, That the oflBcers of the staff, provisionally 
 retained by the President, and in this act enumerated and made permanent, be 
 recognized in service under this act, and that the garrison surgeons and mates be 
 hereafter considered as post surgeons; and hereafter the staff of the army may be 
 taken from the line of the army, or from citizens. 
 
 Section XII. And be it further enacted. That when forage is not drawn in kind 
 by ofiicers of the army, entitled thereto, eight dollars per month for each horse, not 
 exceeding the number authorized by existing regulations, shall be allowed in lieu 
 thereof: Provided, That neither forage nor money, shall be drawn by officers, but 
 for horses actually kept by them in service." 
 
 This patch-work kind of legislation year after year, had anything but a 
 beneficial effect both on the officers of the Corps and on the health of the 
 army. The wiser heads saw that the Medical Department needed a more 
 complete organization and a more systematic code of regulations to render it 
 efficient. Doctor Mann had urged reform in these respects repeatedly in 
 various ways during the war, and had always asserted that the great obstacle 
 in the way of the medical officer was the indefinite character of his military 
 position. In 1817 Doctor Joseph Lovell, then chief medical officer of the 
 Northern Department, addressed to Major General Brown an able paper on 
 the causes of disease in the army, in which he detailed at length his views 
 on the duties of surgeons, and their responsibility for the sickness occurring
 
 102 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT QF THE ARMY 
 
 among the troops. This report is intrinsically so valuable, as well as of 
 interest from the distinguished official position of the writer, that it merits 
 an insertion in these pages without abridgement : 
 
 "Remarks on thk Sick Repout of the Northern Division for the year ending 
 
 Junk 30, 1817. 
 
 By the reports received from the diflFerent posts, it appears the troops have 
 l)een remarkably healthy during the past year; for of the whole number of cases 
 (2138) very nearly oae-half (1051) are slight accidents and transcient complaints, 
 which detain the soldier but a few days from duty; 193 from wounds; and 5o 
 venereal; leaving but 838 of fevers and other important complaints. 
 
 Of these 266 consist of the diflFerent kinds of inflammatory fever; as colds, 
 pleurisy, &c; ; which are the almost inevitable consequence of a cold and changeable 
 climate, and which no ordinary care can prevent. As they must always be incident 
 to the inhabitants of the Northern section of the Union, and particularly to the 
 soldier, ought not the most eflScient means be taken to enjvble him to obviate as far as 
 possible, these injurious eflfects of climate, by the quantity and quality of his clothing? 
 
 Next on the lists to inflammations comes diarrhoea and its attendant dysentery 
 (diarrhoea 246, dysentery 94). As these, particularly diarrhoea, were the pests of 
 our army during the war, constituting with inflammations, nearly the only com- 
 plaints; and as they appear to be the chief cause of disease even in peace, it must 
 be a matter of the highest importance accurately to ascertain their causes; and the 
 best means of removing them, or obviating their deleterious eflfects. 
 
 It required but little ingenuity to surmise that bad food and worse water would 
 produce more or less disturbance in a man's stomach and bowels; especially when 
 he had been used to much better fare. It was therefore a very easy matter to 
 account for all the diseases of the soldier by accusing the contractor of furnishing 
 unhealthy provisions, and the water of containing deleterious ingredients. This 
 mode of explaining the diflBculty rendered police duty vastly easier to the oflficers 
 of the line, and furnished the surgeon with a brief and satisfactory mode of ac- 
 counting for the death of his patients. The consequence was that much time and 
 some talent were wasted in talking and writing against contractors and lake water, 
 which might have been much better employed in rendering the soldier comfortable, 
 and protecting him against the inclemencies of the climate. 
 
 For the fact is, that neither of these accusations were m general just. The 
 provisions were not commonly bad; nor did experiment show any ingredients in the 
 water, at all adequate to the eflFect supposed. Nor was it true, that the food or the 
 water were peculiarly bad, whenever and wherever these complaints prevailed and 
 proved most fatal. Nor is it believed, there is cause of complaint against the pro- 
 visions furnished at present. 
 
 It is moreover, exceedingly doubtful whether bad food alone would produce the 
 efi'ects that have been ascribed to it. For in prisons and on ship board, where 
 numbers are frequently confined for a length of time to far worse fare than is even 
 pretended in these cases, complaints of this nature are by no means the general 
 consequence; while many a prisoner and slave condemned to the hardest labour, 
 have proved by experience how very soon the digestive organs will become accus- 
 tomed to food of a much worse quality than contractors would dare to issue, or the
 
 FROM 1815 TO 1821. lOa 
 
 soldier's senses permit him to receive; and that even the deleterious effects upon the 
 constitution were very gradual, though aided by many contingents to which the 
 soldier, in this country at least, ia seldom exposed. 
 
 It is by no means intended to assert, that bad food or coarse food badly cooked 
 would not produce disease ; much less that it would not peculiarly aggravate com- 
 plaints of the stomach and bowels, or even act as an exciting cause of them. But 
 it is meant to say, that this alone does not necessarily or even generally produce 
 such complaints; that the food of the soldier was not during the war, and cer- 
 tainly is not now, of a quality calculated to produce them; that the prevalence of 
 these complaints at any particular time bore no proportion to the good or bad 
 quality of the provisions; nor were those places, where they were almost always 
 committing ravages, worse supplied in this respect, than any others; {),nd there- 
 fore that we are to look to some other cause for the production of these military 
 p\agues. 
 
 And this it is apprehended will be found to arise from an undue exposure to cold 
 and moisture. For the recruit is immediately confined to his rations, and experiences 
 no bad effects from the change. It is not until he begins to feel the want of dry 
 and comfortable lodging and clothing, and to be exposed to the changes of weather 
 without sufficient clothing or exercise, that he suffers from diseases of the lungs 
 and bowels. It is not a fact that those stations which became famous as the grave- 
 yards of the army, were worse supplied with provisions or abounded with worse 
 water than any others; while it is well known that at these places, the soldier was 
 peculiarly exposed to the above-mentioned noxious agents. It could not be owing 
 to the state of the provisions or water that these complaints were so destructive in 
 the spring and fall, rather than in the summer and winter; but it must be attributed 
 to the unwholesome combination of cold and moisture peculiar to the frontier at 
 these seasons; and it must be from this exposure that even now in time of peace, 
 these complaints continue at some posts to occupy so large a share in the sick 
 reports. 
 
 In proof of what is here advanced, we need only to refer to the mortality at 
 Sackett's Harbor during nearly the whole war, and to the state of the army in that 
 vicinity during the fall of 1818. In both cases it must have been the climate the 
 weather that produced the mischief; as there is not the least ground for supposing 
 there was anything peculiarly bad in the provisions or water at that particular 
 time, and at that particular place. 
 
 Besides it is well known that among the inhabitants of the Northern section of 
 the States, the greater proportion are under the necessity of guarding themselves 
 by great attention to clothing from the bad effects of the climate, in order to pre- 
 vent or remove the very diseases in question ; and every practicing physician 
 depends almost entirely upon this circumstance for curing, and altogether for pre- 
 venting complaints of this nature 
 
 In confirmation of what has been advanced it may also be added, that the only 
 medicines which have any joerminen^ effect upon these complaints are those which 
 act upon the pores of^the skin; and thus in some measure counteract the effects of 
 cold and moisture; and these require every assistance from warm bathing, warm 
 clothing, lodging, etc.; simply cleansing the stomach and bowels does very little 
 towards removing the complaints when fully formed. A coarse diet indeed is 
 injurious, but it is in consequence of debility induced by the disease itself. It 
 aggravates but does not produce it; and of course change of diet will not cure it.
 
 104 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 And even in the state of convalescence, it is very common after a cold and rainy 
 night when the sick are in tents, to find several who appeared fast recovering dead 
 within twenty-four hours; and some even before the morning visit of the surgeon. 
 And this was in a greater or less degree so constantly the consequence on the whole 
 of this frontier, that after a stormy night, the attending surgeon could calculate 
 very certainly upon finding some dead, and many very much reduced. 
 
 If then we are to attribute not only the great waste of life during the war, but 
 the majority of the complaints at present to the want of adequate means of guarding 
 against the effects of climate, it ought most certainly to be represented to those 
 whose province it is, to make such. alterations and additions to the allowance of 
 clothing as will be consistent with true economy, by being best calculated to 
 remedy t^e evil. To this end no soldier in this Division, at least none north of 
 Philadelphia, should be allowed to wear any other than a woolen shirt. This point 
 has been often insisted on by the surgeons of the army; and in confirmation of it, 
 we need only refer to the number of those enjoying every comfort, who find it necessary 
 in order to avoid complaints of the lungs and bowels, not only to wear flannel next the 
 skin, but to follow the advice of Doctor Franklin in not taking it off until mid- 
 summer and putting it on again the next day. A second article equally necessary to 
 the end proposed is an outer coat. Indeed there are few citizens of any grade in 
 this climate, who do not feel the necessity of this, and who do not at any rate 
 provide for it or a substitute, though most generalfy comfortably housed at those 
 times when the soldier is most exposed. And lastly the most important circumstance 
 perhaps of all is to enable the soldier to keep his feet warm and dry by a liberal 
 allowance of woolen socks and laced shoes, reaching at least to the ankle. Almost 
 every one has at times felt the uncomfortable consequences of wet and cold long 
 applied to the feet, and many know but too well their deleterious effects upon the 
 constitution through the lungs and bowels ; so that it is scarcely necessary to insist 
 upon this point. In fact there can be little doubt that due attention to these things, 
 and to such circumstances of the soldiers quarters as may tend to the same end. 
 would materially lessen the number of sick at present, and be of most essential 
 benefit in the event of war. It is well known how much attention was bestowed 
 upon this subject by the British upon this frontier ; so that their soldiers were even 
 supplied with fur caps and socks and gloves in addition to the articles above recom- 
 mended; and the consequence was that the complaints which destroyed the greater 
 part of our army were scarcely known among them, though they were often near 
 neighbors for months. 
 
 The cases of rheumatism are few, for the troops are mostly young and healthy 
 men ; and this is a mode of inflammation which generally attacks those of debili- 
 tated constitutions, or who are somewhat advanced in life. It renders many unfit 
 for service, who but for this would be efficient men, and was at times very trouble- 
 some during the war. Very few if any diseases require greater attention to 
 comfortable clothing and lodging than this; they are the ground requisites for 
 preventing the complaint in those predisposed to it, and absolutely necessary to 
 removing it when induced. The cases of intermittent fever hitve not been numerous 
 except in the 5th Department and particularly at Detroit. This complaint always 
 prevails more or less among the troops ; and though it depend altogether upon local 
 causes for its origin, much may be done to lessen the susceptibility of the system to 
 it; and therefore wherever it occurs it becomes fully as important a part of the 
 surgeon's duty to explain and recoDUDend the means of preventing it, as to admin-
 
 PROM 1815 TO 1821. 105 
 
 ister the remedies calculated to cure it. The whole number of cases reported is 
 164; of these 141 were in the 5th Department, and 120 at Detroit. How far this 
 prevalence of the complaint is to be attributed to the effect of climate, and how 
 far to accidental or predisposing causes; or whether the last year has been in this 
 respect peculiarly unhealthy, can of course be known only by the inquiries, obser- 
 vations and reports of the surgeons stationed there. But it is much to be regretted 
 that one of the most important duties of an army surgeon, that of investigating the 
 causes of disease at the diflFcrent posts in order to remove them when possible, or 
 obviate their noxious eifects when practicable, should not be required by our regu- 
 lations; and of course not attended to by the surgeons. Nor has the order requiring 
 every surgeon to keep a record of the cases under his care been attended to as its 
 importance demands. A strict attention to these points would not only be of the 
 greatest benefit in preventing disease, but necessarily render the surgeon better 
 acquainted with the nature of the complaints that occur, and at the same time 
 ensure a degree of industry and attention to duty which is suspected to be much 
 required. 
 
 As connected with this subject may be also mentioned the want of a proper 
 system of Medical Police, and of due attention to existing regulations in relation to 
 it. This is one of the most important duties of the Medical Staff, is most carefully 
 attended to in other services ; and can only be introduced into ours by long prac- 
 tice. Like many minute duties of officers of the line, particularly those connected 
 with police and the interior economy of a camp, they are only to be gradually 
 acquired; and so incorporated into the regular routine of duty as to be considered 
 as indispensable as the mere prescription of medicine. An officer of the line may 
 soon learn the duties of the field, and a surgeon be amply qualified for his profession, 
 and both of them he worse than useless to an army. It is from a knowledge of 
 minutiae which depend neither upon General Regulations, nor specific orders, that 
 the experienced officer and surgeon becomes so much superior to the undisciplined 
 recruit. It is almost entirely in order to acquire this kind of knowledge, that a 
 military establishment is kept up in time of peace, and it is an undoubted fact that 
 in no department of the army is it so slowly acquired and therefore so deficient as 
 the medical. How severely this was felt during a great part of the last war is too 
 well and too publickly known to need comment. 
 
 It is therefore suggested whetlier such alterations be not required in the regu- 
 lations, as are calculated to produce a system of medical police, which will not only 
 ensure attention to every point of duty at present, but also in case of war enable the 
 newly appointed surgeon to learn what he ought to do, without the necessity of 
 trusting to his own ingenuity and suggestions : and after all his industry finding 
 himself disbanded just as he begins to understand the most important duties of his 
 station. Not to mention the many serious disadvantages of being obliged to allow 
 each to adopt his own imperfect system; or the waste of time and men and money 
 while he is making his experiments. For there can be little doubt that where one 
 man has died from improper medical treatment, ten have been destroyed from want 
 of a knowledge of the many duties peculiar to an army surgeon. 
 
 To effect this purpose it should be made the duty of every surgeon and mate 
 having the charge of a hospital, together with his quarterly report to the head-quar- 
 ters of the division, to transmit an account of the local situation of his station, of 
 the climate, the diseases most prevalent in the vicinity, and their probable causes, 
 the state of the weather during the time reported with respect to temperature; 
 7*
 
 106 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMV 
 
 winds, rain, etc.; to state at large the general symptoms of the complaints among 
 the troops, as well as every peculiarity of disease: to investigate and as far as possi- 
 ble report their causes; the means employed to obviate them, with the success: as 
 well as the practice adopted and the result. 
 
 To this end he should not only keep a prescription book containing a daily account 
 of the symptoms and circumstances of each patient in every important case: the 
 medicines prescribed and the result of his practice; but also one in which should 
 be stated everything directed to the diet and regimen; as the quality and 
 quantity of food allowed, the mode in which it is prepared, etc. By the former 
 the mate or apothecary should prepare the medicines; and it would also be a cor- 
 rect voucher for their proper expenditure; and by the latter the stewards deliver 
 the allowance of hospital stores, etc. ; and this would be a voucher for what he had 
 expended. The surgeon should also keep a diary of the weather; noting in it 
 whatever may be supposed to produce or vary the forms of disease. By a reference 
 to these, the surgeon in his quarterly reports, instead of a mere list of names 
 usually made out by the steward, would be enabled to give such an account of the 
 diseases that had occurred, their causes and his treatment, as would be the best 
 possible criterion not only of his medical abilities, but also of his industry and 
 attention to duty. And besides this, an abstract of these reports would soon 
 enable the surgeon at head-quarters to furnish what is much wanted at present, and 
 what can only be effectually supplied in this way, viz: a system of medical police 
 and army practice suited to the diseases incident to the troops at the several posts 
 in the division; and at the same time of suggesting such means of preventing these 
 complaints as the experience of the different surgeons may have found most ben- 
 eficial, under different circumstances of time and place. It is in this way that the 
 most useful practical works have been produced. 
 
 In order to insure attention to these things and also to the manner in which the 
 inferior but not less important offices of the hospital are performed, it is also pro- 
 posed that the surgeon attached to the head-quarters of the division be made "In- 
 spector of Hospitals." It has long been observed that none but one of the medical 
 staff can be competent to this duty. The Inspector General and commanding officer 
 can only determine whether the hospital and its furniture appear neat and clean, 
 and the surgeon make his regular visits. But in every thing relating to the duties 
 peculiar to his station, the surgeon is at present left entirely to his own sense of 
 propriety. He is the only officer who is not in some way or other responsible for 
 the mode in which his various duties are performed, and strictly accountable for 
 the public property entrusted to his care. To this cause is no doubt to be attributed 
 the many complaints continually, and too often justly, made against the medical 
 department, particularly in active service, both on account of neglect of duty and 
 waste of property. 
 
 In addition therefore to the duties assigned a Medical Director, the surgeon 
 attached to the head-quarters of a division should be authorized to call for and 
 receive from the respective surgeons and mates such returns and reports relative to 
 the situation, climate, weather, etc., at the different posts, as may be calculated to 
 ascertain the causes of disease, and the best practical means of preventing it. And 
 also such an account of the symptoms in every important case, the remedies pre- 
 scribed, and regimen observed as may be requisite to elucidate the nature of the 
 prevailing complaints, and the most efficient mode of treating them. 
 
 He should consolidate the quarterly reports ; and make such remarks and sug-
 
 FROM 1815 TO 1821. 107 
 
 gest such improvements both in practice and police, as mny appear to be required 
 for the benefit and comfort of the sick. He should from time to time inspect the 
 ho.xpital; examine the hooks and accounts of the steward and xoardma^ter ; enquire into 
 the manner in which every duty is performed; and see that all the regulations, 
 both professional and those relating to police are properly attended to: by a strict 
 e.xamination of the prescription book, judge of the medical abilities of the attending 
 surgeon, and ascertain that there has been a proper expenditure of medicine; from 
 the diet book which should contain the quantity and quality of the food and liquor 
 daily allowed to each patient, see that there has been a proper application of the hos- 
 pital stores; and make such communications to the Apothecary General on the 
 subject as may appear necessary and proper. And finally from his own observations, 
 and from the reports and accompanying remarks of the surgeons, to form a manual 
 of medical police and practice suited to the circumstances of the soldier; and to 
 make such reports to the commanding general of the medical abilities, industry, 
 fidelity, etc., of the respective surgeons, as his information from all these sources 
 might warrant. 
 
 Were some plan of this nature adopted, and the above-mentioned duties faith- 
 fully attended to, it is believed the good effects would soon be apparent; and that 
 they would be as permanent as the^' were obvious. 
 
 JOSEPH LOVELL, 
 
 Hospital Surgeon, U. S. Army."^ 
 
 The winter and spring of 1818 were passed by Congress in perfecting 
 a bill for regulating the General Staff of the army. The Quartermaster's and 
 (.'ommissary Departments were completely reorganized, and many changes 
 suggested in the Medical Corps. After much debate and several' recommit- 
 tals to the Military Committee, the bill was at length passed on the fourteenth 
 of May, 1818. The following sections related to the Hospital Department: 
 
 '' Be it enacted, etc., That so much of the act 'Fixing the military peace estab- 
 lishment of the United States,' passed the 3rd of March, 1815, as relates to hospital 
 stewards and wardmasters, and of the 'Act for organizing the General Staff, and 
 making further provision for the Army of the United States,' passed April 24, 1816, 
 as relates to hospital surgeons and hospital surgeon's mates, * * * * 
 
 be, and the same is hereby repealed. 
 
 Section II. And be it further enacted. That there shall be one Surgeon Gen- 
 eral, with a salary of two thousand five hundred dollars per annum, one assistant 
 surgeon general with the emoluments of a hospital surgeon * * . * * 
 
 and that the number of post surgeons be increased not to exceed eight to each division." 
 
 The Corps establishment after the passage of this act consisted of one 
 surgeon general, two assistant surgeons general (for although the bill only 
 provided for one, there appear two. one for each division of the army, on 
 the Register for 1818,) one apothecary general, two assistant apothecaries, 
 forty post surgeons, and one regimental surgeon and two mates to each 
 regiment. Hospital surgeons under the old organization were transferred to 
 the list of post surgeons. In default of any positive information as to the
 
 108 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 reasons for this action, it seems to have been very unjust towards the hospi- 
 tal surgeons, for during the war they had ranked all other medical officers, 
 and DOW by the provisions of the second section of the act of April 24, 
 1816, they only ranked with regimental surgeon's mates, and thus some 
 (Doctor James Mann for instance) who had conducted large hospitals during 
 the war, were subordinated to regimental surgeons who were appointed after 
 they were hospital surgeons. This anomalous procedure was more strongly 
 marked in the subsequent reorganization in 1821, when all the regimental 
 surgeons were transferred to the General Staff as surgeons, and the post 
 surgeons as assistant surgeons, thus making them permanently subordinate 
 in their own Corps to those whom they had formerly ranked. The exis- 
 tence of the Medical Staff as a distinct organization is usually estimated to 
 date from this time, owing to the fact that a permanent head of the Depart- 
 ment was now for the first time appointed; those who had previously 
 exercised such executive functions, being designated only to meet temporary 
 exigencies. Nevertheless, although this was a great step in the direction of 
 an efficient administration of the Department, the construction of the Corps 
 was greatly different from that it assumed under subsequent legislation and 
 which it has retained essentially to the present day. The unnecessary dis- 
 tinction between post and regimental medical officers was still retained, and 
 no provision was made granting them either assimilated or actual rank that 
 would definitely have fixed their status in relation to officers of the line. 
 
 For the position of Surgeon General, Hospital Surgeon Joseph Lovell 
 was selected, to date from April 18th, and Hospital Surgeons Tobias Watkins 
 and James C. Bronaugh were appointed Assistant Surgeons General, the 
 former for the northern and the latter for the southern division of the army. 
 Apothecary General Francis Le Barron, and Assistant Apothecaries James 
 Cutbush and Christopher Backus, who had been provisionally retained by 
 War Department General Orders of May 15, 1815, were recognized as 
 permanently in service in accordance with the act of April 24, 1816. 
 
 Joseph Lovell was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on the twenty-second 
 of December, 1788. His grandfather was a leading member of the " Sons 
 of Liberty," and when the British evacuated Boston in 1776, he was taken 
 to Halifax as a hostage. He afterwards served the country in the Conti- 
 nental Congress, and was chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. His 
 son James S. Lovell married Deborah Gorham, a noted Boston belle. Joseph, 
 their eldest son, was educated in Boston, and graduated at Harvard University 
 in 1807. He studied medicine with Doctor Ingalls, of Boston, and soon after 
 being licensed to practice entered the service (as has been mentioned) as
 
 FROM 1815 TO 1821. 109 
 
 surgeon of the ninth infantry. Although not yet thirty years old, the 
 ability he had shown in charge of the general hospital at Burlington, and 
 when serving with Generals Scott and Brown on the northern frontier, and 
 his appreciation of the wants of the army, evinced by his able reports on 
 various subjects connected therewith, designated him as the fittest person to 
 assume the organization of the new department, and his appointment gave 
 great satisfaction both to the army at large and the Medical Staff. Imme- 
 diately after the appointment of Surgeon General Lovell, the following order 
 was issued by the War Department : 
 
 "ADJUTANT AND INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 April 21, 1818. 
 General Orders. 
 
 All reports, returns and communications connected with the Medical Depart- 
 ment will hereafter be made to the Surgeon General's OfBce at Washington. 
 
 All orders and instructions relative to the duties of the several officers of the 
 Medical Staff, will be issued through the Surgeon General, who will be obeyed and 
 respected accordingly. 
 
 The Assistant Surgeons General will forthwith commence the inspections of the 
 Medical Department in their respective divisions, agreeably to the instructions they 
 may receive from the Sui-geon General. 
 
 By order: 
 
 ^ D. PARKER, 
 
 Adjutant and Inspector General.'''' 
 
 The first point which attracted the attention of Doctor Lovell on report- 
 ing for duty was the necessity for a revision of the Medical Regulations. 
 Those of April 24, 1816, which were a copy of those which we have just 
 given, issued in 1814, were not only very defective in many respects, but 
 were not adapted to the new organization of the Corps, and to the provisions 
 of the general order just quoted. Moreover, the nomenclature of diseases 
 on the quarterly reports was so vague as to afford no reliable data upon 
 which to base opinions as to the health of the army, or to afford deductions 
 for future reference. The duties of medical oflBcers iu' their relations with 
 the new bureau and especially with reference to their requisitions on the 
 Apothecary General for supplies, required to be clearly expressed; the 
 appointment of the Assistant Surgeons General as the inspecting officers of 
 the Corps demanded attention to the subject of medical inspection, which 
 had hitherto been to a great measure left optional with the directors of 
 departments and divisions; and the abolition of the ofl5ce of commissary 
 general of purchases, and consequent transfer of that portion of his duties 
 which pertained to the Medical Department, to the Apothecary General and
 
 110 TUB MEDICAL DEPARTMKNT OF THK ARMY 
 
 his assistants, called for additional regulations for the purveying department. 
 Doctor Lovell also, now that his position gave him the power to do so, 
 determined to carry out the views in reference to the duties of medical offi- 
 cers which he had expressed in his letter to General Jacob Brown, while 
 Medical Director of the Northern Division. These regulations which are 
 given in full herewith, were issued in general orders from the War Depart- 
 ment in September, 1818, and distributed to the army in the following 
 winter. Their good effect was speedily seen in the improved character of 
 the reports forwarded by medical officers, and the 'testimony received as to 
 the increased efficiency tf the Department. 
 
 "REGULATIONS OF THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT, SEPTEMBER, 1818. 
 SraoEON Genkrai,. > 
 
 The Surgeon General shall be the director aud immediate accounting officer of the 
 Medical Department. He shall issue all orders and instructions relating to the pro- 
 fessional duties of the officers of the Medical Staff; and call for and receive such 
 reports and returns from them as may be requisite for the performance of his several 
 duties. 
 
 He shall receive from the Assistant Surgeons General and the Medical Directors 
 of armies, districts, and departments confidential reports relative to the condition of 
 the hospitals and infirmaries, the character and conduct of the surgeons and mates, 
 the state of their books and accounts, the medical topography of the several posts and 
 stations, the nature of tlie prevailing complaints, tlieir probable causes and the treat- 
 ment adopted. 
 
 He shall receive from every surgeon, and mate performing the duties of surgeon, 
 quarterly reports of sick, with such remarks as may be necessary to explain the 
 nature of the diseases of the troops, the practice adopted and the kinds of medicines 
 and stores required ; together with a copy of the entries made for the quarter in the 
 book kept for the diary of the weather, accompanied with suitable observations. 
 
 He shall receive from every surgeon and mate, having charge of public property 
 of any description for tlie use of the sick, duplicate semi-annual returns of the same 
 in the form and manner prescribed; and also annual requisitions for the supplies' 
 required for each hospital, regiment, post or garrison for the ensuing year; and trans- 
 mit them witli his remarks and instructions to the Apothecary General; accompanied 
 with a statement, to le obtained from the office of the Adjutant and Inspector Gen- 
 eral, of the probable nunber of troops to be stationed at the several posts, &.C., for 
 which they are made. 
 
 He shall examine the annual estimate of supplies furnished by the Apothecary 
 (Jeneral, making such remarks and alterations as the good of the service may appear to 
 require; and receive from him and his assistants detailed returns of all supplies put 
 up for and delivered or forwarded to, the several surgeons and mates. 
 
 lie shall examine the returns and accounts of the several surgeons and mates; 
 see that proper vouchers are sent for articles issued, and that the quantities expended 
 with the sick are agreeable to the numbers on the sick reports, and the nature of their 
 complaints ; if so, be shall certify it, and at the end of each year, and oftener if
 
 i
 
 FROM 1815 TO 1821. 111 
 
 necessary, send the returns and accounts thus certified to the office of the Second 
 Auditor for final settlement. Tf he does not receive proper vouchers for issues, and 
 satisfactory evidence that articles so reported have been lost or destroyed by unavoid- 
 able accident, he shall forthwith obtain tlie necessary documents from the person 
 making the return, or transmit the amount to the office of the Second Auditor to be 
 charged to his account. 
 
 If upon comparing the returns with the reports of sick, there appears to luive 
 been any improper expenditures of medicines or stores either in quantity or quality, 
 he will require an explanation thereof from the person making the return ; and if 
 necessary direct the Assistant Surgeon General, or the Medical Director to examine 
 the books and accounts of said person, and to .ascertain how and why such expendi- 
 tures have been made; and the amount of any articles proven to have been improperly 
 applied will be charged in the office of the Second Auditor to the account of the person 
 who has thus misapplied them. 
 
 He shall keep a register of all the medical officers in service, in which shall be 
 recorded the dates of their appointments, promotions or transfers, the posts and sta- 
 tions at which they have been on duty and for what length of time at each place, the 
 furloughs they may receive, by whom and for what length of time they were granted 
 and the time of their return to duty; he shall also enter in this register his remarks 
 on the several reports and returns made to him, together with the substance of the 
 confidential reports of the Assistant Surgeons General and Medical Directors, as well 
 as of all other communications he may receive relating to the character, conduct and 
 professional qualifications of the surgeons and mates, keeping a regular file of the 
 original documents, and submitting the whole from time to time to the examination 
 of the Secretary of War. 
 
 He shall from time to time make to the Secretary of War such reports and returns 
 as may be necessary to explain all the concerns of the department under his charge; 
 with such remarks relative to improvements in practice and police, and to the 
 clothing, subsistence, &c., of the army, as may seem to be required for the preserva- 
 tion of health, the comfort and recovery of the sick, and the good of the public 
 service. 
 
 Assistant Surgeons General. 
 
 The Assistant Surgeon General shall be the medical inspector for the division, 
 district, department or army to which he is attached. It shall be his duty to inspect 
 the hospitals and infirmaries under his charge, according to the instructions he may 
 receive from the Surgeon General ; to ascertain the manner in which each officer per- 
 forms his duties ; to see that the necessary supplies are received for the sick; that 
 they are of a good quality, and that they are properly expended. 
 
 He shall strictly examine the case books, prescription books and diet books of 
 the surgeons and mates, and from them ascertain the nature of the diseases that have 
 prevailed, their symptoms, the practice adopted and the result; and hence judge of 
 the professional abilities of the attending surgeon, and ascertain that the quantity 
 and quality of the stores and medicines used are confoi-mable to the nature and dura- 
 tion of the complaints. 
 
 From an examination of the book containing the diary of the weather, medical 
 topography of the station or hospital, account of the climate, complaints prevalent in 
 the vicinity, &c., and from suitable inquiries concerning the clothing, subsistence, 
 quarters, &c., of the soldiers, he will discover as far as practicable the probable causes
 
 112 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 of disease, and recommend the best means of preventing them; and also make such 
 suggestions relative to the situation, construction and economy of the hospitals and 
 infirmaries, as may appear necessary for the benefit and comfort of the sick and the 
 good of the service. 
 
 He shall examine the books and accounts of the steward ; see that his issues of 
 hospital stores and furniture agree with the diet books and written orders of the sur- 
 geons and mates, and that he has kept a correct account of the number of rations 
 drawn, agreeably to the register and muster rolls of the hospital; of the parts com- 
 muted or sold ; and of his disposal of the proceeds. 
 
 Ascertain also that the wardmaster keeps a strict account of the bedding, furniture, 
 cooking utensils, &c., received for the use of the hospital; of the articles lost, worn 
 out or destroyed by order; and also of the clothing, arms and equipments of every 
 patient admitted, and that they are disposed of agreeably to the regulations on that 
 subject ; and that he pays due attention to enforcing the police prescribed, and to the 
 order and cleanliness of the patients, wards and kitchens. 
 
 He shall make to the Surgeon General, in October, annually, and at such other 
 times as he may direct, confidential reports, containing all the information he may 
 obtain concerning the character, conduct and attention to duty, of the several sur- 
 geons and mates ; the order and condition of their hospitals and infirmaries, and 
 the state of their books and accounts; with such remarks relative to the causes of 
 diseases, the best means of preventing them, their symptoms, and the treatment adopted, 
 as appertain to the report of a medical inspecting officer; which report shall be sub- 
 mitted to the commanding officer of the division, district or anny to which he is 
 attached, for his examination, remarks and signature. 
 
 Apothecary General axd his Assistants. 
 
 The Apothecary General shall, agreeably to the returns and requisitions of the 
 several surgeons and mates received from the Surgeon General's Office, and to a 
 standard supply table, make an annual estimate of the supplies of medicines, instru- 
 ments, hospital stores, &c., required for the ensuing year, which shall be submitted 
 to the Surgeon General for his examination and approval. 
 
 The Apothecary General and his assistants shall purchase, according to this 
 estimate, all medicines, hospital stores, surgical and other instruments, books and 
 dressings, required for the public service of the army. The articles so purchased shall 
 be carefully packed under their directions, and by them delivered either to the sur- 
 geons or to a military storekeeper, or to a quartermaster, for transportation to the 
 places of their destination and use; and all parcels so packed shall be legibly marked 
 with the n^me of the place to which they are to be sent, or of the regiment or corps 
 for which they are intended, and accompanied with an invoice of the articles con- 
 tained in them. 
 
 They shall compound and prepare such medicines as may be thought necessary 
 for the good of the service; cause suitable medicine chests to be constructed, according 
 to the directions of the Surgeon General, and furnished to the several hospitals, posts 
 and garrisons ; and supply printed forms of the reports and returns required by the 
 regulations. 
 
 They shall make quarterly returns of their purchases to the Second Auditor ac- 
 companied with invoices of the articles purchased, for which they shall be charged; 
 and nothing will exonerate them from such charge, but the receipt of a surgeon.
 
 FROM 1815 TO 1821. 113 
 
 military storekeeper, quartermaster, or other person authorized to receive supplies of 
 this nature, or a certificate on honor for what may have been expended in the apothe- 
 cary's department, stating for what purpose. If articles become damaged or unfit for 
 use, they will not be taken off the books of the Second Auditor to their credit until 
 sold by order of the War Department. 
 
 They shall make to the Surgeon General returns in detail, of the medicines, stores, 
 &c., put up for, and delivered or forwarded to, the several surgeons and mates stating 
 the numbers and marks of each chest, package, &c., and to whom they were delivered. 
 
 The Apothecary General will make in October, annually, an estimate of the 
 expenses of the Medical Department for the information of the War Department. 
 
 The Assistant Apothecaries General will purchase and issue whatever articles 
 composing the yearly supply the Apothecary General may deem necessary to have 
 purchased in their respective districts, making returns of the same to him. 
 
 SUKGEONS ATTENDING GENERAL HOSPITALS. 
 
 The senior surgeon shall be ex-officio medical director and inspector of hospitals 
 for the army or district to which he is attached. He shall enforce the rules and reg- 
 ulations given for the government and direction of the surgeons and mates ; examine 
 and if he approve, countersign all requisitions upon the Apothecary General or his 
 Assistants, except that made on the 30th of September for the ensuing year; and as 
 inspector of hospitals he shall perform all the duties required of the Assistant Surgeon 
 General. 
 
 The surgeon attending a general hospital shall observe the instructions of the 
 Assistant Surgeon General and of the Medical Director in every thing relating to the 
 hospital under his charge; superintend its construction, government and police, and 
 be held responsible for the manner in which the subordinate officers perform their 
 respective duties. 
 
 He shall keep a register of all patients admitted into his hospital, in the form 
 and manner prescribed. 
 
 He shall receive, and carefully preserve, the descriptive list of each individual, 
 noting on it any payments made, or clothing issued to him while in hospital. Should 
 any surgeon or mate send patients to his hospital without the report required by the 
 regulations, and certified copies of their descriptive lists, or should they be sent by 
 any officer of the line without their descriptive lists, it shall be his duty forthwith to 
 demand them, and if they be not sent within a reasonable time, or some good cause 
 given for the neglect, he shall immediately apply to the commanding officer for the 
 arrest of such delinquent on the charge of disobedience of orders. 
 
 He shall keep a case book, prescription book and diet book, in which shall be daily 
 recorded the symptoms in every important case, together with the medicines and diet 
 prescribed ; and these shall serve as a guide to the assistant surgeon or apothecary in 
 delivering the medicines, to the steward in distributing the stores, and for the infor- 
 mation of the medical inspector. He shall keep a diary of the weather in the form 
 and manner prescribed, noting everything of importance relating to the medical 
 topography of his station, the climate, complaints prevalent in the vicinity, &c., and 
 also an orderly book, in which shall be transcribed all orders concerning, or any ways 
 relating to the Medical Department. 
 
 He shall divide his hospital into as many wards as he may have medical attend- 
 ants, and every morning, at as early an hour as practicable, visit each ward, prescribe 
 8
 
 114 THK MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 himself in all important cases, and consult with the attending surgeon ; and in the 
 evening enquire of the resident surgeon the state of the sick, and again visit such iwi 
 may require particular attention. 
 
 He shall as far as practicable, assign appropriate wards to the patients according 
 to the nature of their complaints; be careful that the wards are well ventilated, and 
 the patients not too much crowded; by a rigid attention to police, prevent, if possible, 
 the origin of contagion, and should it appear, make every exertion to counteract it 
 by enforcing personal cleanliness, and by frequent changes of linen, bedding, kc. 
 
 He shall prescribe such rules and regulations as he may think necessary for the 
 direction of the attendants, and the order, cleanliness, and convenience of his patients ; 
 and cause them to be printed or written in a legible hand, and hung up in some con- 
 spicuous place in each ward. 
 
 He shall from the descriptive lists in his possession, make regular muster rolls of 
 the patients in his hospital, and also of his steward, wardmaster, cooks, nurses and 
 matrons, in the form prescribed, for the examination and certificate of the Inspector 
 General, or officer acting as such, as in other cases of muster and inspection for pay- 
 ment. 
 
 He shall see that his steward makes out correct returns for rations, agreeably to 
 the number of patients and attendants present; direct what part of the ration shall 
 be sold or commuted, and sign the requisitions; and from the proceeds of the parts 
 thus commuted or sold, he shall cause such articles to be purchased as he may judge 
 necessary and proper for the use of the sick. 
 
 He shall once a month examine the books and accounts of his steward and ward- 
 master; see that the hospital stores have been properly applied, and that themoney 
 received for parts of ration commuted or sold, has been expended agreeably to his 
 instructions; that the arms, clothing and equipments of the patients are cleansed, 
 numbered, marked, registered and deposited in the wardmaster's room, and that a 
 regular account is kept of the furniture, bedding, &c., in use in the hospital; and if 
 any attendant or patient shall be convicted of wilfully destroying or purloining any 
 article of public property, the amount of its value shall be charged to him by the 
 Burgeon on his descriptive list, and deducted from his pay at the next payment; and 
 it shall be the duty of the surgeon to prosecute any citizen who may buy or receive 
 public property of any description from any one attached to the army, agreeably to 
 the law on that subject. i 
 
 Assistant Spkgeons to General Hospitai-s. 
 
 The assistant surgeons shall obey the orders and instructions of the senior sur- 
 geon; see that subordinate officers attend strictly to their duties, and aid in enforcing 
 the regulations of the hospital. 
 
 Each assistant shall accompany the surgeon in his morning visit to the ward as- 
 signed to his particular charge, make the proper entries in the case book, prescription 
 book, and diet book, and from the latter fill up the diet table for the day ; in the 
 evening he shall again visit his ward, and, if necessary report to the surgeon. 
 
 He shall be responsible for the proper distribution and administration of the 
 medicines prescribed, for the manner in which the wardmaster and nurses perform 
 their duties in his own division, and that the patients conform to the prescribed 
 regulations. 
 
 One of the assistant surgeons shall be detailed daily to reside within or near the 
 hospital, at all hours of the day or night ; he shall prescribe in urgent cases, examine
 
 FROM 1815 TO 1821. 115 
 
 such patients as may be sent to the hospital, see that they are regularly entered in 
 the register, that their descriptive lists are tiled, and if they do not bring them, report 
 it fortliwith to the surgeon, thfit the wardniaster takes charge of their clothing, arms 
 and equipments, that they are washed, furnished with clean garments, and placed in 
 their appropriate wards, and report to the surgeon the next morning, and immediately 
 in important cases. He shall make the proper entries in the book containing the 
 diary of the weather, and as police officer of the day see that all the orders and regu- 
 lations are duly attended to. 
 
 One of the assistant surgeons shall take charge of the books of the hospital, viz: 
 the register, case book, prescription book and diet book, that containing the diary of 
 the weather and the orderly book ; and shall call at the office of the adjutant general 
 every day or as often as may be convenient, and transcribe all orders relating to the 
 Medical Department. He shall also take charge of the descriptive lists of the patients, 
 and have them regularly tiled according to their companies and regiments or corps. 
 
 One assistant surgeon shall take particular charge of th6 dispensary, instruments 
 and medicines ; keep an account of expenditures, agreeably to the prescription book ; 
 make out tlie regular semi-annual returns of medicines, instruments, stores, &c., and 
 present them to tlie surgeon for his examination and signature. 
 
 Hospital Stewards. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the steward to receive and take charge of all hospital 
 stores, furniture of every description, and supplies purchased for the use of the sick; 
 to keep a roster of the nurses and attendants, and from this and the register to make 
 out returns for rations agreeably to the number in hospital and present them to the 
 .surgeon for his examination and signature; to receive and distribute the rations, and 
 to commute or sell such parts, and employ the proceeds in such manner as the sur- 
 geon may direct. He shall keep an account of the number of rations drawn, the 
 articles commuted or sold, and the amount received for them; take proper vouchers 
 for all expenditures, and present the whole to the surgeon for examination at the end 
 of each month. 
 
 He shall issue the hospital stores and other supplies to the cooks and nurses, and 
 enter in a book daily the amount of each article delivered ; for which the diet book 
 and written orders of the surgeons and assistant surgeons shall be his vouchers. He 
 shall deliver to the wardniaster such articles of bedding, furniture, cooking utensils, 
 &c., as shall by written orders be directed for the use of the hospital ; be respon- 
 sible for the order and neatness of the storeroom ; and on no account allow any of the 
 patients or attendants to enter it in his absence, or to remain there longer than may be 
 necessary to obtain their supplies. 
 
 Wakdmaster. 
 
 The wardmaster shall receive from the steward all the furniture, bedding, cook- 
 ing utensils, &c., required for the use of the hospital, and be held responsible for 
 them. He shall keep a book in which shall be recorded the articles distributed to the 
 several wards and kitchens, holding the nurses and cooks responsible for whatever he 
 may deliver them. He shall once a week take an inventory of everything in use, and 
 report to the surgeon whatever is missing, worn out, or destroyed by order; and also 
 the name of any patient or attendant whom he may suspect of wilfully destroying or 
 purloining any species of public property.
 
 116 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 On the admission of a patient he shall take charge of his clothing, arms and 
 equipments; see that they are made perfectly clean; that they are registered in a 
 book, which he shall keep for the purpose, numbered, labelled with the name, rank, 
 company and regiments or corps of the owner, and deposited in an appropriate apart- 
 ment ; and in case of his death, he shall deliver the surgeon an inventory of the 
 above-named articles, together with any money, &c., left by him. 
 
 The cooks, nurses and attendants, shall be under his immediate direction and 
 subject to his orders. He is responsible for the cleanliness of the patients and at- 
 tendants of the kitchen, wards, furniture and cooking utensils. He shall call the roll 
 of the wards at sunrise and sunset, and report absentees; see that every patient is 
 washed and his liair combed every morning, and shaved, when his case will permit, at 
 least thrice a week; that the wards are swept and sanded, and the beds made before 
 the time of the morning visit of the surgeon; that the close-stools and spit-boxes are 
 made perfectly clean every morning, and the pans emptied and washed immediately 
 after being used, and partly filled with powdered charcoal and water; that the beds 
 and bedding are frequently aired and exposed t'o the sun, and the straw changed 
 once a month, and oftener if necessary ; and .when a patient dies, that the straw is 
 burned, the bunk, bed-sack and bedding, cleansed and returned to the steward, if not 
 wanted in the hospital. 
 
 Regimental Surgeons. 
 
 The regimental surgeon shall obey the instructions of the Assistant Surgeon 
 General and the Medical Director; be responsible for the order and neatness of his hos- 
 pital or infirmary, for the manner in which his mates and attendants perform their 
 respective duties, and for the comfort and convenience of those sick in quarters. 
 
 He shall observe all the regulations given for the surgeon attending a general 
 hospital in relation to the register, case book, prescription book, diet book, orderly 
 book, and that containing a diary of the weather, the medical topography of his post 
 or station, &c. ; and also all those respecting the ventilation of his hospital, preventing 
 or obviating the effects of contagion ; prescribing suitable police regulations ; making 
 out muster rolls of his nurses and attendants ; signing requisitions for rations ; direct- 
 ing what parts shall be commuted or sold, and in what manner the proceeds shall be 
 disposed of; examining the returns, books and accounts of his steward and wardmaster ; 
 and punishing those who wilfully destroy or purloin public property, or receive any 
 property thus purloined. 
 
 He shall receive written morning reports of sick from the orderly sergeant of each 
 company, who shall see that those reported present themselves at the place appointed 
 by the surgeon, and to be present himself at their examination; he shall immediately 
 report all cases of feigned sickness to the commanding officers of companies, prescribe 
 for those who are able to remain in their quarters, and send those who require it to 
 the hospital; he shall then visit his hospital, prescribe himself in all important cases, 
 and in the evening again see those who require particular attention. 
 
 Unless when specially directed or in uncommon cases he will send no patients to 
 the general hospital, except his own be crowded, or he be ordered to march; when he 
 will send all whom he may judge unable to accompany the regiment; and with them 
 a report, in the form prescribed, stating their names, rank, &c., together with a gen- 
 eral account of the symptoms and duration of their complaints, and the treatment 
 adopted ; and he shall on no account neglect to obtain from the commanding officers of 
 companies certified copies of their descriptive lists, and to transmit them, together 
 with their clothing, arms and equipments, to the surgeon having charge of the hospital.
 
 FROM 1815 TO 1821. 117 
 
 He shall designate to the commanding officer those who should be allowed to ride, 
 or have their knapsacks, &c., carried in the wagons; accompany the regiment ; be 
 within call in case of accident, and at all times have his instruments and dressings 
 ready and at hand to attend to the wounded. 
 
 He shall accompany the officer appointed to select ground for an encampment, 
 and, as far as consistent with other arrangements, recommend such places, and that 
 the tents be pitched in such manner, as may be best calculated to protect the soldier 
 from the inclemencies of the weather; and, when necessary, advise that the floors be 
 raised, or other means taken to prevent the bad consequences of low and uneven 
 positions. 
 
 When his regiment is in quarters or permanent encampments, he shall immedi- 
 atelj' point out, and the quartermaster shall furnish, a suitable place for the reception 
 of the sick, and whenever it is practicable he shall procure for this purpose some 
 building in the vicinity, only putting his patients in tents when absolutely necessary. 
 He shall frequently visit the tents, see whether they are kept as dry as the nature of 
 of the ground will permit, and whether they are clean, and occasionally aired and 
 struck. When in quarters he shall from time to time inspect the rooms and kitchens, 
 and so far direct the manner of preparing the food as he may think necessary for the 
 health of the soldiers ; examine the quality of the various parts of the ration, and 
 immediately report to the commanding officer any defects he may discover; see that the 
 vaults are dug at a proper distance from the camp, and frequently covered with fresh 
 earth ; and either by speci.al reports, or in his remarks in his morning reports, make 
 such observations and suggest such improvements upon all these points as he may 
 think necessary to preserve the health of the troops, and for the comfort, convenience 
 and recovery of the sick ; and the commanding officer of his regiment shall issue such 
 orders as he may think necessary and proper to remedy the evils and supply the 
 defects thus reported to him. 
 
 He shall report to the commanding officers of companies such men as are unfit 
 for service; furnish a certificate of the cause, the time when, and place where, it 
 arose, the degree of disability, &c., and accompany the inspecting officer on muster 
 and inspection days, and see they are mustered accordingly. 
 
 Regimental Mates. 
 
 When the number of patients permits, and both mates are present, the hospital 
 shall be divided into equal wards, which shall be under the immediate direction of the 
 respective mates. They shall accompany the surgeon in his morning visit ; make the 
 proper entries in the case book, prescription book and diet book; frequently visit the 
 hospital during the day, and report to the surgeon in the evening, and oftener in 
 urgent cases; attend to the preparation and distribution of the medicines; assist in 
 making out the proper reports and returns; see that the nurses are attentive to the 
 sick, and regularly administer the medicines prescribed; and that the regulations of 
 the hospital are strictly attended to. 
 
 If both mates be present, the senior shall take charge of the register, and see 
 that each patient be regularly entered therein; that the diary of the weather be prop- 
 erly kept; and that the stewai-d and wardmaster attend to all the duties required by 
 the regulations. The junior shall have particular charge of the medicines and instru- 
 ments, and be responsible to the surgeon for their good condition ; and see that all 
 orders relating to the Medical Department are transcribed in the orderly book. 
 
 In the absence of the surgeon the senior mate present shall perform his duties.
 
 118 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Post Surgeoxs. 
 
 The post surgeon shall obey the instructions of the Assistant Surgeon General 
 and Medical Director; be responsible for the order and cleanliness of his hospital, the 
 the manner in which his attendants perform their duties, and for the comfort and 
 convenience of the sick. 
 
 He shall observe all the regulations given for a surgeon attending a general hos- 
 pital, in respect to the books and accounts to be kept; the ventilation of his hospital; 
 preventing and obviating the effects of contagion; prescribing suitable police regu- 
 lations ; making out muster rolls of his nurses and attendants, signing requisitions for 
 rations, and directing what parts shall be commuted or sold, and in what manner the 
 proceeds shall be disposed of; examining the books and accounts of the steward and 
 wardmjister; and punishing those who destroy or purloin public property, or who 
 receive any property thus purloined. 
 
 He shall also observe all the regulations given for the regimental surgeon in 
 respect to receiving morning reports; reporting cases of feigned sickness; visiting his 
 hospital and prescribing for his patients; selecting a suitable place for their reception; 
 inspecting the tents, or quarters and kitchens, and directing the manner of preparing 
 the food; examining the quality of the rations; making special reports to the com- 
 manding officer, or suitable remarks on his morning reports upon whatever may 
 conduce to the health of the troops or the recovery of the sick ; reporting those unfit 
 for service, attending the inspecting officer, and seeing them mustered accordingly. 
 
 Stewards and Waudmasters of Regiments, Posts or Garrisons. 
 
 Kvery regimental surgeon may, with the consent of the commanding officer, select 
 an active, intelligent, non-commissioned officer, and every post surgeon, a private, who 
 shall be permanently attached to the hospital, and act as steward and wardmaster; 
 and who shall observe all the regulations above given for the direction of the steward 
 and the wardmaster of a general hospital. Citizens may be employed in lieu of soldiers, 
 at the option of the surgeon ; if engaged for the hospital or infirmary of a regiment, 
 they will be allowed sixteen dollars per month, and one ration per day ; if employed 
 ut a post or garrison, they will receive ten dollars per month and one ration per day. 
 
 Ok Reports, Returns, Requisitions, &c. 
 
 Every surgeon, and mate acting as surgeon, shall make a quarterly report of sick 
 to the Surgeon General in the form and manner prescribed, with remarks relative to 
 the nature and symptoms of the complaints reported, the treatment adopted, and the 
 medicines and stores most'in demand; and also transmit therewith a correct copy of 
 the entries for the quarter in the book kept for the diary of the weather, with his 
 observations upon the medical topography of the post, station or hospital ; the climate, 
 prevalent diseases, and their probable causes. 
 
 Every surgeon and mate, having charge of sick, shall make a monthly report to 
 the Medical Director of the army, or district to which he belongs; and every one 
 attending the sick of a regiment, post or garrison, shall make a morning report to the 
 commanding officer in the form prescribed. 
 
 Every surgeon and mate, on being ordered to a new station, shall immediately 
 inform the Surgeon General thereof, and also from whom he received the order; on 
 receiving a furlough he shall also report it, stating by whom and for what length of 
 time it was granted oud report himself once a month until his return to duty.
 
 FROM 1815 TO 1821. 119 
 
 Post surgeons making application for change of station shall report to the Surgeon 
 General, with the reasons assigned therefor. 
 
 Every surgeon and mate having charge of public property of any description for 
 the use of the sick, shall make duplicate returns of the same to the Surgeon General 
 on the 31st of March and 30th of September, annually; and on the 30th of September 
 make also duplicate requisitions or estimates of the supplies required for the ensuing 
 year, noting the number of troops for which they are made. 
 
 All requisitions made upon the Apothecary General or his assistants, in active 
 service, except that on the 30th of September, shall be examined and countersigned 
 by the Medical Director of the army, department or district to which the surgeon 
 belongs. 
 
 Requisitions for cooking utensils and other articles of liospital furniture as can- 
 not be conveniently obtained from a commissary of purchases, or a military store- 
 keeper, will be made upon an officer of the Quartermaster's Department, who will 
 furnish the articles required, the requisitions being countersigned by the commanding 
 officer of the department or post. 
 
 When a surgeon is ordered away from the medical supplies under his charge, he 
 shall immediatelj' make to the Surgeon General a return of all articles received, ex- 
 pended and issued since his last regular return, accompanied with a receipt in detail 
 for the remainder, if he be relieved by a surgeon ; but if he deliver it to the quarter- 
 master of a regiment or post, a military storekeeper, or other person than a surgeon, 
 he shall, with the returns and one of the receipts given him, transmit an invoice of the 
 articles delivered certified on honor; a copy of which invoice, signed by him, shall be 
 left with the medicines, stores, &c. And when any surgeon or apothecary receives the 
 articles thus left with a quartermaster, military storekeeper, &c., he shall in his next 
 return state by whom they were left, as well as from whom they were received. 
 
 Surgeons receiving a furlough will be held responsible for all public property 
 under their charge ; they will therefore take duplicate receipts for the same ; and if 
 they be absent three months, they will be required to submit to the Surgeon Gen- 
 eral returns, receipts and invoices, as directed in the preceding regulation. 
 
 Whenever any instruments, stores, &c., put up for and directed to, one post, gar- 
 rison, regiment or hospital, are by the orders of any officer taken for the use of another, 
 it shall be the duty of the surgeon receiving them to report the circumstances imme- 
 diately to the Surgeon General, and to transmit to him a certified copy of the order, 
 the reasons for which it was given and a receipt for the articles ; and also when prac- 
 ticable, to notify the surgeon for whom they were intended, and on the receipt of his 
 own supplies to furnish him with the same amount. 
 
 MlSCKI-LANEOUS. 
 
 Every person having charge of a general hospital, shall appoint his own steward, 
 wardmaster, cooks and nurses; and if they be taken from the line of the army, it must 
 be with consent of the commanding officer of the army, district or department. Every 
 surgeon of a regiment, post or garrison, shall also, with the consent of his immediate 
 commanding officer, select his attendants. They shall be permanently attached to the 
 hospital or infirmary, and exclusively under the orders of the surgeons and mates ; and 
 shall not be removed except for misdemeanor, unless in cases of urgent necessity, and 
 then only by the order of the commanding officer of the district, department, army, 
 regiment, post or garrison, to which they belong. 
 
 The following will be the allowance of attendants on a hospital or infirmary in
 
 120 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 ordinary cases: To a general hospital, one nurse to every ten, one matron to every 
 twenty, and one cook to every thirty patients. To a regimental hospital, one non- 
 commissioned officer, as steward and wardmaster. one cook, two matrons and four 
 nurses. To a post or garrison with one company, one private as steward and ward- 
 master, and two nurses, or one nurse and one matron; for each additional company 
 t)ne nurse. Tlie non-commissioned officer who acts as steward and wardmaster, to 
 receive 20 cents per day extra-pay, and the private employed as steward and ward- 
 master to receive 15 cents per day extra pay. The women to receive 5 dollars per 
 month, and one ration per day. 
 
 The allowance of quarters, fuel and straw, for the sick, and of wagons for trans- 
 porting medicines, stores, furniture, &c., will be regulated by the surgeon and com- 
 manding officer or Medical Director; the requisitions to be made by the former and 
 countersigned by the latter. 
 
 Whenever a soldier is sent to a general hospital, or left in the hospital or infirmary 
 of a regiment, post or garrison, it shall be the duty of the officer or surgeon sending 
 or leaving him to furnish a certified copy of his descriptive list to the surgeon taking 
 charge of him ; who shall, on the return of the soldier to duty, transmit it to the officer 
 under whose command he is put, with a certificate of any payments made or clothing 
 issued to him while in hospital. 
 
 Should a soldier leave an hospital on furlough, he shall be furnished with a cer- 
 tified copy of his descriptive list; should he desert, it shall be the surgeon's duty to 
 advertise him in the usual manner; and in case of his death, his descriptive list shall 
 be preserved in the hospital for the benefit of his friends and heirs, and on it shall be 
 stated the amount of clothing, money, &c., left by him; and the surgeon shall in all 
 these cases forthwith inform the commanding officer of his company or regiment of 
 the facts and the attending circumstances ; and also of the time to which those who 
 die were last paid, and the money and eflFects in tlieir possession at the time of their 
 decease. 
 
 Whenever a soldier is rendered incapable of performing military duty by reason 
 of wounds or injuries received in service, and while in the line of his duty, any sur- 
 geon or mate of the army, upon obtaining sufficient evidence of the fact, the time, 
 place and manner of its occurrence, shall furnish him with the necessary certificate 
 to obtain his discharge and pension. 
 
 No candidate shall receive the commission of surgeon or mate in the army, who 
 has not obtained a diploma or certificate from some respectable medical school, college 
 or society, or passed the examination of an Army Medical Board. 
 
 No surgeon of the army shall be engaged in private practice. 
 
 When any officer employs a citizen surgeon, he shall immediately inform the 
 Surgeon General of his name and place of residence, and also cause him to be fur- 
 nished with a copy of the regulations of the Medical Department. 
 
 Citizens employed as surgeons will be allowed the following rates of compensa- 
 tion: For attending a post, garrison or detachment of one hundred men and upwards, 
 forty dollars per month ; of from fifty to one hundred men, thirty dollars per month ; 
 and for attending any number under fifty, twenty dollars per month, exclusive of 
 medicine. When they furnish their own medicine they shall be allowed an addition 
 of from twenty-five to fifty per cent upon their pay, the proportion to be determined 
 by the Surgeon General or Medical Director. If engaged to accompany a regiment or 
 detachment on a march or expedition they will, while actually thus employed, be 
 allowed the full pay and emoluments of a regimental surgeon's mate. They will be
 
 PROM 1815 TO 1821. 121 
 
 required to make quarterly reports of sick to the Surgeon General, and morning 
 reports to the commanding officer, in the form and manner directed for the surgeons 
 of the army ; and when they have charge of public property of any description, they 
 will make returns of the same at the times, and in the manner required by the reg- 
 ulations, or as often as the Surgeon General may direct. 
 
 Their accounts must be accompanied with a certiticate from the officer employing 
 them of the number of men under his command and the length of time they were 
 employed, and also with a report of the sick under their charge ; or of the cases that 
 may have occurred subsequent to their last quarterly reports. 
 
 Recruiting officers will, if necessary, employ citizens agreeable to these regula- 
 tions ; the rate of compensation to be determined by the average number present 
 during the month. If engaged merely to inspect recruits, they will be allowed one 
 dollar per man for inspecting and signing the necessary certiticates. 
 
 No citizen shall be employed to inspect recruits at posts or places where there is 
 a surgeon or mate belonging to the army. 
 
 Surgeons shall be particularly attentive to the examination of recruits, and will 
 suffer no man to pass, who has not at his examination been stripped of all his clothes, 
 in order to ascertain, as far as possible, that he has the perfect use of all his limbs ; 
 that he has no tumours, ulcerated legs, rupture, nor chronic cutaneous affection, nor 
 other infirmity which may render him unfit for the active duties of the field ; and it 
 shall be their duty to ascertain, as far as practicable, whether he is an habitual 
 drunkard, or subject to convulsions of any kind. With any of these defects the man 
 is to be rejected as unfit for service; and any surgeon or mate, who shall suffer any 
 one to pass without a careful examination on all these points, shall be dismissed the 
 service ; and the accounts of no citizen shall be allowed, who does not conform to this 
 regulation in every particular. 
 
 Invalids having piles or other infirmity, not always to be discovered by the in- 
 specting surgeon, who shall impose themselves upon recruiting officers as sound and 
 able-bodied men, shall previous to dismission be put into close confinement or other- 
 wise punished, at the discretion of a court-martial, as swindlers and imposters. 
 
 Whenever a recruit arrives at the post, garrison, station or depot to which a sur- 
 geon is attached, or joins the regiment or corps to which he belongs, it shall be his 
 duty forthwith to ascertain whether he has had the variolous or vaccine infection, and 
 if he has not, to see that he be vaccinated as soon as practicable ; and for this purpose 
 he shall constantly keep good matter on hand, making application to the Surgeon 
 General for a fresh supply as often as may be necessary." 
 
 Probably the retention in the foregoing regulations of the paragraph 
 forbidding officers of the Corps to engage in private practice will excite some 
 surprise. It certainly did at the time, for although it was originally incorpo- 
 rated with the regulations of 1814, it had never been enforced; in fact the 
 position of the frontier posts, and the comparative scarcity of physicians fifty 
 years ago, rendered it often an act of humanity for them to affi)rd professional 
 assistance to citizens living in the vicinity of the garrisons. After the distribu- 
 tion of these regulations Post Surgeon McMahon wrote to Doctor Lovell on the 
 subject, and the Surgeon Greneral replied "that the regulation forbidding army 
 surgeons to engage in private practice, was intended to prevent neglect of duty, 
 8*
 
 122 TIIK MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 by eiiteriiijr extremely into it. as well as an improper application of public 
 property which often occurred.'' There would be no objections to this practice, 
 provided the oflBcer desiring it would make an application to the Secretary of War, 
 through the Surgeon General, setting forth clearly the circumstances, in which 
 cjise especial authority would be granted. 
 
 On the first of November, 1818, the Surgeon General made his first report 
 to the Secretary of War on the sickness and mortiility in the army. From it 
 we learn that the total luimber of sick repoited for the quarter ending June 
 30th, was 1 ,929 ; of these 1 ,569 were either returned to duty or discharged 
 the service, 16 died, and 344 were remaining under treatment. The principal 
 dise;ises were, inflammatory fever (including slight cattarrhal afifections) 229 ; 
 venereal disease, 84; rheumatism, 93; diarrhoea and dysentery, 294; typhus 
 fever, 29; malarial fevers, 92 ; and wounds of all kinds, 153. The deaths were 
 chiefly due to excessive indulgence in drink, no less than three of them being 
 reported from one post. Of the ofiicers of the Corps, the Surgeon General says : 
 
 "With regard to the manner in which the several officers of the Medical Corps 
 have performed their duties, so far as I have been able to observe, they appear in 
 general disposed to a prompt and strict obedience to orders. Not having been hereto- 
 fore required to make such reports and returns, as will be necessary in future, some 
 time will probably be required to obtain them in a proper form and regular manner ; 
 particularly those relating to the nature and treatment of diseases, which can only 
 be described in general terms, while all their usefulness must depend on the respec- 
 tive surgeons. Those, however, of Doctor Gale of the Rifle Corps, and Post Surgeons 
 Mann, Stewart, Turner, and Mercer, are laudable exceptions to this remark. Some 
 few surgeons chiefly at the South have as yet neglected all orders, and unless good 
 reasons be assigned therefor, it will be necessary to adopt some means of enforcing 
 obedience, or to supply their places with those who are disposed to be more attentive 
 to duty. 
 
 Tlie Apothecary's Department labours under all the inconveniences consequent 
 upon irregularity and want of system, but both Doctor Le Barron and Doctor Cut- 
 bush, are well calculated for their duties, and 1 have no doubt will faithfully perform 
 them. Doctor Backus may make a useful assistant to the Apothecary General, but is 
 not at all calculated for an independent public agent." 
 
 Soon after making this report the Surgeon General was called upon by the 
 Hon. J. C Calhoun, Secretary of War, for recommendations for the improve- 
 ment of the Medical Department for submission to Congress. In reply he 
 wrote the following communication : 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 2l8t November, 1818. 
 Sik: 
 
 Since the new organization of the Medical Statf in April last, it has clearly 
 appeared that its concerns cannot be properly regulated, unless the allowances of its 
 officers are so far increased as to induce suitable persons to accept appointments in it, 
 and to remain nt least a few years in service.
 
 I
 
 FROM 1815 TO 1821. 123 
 
 Besides the impracticability of obtaining tlie necessary reports, returns, estimates, 
 etc., wiiile many if not most of the frontier posts are without regular surgeons, and 
 while the greater part of the staff is continually changing, I am convinced of the 
 impracticability of our materially lessening the expenses of the department, so long 
 as public property to a large amount is repeatedly transferred from one to another, and 
 is often necessarily in the charge of citizens, who will not,' and cannot become respon- 
 sible for it, or of those who know nothing of its nature ; for when it has once passed 
 out of the regular channel, it is entirely without the control of any accounting officer. 
 
 It has been estimated that by proper and efficient regulations, about ^50,000 per 
 annum may be saved; but in order to effect this, a medical commission must be 
 sufficiently valuable to enable the chief of the department to enforce obedience, by 
 rendering dismissal from service a serious penalty. Very few are to be found (and 
 these few are in general students, by no means qualified for the station) who will 
 serve on the frontier or at frontier posts for thirty or forty dollars per month, without 
 the expectation of promotion, or increase of pay; and none who will remain there long 
 enough to become acquainted with their duties. Of nineteen mates, thirteen have 
 been appointed within a few months; several have refused to accept, and some of 
 those who have accepted begin to apply for transfers or promotion. 
 
 Since, therefore, the good of the public service, without any reference to the 
 convenience of the officers, requires an increase of their allowances, that mode of 
 doing it will of course be preferable, which is best calculated to induce them to attach 
 themselves permanently to the army. 
 
 If the pay be increased to its maximum at once, it should not be less than sixty 
 dollars per month, and four rations per day to a regimental surgeon, fifty dollars per 
 month and three rations per day to a post surgeon, and forty-five dollars per month 
 and three rations per day to an assistant surgeon ; but from the propensity of all men 
 to become discontented with their present condition, unless they can look forward to 
 some improvement in it, though it be ever so small or even imaginary, the plan adopted 
 the British service of increasing the pay and emoluments in proportion to the time 
 they shall remain in service, would probably be much better. In this case the follow- 
 ing appear to be the lowest allowances that should be made : 
 
 To a regimental surgeon, fifty dollars per month and four rations per day, to a 
 post surgeon forty-five dollars per month and three rations per day, and to an assist- 
 ant surgeon forty dollars per month and three rations per day. The pay of a 
 regimental surgeon and assistant surgeon to be increased five dollars per month and 
 one ration per day for every three years, and that of post surgeon five dollars per 
 month, and one ration per day for every /ve years he shall remain in the sawie grade. 
 Post surgeons being attached to the Corps of artillery, are generally stationed at 
 convenient places along the seaboard, and therefore are more easily retained, whereas 
 the regimental staff require greater inducements to continue in service for any length 
 of time. The former plan would increase the expenses of the medical stafiF about 
 $20,000, and the latter not much above half that sum for several years ; so that 
 should it have the desired eflfect, it would not only secure a faithful performance of 
 duty, but actually save a large amount annually. 
 
 The number of surgeons is by no means sufficient ; for supposing them all con- 
 tinually on duty, (which can never be expected), there are many posts which must be 
 attended by citizens ; and when they leave their posts from sickness or other causes, 
 it is often impossible to supply their places. At least a surgeon is required at the 
 Military Academy, which is now attended by a post surgeon, and another assistant
 
 124 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 surgeon to the Light Artillery, which is the only regiment in service that has but one, 
 though from the nature of its duties it requires more than any other. 
 
 In order to enable the Surgeon General to superintend the disbursements of the 
 Medical Department, a law appears necessary authorizing the Apothecary General 
 and his assistants to purchase all medical supplies ; and requiring them to give the 
 usual bonds for the faithful application of public money. 
 
 Much inconvenience and delay and some additional expense have arisen from not 
 making letters and packages to and from the Surgeon General free from postage; and 
 these will be much increased now all returns, i-eports, etc., etc., are made to him. 
 
 These it is believed are the most important subjects connected with the Medical 
 Department, which require the aid of Congress." 
 
 Very respectfully, etc., 
 
 JOSEPH LOVELL, 
 
 Surgeon General.'' 
 
 A controversy having arisen in the winter of 1819 in reference to the 
 comparative rank of medical officers and their position in regard to choice of 
 quarters at the post where stationed, the War Department decided the questions 
 in dispute by the issue of the following order : 
 
 'ADJUTANT AND INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 March 22, 1819. 
 GENEaAL Orders: 
 
 The Medical Department of the army will be governed in their relative rank 
 as follows : 
 
 Surgeons of regiments will have precedence over post surgeons, and post surgeon.s 
 will have precedence of regimental mates; in their several grades, further reference 
 will be had to date of commission. 
 
 In the choice of quarters, the Medical Staff will have precedence of subalterns, 
 under the direction of the commanding officer, (who may always claim precedence of 
 those under his command). 
 
 Medical and hospital supplies are not to be detained or diverted from their desti- 
 nation, except by generals of division and commanding officers of departments, in 
 cases of emergence and absolute necessity, when a report will be promptly made to the 
 Adjutant and Inspector General, that further orders for deficiency may be given. 
 
 * * * * * * 
 
 By Order, D. PARKER, 
 
 Adjutant and Inspector General." 
 
 On the twenty-seventh of December, 1819, the Surgeon General again 
 called the attention of the Secretary of War to the importance of requiring the 
 officers of the purveying department to give bonds for the faithful performance 
 of their duties, and consequently on the eighth of May, 1820, Congress passed 
 the following act: 
 
 ''Be it enacted, etc., That the Apothecary General, and Assistant Apothecary 
 General shall severally give bonds to the United States with good and sufficient 
 security, for the faithful performance of their duties, in such sums as shall be required 
 by the Surgeon General of the army, under the direction of the War Department."
 
 FROM 1815 TO 1821. 125 
 
 The passage of the act of April 14, 1818, has generally been considered 
 as the commencement of the modern history of the Medical Corps. This is 
 true to the extent that from that date, by the appointment of a Surgeon Gene- 
 ral, and the assumption of direct authority over the officers by that official, a 
 great change was made in the responsibility of the Medical StafF, in their 
 accountability for public property, and in the collection and preservation of the 
 records pertaining to their duties. Nevertheless, the organization of the Depart- 
 ment was not essentially diffisrent from what it had been for many years before, 
 the only material change being the consolidation of the hospital and garrison 
 medical officers under the denomination of post surgeons. It was not until 
 the reduction of the army in 1821, that the Corps assumed the form which it 
 has retained without decided alteration to the present time. It has therefore 
 been thought better to close the history of the Department under the old regime 
 with the general reduction of the army in 1821, and the abrogation of regimental 
 medical officers. This event will be considered more in detail in the next chapter. 
 
 It^will be proper before doing so to give a brief statement, from such 
 information as is now attainable, of the expenses of the Medical Department 
 previous to this period, as a comparison of those with subsequent years will 
 be of value in estimating in one respect the relative efficiency of the different 
 organizations. Under the establishment of 1802, the average appropriation for 
 the Medical Department was ^13,500 per annum, or about $4.00 per man for 
 every soldier in service. With the increase of the army in 1808, the expenses 
 rose to $50,000 per annum, or about $5.00 per man. Of the cost of the 
 Department during the war no reliable figures have been found, but in the years 
 1816-18 under the military peace establishment of 1815, the appropriations 
 averaged $95,382 per annum, or $7.00 per man, while after the reorganization 
 of the Staff in 1818, they were reduced to $39,104 per annum, or only about 
 $3.00 for each soldier in service. Commenting on this great variation in the 
 expense of this branch of the Staff, Surgeon General Lovell remarks (Letter 
 to the Secretary of War, November 28, 1822): 
 
 ' ' In explanation of this great difference in expense it may Jbe proper to add that 
 a perfect system of responsibility for all public property from the period of its 
 purchase to that of its expenditure, has been established in this office; that the 
 returns of the surgeons, of every article, are regularly rendered and examined, and full 
 receipts required in the case of every transfer before their accounts are settled. This 
 with the plan of purchasing adopted, and of paying all bills without advancing money 
 absolutely precludes the possibility of fraud, extravagance or undue expenditure. It 
 may also be remarked, that during the last four years, our military hospitals have been 
 regularly and abundantly furnished with every article of furniture, medicine, stores, 
 etc., necessary for the comfort, convenience, and recovery of the sick, to which as well 
 as to the skill and attention of the surgeons, the quarterly reports bear ample testimony."
 
 126 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMV 
 
 PART III. 
 
 From the reorganization of the Corps in 1821, to the Declaration 
 OF War against Mexico. 
 
 The history of the Medical Corps during the period now to be considered 
 is not an eventful one ; yet probably at no time were the duties devolving upon 
 it so arduous and irksome, or performed under such discouraging circumstances. 
 The long series of years in which the government was engaged in the contests 
 with the Seminole and Creek Indians gave constant occupation to many medi- 
 cal officers at unhealthy stations in the cypress swamps and everglades of 
 Florida, but their reports pertain rather to the medical statistics of the army, 
 (which have already been published) than embrace any points of interest in 
 connection with its history. The organization of the Corps being satisfactorily 
 arranged, there was but little legislation in its behalf during the next twenty 
 years. The pages which follow, will consequently be chiefly devoted to a con- 
 sideration of the congressional legislation for the Department, with such extracts 
 from orders, reports, and returns received and issued during the period, as may 
 seem of historical interest, or be useful for future reference. 
 
 The act of Congress for the reduction of the army, was passed on the 
 second of March, 1821. By its provisions '' The Military Peace Establish- 
 ment of the United States," was fixed at four regiments of artillery, seven of 
 infantry, the corps of engineers and of topographical engineers, with such 
 general and staff officers as were nec&ssary. Regimentjil surgeons and mates 
 were dispensed with, and the offices of the assistant surgeon general, apothecary 
 general, and assistant apothecary abolished. Section x defined the future 
 Medical Staff as follows : 
 
 ^^ And be it further enacted, That the medical department shall consist of one 
 surgeon general, eight surgeons with the compensation of regimental surgeons, and 
 forty-five assistant surgeons, with the compensation of post surgeons." 
 
 In arranging the medical officers in compliance with the terms of this 
 bill, Assistant Surgeons General Watkins and Bronaugh, Apothecary General 
 Le Barron, and the two assistant apothecaries were discharged. The regimental 
 surgeons were transferred to the General SUifF as surgeons, and the post sur- 
 geons and regimental surgeon's mates were arranged as assistant surgeons to the
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. . 127 
 
 number allowed by law. Four post surgeons, viz : Benjamin Waterhouse, John 
 H. Sackett, William P. Marshall and William Sterne, and two regimental sur- 
 geon's mates, viz : Robert McMillan and Henry Stevenson, were discharged ; the 
 two latter were, however, subsequently reappointed assistant surgeons. 
 
 The following table of estimates for the Medical Department for the year 
 1822 will show the economy of management which existed at that period: 
 
 For Instruments, - - - - 
 
 Medicines, . _ . _ 
 
 Hospital Stores, _ . _ 
 
 Bedding, .... 
 
 Dressings, - . . . 
 
 Furniture for Dispensaries, - - . 
 
 Stationery, .... 
 
 Medical Books, - . . . 
 
 Vaccine Matter, - - - - 
 
 Store Rent, . . . . 
 
 Printing and Ruling Books, 
 
 Repairing Instruments, _ _ . 
 
 Boxes, Casks, etc., ... 
 
 Porters, Cartage, etc.. 
 
 Citizen Physicians, - - - 
 
 Medicines, etc., supplied by them, 
 
 Extra supplies for loss, miscarriage, etc., 
 
 Expense of sick soldiers for lodging, etc., - 
 
 Total estimate. 
 Probable balance after paying all bills of 1821, 
 Appropriation required for 1822, 
 
 To this should be added the following estimate of the expenses of the 
 Surgeon Greneral's Office: 
 
 For Clerk hire, ----- 
 Wood (15 Cords at 6 dollars per cord), - 
 Stationery, 
 
 Printing blanks, etc., - . - 
 
 Contingencies, - - - - 
 
 Total, - - $1,540 00 
 
 This was an average of about two dollars and fifty cents per man, for each 
 soldier in service, being less than it had ever been since the organization of the 
 army, notwithstanding that the extra expenses of the new establishment were 
 $4,450 per annum. During the next few years the appropriations averaged 
 from twenty-five to thirty thousand dollars, being expended for essentially the 
 same items as are noted in the above table. 
 
 $2,130 00 
 
 6,500 00 
 
 8,620 00 
 
 3,888 00 
 
 1,500 00 
 
 1,000 00 
 
 500 00 
 
 300 00 
 
 300 00 
 
 1,000 00 
 
 600 00 
 
 250 00 
 
 1,200 00 
 
 400 00 
 
 2,500 00 
 
 800 00 
 
 3,000 00 
 
 600 00 
 
 $34,988 00 
 
 12,000 00 
 
 22,988 00 
 
 $1,150 00 
 
 90 00 
 
 150 00 
 
 100 00 
 
 50 00
 
 r 
 
 4 
 
 128 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 At this time the whole country was divided into two militai-y departments ; 
 the western, comprising all west of a line drawn from the southernmost point 
 of East Florida to the northwest extremity of Lake Superior, taking in the 
 whole of Tennessee and Kentucky, and the eastern all east of that line. The 
 troops were healthy in the eastera division, except at Forts Severn and Moultrie, 
 but in the western, which embraced the Gulf posts, yellow and malarial fevers, 
 and diarrhoea were very prevalent, so much so in fact as to attract the attention 
 of the General-in-Chief, who on the tenth of May, 1823, issued the following 
 order : 
 
 'ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 May 10, 1823. 
 Obpebs, No. 32. 
 
 The Major General has also noticed with great solicitude, the number of sick 
 which have been and continue to be reported in some of the regiments. 
 
 To preserve the health of the troops is an object of the highest importance, and 
 experience proves that it can only be attained at some of the Southern posts 
 by the greatest care and attention. To ensure it however, more eflFectually, the com- 
 manding officers of Departments are directed, as they may deem expedient, to cause 
 the temporary removal of any of the garrisons and their encampment during the hot 
 and sickly months, at such positions in the vicinity of their respective posts, as may 
 be less exposed to the prevailing diseases of that season. 
 
 By order of Major General Brown." 
 
 The question of the choice of quarters having again been brought to the 
 notice of the Department, General Orders, No. 36, of this same year directed, 
 that " in the selection of quarters, Surgeons shall have choice next after Majors, 
 Assistant Surgeons who have served ten years, with Captains, those who have 
 served five years, with First Lieutenants, and those who have served less than 
 five years, with Second Lieutenants." 
 
 In 1825 a new edition of the Medical Regulations was issued. It was, 
 however, essentially the same as that of 1818, the alterations being chiefly in 
 phraseology so as to conform to the new designation of the medical officers. 
 The duties assigned to the Assistant Surgeons General in the regulations of 
 1818, were given to Medical Directors of Departments, and those of the 
 Apothecary General and his assistants, to the officers who might be detailed in 
 the Purveying Department. The only important addition was a paragraph to 
 the effect that in future no person should receive an appointment as assistant 
 surgeon until after examination by a board c>f three medical officers, to be 
 detailed by the Surgeon General, but it does not seem that this was put into 
 practical operation until aftr the issue of General Orders, No. 58, of July 7, 
 1832, which defined the requisites for appointment; at least there are no records
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 129 
 
 of the appointment of any boards previous to that time. From the time of 
 the reorganization of the army in 1821, all persons desiring appointment as 
 medical officers made application to the Secretary of War, through the Surgeon 
 General, enclosing certificates of their being licensed to practice by some respect- 
 able medical association or college. Where there were a large number of 
 applicants, preference was usually given to those who came from states from 
 which none had been previously chosen. Thus in February, 1826, a certain 
 Doctor Benedict having applied for the position of assistant surgeon was notified 
 that there were upwards of one hundred applications on file, of which one- 
 fourth were from New York, and that as the applicant was from that state, there 
 would be no prospect of a favorable consideration of his claim. About the 
 same time a gentleman from Connecticut was informed that as he was the only 
 applicant from that state, his desires would be favorably entertained on the 
 occurrence of a vacancy. The only other important addition to the regula- 
 tions was a clause that surgeons and assistant surgeons might be appointed 
 Judge Advocates of General Courts-Martial, but were not eligible for detail as 
 members of either general, garrison or regimental courts. 
 
 Up to the close of 1825 there had been no definite rule relative to the 
 assignment of medical officers to duty, and as many of the southern and 
 western posts were very undesirable as compared with those at the north, there 
 were continual applications for changes of station which embarrassed the 
 Surgeon General, and rendered some fixed regulation on the subject advisable. 
 There was so much dissatisfaction in the Corps about this matter, that on the 
 fourteenth of November the Surgeon General addressed the following letter to 
 the Secretary of War: 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 November 14, 1825. 
 Sir: 
 
 In consequence of the frequent applications from the surgeons for change of 
 station, the difficulty of deciding upon their several cases, and the discontent of many 
 of those whose requests cannot be complied with, or who are removed from their 
 posts, I have to propose that some permanent regulation be established on the subject. 
 The following is believed to be the least objectionable, both in reference to the sur- 
 geons and the public service, viz: That the senior surgeons and assistant surgeons 
 shall respectively have choice of stations, on written application through the Surgeon 
 General, specifying the posts preferred ; but no surgeon can claim the right of removal 
 from any post or section of country, unless he shall have served there for two suc- 
 cessive years, nor any one be liable to removal from his post on such application, 
 unless he shall have been stationed there for the same period. 
 
 As several changes will probably take place on the first establishment of this 
 regulation, which the limited number of medical officers may render inconvenient, it 
 is recommended that no case be decided on until six months after its promulgation, in 
 order that applications may be received from the remote posts. 
 9
 
 130 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 It should also be understood, that surgeons are to be confined in their selections 
 to such stations or regiments as have been, or may hereafter be designated. Tliese at 
 present are West Point, New York, Fortress Monroe, and the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 0th and 
 7th regiments of infantry. 
 
 This regulation will not of course prevent the officers of the Medical Staff from 
 being ordered to any station where their service may be specially required, the public 
 interest being in all cases paramount to the convenience of individuals. 
 
 Respectfully, etc., 
 
 JOSEPH LOVELL, 
 
 Surgeon General'' 
 
 In accordance with this .sujjg^^estion the following order was issued by the 
 War Department: 
 
 "ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 Washington, December 14, 1825. 
 Obdkks, No. 84. 
 
 I. Senior surgeons and assistant surgeons shall respectively have choice of sta- 
 tions on written application through the Surgeon General, specifying the regiment or 
 post preferred ; but no surgeon or assistant can claim the right of removal from any 
 post or station of country, unless he shall have served there for two successive years; 
 nor shall any one be liable to removal from his post on such application, unless he 
 shall have been stationed there for the same period. 
 
 II. This regulation shall not be construed as to prevent the competent authority 
 from ordering officers of the Medical Staff to any station where their services may be 
 specially required. 
 
 By order of Major Genekal Brown." 
 
 Immediately after the promulgation of this order the Surgeon General 
 issued the following circular to the Medical Staff: 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 December Iti, 1825. 
 Sir: 
 
 I am directed by the Secretary of War to transmit a copy of the regulation of the 
 14th inst., and to state that it will not be acted on until six months after promulgation, 
 in order that applications may be received from those stationed at the remote posts. 
 
 Each surgeon and assistant surgeon will specify several regiments or posts in the 
 order in which he may prefer them, as the same station may be applied for by more 
 than one. The necessary changes will be made as soon after the expiration of the 
 period above mentioned as the number of the Medical Staff and the exigencies of the 
 service will permit, the senior applicant always having the preference under similar 
 circumstances. I am also directed to state that the surgeons will be confined in their 
 selections to West Point, Fortress Monroe, and the regiments of infantry ; but it will 
 of course depend upon the distribution of the troops for the time being, to which 
 regiments they shall be attached, there not being a sufficient number to supply the 
 whole. 
 
 The assistant surgeons will be assigned as follows: To Forts Sullivan, Preble, 
 Constitution, Independence, Trumbull, Wolcott, Wood, Columbus, Lafayette, Delaware,
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 131 
 
 McHenry. Washington, Monroe, Johnson, Moultrie, St. Philip, Armstrong, Crawford, 
 Snelling, Howard and Niagara, the Arsenals at Pittsburgh, Richmond and Augusta, 
 Savannah, St Augustine, New Orleans, Petites Coquilles, Mackinac, Detroit and 
 Sackett's Harbour each one. To Fort Brady, the first and sixth infantry each two; 
 the fourth and seventh infantry each three; subject however to such alterations as 
 may be made necessary by changes in the position of the troops. 
 
 The persons newly appointed or promoted will be ordered to the post or station 
 which shall have become vacant, unless it may have been previously applied for, or 
 the public interest renders a different arrangement advisable. And every surgeon 
 and assistant surgeon will be liable at all times to receive orders for any post which 
 he may have designated unless he shall have withdrawn his application. 
 
 Respectfully, etc., 
 
 JOSEPH LOVELL, 
 
 Surgeon General.^^ 
 
 Two trials by court-martial which took place about this time excited gene- 
 ral interest among the members of the Medical Staff, involving as they did 
 questions of the gravest consequence as to the responsibilities of surgeons in 
 the performance of official duties, and the jurisdiction of courts-martial com- 
 posed of non-professional individuals over questions purely surgical in their 
 character. The facts of one case were as follows : 
 
 On the second of July, 1825, Lieutenant E. B. G , second infantry, 
 
 reported himself to Doctor Beaumont, post surgeon at Fort Niagara, with the 
 request that he would examine his arm, as it was so sore he could not wear his 
 uniform coat. He had been bled on the twenty-first of June and returned to 
 duty, but neglecting to perform it complaints were made to the commanding 
 officer, which resulted in his again reporting sick on the date above mentioned. 
 Doctor Beaumont could find nothing the matter with his arm, and told him so, 
 but as he insisted on being taken on sick report, this was done. Nevertheless, 
 two days after he was well enough to go with a large party on an excursion from 
 the post, but on the sixth of July again reported sick. The surgeon, suspect- 
 ing that he was malingering, gave him a mixture composed of twenty grains of 
 calomel and six of tartar-emetic ; but finding him out in a rain storm the same 
 afternoon, struck him from sick report and reported him to the commanding 
 officer. He was then placed in arrest and tried on the charge of malingering 
 and neglect of duty. Doctor Beaumont testified to all the facts as above 
 narrated, as did also others who were cognizant of them, and the court found 
 him guilty and sentenced him to be dismissed the service. The President 
 disapproved the action of the court, and in his review of the proceedings ani- 
 madverted in very severe terms on the conduct and testimony of Doctor 
 Beaumont. On the eighth of May, 1826, the latter applied for a Court of 
 Inquiry, but this being refused, in the following fall he published a pamphlet to
 
 132 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 the army, in which he stated all the circumstances of the case, and vindicated 
 himself from the strictures contained in General Orders, No. 9, February 18, 
 1826, promulgating the proceedings of the Court -Martial on Lieutenant 
 
 G . In this appeal, after detailing the facts of his connection with 
 
 G and recapitulating the evidence given before the court, he thus 
 
 defends the propriety of his giving the emetico-cathartic, a circumstance which 
 had formed the basis of the President's strictures in his review of the 
 proceedings : 
 
 " Resolved never to be made the tacit medium of deception, nor the convenient 
 organ of official falsehood, I determined neither to let the case pass unnoticed, or waive 
 my duty of making a correct report to the commanding officer. Viewing this case as 
 
 novel and unprecedented, artfully calculated to evade proof, and requiring 
 
 more than ordinary means and management for detection, I consulted my duty to 
 government and my professional character only and at once resolved upon the course 
 to be pursued, fully aware of the delicacy and difficulties of deciding judiciously 
 upon the first case of feigned sickness in an officer, that had ever occurred within the 
 sphere of my official duty. I assumed the responsibility considered the case adopted 
 my plan of treatment, which was to soothe his agitation threw him off his guard by 
 affecting to believe his declaration ; prescribing at the same time an emetico-cathartic of 
 well-known, infallible and decided effects, when taken. The first in two minutes com- 
 pletely removed his agitation, which was the single and only apparent deviation from 
 perfect and tranquil health ; the medicine I left with him to take at discretion, should 
 his non-descript sensations continue, which bye the bye, never after happened to be 
 observable, until the time of his trial; the medicine I am confident was not taken, 
 never having been in the least visible upon close observation for two days. * * * * 
 Whether the plan adopted, either in a moral or professional point of view be justi- 
 fiable or not, I leave for medical men, and candid judges to decide; it was salutary, 
 
 and had the intended eflfect of returning Lieut. G to his duty without prejudice 
 
 to his health- or constitution; neither is it of very great moment with me, whether a 
 successful experiment be of less or more than doubtful propriety, that speedily restores 
 a soldier from the sick report to the effective service of the government, be he private, 
 non-com. OT commissioned of&cer ; neither do I think it of very great consequence, 
 whether it be done secundem artem, secundem naturam, or terrorem, provided it be well 
 done. It may not be amiss here to remark, that so far from having administered a 
 medicine of violent operation to a man whom I then believed (and have ever since) 
 
 to be in full health, I neither required Lt. G to take, believed he did take, or 
 
 had any intention of taking the medicine left with him ; but on the contrary believe he 
 studied to deceive by pretending to have taken it, and then representing its eflFects ; it 
 was impossible to prove he did not feel those strange indescribable sensations; but I know 
 he could not disguise the eflFects of the medicine if taken with this view I prescribed 
 the calomel and emetic tartar ; neither was he receiving my professional advice, inas- 
 much as I had offered him none, either medical, or political, therefore it must have 
 been close observatioti and my Morning Report of the 8th of July, that tested his dis- 
 position and the insincerity of his complaints. 
 
 And no consideration can ever warp my mind from its fixed principles of acting 
 honestly and independently in the discharge of its relative duties. Should I again, a 
 hundred times be placed in a similar situation, I would do as in this case I have done ;
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 133 
 
 fearless of censure, reproach, or temporary discredit regai'ding far more the sanctity of 
 an oath, than either the applause, or disapprobation of the highest earthly tribunal 
 considering Integrity, Faithfulness and Fidelity to my God, my Conscience and my Country 
 paramount to every other consideration." 
 
 The second case is of interest, being the trial of a medical officer 
 on charges of malpractice in the performance of his ordinary professional 
 duties, and so far as the public records show, the only one occurring in the 
 
 history of the Corps. On the fifth of March, 1827, Assistant Surgeon T 
 
 S. B was arraigned before a General Court-Martial, convened at Fort 
 
 Howard, Wisconsin, on the following charges and specifications : 
 
 "Charge I. Malpractice, and incompetency to the practical duties of his profession. 
 
 Specification \st. In this; that on or about the 9th day of February, 1827, at, or 
 
 near Fort Howard, Green Bay, Michigan Territory, Assistant Surgeon T S. 
 
 B , U. S. Army, did improperly and injudiciously apply to the left leg and thigh 
 
 of private John Mackay, "H" company, 2nd U. S. Infantry, the splints and dressings 
 commonly used by surgeons for fractures of the thigh and leg, to wit: First, the com- 
 mon bandage, pads, straps, and two rigid splints below the knee ; Secondly, three 
 long splints four inches wide and four lines thick, extending from the hip and pro- 
 jecting beyond the heel, closely confined by strings, with counter-extending straps 
 drawn painfully tight round the ankle of said leg, and firmly fastened to the project- 
 ing ends of these long splints, the upper end of which pressed so forcibly against the 
 flesh and bones of the pubis and hip joint as to occasion great distress for two days 
 or more, when there was no occasion for any splints, there being no other injury done 
 to the said limb, than that of a simple contusion of the muscles and skin of the leg; 
 thereby clearly showing his want of correct practical knowledge, and incompetency 
 to the duties of his profession. 
 
 Specification 2nd. In this; that on or about the 9th day of February, 1827, at, 
 or near Fort Howard, Green Bay, Michigan Territory, the said Assistant Surgeon 
 
 T S. B , having had sufficient time and ample opportunity for examination 
 
 and reflection upon the nature and extent of an injury done to the left leg of private 
 John Mackay, "H" company, 2nd U. S. Infantry, aforesaid, by the kick of an ox, or 
 ^ otherwise, on or about the 8th day of February, 1827, did contrary to every rule of 
 operative surgery, and the principles of modern practice, then and there wrongfully 
 apply to the left leg and thigh of private John Mackay, aforesaid, and did uselessly 
 and unnecessarily keep the said leg and thigh rigidly and painfully confined in the 
 splints and bandages commonly used by surgeons for a fnactured thigh and leg, for 
 two days or more, merely for a simple contusion of the skin and muscles of the leg, 
 thereby occasioning unnecessary pain and distress to said private John Mackay, and 
 disclosing gross ignorance of the practice of surgery, and manifest incompetency to 
 the duties of his profession. 
 
 Specification Srd. In this ; that on or about the 9th day of February, 1827, at, 
 
 or near Fort Howard, Green Bay, Michigan Territory, said Assistant Surgeon T 
 
 S. B , did erroneously apply to, and rigidly and painfully confine the left ankle 
 
 and foot of private John Mackay, aforesaid, in straps and bandages so tightly drawn 
 around the said ankle, for two days or more (under the pretence of extending the 
 muscles of said leg, as is usual with surgeons in oblique fractures of the bones) as to 
 cause much pain and an obstinate stiffness and lameness of the said ankle joint, for
 
 134 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 two or three months or more, when there was not the least occasion for such pinictice, 
 there being no other injury done to said limb than that of a simple contusion of the 
 flesh upon the shin, thereby occasioning unnecessary pain and distress to the saitl 
 
 John Mackay, aforesaid, from mere incompetence in the said Assistant Surgeon T 
 
 S. B , aforesaid, to form a correct judgement of the said injury, or to apply the 
 
 proper means of relief. 
 
 Specification Ath. In this; that he, the said Assistant Surgeon T S. B , 
 
 U. S. A., on or about the 8th day of February, 1827, at, or near Fort Howard, Green 
 Bay, Michigan Territory, did injudiciously fipply to the neck and face of Private John 
 Mackay, "H" company, 2nd U. S. Infantry, a piece of rigid pasteboard, six or eight 
 inches long and three or four inches wide, the upper edge embracing the under jaw 
 from ear to ear, and the other edge pressing upon the breast, and did there rigidly 
 and worse than uselessly, confine it two days or more, to the pain and inconvenience 
 of said Mackay, when there was no sufficient reason for so dressing him. 
 
 Charge II. Neglect of duty. 
 
 Specification l^ In this; that on or about the 8th day of February, 1827, at, or 
 
 near Fort Howard. Green Bay, Michigan Territory, Assistant Surgeon T S. 
 
 B , U. S. A., did neglect properly to examine an injury done by the kick of an 
 
 ox, or otherwise, to the limbs of private John Mackay, "H" company, 2nd U. S. 
 Infantry, on or about the 8th day of February, 1827, and did also neglect to ascertain 
 the real nature and extent of said injury, or to apply the proper means and dressings 
 for the relief of the said John Mackay, aforesaid, thereby failing to administer the 
 necessary surgical aid, and neglecting the duty required of him as a surgeon. 
 
 Specification 2nd. In this; that on or about the 9th day of February, 1827, at, 
 
 or near Fort Howard, Green Bay, Michigan Territory, Assistant Surgeon T S. 
 
 B aforesaid, after having had sufficient time, and ample opportunity to ascertain 
 
 the nature and extent of an injury done to pinvate John Mackay, " H"' company, 2nd 
 U. S. Infantry, by the kick of an ox, or otherwise, on the 8th day of Febiiuiry, 1827, 
 did neglect properly to examine the said injury, and did fail to apply the means of 
 relief required of him as assistant surgeon, in consequence of which neglect and failure 
 the said John Mackay suffered much unnecessary pain an<l distress for two days or 
 more, between the 8th and 11th days of February, 1827." 
 
 There were other charges and specifications, but they related to matters for- 
 eign to the above case, and have no interest at the present time. Doctor B 
 
 plcjid not guihy, but the court found him guilty of the first three specifications 
 to the first charge, with the exception of those portions which charged him 
 with incompetency, and not guilty of the fourth specification. Of the first 
 charge he was found guilty of " malpractice," but not guilty of " incompetency 
 to the duties of hw profession." He was found guilty of both the second 
 charge and its specifications, and sentenced " to be dismissed the service of the 
 United States;" and the court, "in consequence of his inexperience do recom- 
 mend him to the mercy of the President." 
 
 In consequence of the department commander having increased and reor- 
 ganized the court, by an order subscfjuent to the date when it convened and 
 after testimony had been taken, President Adams disapproved the proceedings,
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 135 
 
 , without any comment on the merits of the case, and Doctor B was re- 
 turned to duty. The trial, however, excited considei'able discussion at the time, 
 from the fact that a court composed entirely of line officers, and upon which the 
 Medical Corps was not (and under existing regulations could not be) repre- 
 sented, was called on to decide a purely surgical question. 
 
 During the last yeai-s of this decade and the first of the succeeding one, a 
 reform in the pay and emoluments allowed to medical officers became the subject 
 of inquiry in Congress, and of general interest throughout the army. It wag 
 generally thought that their case was one of peculiar hardship. A large pro- 
 portion of them were stationed at southern and frontier posts where the expenses 
 of living were very great, many of them had large families to support, they 
 were deprived by the regulations of the privilege of increasing their incomes 
 by means of private practice, and their compensation remained at the same 
 standard at which it had been fixed by the acts of the twelfth of April, 1808, 
 and the thirtieth of March, 1814, while the nature of their duties had been 
 greatly changed by subsequent enactments, and the cost of all the necessaries 
 of life had increased. A bill to increase the pay of captains and subalterns 
 of the line was passed March 2, 1827, but although the subject was twice 
 favorably reported by the Military Committee of the Senate, no action was taken 
 in reference to the Medical Corps. The result was that resignations were 
 becoming so frequent as seriously to impair the efficiency of the sei-vice, for it 
 was found impossible to retain men of high professional standing and experience 
 on the miserable pittance of forty-five dollars a month for surgeons and forty 
 for assistant surgeons, and without any hope of a future increase by means of 
 promotion. As early as the twenty-eighth of December, 1826, Doctor Lovell 
 submitted a report on the subject to the Secretary of War, of which the fol- 
 lowing is a copy : 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 December 28, 1826. 
 Sir: 
 
 In reply to the inquiry whether it be expedient to graduate the pay of the sur- 
 geons and assistant surgeons of the army in proportion to the length of time they 
 may have been in service, I beg leave to remark that forty-five or nine-tenths of the 
 whole number are of the latter class, and of course can receive only the lowest grade 
 of pay at any period and under any circumstances. The eight surgeons receive but 
 five dollars per month and one ration per day more than the assistant surgeons, which 
 therefore constitutes the only difference between the oldest surgeon and the youngest 
 assistant, while the senior assistant who has been upwards of twenty years in service, 
 and is among the oldest officers in the army, receives the same pay that he did on his 
 first appointment in 1806, although an additional ration has within a few years been 
 allowed to every other subaltern officer. It is believed this principle is adopted in 
 relation to the Medical Department in every other service except our own ; and it is
 
 136 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 manifestly applicable to it in a special manner, because in no other profession is per- 
 sonal experience of such vital importance. 
 
 When a senior officer of the General Staff or of the line is removed, his place is 
 immediately supplied by one who is nearly if not quite his equal, and the case is the 
 same in the several promotions that take place down to the cadet who fills the last 
 vacancy, and whose duties are adapted to his years; but the medical graduate who 
 succeeeds the experienced surgeon must at once assume all his duties and responsi- 
 bilities, and have the sole care of the health and lives of the corps or garrison to 
 which he may be attached, and the charge is often a serious one to those stationed 
 beyond the reach of all other advice. 
 
 Upwards of three-fourths of the present assistant surgeons have been appointed 
 within the last eight years, besides many others who have from time to time resigned 
 during that period ; and as the prospect of a moderate increase of pay would no 
 doubt retain in the army much of the experience purchased at its expense, it would 
 not only be fair and just towards those by whom this experience is possessed, but it 
 is believed a full equivalent would be received by the public. For the actual expense 
 of recruiting, transporting to most of the military posts, and preparing one or two 
 new men to supply the places of those who may have been lost from unskilful treat- 
 ment is fully equal to the additional pay of the experienced surgeon, who has been 
 compelled to retire to private practice in consequence of being unable to meet his 
 growing expenses. The reasonableness of this increase will further appear if the 
 surgeon be compared with other officers, whose pay is about the same. The captain 
 for example receives fifty-eight dollars per month, and the assistant surgeon fifty-two; 
 they have each one servant, and the same allowance of fuel, quarters, etc., and the 
 latter if he actually keep horses in service is also allowed eight dollars per month in 
 lieu of forage, which is generally not more than sufficient to meet the additional 
 expense ; so that in point of fact the captain receives six dollars per month more 
 than the assistant surgeon, and but five dollars per month less than the full surgeon 
 towards defraying his necessary and personal expenses. It is moreover perfectly well 
 known that even a subaltern officer can, and actually does in almost every case, live 
 more conveniently and comfortably than the surgeon, in consequence of the various 
 little offices performed by his men when off duty, all of which are a direct charge 
 upon the latter. But the important difference between the captain and the surgeon 
 is, that the pay of the latter is invariably the same, while the former is constantly 
 advancing to promotion in rank and emoluments. The commission of the oldest 
 captain (who however is Adjutant General with the pay of a colonel) is of July, 1812, 
 and that of the oldest assistant surgeon is of March, 1806, a difference of six years. 
 
 But four assistant surgeons have been promoted in ten years, with the additional 
 pay of only eleven dollars per month, without the possibility of a further increase, 
 while in the same period thirteen captains have been promoted to be majors, and 
 nineteen lieutenant colonels and colonels in their respective grades. Nor has regular 
 promotion been considered sufficient for the officers of the General Staff, and of the 
 line, and therefore they receive brevet commissions for every ten years of service, and 
 are often entitled to all the advantages of these commissions previous to their pro- 
 motion. They are moreover entitled to double rations when on separate command, 
 and are frequently on staff and other duties by which their compensation is materially 
 increased, while the surgeon can in no case receive any additional allowance either on 
 accountof his situation, the extent or importance of his duties, or his length of service. 
 
 The surgeons are not only confined to their original pay whatever may be the
 
 PROM 1821 TO 1846. 137 
 
 necessary increase of tlieir expenses as they advance in life, but they are more con- 
 stantly on duty than any other officer in service. For the number being barely sufficient 
 to supply the several posts, they are seldom permitted to leave their stations, as no one 
 else can perform their duties ; and they are thus sometimes compelled in urgent cases 
 to hire a substitute at their own expense, while at most of the interior posts even this 
 is impracticable, and hence some have been on daily duty for ten years ; whereas an 
 officer of the line can at once be relieved by the next in command or his place be sup- 
 plied by one of the same grade. This is a consideration of no inconsiderable import- 
 ance not only comparatively in relation to others, but positively in relation to the 
 surgeon himself; for cases have occurred where all the officers of a post have been 
 repeatedly changed on account of their ill health, while the surgeon has been com- 
 pelled to remain at the sacrifice not only of his health, but in more than -one instance 
 of his life; and a standing order has even been issued that he shall in no case be so 
 far from the garrison that he could not be called on in case of accident. 
 
 The present compensation, especially of the assistant surgeons, is obviously incom- 
 petent to the comfortable support of those who are somewhat advanced in life; 
 although quite sufficient on their first appointment. They are allowed but one ser- 
 vant, and one room with the necessary fuel, and hence they are often under the 
 necessity of applying a considerable portion of their pay to these objects, leaving but 
 four or five hundred dollars for all the other expenses of their families, out of which 
 they are compelled to meet considerable additional expenses incident to their com- 
 missions, which are of course never incurred by a retired and economical private 
 individual. 
 
 To these considerations it may be proper to add that the surgeon is required 
 to be a regular medical graduate in order to become a candidate for appointment and 
 that all the expenses of a liberal education generally including a collegiate and a 
 medical course are paid by himself; while the cadet is prepared for service at the 
 public expense, and therefore while the latter is in some measure refunding an advance 
 the former ought to receive a reasonable consideration on account of his own 
 investment. 
 
 Should it be deemed advisable to graduate the pay of surgeons on this principle, 
 the following ratio of increase is respectfully submitted for consideration, viz: that 
 in lieu of the monthly pay and rations as at present allowed, the assistant surgeons 
 should receive forty dollars per month and two rations per day, and the surgeons 
 fifty-five dollars per month and five rations per day on their first appointment ; with 
 an increase of five dollars per month and one ration per day for every three years they 
 shall have served in their respective grades, provided that in no case shall the increase 
 to the assistant surgeon exceed ten dollars per month and two rations per day, or that 
 of tlie surgeon five dollars per month and one ration per day ; and it will at once be 
 perceived that nearly nine-tenths of the whole number will necessarily be confined 
 within the first limits for life, as but eight can expect promotion in twenty years, or 
 arrive at the highest rate under twenty-six years, which with the number that from 
 the ordinary incidents of the service will always be at the lowest rate and receive the 
 same compensation as at present will make about an average increase of ten dollars 
 per month and one ration per day, which would amount to the same as has been pro- 
 posed for captains when in command of their companies. 
 
 Very respectfully, etc., 
 
 JOSEPH LOVELL, 
 
 Surgeon General, U. S. A." 
 9*
 
 138 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 In the following session of Congress a bill was introduced into the House 
 of Representatives graduating the pay of medical officers on the plan above 
 proposed, but no action was taken on it. In consequence of the numerous 
 petitions on the subject, not only from the Medical Staff but also from line 
 officers,'the Senate on the eleventh of December, 1828. passed a resolution of 
 inquiry, which being referred to Surgeon General Lovell, that officer addressed 
 an elaborate review of the case to the Hon. Thomas H. Benton, chairman of the 
 Senate Military Committee. Still, although bills were introduced into both 
 houses providing for an increase of pay, they failed to meet favorable consideni- 
 tion for several years. In his annual report for 1831, Hon. Lewis Cass, Secre- 
 tary of War, says: 
 
 " We have sixty-four military stations and recruiting stations requiring surgeons, 
 and we have in service but fifty-three surgeons and assistants. There is no economy 
 in the present management, nor is it advantageous to the public interest. An increase 
 of the Corps as recommended by the Surgeon General is evidently required. The 
 considerations urged by him for an addition to the pay of surgeons and assistants are 
 certainly forcible. There is no portion of the army whose compensation is so inade- 
 quate, nor is there any which presents less prospects of reward. There are but two 
 grades of rank in our medical service, and the emolument of the highest is but little 
 superior to that of a captain." 
 
 And again in the following year he says : 
 
 "There is probably no class of officers under the government whose compensation 
 is more inadequate to their service than that of the Medical Staff of the Army. There 
 are but two grades, surgeon and assistant surgeon, in the Corps, and the pay of the 
 former is forty-five dollars a month, and the pay of the latter forty dollars a month. 
 The prospects of gradual and continued promotion held out to the other officers of the 
 army, is a powerful incentive to good conduct, and when realized becomes its just 
 reward. Of this the medical officers are deprived, for the slight difference in rank, 
 and pay at present existing is scarcely worthy of consideration; the nature of their 
 profession requiring time, experience and pecuniary means for its acquisition; the 
 responsible and arduous services demanded of them; the relation, not always a 
 pleasant one, in which they stand to the line of the army; and I may add in justice 
 to this meritorious class of officers their general capacity, respectability and good 
 conduct, entitle them to a higher rate of compensation, and I indulge the hope that 
 their claims may be favorably considered." 
 
 To show how deeply the unfortunate condition of the Medical StaflF had 
 excited the attention and sympathy of the army at large, the following petition 
 is selected from a large number that were presented to Congress during the 
 years in which this question was agitated. It was made by the officers of the 
 third and seventh regiments of infantry : 
 " To the Honorable the Senate, etc., 
 
 The undersigned officers of the Army of the United States, deeply impressed with 
 a sense of the value and importance of the services of the Medical Staff, and impelled 
 by the friendly interest which the peculiar nature of their duties so naturally awa-
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 139 
 
 kens in our minds, respectfully beg leave to make to your honorable body such 
 representation in their behalf as we believe to be in consonance with the attributes of 
 justice, and therefore best calculated to ensure on the part of your honorable body, 
 the most favorable consid'eration touching their present condition. It is one of the 
 cardinal principles flowing from our form of government and resulting from the 
 genius of our institutions, that the rate of compensation shall always be in a direct 
 ratio to the value of the services rendered ; and taking this principle for our guide, 
 we believe it may be safely averred that the Medical Staff of the army labor 
 under peculiar disadvantages, and that independent of certain oppressive disabilities 
 incidentally connected with the tenure of their appointment as medical officers, a 
 spirit of justice calls for further legislative provision with reference to their pay and 
 emoluments. It is not our design to touch upon details, or to anticipate that liberal 
 spirit which has ever influenced your honorable body, by proposing any specific 
 increase of compensation. 
 
 All the information necessary on the subject of the relative emoluments of the 
 several branches of the army, is presumed to be in the possession of your honorable 
 body, but we should not do justice to the subject did we fail to present for your con- 
 sideration some facts of primary importance which we would fain hope may not fail 
 to sustain our petition, and induce your aquiescence. 
 
 We regard it as a leading defect of the present system of the organization of the 
 Medical Staff, that the same services are rendered by all of its members, that they 
 severally incur the same responsibilities, but receive unequal amounts of pay, etc. ; 
 that there is an absence of that great stimulus to human exertion, the prospect of 
 bettering their condition by a graduated increase of emoluments having reference to 
 length of service, a defect which is found in no other branch of the service, and which 
 is believed to be seriously detrimental to its best interest. 
 
 It is to be presumed from the vital importance to the efficiency of the army which 
 results from the employment of well educated members of the medical profession, that 
 in the legislative provision made for their support, there would be found sufficient 
 inducement to retain them permanently in service. Yet from the inadequacy of their 
 compensation with reference to their real, necessities, the disproportionate rate of 
 compensation between themselves and officers of assimilated rank, but more especially 
 to the lucrative practice of the profession in civil life, it follows that resignations are 
 for the most part confined to that class which is best calculated to give efficiency to the 
 service, and respectability to the medical profession. Among the regulations which 
 have been deemed necessary for the government of the Medical Staff, there are a 
 number which are singularly oppressive and from the operation of which all other 
 branches of the service are exempt. From their limited number they are subjected 
 to do duty even when under arrest ; they cannot receive the indulgence of a furlough 
 unless they provide a substitute to discharge their duties except by the special sanc- 
 tion of the Secretary of War, and are moreover debarred the advantages of private 
 practice, subject to the same restrictions. We therefore pray that their compensa- 
 tion may be placed on such a footing, as your honorable body on consideration of the 
 subject, may deem correspondent to their services." 
 
 Notwithstanding these and other urgent appeals it was not until the 
 thirtieth of June, 1834, that Congress finally passed a bill "Increasing and 
 regulating the pay of the Surgeons and Assistant Surgeons of the Army." 
 This bill was as follows :
 
 140 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 "Section I. Be it enacted, etc., That from and after the passing of this act, no 
 person shall receive the appointment of assistant surgeon of the army of the United 
 States, unless he shall have been examined and approved by an Army Medical Board, 
 to consist of not less than three surgeons or assistant surgeons who shall be designated 
 for that purpose by the Secretary of War; and no person shall receive the appoint- 
 ment of surgeon in the army of the United States, unless he shall have served at least 
 five years as an assistant surgeon, and unless also he shall have been examined by an 
 army board constituted as aforesaid. 
 
 Section II. And be it further enacted, Tliat the surgeons in the army of the 
 United States shall be entitled to receive the pay and emoluments of a Major; and 
 the assistant surgeons who shall have served five years, shall be entitled to receive the 
 pay and emoluments of a Captain; and those who shall have served less than five 
 years, the pay and emoluments of a First Lieutenant ; and that said assistant surgeons 
 shall be entitled to receive the same allowance for forage as they are at present 
 entitled to. 
 
 Section III. And be it further enacted, That every surgeon and assistant surgeon 
 who shall have served faithfully ten years in these grades respectively, shall be en- 
 titled to receive an increase of rations per day, equal to the number of rations to 
 which he may be entitled under this act." 
 
 In order to complete the record relative to this question of the pay and 
 emoluments of the Medical Staff we have been obliged to anticipate to some 
 extent the regular course of events. It will therefore be necessary to look 
 back for several years, to consider other matters of interest in connection with 
 the history of the Department. The general orders issued during the period 
 were neither very numerous nor very important, yet they are worthy of record, 
 as they show the gradual manner in which the deficiencies and abuses of the 
 old organization were rectified and the department grew into the shape which 
 obtained up to the commencement of the rebellion. On the second of Decem- 
 ber, 1828, the following order was issued relative to the duties of soldiers 
 detailed in hospitals: 
 
 "WAR DEPARTMENT, 
 
 December 2, 1828. 
 
 No non-commissioned officer or private soldier who may be selected to act as 
 steward, wardmaster, cook or nurse of a hospital in conformity with the provisions of 
 paragraph 1232 of the General Regulations, shall be required by any officer not of 
 the Medical Staff to perform any duty except that of attending weekly inspections, 
 the regular musters for payment, and in cases of the most urgent necessity. 
 
 P. B. PORTER, 
 
 Secretary of War.'' 
 
 So much conftision and recrimination had arisen from the practice of 
 allowing medical officers to choose their own stations, that the Surgeon General 
 recommended a repeal of the order permitting it, and in consequence on the 
 sixteenth of March, 1830, the following order was promulgated by the War 
 Department ;
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 141 
 
 "The regulation of December 14, 1825, allowing senior surgeons and assistant 
 surgeons choice of stations is hei'eby rescinded. They will hereafter be assigned to 
 the several regiments and posts by the Secretary of War on application through the 
 Surgeon General. 
 
 No surgeon or assistant surgeon shall receive a furlough or leave of absence for a 
 period exceeding thirty days, and no extension of such furlough or leave of absence 
 shall be granted until he shall have returned to the post where he was stationed at 
 the time of receiving said furlough. In all cilses where a furlough for a longer period 
 is required, application must be made to the Secretary of War accompanied with the 
 written approval of the commanding officer of the regiment or post. The expenses 
 incident to the employment of private physicians make it necessary to withhold fur- 
 loughs unless under circumstances of high necessity. Such surgeons and assistant 
 surgeons as are now on furlough will repair to their respective posts by the time of 
 the expiration of the furlough ; and all will be expected to be at their posts by the 
 fifteenth of April, unless sufficient cause to justify their absence shall be shown to the 
 Department. 
 
 JOHN H. EATON, 
 
 Secretary of War.'" 
 
 Other orders, pertaining to the duties of medical officers, which were 
 issued about this time, were as follows : 
 
 "ADJUTA"KT GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 Washington, April 2, 1880. 
 Orders, No. 13. 
 
 To avoid the inconvenience resulting from the suspension of the functions of the 
 officers of the Medical Staff, it is recommended to officers in command that whenever 
 charges shall be preferred against a surgeon or assistant surgeon, that they transmit 
 the charges to the officer having authority to order a General Court-Martial for his 
 trial, and a copy thereof to the party accused ; but not to put the surgeon or assistant 
 surgeon in arrest until the court ordered for his trial shall have assembled. 
 By order of Alexander Macomb, 
 
 Major General Commanding the Army. 
 \ R. JONES, 
 
 Adjutant General.'" 
 
 "WAR DEPARTMENT, 
 
 May 14, 1830. 
 The Surgeon General and Assistant Surgeon resident at Washington will give 
 medical attendance to such officers living at the city of Washington on duty, and 
 their families as shall become sick ; and no citizen physician's account will hereafter 
 be allowed unless it shall appear that the Surgeon General or the Assistant Surgeon 
 was applied to, and that the aid of neither could be procured. 
 
 J. H. EATON, 
 V Secretary of War." 
 
 The question of the reduction of the expenses of the army was made the 
 subject of discussion in Congress during the years 1829 and 1830, and on the 
 twenty-sixth of April in the latter year the House of Representatives passed 
 the following resolution :
 
 142 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 ''Resolved, That the Secretary of War be directed to report to this House at the 
 commencement of the next session, whether any reduction in the number of otficers 
 in the Army of the United States, can be made without injury to the public service 
 and if any what reduction; together with a plan for the most efficient organizatiot) of 
 the army in conformity with the reduction proposed." 
 
 To obtain the data necessary for making the above report, the Secretary of 
 War addressed a circular to all the General and other principal officers, request- 
 ing their opinion as to what changes would inure to the advantage of the 
 service. In their replies Generals Scott, Clinch and others recommended no 
 change whatever; General Gaines and Colonel Cummings, third infantry, 
 advised a return to the old system of regimental medical officers and post 
 surgeons; General Atkinson considered the Medical Department as essential, 
 and that under the wide distribution of the troops any reduction of the number 
 of medical officers would be seriously detrimental to the best interests of the 
 service. Colonel Crane, fourth artillery, said ; " The Medical Department it is 
 believed would be improved by abolishing the grade of assistant surgeon, (as 
 there is no rank or distinction among medical men except what merit may give,) 
 and fixing their pay and emoluments according to their length of service ; 
 allowing them a higher scale of consideration when they come in contact with 
 officers of the line than they have heretofore received." 
 
 The opinion of the Surgeon General was positive not only against any 
 reduction of the number of medical officers, but also in favor of their decided 
 increase. For five years in his quarterly reports to the Secretary of War he 
 had not failed to call attention to the want of medical officers at many of the 
 posts, and the lack of economy and efficiency in the employment of citizen 
 physicians under contract. He had repeatedly shown the injustice done to 
 those in service, from the fact of the number of posts being greater than that 
 of the medical officers ; some of the latter having been continuously on duty 
 for many years, without any opportunity to obtain a leave of absence without 
 employing a physician at their own expense, which they could not affi)rd to do. 
 Upon being called upon, therefore, by the Secretary of War for his opinion on 
 these questions during the discussion of the above resolution in the House of 
 Representatives, he wrote the following reply, reiterating the sentiments ex- 
 pressed in his previous reports : 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 Hon. J. H. Eaton, 9 January, 1830. 
 
 Secretary of Wab. 
 Sir: In reply to your letter of the seventh inst., enclosing the copy of a resolu- 
 tion of the Committee on Retrenchment, I beg leave to state that any reduction of the 
 number or compensation of the surgeons and assistant surgeons of the army is deemed 
 inexpedient, as the necessity of an increase of their number, and the equity of an
 
 I
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 143 
 
 increase of their compensation, has been fully stated in reports heretofore made to the 
 Department; and it is understood that a bill for these purposes has been recently 
 reported to the House of Representatives. 
 
 With regard to the responsibilities, economy and efficiency of the administrative 
 branch of this Department, I beg leave respectfully to refer to the 73rd article of the 
 army regulations defining the duties of its several officers, and to remark that the average 
 expense during the three years previous to its present organization was about seven 
 dollars per man, and for the two subsequent years about three dollars per man, making 
 a difference of about $45,000 per annum. Since the reduction of tlie army in 1821, 
 the ratio of expense has continued about the same, and in proportion to the existing 
 establishment is less now than it was under that of 1802. This has been effected bj- 
 the regulations adopted in relation to purchasing and furnishing supplies, auditing 
 accounts, securing responsibility for all public property under the charge of the several 
 officers of the Department, and requiring reports tliat shall show the manner in which 
 their official duties are performed, and it is therefore believed that if any further 
 improvements are required in these respects, they may be made by such alterations 
 in the regulations referred to, as experience may suggest, or the exigencies of the ser- 
 vice may require, since from the nature of the case all the expenses of the Depart- 
 ment are contingent, and its economy and efficiency must mainly depend upon the 
 manner in which its administrative duties are performed. 
 
 With respect to the expenses of this branch of the Department, I have to state 
 that the compensation at present allowed to its principal officer is somewhat less than 
 that allowed to the other officers performing similar duties, with the exception of the 
 Paymaster General; and that the only clerk employed receives a salary of the fifth 
 rate; there being but two lower under existing laws. The contingent expenses for 
 fuel, stationery, printing, etc., for the four last years have averaged 226 per annum, 
 and the estimates are believed to be as low as the duties of the office will permit. 
 
 Previous to the reduction of the army in 1821 the officers of the Apothecaries' 
 Department, were required bylaw "to give bonds to the United States, with good 
 and sufficient security for the faithful performance of their duties in such sums as 
 shall be required by the Surgeon General of the Army, under the direction of the 
 War Department," (Act May 8, 1820), and I would respectfully suggest the propriety 
 of requiring similar bonds from the surgeon or assistant surgeons who have been, or 
 may be assigned to perform these duties, as they must necessarily have a large amount 
 of property under their charge, and would make considerable disbursements on 
 account of the Department. 
 
 Very respectfully, etc., 
 
 JOSEPH LOVELL, 
 
 Surgeon General." 
 
 Six months later, he wrote again to the Secretary as follows : 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 Hon. J. H. Eatox, 1 August, 1880. 
 
 Secretary op War. 
 Sir: In compliance with a resolution of (he House of Representatives received 
 on the fourth of May last, requiring a report ' whether any reduction in the number 
 of officers in the army of the United States can be made without injury to the public 
 service; and if any what reduction; together with a plan for the most efficient or- 
 ganization of the army, in conformity with the reduction proposed,' and in relation to
 
 144 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 the Medical Department I have to state, that notwithstanding a very considerable 
 increase in the number of military posts and stations, tlie number of medical officers 
 is less than it has been at any period within the last twenty years. 
 
 Under the establishment of 1808 before the late war, there were sixty-nine sur- 
 geons and mates; under that of 1815 after the war, there were at first seventy-seven 
 and subsequently sixty-nine, while under that of 1821, with a trifling if with any 
 reduction of posts it was reduced to fifty-three. Even under the establishment of 
 1802 with half the force and probably less than half the number of stations there 
 were thirty-three surgeons and mates ; and at least double that number is required 
 at present. 
 
 This number even if a furlough or leave of absence be granted on no occasion 
 and the whole be constantly fit for duty, is insufficient to meet the demands of 
 the service, as has been stated and fully explained in former reports to the 
 Department on this subject. From ten to twelve private physicians have generally 
 been required at the regular stations, and others are necessarily employed during the 
 year for limited periods. By a report to the Department on the eighteenth of April 
 last it appears that $22,633 were expended on this account in the years 1828 and 
 1829, of which 18,370 were paid to those employed at the several stations and for 
 attending detachments on the march ; and the remainder for attendance on officers 
 and their families stationed at places where there was no surgeon of the army. The 
 amount expended on this account during the two first quarters of the present year 
 was $6,025. Unless therefore, there be a material change in the distribution of the 
 army, and the posts be reduced below what they have been for the last ten years, no 
 reduction can be made in the number of surgeons without a proportionate increase of 
 the expenses of the Department, and without disadvantage to the public service. 
 
 With regard to the administrative branch of the Department, it is believed to 
 have answered the purpose for which it was established by securing the professional 
 responsibility of its several officers, a strict accountability for public property, and a 
 material reduction of its expenses. By the regulations of 1818 which were compiled 
 with especial reference to the well known deficiencies of the Department in all these 
 respects, both during the late war and under the organization of 1815, every officer is 
 required to make full reports to the chief of the Department on all matters relating to 
 his professional duties, with 'remarks relative to the nature and symptoms of the 
 the diseases reported, the treatment adopted, the medicines and stores most in demand, 
 &c., &c., together with observations on the medical topography of the post, station or 
 hospital, the climate, prevalent diseases, their probable causes, etc' Reports of this 
 character from every surgeon having charge of an hospital, made at various periods 
 and from every section of th6 country, will enable the latter on his part to make the 
 'returns and reports necessary to explain all the concerns of the Department under 
 his charge, with such remarks relative to improvements in practice and police, and to 
 the clothing and subsistence of the army, as may seem to be required for the preser- 
 vation of health, the comfort and recovery of the sick, and the good of the public 
 service;' and if he possesses the requisite professional information and experience in 
 army and hospital practice, these circumstances cannot fail to furnish him with the 
 means of appreciating the qualifications, services and merit of those by whom they 
 are made. 
 
 The information thus obtained in reference to the diseases of the several posts and 
 the practice of the surgeons, as well as of the state of their supplies and the quantities 
 ordinarily expended with a given number of men in the several sections of country.
 
 PROM 1821 TO 1846. 145 
 
 through the returns and requisitions required by the regulations, will not only enable 
 liim to keep every post regularly and amply supplied, but to examine all returns with 
 reference to these facts and circumstances, and to see that every article is satisfactorily 
 accounted for, and that the expenditures are in proportion to the diseases and cases 
 repwted. From these data again, accurate and specific estimates can be made of the 
 probable expenses of the Department for each year, and for any given number of 
 men; while a supervision of the purchases and disbursements enable him to limit the 
 expenses of the several items of appropriation that may have been made in conformity 
 with these estimates ; so that while on the one hand he is held responsible that the 
 hospitals are regularly furnished with suitable medical attendance, and amply supplied 
 with whatever may be necessary for the comfort and recovery of the sick, on the 
 other he has every inducement to effect this at the least possible expense. The result 
 of these arrangements has been to render the expenses of the Department materially 
 less than they have been at any former period. In 1806 and 1807, under the estab- 
 lishment of 1802, they were four dollars per man, in 1810 and 1811, under that of 
 1808 and before the late war, they were five dollars per man, in 1817 and 1818, under 
 that of 1815 and for the two years previously to the present organization, they were 
 seven dollars and a half per man, while in 1819 and 1820 they weje but three dollars 
 per man. The average of 1817 and 1818 was $95,416, and that of 1819 and 1820, 
 but $39,104. In 1818, $87,745 were expended, and in 1819 under precisely similar 
 circumstances, but $40,914, or less than one-half. Since the reduction of the army in 
 1821 the ratio has continued the same, with the exception of that for private physi- 
 cians as has been above explained. 
 
 The seventy-third article of the army regulations are believed fully to exhibit all 
 the duties that can devolve on the Medical Department either on a war or peace estab- 
 lishment, and it is also believed that a reference to these regulations and to the 
 operations of the Department for the last twelve years will show that the organization 
 of 1821 is well calculated to insure the efficiency of the Department at the least pos- 
 sible expense, it being only necessary to increase the number of surgeons in proportion 
 to the force to be raised, the service to be performed, and the number of posts to be 
 occupied ; and to allow the chief of the Department the assistant required for the 
 performance of his duties as its ' Director and immediate accounting officer.' 
 
 Very respectfully. 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 JOSEPH LOVELL, 
 
 Surgeon General." 
 
 The Secretary of War in communicating these various opinions to the 
 Military Committee of the House, wrote an elaborate report on the subject of 
 anny organization. The only suggestion he made in reference to the Medical 
 Department was as follows : 
 
 " The Surgeon General of the Army might be dispensed with. He has no dis- 
 bursements to superintend or make, no bonds to receive, no accounts to revise or 
 responsibilities to encounter. The principal and material duty to be encountered by 
 him is in the purchasing and distributing of medicines, a duty which is performed by 
 a quartermaster of the army at New York, at which place medical supplies are 
 obtained, and from which point they are distributed to the several posts." 
 
 10
 
 146 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 It is not surprising that so uncalled for a recommendation should have 
 been keenly felt by the Surgeon General, whose faithful and economical admin- 
 istration of the aflFairs of his department for thirteen years, had been a matter 
 of universal commendation. After a personal conversation with the Secretary 
 on the subject, he obtained his permLssion to address him another communica- 
 tion to be transmitted to the House of Representatives. In this letter, which 
 is too long for insertion, he reviews in detail the history of the Department 
 since he assumed control of its affaire. He shows that the statement of the 
 Secretary that the purchasing and distributing of medicines was performed by 
 a quartermaster in New York, was entirely incorrect, Surgeon T. G. Mower 
 having been stationed for ten years in that city in the performance of this very 
 duty, to which he had been detailed on the abolition of the Apothecaries' 
 Department in 1821, and that the Quartermaster's Department had been by 
 paragraph 1010 of the Army Regulations expressly prohibited from making 
 such purchases, but that in order to meet certain contingent expenses when cash 
 payments were necessary, that department had in a few instances made pur- 
 chases of bedding and furniture for the Medical Department. 
 
 With regard to the statement of the Secretary, that the Surgeon General 
 "had no disbursements to superintend or make, etc.," he shows that the princi- 
 pal object in the original establishment of the office was to make that officer 
 responsible for just such duties, and that the seventy-third paragraph of the 
 Army Regulations was drafted with a special reference to this intention; 
 that all reports and returns from medical officers were received by him, all 
 orders in reference to their duties issued through him, all estimates for 
 funds made by him, all expenditures of appropriations accounted for in 
 his quarterly reports to the War Department. He shows further, by a 
 recapitulation of the statistics given in previous reports, that under his adminis- 
 tration the expenses of the Department have been only about one-half what 
 they were previous to thp reorganization in 1818, and they could be still further 
 reduced if the Medical Staff was sufficiently large to enable him to dispense 
 with the services of contract physicians. In every particular he refutes the 
 statements of the Secretary, and without adverting to the "propriety of the 
 establishment or continuance of his office," concludes by expressing a wish that 
 his statement might be forwarded to the chairman of the Military Committee of 
 the House, to whom the whole matter had been referred. That body, after due 
 consideration of the various reports received, decided that the circumstances 
 demanded an increase rather than a reduction of the Medical Staff, and reported 
 a bill to that effect to the House, which, however, was not passed until the 
 twenty -eighth of June, 1832. The bill was as follows:
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 
 
 147 
 
 "i?e it enacted, etc., That the President be, and he is hereby authorized by and 
 with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint four additional surgeons and tea 
 additional surgeon's mates in the army of the United States." 
 
 A question arose in 1829 in reference to the relative rank of some of the 
 assistant surgeons. In the reorganization of the Corps in 1821, the position of 
 officers on the Register was fixed according to the " relative rank of the parties at 
 the time the present appointments were made." Consequently all officers were 
 arranged as they had been under the act of April, 1818, when the hospital sur- 
 geons and surgeon's mates became post surgeons, the Corps being only increased by 
 the addition of the regimental surgeon's mates, who were all an-anged as junior 
 to those who had been post surgeons. The arrangement of 1818 was made 
 without any regard to the date of original entry into sei"vice, but only to the 
 rank held by them at the time of the reorganization ; consequently some officers 
 who had served in the war of 1812, and indeed previous to that time, were 
 arranged below others who had been appointed hospital surgeons subsequent to 
 the war. Assistant Surgeons Eaton and Day claimed that injustice was done 
 them in this arrangement, the latter having been a garrison surgeon's mate in 
 1807, and the former a hospital mate in 1814. It was therefore proposed to 
 rectify the records so as to arrange the assistant surgeons on the Register in the 
 order of their original entry into service without regard to the rank they held 
 at the time of the reorganization. This necessitated the following changes: 
 
 FORMER ARRANGEMENT. 
 
 REVISED ARRANGEMENT. 
 
 1. Asst. Sl 
 
 2. " 
 
 3. " 
 
 rg. Sargent. 
 ' Turner. 
 ' Swift. 
 
 4. " 
 
 ' Monroe, 
 
 5. " 
 
 ' Smith. 
 
 6. " 
 
 ' Mann. 
 
 7. " 
 
 8. " 
 
 ' Day. 
 ' Eaton. 
 
 9. " 
 
 ' Clitherall 
 
 0. " 
 
 ' Archer. 
 
 1. 
 
 Asst. 
 
 Surg. Sargent, 
 
 1806 
 
 2. 
 
 
 " Day, 
 
 1807 
 
 3. 
 
 
 " Mann, 
 
 1812 
 
 4. 
 
 
 " Turner, 
 
 1812 
 
 5. 
 
 
 " Swift, 
 
 1814 
 
 6. 
 
 
 " Eaton, 
 
 1814 
 
 7. 
 
 
 " Archer, 
 
 1814 
 
 8. 
 
 
 " Monroe, 
 
 1816. 
 
 9. 
 
 
 " Smith, 
 
 1816 
 
 10. 
 
 
 " Clitherall, 
 
 1817 
 
 The Secretary of War favorably considered the appeal of Assistant Sur- 
 geons Day and Eaton, and the proposed alterations were made, in accordance 
 with the suggestions of the Surgeon General, on the Army Register for 1831. 
 
 Although the Army Kegulations for 1825 contained a clause that no person 
 should receive the appointment of assistant surgeon until after examination by 
 a properly authorized board, yet this rule had never been carried out on account 
 of the difficulty of detailing medical officers for this purpose. General Orders, 
 No. 58, from the War Department, dated July 7, 1832, reiterated the regula-
 
 148 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 tion and directed that hereafter it should be strictly enforced, and to carry out 
 its provisions the following order was issued : 
 
 "WAR DEPARTMENT, 
 
 December 13, 1832. 
 
 A Medical Board will be convened in the City of New York on the fifteenth of 
 January next, who will examine the qualifications of such candidates for appointment 
 in the Medical Department of the Army as may be authorized to present themselves 
 for that purpose, and will report to the Surgeon General thereon. 
 
 The Board will consist of the following members, who will receive the same allow- 
 ances as are authorized to members of a Court-Martial. 
 
 Surgeon Thomas G. Mower, President. 
 
 Surgeon W. V. Wheatpn ; Assistant Surgeon J. P. Russell, members. 
 
 In case of the absence of either of the members. Assistant Surgeon Edward 
 Macomb will supply the vacancy. 
 
 LEWIS CASS, 
 
 Secretary of War." 
 
 The board assembled in New York on the day appointed, and held daily 
 sessions until the twenty-fourth of January, when they adjourned sine die. 
 Six candidates for appointment were examined, of whom five were found 
 qualified. 
 
 A second board was ordered to convene in New Orleans on the first of 
 April, with the following detail: Surgeon Thomas Lawson, President; Surgeon 
 Thomas Gr. Mower and Assistant Surgeon S. B. Smith, members, with Surgeon 
 J. P. C. Mac Mahon as supernumerary. This board was directed, after exam- 
 ining all candidates who might present themselves in New Orleans, to proceed 
 to Forts Pike, Jackson, Jesup and other stations in the southwest, and 
 examine the medical oflScers of those posts ; to proceed thence to St. Louis, and 
 hold sessions for the examination of candidates for appointment; then to visit 
 all the northern and northwestern stations, proceeding to New York city as 
 soon as this duty was performed ; and finally to Wiishington for the purpose of 
 making their report. They were also directed at each post visited to inspect 
 and report on the condition of the hospital, the supplies and medicines furnished, 
 the nature and treatment of the sick, and all other matters pertaining to the 
 administration of the Department. The board completed the duties assigned 
 them and arrived in Washington by the twenty-fifth of October. Forty-one 
 candidates were authorized to appear before the board, of whom twenty presented 
 themselves and were examined; of these twelve were found qualified for 
 appointment and eight rejected. Twenty medical officers were examined for 
 promotion of whom fifteen received a favorable report. 
 
 The experience gained by the sessions of these boards made it evident 
 that ftirther regulations were advisable relative to appointments and promotions.
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 149 
 
 and on the recommendation of the Surgeon General the following additional 
 rules were promulgated: 
 
 "1. In deciding on the fitness of candidates for appointment or promotion in 
 the Medical Staff to perform the duties of the several stations to which they are to be 
 appointed, the Medical Board of Examination shall take into consideration their" 
 physical qualifications and moral habits, as well as their professional acquirements. 
 
 2. Wlien a candidate for appointment shall fail to receive a favorable report from 
 a Medical Board of Examination, he shall if desired be entitled to a second examina- 
 tion after the expiration of two years, and on a second failure shall be dropped from 
 the list of applicants. 
 
 3. When an assistant surgeon shall fail to receive a favorable report from a 
 Medical Board of Examination, his connection with the Medical Staff shall cea.se from 
 that time." 
 
 The following order in reference to hospital stewards was issued during 
 this year: 
 
 "DEPARTMENT OF WAR, 
 
 October 15, 1833. 
 
 At garrisons, posts and stations where a suitable hospital steward cannot be 
 obtained from the command, the surgeon or assistant surgeon is authorized to enlist a 
 man for the purpose, who will be permanently attached to the hospital and will be 
 mustered with the other hospital attendants. Tlie hospital steward who may be so 
 enlisted will be entitled to receive fifteen cents per day extra pay when the garrison, 
 post or station consists of from one to five companies, and twenty cents per day when 
 it exceeds that number. 
 
 LEWIS CASS, 
 
 Secretary of War.^' 
 
 In the summer of 1832 occurred the Black Hawk war, or the "Cholera 
 campaign" as it was generally known in the army, from the dreadful ravages of 
 that disease among the troops ordered to the field. The Sac and Fox Indians 
 having assumed a hostile attitude on the borders of Illinois and Michigan, all 
 the regular troops at the west were concentrated for field service at Fort Dearborn 
 (now Chicago) under command of G-eneral Atkinson. It being anticipated that this 
 force would not be sufficient to successfully prosecute the war, troops were also 
 ordered from the sea-board and eastern lake stations, and Major General Win- 
 field Scott assigned to the command of the whole force. Surgeon Josiah 
 Everett was Medical Director. Seven companies of troops from Fort Monroe 
 and New York Harbor, under command of Colonel Twiggs, left Bufialo for 
 Detroit on the third of July on the steamer " Henry Clay." The next day 
 when near the latter city, a man was taken suddenly ill, and his case pro- 
 nounced by Assistant Surgeon Robert E. Kerr to be Asiatic cholera. Up to 
 that time the disease had not appeared in the United States, although it had
 
 150 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 been very prevalent at Quebec and other places in Lower Canada. The boat 
 was very much crowded, and a large portion of the men were obliged to sleep 
 on the upper deck exposed to the night air. Just after arrival at Detroit a 
 second case occurred and the first died, and General Scott ordered the command 
 up the lake to disembark if necessary at Bois Blanc, an island near Mackinaw. 
 Surgeon Everett, Medical Director of the Northwestern Army, accompanied 
 them. After leaving Detroit cases multiplied so rapidly and there was such 
 alarm among the men that Colonel Twiggs considered it best to disembark as 
 soon as possible, and accordingly the troops were landed and encjmiped just 
 below Fort Gratiot. Just afl^r the disembarkation a terrible rain storm came 
 up, which drenched the men and materially increased the number of cases. A 
 large barn was immediately taken for a hospital and the sick made as comforta- 
 ble as possible, but they multiplied so fast that soon it was impossible to give 
 them the requisite attention. Doctor Everett reported that up to the eighth of 
 July there had been twenty-five cases and seven deaths. The next day he was 
 taken sick Ijiiuself, and died on the fourteenth. Up to the sixteenth the num- 
 ber of deaths was thirty-four, thoiigh this does not represent the total mortality, 
 for many soldiers deserted in the panic which ensued on their first arrival at 
 Fort Gratiot, and taking the disease were found dead and dying on the roads 
 for many miles. After the sixteenth the disease declined, there being but two 
 deaths subsequently. 
 
 The following extract of a private letter from a veteran ofiicer of the army, 
 who was on board the " Henry Clay," besides giving an interesting description 
 of the outbreak, pays a high tribute to the fidelity and efficiency of Assistant 
 Surgeon Kerr: 
 
 "In 1832 the troops in New York Harbor and elsewhere were ordered to the west 
 to act against the Sacs and Foxes then hostile to us. Accordingly the Fourth Artillery 
 embarked on the eighteenth of June for Chicago, via the Hudson river, the canal and 
 lakes. The Asiatic cholera had then just made its appearance in Canada, but not yet 
 in the United States, and all along the line of the canal to Buffalo, we met evidences 
 of panic and alarm among the citizens. We arrived without incident at Buffalo, and 
 sailed from thence on the third of July on the steamer Henry Clay, Assistant Surgeon 
 Robert E. Kerr, a young officer, being our only medical officer, and of him and not of our 
 expedition I propose to write. On the afternoon of the fourth of July, after we had a 
 fourth of July dinner, being oflF the port of Erie, and while the young officers were 
 joking about the cholera, the then prominent subject of thought, the hospital steward 
 came into the cabin and reported to the doctor that one of the privates was taken sud- 
 denly very ill. We went on deck and found the man in great agony, and the doc- 
 tor at once pronounced it a case of cholera. He took the case in hand and was unre- 
 mitting in his attentions, but the man died at half past three the next morning. This 
 was I think the first case in the United States, and the man came immediately from 
 Baltimore and had never been wliere the cholera was.
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 151 
 
 Before he died another case occurred, and during the. night we arrived at Detroit, 
 where we were visited by Dr. Everett and several citizen physicians who all pronounced 
 the disease to be Asiatic cholera. General Scott ordered us to proceed about three 
 miles up the strait, and there await his further orders. The next morning having 
 been joined by Dr. Everett, who was chief of General Scott's Medical Staff, we were 
 ordered to proceed on our voyage. The cases at this time increased very fast, the first 
 three being from Major Payne's company, but then it extended not only to the other 
 troops but also to the crew, so that before we got to Fort Gratiot the decks were 
 covered with the dead and dying, and not enough men remained to navigate the 
 vessel, so that the voyage was broken up and we landed about a mile below Fort 
 Gratiot where we encamped. A heavy rain came on and the cases increased rapidly 
 and among them Dr. Everett, so that Dr. Kerr was the only medical officer. The sick 
 were removed to a neighboring barn, which was soon filled; I counted one morning in 
 passing it, six dead bodies lying outside awaiting burial. 
 
 The disease raged with unabated fury (including several officers among its victims, 
 of which two. Dr. Everett and Lieutenant Clay died) until July 11th, when it began 
 to abate though there were daily deaths for some time afterwards. Amid all these 
 scenes Dr. Kerr unassisted attended to officers and men both day and night, and 
 I think never had the slightest relaxation during that time. His devotion to duty was 
 the admiration, and his power of endurance the wonder of all. The last case was 
 taken sick on the sixteenth, and the last deatli occurred on the twenty-first. We lost 
 I think between forty and fifty, and I lost one-third of my company." 
 
 Two days after the command above mentioned left Detroit, the cholera 
 broke out in a detachment of troops from Fort Niagara which was in Detroit 
 awaiting transportation to Chicago. Within twenty-four hours there were 
 eleven cases and four deaths; when the city authorities becoming alarmed 
 requested the removal of the troops, and they were accordingly embarked on 
 the steamer "Superior" en ronte for Chicago. The day after their departure 
 fourteen new cases came on sick report and two died, and it was thought advis- 
 able to land the troops, which was done at a point fourteen miles south of Fort 
 G-ratiot. Assistant Surgeon H. Stevenson was medical officer to this command. 
 Of a total strength of but seventy-eight, sixty-three had the disease up to the 
 fourteenth of July, and there were nineteen deaths. In the garrison at Fort 
 Gratiot, under charge of Assistant Surgeon Steinecke, during the same period 
 there were twenty-one deaths. The disease was carried to Chicago by steam- 
 boats from Detroit, from whence Assistant Surgeon DeCamp reported two 
 hundred cases admitted to hospital in six days of a mean strength of about one 
 thousand, and fifty-one deaths. This command marched subsequently to the 
 Mississippi river and the pestilence reappeared among them on their arrival at 
 their destination and proved almost as fetal as in Chicago. In fact the whole 
 expedition was completely broken up by the ravages of the disease ; but as 
 General Atkinson's command had taken the field before its appearance it 
 escaped, and was enabled to prasecute the war to a successful termination.
 
 152 THE iMEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 3Iuch astonishment was expressed at the time that the disease should have 
 broken out on steamers on the lake many miles from any land, and it was 
 thought by many to be an instance of the transfer of the contagious elements 
 through the atmosphere ; but it was subsequently ascertained that both the 
 "Henry Clay" and the "Superior" had been employed in carrying emigrants 
 (among whom the disease prevailed) from Quebec to Montreal, and there seems 
 little reason to doubt that the boats were infected previous to their charter by 
 the United States. In the Southern Division and especially at New Orleans 
 the disease was very prevalent. Three hundred and eighty-four cases were 
 reported, of which eighty-eight died. 
 
 On the third of March, 1834, the third medical board convened in Wash- 
 ington. It was composed of the same members as the preceding one. Twenty 
 candidates for appointment were authorized to appear for examination, of whom 
 eight received a favorable report. On the third of November a fourth board 
 assembled in Now York city, composed of Surgeons Thomas G. Mower and 
 Zina Pitcher and Assistant Surgeon Thomas Henderson, with Assistant Sur- 
 geon Joseph P. Russell as supernumerary. Thirteen candidates were authorized 
 to appear, of whom nine were examined and four passed a satisfactory exami- 
 nation. This was the first board assembled pursuant to the act of Congress of 
 June 30, 1834, and it may be interesting to present an account of the manner 
 in .which exanainations were conducted at that time, as given in the following 
 extract of a report by Surgeon Mower : 
 
 "In ascertaining the professional attainments of candidates it became at first the 
 duty of the Board to decide on the mode of conducting the examinations. The 
 most important step was to arrange the branches in which examination should be 
 held. 
 
 As the branches of pi*actical medical science are now conventionally and very pos- 
 itively established, there was no diificulty or doubt in arranging them. 
 
 They were divided by the Board as follows : 
 
 1. Anatomy and Physiology. 
 
 2. Surgical Anatomy, the Principles of Surgery, Operative Surgery. 
 
 3. The Theory and Practice of Medicine. 
 
 4. Obstetricy. 
 
 !). Materia Medica and Pharmacy. ^ 
 
 6. Chemistry. 
 
 7. Medical Jurisprudence. 
 
 That the first three divisions are essential to the army medical officer none can 
 doubt. It was therefore requiretl that in all these branches the attainments of the 
 candidates should be unquestionably respectable. The fourth division, Obstetricy, 
 refers to a class of patients not recognized by army regulations as within the specified 
 duties of the surgeon. Yet universal usage, the dictates of humanity, a high sense of 
 professional pride and duty concur to place the families of officers and soldiers in a 
 moral relation to the army surgeon deeply interesting to them and him; binding him
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 153 
 
 to them as strongly as though that relation were of military obligation. Nothing can 
 add to the interest which the good surgeon feels towards that class of persons ; therefore 
 Obstetricy becomes an important branch of practical medical science in the view 
 of the Board. Of Materia Medica it suflBces to say, that to be properly acquainted 
 with surgery and practical medicine implies a suitable knowledge of the articles used 
 in treating injuries and disease. Therefore examination was not so minute in this 
 branch as in the preceding. The candidates were questioned almost exclusively on 
 what is termed Medical Chemistry; and Medical Jurisprudence was referred to only 
 as it practically involved the interests and fate of its subjects. 
 
 It will be hence seen, that if to some branches primary and essential importance 
 be ascribed, from no recognized branch of practical medical science was due or relative 
 consequence withheld. The relation, strictly maintained, was that of foundation and 
 superstructure. * * * * 
 
 The examinations were long and patiently conducted. Two sessions were allotted 
 to every case except one, and part of three days were given to that case. 
 
 Every effort was made to render the examinations unembarassing. Perspicuity 
 and precision were constantly studied ; and in no instance was the candidate occasioned 
 the least perplexity. It was well ascertained that the scope of every question was 
 perfectly understood by the candidate. It was a leading feature in the examination 
 that they were confined to subjects of practical importance. All speculative or abstract 
 discussions were avoided. 
 
 It was stated to the candidates that in answering questions and in giving their 
 opinions, they might refer to any respectable authority ; and that the Board would 
 highly regard inferences drawn from experience. Liberality on these points was not 
 at all incompatible with an exercise of the critical judgment of the Board. The ex- 
 aminations were minute, because positive and particularly because relative merit could 
 only be thereby duly developed. 
 
 Finally, the examinations were thus plainly, impartially, practically and delib- 
 erately conducted, that the candidate if rejected, might be convinced of his own incompe- 
 tency. That this expectation was not unwarrantable is fully established by several 
 cases." 
 
 The only general order issued during this year by the War Department 
 which related to the Medical Staff, was the following alteration in paragraph 
 57 of the Army Regulations : 
 
 "ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 March 19, 1834. 
 Genekal Obdees, No. 23. 
 
 The following order has been received from the War Department : 
 ' The assignment of surgeons and assistant surgeons to regiments and posts will 
 be made by the Secretary of War. When the circumstances of the service will permit, 
 those who shall have served three years in their respective grades shall have choice 
 of stations agreeably to rank, on written application through the Surgeon General's 
 Office stating the reasons therefor, but no one will be transferred from the post to 
 which he may have been assigned for the purpose of making room for another.' 
 
 By obder of Major General Macomb: 
 
 R. JONES, 
 
 Adjutant Oeneral." 
 10*
 
 154 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 The next army board met on the eighteenth of May, 1835, in New York 
 city, and was composed of Surgeons Mower, Wheaton and Pitcher. There 
 were eighteen candidates authorized to appear for examination, of whom seven 
 were favorably reported on. 
 
 The long pending troubles with the Seminole Indians ui Florida assumed 
 the form of open war in December of this year. On the twenty-eighth of the 
 month the Indians, led by the celebrated Osceola, attacked two companies of 
 troops under command of Major Dade, fourth infantry, while on the march 
 across the peninsula. But two soldiers escaped out of a strength of about one 
 hundred and ten. Among the victims was Assistant Surgeon John S. Gatlin, 
 a young man of great promise, who had entered the army at the head of his 
 class but two or three years before. Troops were immediately hurried to the 
 scene of hostilities from all parts of the country. A regiment of volunteers 
 was raised in Louisiana by Colonel P. F. Smith, of which Surgeon Thomas 
 Lawson was offered the Lieutenant Colonelcy. He accepted it, and in this 
 rather anomalous capacity, rendered as efficient serA^ice as he had done for 
 many years in his appropriate sphere. In May, 1836, the troops from the 
 north destined for service in Florida and Alabama were concentrated at Fort 
 Mitchell, Alabama, and Doctor Lawson (whose term of service as a volunteer 
 officer had expired) was assigned to duty as Medical Director. A brigade of 
 regular troops came from Louisiana and took the field, with Tampa as a 
 base of supplies. Of this column General Gaines had the command and 
 Assistant Surgeon H. L. Heiskell was chief medical officer, subordinate, how- 
 ever, to Surgeon Lawson. Assistant Surgeon Edward Worrell was ordered 
 from New York in charge of a large quantity of medical stores, and a purvey- 
 ing depot established for their distribution, under charge of Assistant Surgeon 
 George F. Turner. In August, 1836, a general hospital was organized at 
 St. Augustine, which was placed in charge of Assistant Surgeon' Joseph P. 
 Russell. On account of the difficulties attendant on communication with the 
 eastern side of the peninsula from head-quarters. Surgeon H. S. Hawkins was 
 appointed Medical Director of the forces operating to the east of Lake 
 0-kee-cho-bee. In consequence of the war the demand for medical officers 
 was very great, and many posts in other sections of the country were deprived 
 of regular medical attendance to meet the necessities of the troops in the field. 
 Surgeon General Lovell addressed several reports to the Secretary of War. 
 calling his attention to this deficiency in medical officers, and urging an addition 
 of at least five surgeons and ten assistant surgeons to the Corps. Accordingly 
 on the fourth of July, 1836, Congress passed an act of which the following is 
 an extract :
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 155 
 
 "Section IV. And be it further enacted, That the President of the United States 
 be, and he hereby is authorized and empowered to appoint three additional surgeons 
 and five assistant surgeons to be attached to the Medical StaiF of the army." 
 
 To fill these vacancies a medical board, consisting of Surgeon Pitcher 
 and Assistant Surgeons Russell and Hawkins, was ordered to convene at Bal- 
 timore. Twenty-four candidates were authorized to appear for examination, 
 of whom six were passed and eight rejected. These not being sufficient t6 fill 
 the Corps to the maximum, another board met in New York city on th6 first of 
 August. This was composed of Surgeon Mower and Assistant Surgeons 
 Steinecke and Henderson, and examined thirty-four candidates, of whom but 
 seven received a favorable report. 
 
 Almost the last official act of any importance performed by Sur- 
 geon General Lovell was his report of June 4, 1836, to the Secretary 
 of War on the condition of the Medical Corps, and the necessity for its 
 increase. Soon after his wife, a most estimable lady, to whom he was 
 devotedly attached, died, and he never recovered from the effects of the blow. 
 Naturally of a delicate constitution, his affliction utterly prostrated him, and he 
 died, worn out by grief and anxiety, on the seventeenth of October. The 
 National Intelligencer of Washington contained the following obituary notice 
 a few days after his death : 
 
 " It rarely falls to our lot to record the death of one whose loss to the com- 
 munity and the profession, both military and civil, of which he was a distinguished 
 member, is so deeply and widely spread as the untimely exitof Doctor Joseph Lovell, 
 late Surgeon General of the army. Cut down in the prime of life, in the full career 
 of great usefulness, he has left a void in society and in the military services of his 
 country which but few who may follow can adequately fill. Doctor Lovell entered 
 the army in 1812, on the declaration of war with Great Britain, as surgeon of the 9th 
 regiment of U. S. Infantry. He served in the memorable campaigns on the Niagara 
 frontier in 1813 and 1814. His patriotic devotion to the public service, and the faith- 
 ful discharge of his official duties, soon distinguished him in the camp and in the field 
 among his brother officers and in his profession. Promoted to the rank of Hospital 
 Surgeon, he was eventually selected by President Monroe in 1818 to fill the important 
 station of Surgeon General of the army, a post which his talents, medical skill and 
 above all his great experience as a tried officer of the Medical StaflF, eminently quali- 
 fied him to fill with honor and great advantage to the public service. In his social 
 duties, the domestic circle, and as father and husband all the ties which bind the 
 christian and the man to the obligations of the world Doctor Lovell stood conspicuous. 
 His bereaved family, eleven motherless and now fatherless children, who will attempt 
 to depict their woe ! Let other hands at a more appropriate season fill up the outline 
 of the character and services of the lamented Lovell, now hastily and so briefly 
 sketched. 
 
 Every mark of respect was paid to his mortal remains last evening at four o'clock, 
 by his numerous friends, both officers and citizens. We also noticed the President's
 
 156 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE AKMY 
 
 family, the Heads of the Departments and Bureaux, and the principal officers of the 
 government now at Washington. The pall-bearers were Major General Macomb, Brig- 
 adier General Jones, General Towson, Colonel Wainwright, Commodore Rogers, Com- 
 modore Morris, Colonel Twiggs, Major Cross. The clergy, medical faculty, and officers 
 of the army, navy and marine corps present at the seat of government followed tlie 
 relations of the deceased as mourners. We understand that it was the wish of several 
 volunteer corps of the District to have participated in paying the highest military 
 honors to the deceased if time and circumstances had permitted." 
 
 The greatness of the loss to the army, and especially to the Corps which 
 he may almost be said to have brought into being, can hardly be exaggerated. 
 He was one of those rare and lovely characters of whom it is no aflfectation to 
 say that "the world was not worthy." One who had long been intimately 
 connected with him, who watched by his bed and closed his dying eyes, said to 
 the writer of these pages, that during a long life of eighty years he esteemed it 
 his greatest privilege to have known and loved such a man. Throughout his 
 official career he had gained the universal respect, admiration and affection of 
 all with whom he was associated. His predominent characteristics were a strong 
 sense of the dignity of his position and of the profession to which he belonged, 
 and a gentleness of demeanor in all his relations both official and personal with 
 the subordinate officers of the Medical Staff. The first was shown in his 
 indignant remonstrance against the misrepresentations contained in the recom- 
 mendation of the Secretary of War to abolish the office of Surgeon General ; 
 in his earnest efforts, continued through many years, for the passage of an act to 
 increase the pay and improve the condition of the Medical Staff; and in his 
 quick resentment of any imputation on the honor or integrity of any of its 
 members. When the professional reputation of Assistant Surgeon Henderson 
 was foully aspersed by the Chaplain at West Point, Doctor Lovell wrote a 
 letter to the Secretary of War in his defence which could hardly be surpassed 
 in its keenness of invective, the logic of its argument and its warm solicitude 
 for the honor of the Corps which he represented. On another occasion, when 
 a comparatively young officer endeavored by political influenpe to supplant 
 Surgeon Mower in New York city, he denounced the attempt as an outrage 
 on the Corps, subversive of all military discipline, and a grievous injustice to 
 all those who had earned their right to choice stations by long and faithful 
 service. 
 
 On the other hand, in his correspondence with the officers of his Depai-t- 
 ment no one could be more gentle and even tender. When the necessities of 
 the service obliged him to refuse an application for a leave of absence, he seemed 
 to regret to have to communicate the unpleasant intelligence almost as much as 
 the officer to receive it. In arranging the stations for officers, he used his
 
 I
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 157 
 
 utmost endeavors to please everybody, and especially those who had large 
 families to support ; but if he at any time saw an inclination to take advantage 
 of his kindness of disposition his indignation knew no bounds. 
 
 Nor was his good service confined to the Corps of which he was the 
 official chief, but extended to every branch and department of the army. It 
 was through his strenuous efforts, as evidenced in a number of able reports, 
 that the whiskey ration, which was making drunkards of the entire army, was 
 finally abolished ; by his representations, that Congress passed the bill by which 
 obnoxious officers were weeded out through the agency of boards of examina- 
 tion ; and from his deep study of the subject, that the rations and the clothing 
 of the soldier were improved, post hospitals built on a rational principle, and 
 officers held to a rigid accountability for their treatment of the sick and the 
 expenditure of supplies. In all his relations, whether as christian philanthro- 
 pist, profound scholar, skilful surgeon, experienced officer or true-hearted 
 gentleman, he was one of whom the Medical Staff may always be proud and 
 the memory of whose good life is written on every page of its history. 
 
 In 1842 the officers of the Medical Corps testified their appreciation of 
 his virtues by the erection of a handsome monument over his grave in the 
 Congressional Cemetery at Washington. 
 
 Assistant Surgeon Benjamin King, who at the time of Doctor Lovell's 
 death was on duty in Washington, succeeded to the office of Surgeon General, 
 ad interim^ the necessary presence of the senior surgeon in the field rendering 
 it inadvisable that any appointment should be made immediately. 
 
 It does not come within the scope of this history to give in detail the 
 events of the Florida war. A large proportion of the Medical Staff were kept 
 on constant duty there for several years ; duty of the most irksome character, 
 in which great privations were to be endured, continual obstacles to be overcome 
 and but little glory to be gained. That they maintained the already high 
 reputation of the Corps for fidelity and efficiency may be inferred from the fol- 
 lowing extracts from official reports made at various times during the war. 
 Colonel Fanning wrote after the battle near Fort Mellon, February 9, 1837 : 
 *' Assistant Surgeon Laub dressed the wounded under the fire of the enemy. 
 In feet I never saw the sick soldier more promptly or faithfully attended to, 
 than since this detachment left Volusia." Colonel Zachary Taylor reported 
 after the battle of 0-kee-cho-bee, December 25, 1837: "The attention 
 and ability displayed by Surgeon Satterlee, Medical Director on this side of 
 the peninsula, assisted by Assistant Surgeons McLaren and Simpson of the 
 Medical Staff of the army, and Doctors Hannah and Cooke of the Missouri 
 Volunteers, in ministering to the wounded as well as their uniform kindness to
 
 158 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 them on all occasions, can never cease to be refeiTed to by me but with the most 
 pleasing and grateful recollections." And again on the twentieth of July, 1839, 
 he writes to the General-in-Chief; " Owing to the dispersed state of the troops 
 the officers of the Medical Staff have been unusually occupied, having to 
 visit several forts at some distance from each other ; their duties have been 
 performed with cheei-fiilness and ability." 
 
 The following is the report of Sui^eon Satterlee concerning the battle of 
 0-kee-cho-bee : 
 
 "FORT BROOKE, TAMPA BAY, 
 
 5th January, 1838. 
 Sm: 
 
 I have the honor to inform you that the brigade to which I am attached as Med- 
 ical Director, has had a very severe engagement with the Mickasuckie and Seminole 
 Indians about one hundred and fifty miles from this place near a lake called 0-kee- 
 cho-bee ; it took place on the twenty-fifth ultimo and lasted nearly two hours, and 
 resulted in the total defeat of the Indians, but with great loss to our troops in killed and 
 wounded. Under the circumstances, as we had no permanent hospital nearer than 
 this, and as the troops must from the nature of the country retire from it long before 
 the wounded could recover, I deemed it proper to bring them immediately to this 
 place. I arrived with them last evening, and have now the satisfaction to say that 
 they are in comfortable quarters. I found the ambulances very serviceable, but as 
 some of the wounded could not be transported in them on account of the roughness 
 of the road, between thirty and forty of them were brought a part of the way on lit- 
 ters between two horses. This is a very comfortable means of transportation but 
 difficult on account of the number of men and horses required. I have requested the 
 quartermaster to have twenty litters constructed here, except the poles, which I t^iink 
 can be obtained in the woods. We were obliged to use blankets and raw hides of the 
 cattle which we found on our way, but the length of time taken to construct them 
 together with the want of proper tools, and at a time when the medical officers with 
 me (Assistant Surgeons McLaren and Simpson) as well as myself were fully occupied 
 night and day with the wounded, it was found very diflficult to construct them ; this 
 is the reason why I wish them to be on hand and ready for any emergency that may 
 occur. The wounded including volunteers amounted to one hundred and eleven, 
 about seventy of which were regulars. These have been placed in hospital under the 
 charge of Surgeon Wood and Assistant Surgeon Suter, and it is my intention to add 
 one more assistant as soon as one comes, which I am anxiously looking for. The vol- 
 unteers are established in hospitals by themselves under the care of their respective 
 medical officers, all of course under the inspection of the senior medical officer of the 
 regular army. * * * * 
 
 I have the honor to be, etc., 
 
 R. S. SATTERLEE, 
 
 Surgeon, U. S. Army, 
 Medical Director south of Withlacoochie." 
 
 Meanwhile, the question of the succession to the vacant chair of Surgeon 
 General was agitated in Washington. Very strong efforts were brought to bear 
 upon the President to induce him to appoint a civilian to this position, and
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 159 
 
 various names were mentioned in connection therewith, none of them of any 
 importance and all of whom have long since been forgotten. The army almost 
 as a unit desired the appointment of Surgeon Thomas Lawson, who was the 
 senior surgeon in the army, had seen long and faithful service, and was second 
 to none in professional ability. Very many of the officers including all those of 
 high rank united in petitions to General Jackson to appoint Doctor Lawson. 
 The President for a time held the matter under advisement, during which 
 Assistant Surgeon King continued acceptably to perform all the duties of 
 the office. At length, on the thirtieth of November, 1836, Doctor Lawson 
 received the appointment, to the great satisfaction of the Medical Corps, who 
 had been extremely apprehensive that the great political influence which had 
 been brought to bear would result in the appointment of some person from 
 civil life. 
 
 It was not, however, until late in the spring of 1837 that he an*ived in 
 Washington, and being then detailed to accompany Ex - President Andrew 
 Jackson to his home in Tennessee, and on the completion of this duty ordered 
 by the War Department to organize a battalion of New York and Pennsylva- 
 nia Volunteers for service in Florida, did not enter permanently on the duties of 
 his office until the following year. Doctor Lawson was a native of Virginia, 
 and first saw service as surgeon's mate in the navy in 1809. This position he 
 resigned in 1811, to accept that of surgeon's mate of the sixth infantry, to 
 which he was appointed on the twenty-eighth of January. He was promoted 
 surgeon of the same regiment in May, 1813, and was highly distinguished for 
 efficiency during the war with Great Britain. In the reduction of the anny 
 after the war he was retained as surgeon of the seventh infantry, and on the 
 reorganization of the Corps in 1821 was transferred to the General Staff" as the 
 senior surgeon in the army. As Medical Director at New Orleans and subse- 
 quently of the Department of the South he had achieved a high reputation, 
 while his long service on the frontier and in the field gave him a practical experi- 
 ence of the wants of the army and the department, of the greatest value in his 
 new executive duties. 
 
 The army board which met in New York in May, 1837, was composed of 
 Surgeons Mower and Hawkins and Assistant Surgeon Steinecke. Thirty 
 applicants were invited to present themselves for examination, of whom fifteen 
 appeared and five were found qualified. That for 1838, consisted of Surgeons 
 Mower and Heiskell and Assistant Surgeon Henderson, and met in Washington 
 city. Forty-three candidates were invited to appear, twenty-three were exam- 
 ined, and ten received a favorable report from the board. This last board was 
 convened to fill the vacancies created by an act passed by Congress on the fifth
 
 160 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 of July " To increase the present; military establishment of the United States 
 and for other purposes." This bill contained the following sections concerning 
 the Medical Department: 
 
 "Section XXI. And be it further enacifd, That all letters and packages on public 
 business, to and from the Commanding General, the Colonel of Ordnance, the Surgeon 
 General, and the Head of the Topographical Corps shall be free from postage. * * 
 
 Section XXIV. And be it further enacted, That hereafter the officers of the Pay 
 and Medical Departments of the army shall receive the pay and emoluments of officers 
 of cavalry of the same grades respectively, according to which they are now paid by 
 existing laws. * * 
 
 Section XXXIII. And he it further enacted. That the President be, and he is 
 hereby authorized, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint seven 
 additional surgeons and that the officers whose appointment is authorized in this sec- 
 tion shall receive the pay and allowances of officers of the same grades respectively." 
 
 This bill further provided, in consequence, of urgent appeals from the 
 Surgeon General on the subject, that hospital stewards at posts of more than 
 four companies should have the pay and allowances of a sergeant of ordnance ; 
 at all other posts those of sergeant of infantry. It also included a section that 
 all officers whether of the line or staff, exclusive of General officers, should 
 receive one additional ration per diem for every five years service. There being 
 some doubt as to the construction of this paragraph iri relation to certain officers, 
 a supplementary act was passed on the seventh of July, including the Paymas- 
 ter General and Surgeon General in its provisions. 
 
 Ever since the examination of candidates had been made an absolute 
 prerequisite to appointment, the Secretary of War and the Surgeon General had 
 been annoyed by complaints from rejected candidates that they had been 
 unfairly treated in the decisions of the boards. Frequently political influence 
 was brought to bear to induce the Department to reverse the action of the 
 board, or to order a reexamination. In reference to one of these cases, where 
 the circumstances were unusually aggravated and the unsuccessful applicant 
 very pertinacious in his demands for redress. Surgeon General Lawson addressed 
 the Secretary of War the following characteristic letter : 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 12 August, 1837. 
 Sib: 
 
 In reply to your question touching the nature of Dr. N 's complaint, I have 
 
 to say that from his communication I cannot exactly discern what he means or what 
 he wants. 
 
 All that I can learn from his incoherent language is that the Army Medical Board 
 and himself are at variance in opinion as to his talents and attainments, and that he 
 has raised a complaint against the Board for not accepting his word and the negative 
 testimony of his friends as evidence of his qualifications to practice physick and
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 161 
 
 surgery in the ai-my of the United States. Dr. N has brought himself to 
 
 believe that the letter of invitation to appear before the Medical Board is a letter of 
 appointment; that the examination is a mere matter of form not at all calculated to 
 aifect the appointment ; and that the Board has done violence to his rights as a citizen 
 in withholding from him a passport into the army. Under this view of the subject he 
 has conceived the idea of forcing his way into the army through the medium of 
 political influence, and hence these threats of vengeance, this show of violence. Dr. 
 
 N has however no cause of complaint nor ground upon which to base a charge 
 
 against the Medical Board ; and his murmurs can be silenced and himself strangled 
 to death without an effort on our part. If faint praise can damn a man, he was com- 
 pletely cursed by those who pretended to recommend him to the consideration of the 
 Department, and should not have been taken up as an accepted candidate for appoint- 
 ment to the Medical Staff of the army. 
 
 Dr. N has been twice examined and in both instances greatly failed, and 
 
 from my own knowledge of him I am free to say, that he can never reach the lowest 
 niche even on the standard of merit which has been reared by the Army Medical Board. 
 
 All of which is respectfully submitted. 
 
 TH. LAWSON, 
 
 Surgeon General." 
 
 The resignation of Surgeon William Beaumont, who, by his scientific 
 investigations, had reflected great credit on the Medical Department, was ac- 
 cepted on the thirty-first of December, 1839. He was a native of Maryland, 
 and originally entered the service in' 1813 as surgeon's mate of the sixteenth 
 infantry. In 1814 he was transferred to the sixth infantry. He served 
 throughout the war and was retained in the reduction of the army 
 in 1815, but declined. In 1819 he reentered the service as post sur- 
 geon, was retained as assistant surgeon on the reorganization of the Corps in 
 1821, and was promoted surgeon November 26, 1827. In 1822, when sta- 
 tioned at Mackinac, Michigan Territory, he was called upon to attend the case 
 of a young Canadian about eighteen years of age, named Alexis St. Martin, who 
 by the accidental discharge of a musket loaded with duck-shot was severely 
 wounded in the left side. The charge blew ofi" the integuments and muscles 
 for a space of several inches in circumference, " fracturing and carrying away 
 the anterior half of the sixth rib, fracturing the fifth, lacerating the lower 
 portion of the left lobe of the lungs, as well as the diaphragm on the left side 
 and perforating the stomach." In the course of treatment the integuments and 
 muscles sloughed away to a considerable extent, and eventually the sides of the 
 wounded portion of the stomach adhered to the pleura costalis and the external 
 opening, making a permanent gastric fistvda, through which a free exit was 
 afforded to the contents of the stomach. It was at first necessary to keep a 
 compress and bandage over the wound to prevent this, but eventually a sort of 
 valve was formed by a fold of the stomach which covered the aperture and 
 11
 
 162 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 prevented the escape of the food, while it did not interfere with an examination 
 of the cavity. In 1825, the man having completely recovered his usual health, 
 Doctor Beaumont commenced a series of experiments upon the nature of the 
 gastric juice and the physiology of digestion, which were kept up at intervals 
 until 1833, when he published the result in a work entitled "The Physiolog}' 
 of Digestion, or Experiments with the Gastric Juice." This work attracted great 
 attention both at home and abroad ; it was translated into German and French, 
 and received appreciative notices from all the eminent physiologists of the day. 
 Doctor Beaumont's opportunity was unparalleled, and he made use of it with 
 great credit to himself and benefit to the profession at large. 
 
 Another severe loss sustained by the Department and the army during this 
 year was in the death of Surgeon Richard Clark. He was in attendance on 
 two posts in Middle Florida, when a malignant remittent fever broke out at 
 Fort Roger Jones, and Assistant Surgeon McCormick, post surgeon at that 
 station, being taken sick, he went to his relief, and died of the prevailing disease 
 on the twenty-ninth of June. Surgeon R. C. Wood, Medical Director of the 
 Army of the South said of him that " his professional attainments and uniform 
 kindness and devotion to the sick commanded the respect and esteem of all." 
 The Surgeon General, in his annual report to the Secretary of War, pays this 
 tribute to his memory : 
 
 "The service in Florida to most of the medical officers employed there, has been 
 indeed not only irksome, but exceedingly laborious and hazardous, many of them 
 having from the very dispersed state of the troops, to give their attendance to two, 
 three or more posts or stands ; frequently passing from one station to another without 
 an escort and occasionally under the fire of the enemy. 
 
 Anlong others whose lot it was to perform more than ordinary duty was the 
 accomplished Surgeon Richard Clark, who in the height of his usefulness was lately 
 cut olf by disease. Doctor Clark having been called to a distant post where the whole 
 command, officers and men, lay prostrate from disease, he at once gave all the energies 
 of his mind and body to the assistance of his suffering comrades, and while thus 
 engaged in administering by day and by night to the diseases and to the wants of the 
 sick, he was inhaling the noxious vapors of the place, even to his own destruction. 
 After rendering much assistance and indeed all the aid practicable, he himself sank 
 to the ground and in a day or two afterwards yielded up liis gallant spirit, a martyr 
 to the calls of humanity and his country's good. For this very severe and perilous 
 duty, this extraordinary devotion to their country's cause (this extra service being 
 peculiar to themselves and not absolutely to be required of them) these officers are 
 entitled to a full measure of praise, and I do not hesitate thus to express the high 
 sense that I entertain of their public services and of their public worth." 
 
 The medical board which convened in New York city in 1839, consisted 
 of Surgeons Mower, Finley and Tripler. Of thirty-six candidates invited to 
 appear before the board twelve declined examination, two were excluded on
 
 I.T10M 1821 TO 1846. 163 
 
 account of their age, eighteen were rejected, and only four recommended for 
 appointment. As it was impossible for the medical officers stationed in Florida 
 to proceed to New York to be examined for promotion, a board consisting of 
 Surgeons Beaumont, Craig and Wood, with Steinecke as supernumerary, 
 assembled for the purpase at Tampa, Florida, in November. They examined 
 but one candidate for appointment, who received a favorable report. 
 
 This year the first volume of the " Anny Medical Statistics" was pre- 
 pared by Assistant Surgeon Samuel Forry, and issued under direction of the 
 Surgeon General. It embraced statistics of the sickness and mortality in the 
 army from 1819 to 1839, the medical topography and meteorology of the various 
 posts, a report on the construction and condition of the various barracks and 
 hospitals, and much other information of interest to the medical officer, chiefly 
 in reference to prevailing diseases and their treatment. 
 
 The question came up before the Comptroller of the Treasury in March^ 
 1840, of the employment and payment of hospital stewards to troops when 
 serving in the field, and that official decided that under existing laws no stew- 
 ards could be employed except at garrisons and permanent posts. As during 
 the war in Florida hospital stewards were more needed for field service than in 
 any other capacity, it became necessary to immediately amend the regulations so 
 as to provide for their employment, and the following order was issued : 
 
 "WAR DEPARTMENT, 
 
 March 28, 1840. 
 Regulation. 
 
 The services of hospital stewards with troops on a march being indispensable, 
 authority is hereby given for the employment and payment of suitable persons to per- 
 form that duty with troops operating in the field. The compensation to stewards 
 serving with a detachment consisting of more than four companies, will be the pay, 
 clothing and rations of a sergeant of ordnance ; and when serving with a smaller 
 detachment of more than one company, it will be the pay, clothing and rations of a 
 first sergeant of infantry. In the event of there being no person specially enlisted as 
 hospital steward, the surgeon will, with the approbation of the commanding officer, 
 appoint a suitable non-commissioned officer or private to perform that duty. 
 
 J. R. POINSETT, 
 
 Secretary of War." 
 
 In October, 1840, a new uniform was adopted for the Medical Depai-t- 
 ment, as follows : 
 
 "Uniform and Dress of the Medical Staff of the Army of the United States. 
 
 Coat Dark blue cloth, double breasted; two rows of buttons, ten buttons in each 
 row; the rows to commence at the collar and to run in right lines to the bottom of the 
 lapels, four inches apart at the top, and two and a half inches at the bottom ; the but- 
 tons in each row to be equidistant; standing collar and cuflFs of black velvet; the
 
 164 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 collar to meet with hooks and eyes, and to rise no higher than to permit the chin to 
 turn freely over it; to be embroidered at each end with a gold laurel branch five inches 
 long; the outer edges to be embroidered with a gold vine of laurel leaves. 
 
 The cuffs to be three inches deep, and to have a laurel branch and vine similar to 
 that on the collar. The skirts to be made after the fashion of a citizen's coat lined 
 with blue cloth, with a button at each hip, one at the end of each fold, and one inter- 
 mediate in each fold. 
 
 Epaulettes Gold, with solid bright crescent. Tlie bullion of the Surgeon General 
 will be half an inch in diameter and three and a half inches long ; that of the sur- 
 geons, half an inch in diameter and three and a half inches long; that of assistant 
 surgeons over five years [in service], one-fourth inch diameter and two and a half 
 inches long ; and of assistant surgeons under five years [in service] , one-eighth inch 
 diameter and two and a half inches long. Within the crescent a laurel wreath em- 
 broidered in gold, and the letters ' ^. .' in old English characters within the wreath. 
 The straps to be gold lace for all the grades except the surgeons, which will be silver 
 lace ; the letters to be silver where the lace is gold, and gold where the lace is silver. 
 A spread eagle of solid silver metal to be worn by the Surgeon General only, is to be 
 placed upon the epaulette strap above the wreath. 
 
 Buttons Gilt, convex, with spread eagle and stars, and plain border. 
 
 Hat Cocked, with black silk binding; fan on back part not more than eleven 
 inches, nor less than nine inches ; the front or cock not more than nine inches nor less 
 than eight ; each corner six inches ; black button and black silk gimp loop, ornamented 
 with a cockade and gilt spread eagle, tassels gold. 
 
 Plume Black feathers. 
 
 Cravat or Stock Black silk. 
 
 Trousers From the first of October to the thirtieth of April dark blue cloth with 
 a black stripe down the outer seam one and a half inches wide ; from the first of May 
 to the thirtieth of September, plain white linen or cotton. 
 
 Boots Ancle or Jefferson. 
 
 Spurs Yellow metal or gilt. 
 
 Sword Small sword and scabbard, according to pattern. 
 
 Swordknot Gold lace strap with gold bullion tassel. 
 
 Waistbelt Black patent leather, one and a half inches wide with slings and hooks. 
 
 Plate Gilt, having the letters ' IS. ah' and a sprig of laurel on each side in silver. 
 
 Gloves White. 
 
 Undkess. 
 
 F^oek Coat Dark blue cloth, single breasted, with stand up collar; regulation 
 
 buttons ; one row of eight buttons on the breast ; lining black silk or blue cloth ; 
 
 ' pockets in the folds of the skirts, with one button at the hip and one at the end of 
 
 each pocket, making only four buttons on the back and skirts of the coat ; shoulder 
 
 straps according to grade. 
 
 Cloak Blue cloth, lined with blue. 
 Forage Cap According to pattern." 
 
 The board of officers which recommended the foregoing uniform, had at 
 first given to medical officers an aiguilette, but no epaulettes. To this many of the 
 medical officers very strongly objected that it made an uncalled for distinction 
 between them and the officers of the other staff departments, and they requested
 
 PROM 1821 TO 1846. 165 
 
 Surgeon Greneral Lawson to appeal to the Secretary of War on the subject. This he 
 declined to do, but he addressed a letter to the Adjutant General, which is given 
 herewith, not only from its interest in connection with the Corps, but also 
 because it forcibly illustrates the character of its chief: 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 .July 5, 1839. 
 Sir: 
 
 Doctor King informs me that yon have expressed a wish that I should call with 
 him on the Secretary of War, and speak to him on the subject of epaulettes for the 
 Medical Staff. 
 
 As it is unusual for a subaltern officer to dictate to his chief, I have upon I'eflec- 
 tion come to the conclusion that it is better for me not to suggest anything to the 
 Secretary in relation to a change of uniform. 
 
 I have been twenty-six and more years in the military service of my country, 
 and very generally with troops on the frontiers and in the field. 
 
 I have been on the theatre of immediate action in every war in which the country 
 has been engaged within my period of service, whether with a civilized or savage 
 enemy, except that with Black Hawk, and then I volunteered my services for the field, 
 but could not obtain permission to leave my station. 
 
 I have acted as quartermaster and as adjutant, and have been for months at a 
 time, in command of a company of men in the regular army. I have also commanded 
 a battalion and a regiment of men in the volunteer service, and have led them to the 
 theatre of war ; in the first instance under a commission from the executive of the 
 state of Louisiana, and on the last occasion by the almost unanimous consent of the 
 officers and men who served under my orders ; and although my services have not 
 been attended with such brilliant results as those of some other persons, my military 
 career has certainly not been discreditable to myself, or altogether unprofitable to the 
 government. 
 
 If under these circumstances the commanding general of the army could feel 
 himself justified in putting me off with an aiguilette, a piece of tinsel on one shoulder, 
 while he decorates every brevet second lieutenant with an epaulette on each shoulder, 
 and the staff lieutenant with an aiguilette besides, I must be satisfied to remain with- 
 out a military dress. 
 
 As I am a soldier in feeling and somewhat in practice too, I should be gratified 
 with having the privileges of a military man in the way of dress even ; but if I am 
 never to wear an epaulette until I ask for it, my shoulders will never be decorated 
 with that badge of distinction. All that I have to ask is, that I shall not be com- 
 pelled to wear the prescribed uniform, a demi-military dress, alike unsuited to my 
 taste and to my feelings, nor forced to follow in the train of a general officer, on gala 
 days, or in procession. As a citizen with plain clothes on, I can command respect, 
 and feel that I am respected ; but to be brought in contact with military men, on cer- 
 tain occasions, with half a uniform on, and the only chief of a military bureau in the 
 same predicament, I could not but be conscious of my inferiority, and must therefore 
 beg leave to be saved from the necessity of experiencing such a state of mortification. 
 
 The subject of a new uniform was broached by me the other day, at the pressing 
 instance of a number of the members of the Medical Staff; and as these officers are 
 constantly present on duty with the soldiery, many of whom are not disposed to pay
 
 166 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 homage to, or to yield prompt obedience to any person who does not wear the badge 
 of military rank, the good of the service would seem to call for a respectful consider- 
 ation of their application for a strictly military dress. 
 
 The rigid rules of military service having been already dispensed with in order 
 to decorate the persons of platoon officers with two epaulettes, who before were entitled 
 to one only, either on the right or on the left shoulder, there cannot be any great mil- 
 itary impropriety in extending the indulgence to those staff officers, who, although 
 they have not military rank proper, must in the regular discharge of their duties 
 necessarily command, or have military control over non-commissioned officers and 
 privates, and also over the commissioned officer when sick and in hospital. 
 
 Epaulettes would embellish the person,- and thereby gratify the pride of these 
 officers (whether foolish pride or not is immaterial to the question) without doing a 
 jot of injury to the discipline of the army, or interfering at all with the rights or with 
 the dignity of a single officer with military rank. And if these indispensable officers, 
 and I am free to say, intelligent, zealous and efficient members of the Medical Corps 
 (the surgeons and assistant surgeons) can be brought to set a higher value on their 
 commissions, or to feel better satisfied with their condition in the army, at so small a 
 cost as the privilege of wearing epaulettes, the indulgence surely should not be 
 withheld. , 
 
 I am, very respectfully, etc., 
 
 TH. LAWSON, 
 Major S. Cooper, Surgeon General. 
 
 Assistant Adjutant General^ 
 
 This remonstrance had the desired effect, and as has been shown, on the 
 appearance of the regulations for the new uniform in the ensuing year, the 
 coveted decoration was prescribed for medical as well as other officers of the army. 
 
 The medical board for this year, 1840, consisted of Surgeons Mower, Finley 
 and Hawkins, and met in Philadelphia on the first of May. Nineteen candidates 
 were examined, of whom nine were approved. That for the ensuing year was 
 composed of Surgeons Mower, Finley and McDougall and met in the same 
 place on the twenty-fifth of May. Twenty-six candidates were invited to 
 appear before the board ; of which number, twenty-two presented themselves, 
 three voluntarily withdrew, three did not come within the prescribed regulations, 
 fourteen were completely examined and six approved. In 1842 the board met 
 as before in Philadelphia. The detail was Surgeons Mower and Steinecke 
 and Assistant Surgeon J. M. Cuyler. Of seventeen candidates for appointment 
 who were invited to present themselves before this board, ten were examined 
 and only two found qualified. 
 
 The practical termination of the Florida war by the transfer of the larger 
 portion of the Seminoles to the territory west of the Mississippi, rendered it 
 unnecessary to maintain so large a military force as had been done for several 
 years, and consequently on the twenty-third of August, 1842, Congress passed 
 an act " Respecting the organization of the army and for other purposes." The
 
 ' FROM 1821 TO 1846. 167 
 
 rank and file was reduced by diminishing the number of non-commissioned 
 officers and soldiers to a company, while maintaining the former organization ; 
 in regard to the staff, reduction was accomplished by the discharge of officers 
 whose services were no longer required. The fourth section of this act 
 provided : 
 
 "That within one month after the passage of this act, the offices of one Inspector 
 General, of three paymasters, two surgeons and ten assistant surgeons of the army shall 
 be abolished, and that that number of paymasters, surgeons and assistant surgeons, 
 shall be discharged by the President; and they shall be allowed three month's pay, in 
 addition to the pay and emoluments to which they may be entitled at the time of their 
 discharge." 
 
 Immediately after the passage of this act the following order was issued 
 by the Secretary of War: 
 
 "WAR DEPARTMENT, 
 
 August 26, 1842. 
 
 The fourth section of the act of Congress entitled ' An act for the reorganization 
 of the army, and for other purposes,' approved August 23, 1842, provides that within 
 one month after the passage of the act, the offices of three paymasters, two surgeons 
 and ten assistant surgeons shall be abolished, and that number of paymasters, sur- 
 geons and assistant surgeons shall be discharged by the President. The remote 
 distance of many of the officers, renders it necessary that the persons to be disbanded, 
 should be designated as soon as practicable, that they may not be embarrassed in 
 rendering their accounts for services beyond the time prescribed by the act. 
 
 The difficulty of discharging the duty thus enjoined by law, has been anxiously 
 felt. Many meritorious officers must necessarily be laid aside, not from any demerit 
 of their own, but simply because the public no longer requires their services. As a 
 guide in the performance of that duty, authentic information has been collected from 
 official sources, and an impartial judgment formed without reference to any other 
 considerations than such as regarded the best interests of the service. And in the 
 designation of those whose lot it is to retire, it is to be distinctly understood that 
 nothing is to be inferred derogatory to their fame or worth. 
 
 The President therefore directs that the following named officers be disbanded, 
 and honorably discharged from the army of the United States from and after the 
 twenty-third day of September next, when they will receive the three month's addi- 
 tional pay provided by the act, viz: 
 
 * * * * P. Maxwell, surgeon, thpre being now one vacancy 
 
 in the office of surgeon. 
 
 Edward Worrell, John Emerson, L. A. Birdsall, S. R. Arnold, W. T. Leonard, B. 
 W. Woods, C. W. Stearns, Dabney Herndon, George Buist, Charles C. Keeney, assis- 
 tant surgeons in the army. 
 
 The disbanded paymasters, surgeons and assistant surgeons may consider them- 
 selves as having leaves of absence as soon as they can be relieved, for which prompt 
 measures will be taken by the proper Departments of the Staif. 
 
 ****** 
 
 J. C. SPENCER, 
 
 . Secretary of War."
 
 168 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 The question of the relative status of medical officers when serving with 
 officers of the line came up for decision about this time, on an application made 
 by Assistant Surgeon Edward Worrell at Fort Niagara, New York, for infor- 
 mation as to his position when detailed to serve on a council of administration 
 with junior officers of the line. The line claimed that medical officers having 
 no actual rank could not preside over such councils, as that involved the exercise 
 of military command, to which they were forbidden by law, and on at least one 
 occasion a junior line officer refused to take his seat unless the regulation was 
 construed to meet this interpretation. Doctor Worrell and other medical officers 
 demurred to this construction of the law, and appealed to the Surgeon General. 
 Doctor Lawson being absent from Washington at the time on special duty, 
 Surgeon Heiskell, who was in temporary charge of the Surgeon General's 
 Office, advised Doctor Worrell to acquiesce in the view taken by the line officers 
 as being productive of the harmony and friendly relations which should exist 
 between the different branches of the service. Subsequently to the writing of 
 this letter, the Revised Army Regulations for 1840 were issued, and among 
 other changes was a paragraph which expressly denied the right of any staff 
 officer to preside over a board of survey or council of administration, though 
 they were still liable to detail as members of such bodies. This caused indig- 
 nant protests from the army medical board then in session, from a number of 
 the older and most esteemed medical officers and even from some officers of the 
 line, and Surgeon Heiskell placed all these papers before the Secretary of War, 
 accompanied by the following vigorous appeal for the rights of the officers : 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 November 4, 1841. 
 Hon. J. C. Spencer, 
 
 Secketaky of War. 
 
 Sib: In respectfully inviting your attention to the enclosed papers numbered from 
 one to six inclusive, I beg leave to submit a few explanatory remarks. 
 
 Section 2 of the act of Congress ' To increase and regulate the pay of the surgeons 
 and assistant surgeons of the army,' approved June 30, 1834, provides that surgeons 
 ' shall be entitled to receive the pay and emoluments of a major, assistant surgeons 
 who shall have served five years the pay and emoluments of a captain, and those who 
 shall have served less than five years the pay and emoluments of & first lieutenant.' 
 
 The army regulations which were published the succeeding year (1835), in refer- 
 ence to the Medical Staff (and other staff officers without military rank) adopted 
 precisely the same scale of assimilated rank, classifying surgeons with majors, assis- 
 tant surgeons of five years [service] with captains, &c., and permitting them to 'take 
 their places on boards and councils according to [that] classification.' This regulation 
 having the legislation of Congress evidently for its basis, and alike due to justice and 
 the well earned character of the Medical Staff, has been set aside in the army regu- 
 lations of the present year, and another substituted, which is calculated to degrade 
 them in their own eyes, as well as in the opinion of the whole army.
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 169 
 
 The objectionable regulation to which I allude, is contained in the latter clause of 
 paragraph 5, article II, which specifies that ' Staff officers of the army not having 
 military rank, shall in no case be appointed or sit as president of a mixed board or 
 council, or exercise any military authority or command whatever over commissioned 
 officers invested with military rank, and the senior officer of the board or council of 
 the latter claSs shall preside.' 
 
 By the operation of this regulation, medical officers who number from twenty-five 
 to thirty-five years of faithful service, are compelled to yield precedence on boards or 
 councils to the favoured officer 'invested with military rank,' who cannot reckon as 
 many years of his whole life who was not even born or if he had existence, was 
 perhaps puling in his nurse's arms while the war-worn surgeon was mingling in the 
 strife of battle and rendering assistance to the bleeding soldier. This is no fancy 
 sketch ; it is a picture of painful, mortifying truth ; depicting the medical officer as 
 unworthy of occupying any other than an humble and subordinate position. 
 
 The laws and regulations entitle the surgeon to all the pay and allowances of a 
 major ; in the selection of quarters he has choice with him (and of course before all 
 others of an inferior grade) ; he is allowed the same number of tents, rooms, servants 
 and horses ; the same badges of rank ; and yet, on a board or council, he is required 
 and liable, to sit below the youngest brevet second lieutenant in the army. 
 
 Having I trust shown the injustice of the regulation, I beg leave now to exhibit a 
 few of its absurdities. 
 
 At a post where a common superior to a surgeon and a major can be detailed, and 
 the surgeon is of older date than the latter, he is permitted to take his place on a 
 board or council next to the President, and of course above the major. If from any 
 cause the post should the very next day be left in command of a captain (who would 
 not be eligible), with two lieutenants, the surgeon would be placed below one of the 
 lieutenants ; and if there was but one lieutenant, and that one the youngest in the 
 army, the surgeon would still occupy the inferior place ; exhibiting the incongruous 
 phasis of passing within twenty-four hours, from a position above that of a major, to 
 one below a. second lieutenant ! But the inconsistency does not end here ; paragraph 
 170, new regulations, prescribes that 'the junior member [shall] act as secretary.' 
 Who is the junior member the presiding lieutenant or the surgeon of thirty-five 
 years service? The term junior is not to be found in the military lexicons ; but John- 
 son defines it as 'one younger than another.' It will hardly be contended that the 
 surgeon is younger in service than the lieutenant ; if not it must be the latter ; and 
 the singular anomaly is presented of the president and secretary being united in the 
 same person ! 
 
 But it is contended by those who are opposed to the claim of the Medical StaflF, 
 that the right to preside on boards and councils, implies the right to command. As 
 there is more plausibility than truth in this assertion, a brief examination of the ques- 
 tion is necessary. * * * * 
 
 It would be difficult for the most ingenious hair-splitter to detect anything of a 
 military character in the duties of boards and councils ; and if they are not military 
 but as we contend purely administrative, can the authority of the president of such a 
 council be construed to imply ' military command ?' But what is the momentous 
 authority of the president of a council which would so wound the sensibilities of some, 
 if exercised by an officer 'without military rank?' As the army regulations do not 
 enlighten us on this point, we must seek for an answer in the practice of the service 
 in such cases. It is no more nor less than to preserve order! In common with the 
 11*
 
 170 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 other members he votes when they vote, and can only adjourn the council when a 
 majority so decides; and with the secretary, sign the proceedings for the approval or 
 disapproval of the commanding officer. 
 
 But whether this authority is military or not, it may be questioned, from an 
 analogous case, whether it is not a violation of the rights of the officers of the Medical 
 Staff, to disqualify them by regulation from the exercise of functions which the law 
 clearly concedes to them. Tlie 64th article of war (see army regulations) prescribes 
 that ' general courts-martial may consist of any number of commissioned officers from 
 five to thirteen inclusively ; but they shall not consist of less than thirteen where that 
 number can be convened without manifest injury to the service.' As the medical 
 officer is ' commissioned,' and holds his commission by precisely the same tenure as 
 any other officer, it will not be denied that he is eligible to a seat on a court-martial ; 
 and if detailed as a member, that he cannot be deprived of the right his commission 
 being of an older date than the others to take his seat as the president of the court. 
 If the position here assumed is correct^ as I humbly conceive it is it may then be 
 demanded, on what just ground are medical officers disqualified from presiding on 
 boards and councils? 
 
 In conclusion and in behalf of the Medical Staff of the army, I appeal to you for 
 a careful investigation of this subject a subject which may appear to you to involve 
 matter of small moment, but deeply affecting the feelings and just pride of a class of 
 officers, whose services, general intelligence and professional merit, entitle them to 
 hope for a more just appreciation of their deserts than the degrading regulation awards 
 to them. 
 
 I have the honor to be, etc., 
 
 H. L. HEISKELL, 
 
 Acting Surgeon General.^' 
 
 Nor did the matter rest here, for the Surgeon General issued a circular to 
 all the officers of the Medical Corps inviting them to give their views on the 
 subject, and during the next three years many able papers were received at the 
 Surgeon General's Office in reference thereto. Some of the more distinguished 
 members of the Corps, notably Surgeons Mower, Tripler and Heiskell thought 
 that the only remedy would be a law ^ving positive rank to medical officers, 
 which indeed they claimed was intended by the act of June 30, 1834; and 
 plans of enactments were drawn up by them for the action of Congress and a 
 strong eSori made to interest individual members in the subject, but it was not 
 for a number of years afterwards that the object in view was finally 
 accomplished. 
 
 A letter of Surgeon General Lawson on the proper distribution of the 
 hospital fund, which was written to the Medical Purveyor in Florida in the 
 spring of this year, (1841,) contains some points of sufficient intorest to deser\'e 
 quotation, as the same question is likely to be a source of anxiety to medical 
 officers whenever a large fund accumulates from certain troops, who are after- 
 wards^removed from the locality without deriving any benefit from the saving. 
 It will be seen that General Lawson took the very proper ground that a hospital
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 171 
 
 fund once formed could not be reserved for any particular regiment or corps, 
 but became the property of the Medical Department for the general benefit of 
 the army. 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 May 24, 1841. 
 Dr. B. Randall, 
 
 Surgeon, U. S. A. 
 
 Sir : Your letter of the twenty-seventh of April reporting that you had received 
 2,951.37 of hospital fund, and requesting to be informed whether or not the money 
 is to be appropriated to the exclusive benefit of those regiments with whom the fund 
 was accumulated, has been received. 
 
 In reply to your communication I have to say that the very circumstances of hav- 
 ing the money accruing from the retained rations of the sick, withdrawn from the 
 assistant commissaries of subsistence at the various posts and with the diiFerent corps, 
 and concentrated in the hands of one or two acting medical purveyors, shows that it 
 is to constitute a general fund with which to purchase supplies for the sick of the 
 army without regard to companies or corps, who cannot be otherwise provided with 
 the necessaries of life. 
 
 The money accruing from the retained rations of the sick in hospital does not 
 belong to the individuals whose rations are retained, or to the company or regiment to 
 which they belong. The fund can accrue only by the soldiers being taken into the 
 hospital and subsisted on the hospital stores of the government, and the accumulation 
 is greatest, and is great only at those places where the commissariat fails to furnish 
 the necessary articles of diet for the sick. 
 
 Under the regular system of supplying provisions to the soldiers of the army, 
 the sick men in hospital are subsisted by the Subsistence and the Medical Departments 
 conjointly. Should the man in hospital be unable to eat his bread and pork, and the 
 commissary cannot furnish in lieu thereof, fowls, mutton, eggs, milk, butter or any- 
 thing else that the sick man requires, the patient must necessarily be subsisted on the 
 barley, sago, chocolate, tea, wine, brandy, &c., &c., in the hospital; and thus the 
 medical stores which were intended for a six or twelve month's supply to the troops, 
 are frequently exhausted in half the time contemplated. If then the sick soldier 
 lives entirely upon the hospital, instead of being subsisted by the Medical and Sub- 
 sistence departments conjointly, and thus causes an extraordinary consumption of 
 hospital stores, and the consequent necessity of renewing the supply again and again 
 at the expense of the Medical Department alone, what better disposition can be made 
 of the commutation allowance for the retained rations than giving it to that appropri- 
 ation from which the extraordinary supplies have been drawn. , 
 
 The idea that the pork and beans of a sick soldier, withheld from him because it 
 would be injurious to him to eat them, if not immediately commuted for mutton, eggs, 
 etc., and given to him, must be held, or the equivalent for it, forever afterwards for 
 his special benefit, is so preposterous that I cannot with any sort of patience argue 
 upon the subject. Has not the sick man if he can swallow at all already gotten from 
 the government his commutation allowance, or the equivalent for his ration, in brandy, 
 sago, tea, chocolate or wine? Can he, when he is sick and doing nothing, claim of 
 the government full rations and hospital stores to boot? Is it not competent for the 
 Executive of the Nation to alter or reduce the soldier's ration at will? And if he 
 chooses by regulation to authorize the medical officer to abridge or withhold the ration
 
 172 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 altogether when necessary, is there any violence done to the man's rights? The ration 
 of the sick soldier can be withheld from him whenever it is essential to his safety, or 
 the treatment of his disease ; and if the pay, as well as the rations of the officers and 
 privates both, could be held back when they are on the sick report, there would not 
 be so many people wandering over the country with sick certificates in their pockets. 
 Again, many of the men whose rations contributed to make up the hospital fund 
 turned over to you, have died or have long since been discharged the service ; shall 
 their portion of the fund be given to members of the corps to the third and fourth 
 generation? The fund for instance called the Third Regiment Hospital Fund, was I 
 believe in part accumulated with the seventh infantry while I was with it at Fort 
 Jesup eighteen and more years ago ; and are the present members of the third 
 infantry, some of them then unborn, and all of them as to their term of enlistment in 
 the third or fourth degree removed from the original contributors, more legitimate 
 heirs to the estate than the government who supported the men at the time? In what- 
 ever light we view this question, the claim of the government to the hospital fund is 
 80 apparent that I can scarcely bring myself to believe that any man can seriously 
 entertain a doubt upon the subject. The money in your hands then, is a public fund, 
 to be disbursed for the benefit of the government. It is intended to meet those extra- 
 ordinary drafts upon the medical appropriations through the medium of special 
 requisitions upon the Quartermaster's Department. And it must be disbursed in the 
 purchase of necessaries for those sick who cannot be otherwise supplied with the 
 essentials of life, more particularly at those posts where the hospital fund accruing for 
 the time being is not available. 
 
 Very respectfully, etc., 
 
 TH. LAWSON, 
 
 Surgeon General.^' 
 
 The regular annual meeting of the medical examining board for 1843 took 
 place in New York city on the first of July. The detail was Surgeons Mower, 
 Steinecke and Tripler, members, Assistant Surgeon J. J. B. Wright, recorder. 
 A regulation was issued by the War Department, to take effect from the meet- 
 ing of this board, that if no vacancy occurred in the Medical Staff for the space 
 of two years from the time of the examination of any approved candidate, 
 such examination should be considered null and void, and the candidate be 
 required to undergo a further examination before appointment. This regula- 
 tion was deemed necessary on account of the great changes which two years 
 might produce in the physical as well as the professional qualifications of a 
 candidate for appointment. Fourteen applicants presented themselves before 
 this board ; of these, one was found physically disqualified to perform the duties 
 of a medical officer, three withdrew before their examination was completed, six 
 were rejected and four passed a satisfactory examination. Of those approved, 
 two, George Buist and Charles C. Keeney, had been previously commissioned 
 in the Corps, but were disbanded on the reduction of the army in 1842. 
 
 The following decision of the Greneral-in-Chief relative to the proper 
 salutes to be paid to medical officers was issued in consequence of numerous
 
 FROM 1821 TO 1846. 173 
 
 complaints from those officers that they were not honored by sentinels in accord- 
 ance with their rank : 
 
 "ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 Washington, August 3, 1843. 
 Sir: Surgeon Foot's letter of the twenty-third ult., relative to the proper salute to 
 be paid by a sentinel on post to the surgeons of the army, referred by you to this 
 office, has been laid before the General-in-Chief and duly considered. 
 
 The like question heretofore submitted to the General-in-Chief has been decided 
 as follows: Surgeons are by regulations classed with majors in regard to certain mat- 
 ters of allowance as quarters, &c., and they are entitled to precedency as such in 
 mixed boards; but not having the military 'rank' of 'field officers,' they are not 
 entitled to the salute prescribed for majors. 
 
 I am, sir, very respectfully, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 Surgeon General T. Lawson, R. JONES, 
 
 U. S. Army. Adjutant General." 
 
 The Surgeon General having at the same time requested an opinion relative 
 
 to certain points pertaining to the purely military duties of medical officers, 
 
 the following decision was rendered by the Greneral-in-Chief : 
 
 "ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 Washington, August 4, 1843. 
 Sir: 
 
 Your letter of the twenty-ninth of July renewing the inquiry found in your com- 
 munication of the sixth of April, agreeably to your request has been duly considered 
 and laid before the commanding general. 
 
 I quote from your letter : 
 
 ' 1st. Whether the position of the medical officer on parades for muster and 
 inspection, reviews or other dress parades, at posts garrisoned by one company only, 
 is the same as with a battalion of men, and if not, where is his position? 
 
 2nd. Whether it is required, or has been customary for the medical officer to 
 appear in full dress, and on parade with the company, at the punishment of prisoners ; 
 and if so, where would be his position on the occasion?' 
 
 Answer to the first question : The position of staff officers including the surgeon 
 and assistant in the order of battle, parades, reviews in line and column, is relatively 
 the same, whether the command be a battalion or consist of a single company. [See 
 infantry tactics vol. 1, plate 1, and paragraph 44; see also nos. 615 and 621 army 
 regulations.] 
 
 Answer to the second question : No matter what the occasion may be, if the troops 
 be under arms in uniform, it would be with the commander to decide whether the 
 officers (including the surgeon) be excused from appearing in full dress; but in wit- 
 nessing punishments I think the medical officer ought to be excused, because his 
 professional services might be necessary. As respects his 'position,' when with the 
 troops under arms to attend the punishment of a prisoner, if not in his fixed position as 
 pointed out by the regulations, he should take his station near the prisoner, with the 
 view to his professional observation and services or advice, should he deem it necessary. 
 
 I am, sir, very respectfully, etc., 
 
 R. JONES, 
 
 Adjutant General."
 
 174 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 The medical examining board for 1 844 met in New York city on the first 
 of July. The detail was Surgeons Mower and Steinecke and Assistant Surgeon 
 Hitchcock. Eleven candidates were authorized to present themselves for 
 examination. Of these, seven were examined and three approved. That for 
 1845 examined eleven applicants, of whom nine were rejected and two favorably 
 reported on. The detail was the same as before, substituting Assistant Surgeon 
 Henderson for Doctor Hitchcock. 
 
 In May, 1845, the propriety of a medical officer's engaging in private 
 practice was brought to the notice of the Department for decision, in conse- 
 quence of protests forwarded by private physicians at Sackett's Harbor, New 
 York, against the practice on the part of the post surgeon at Madison Barracks 
 of attending to patients in that village; alleging that he, (the post surgeon) 
 came into injurious competition with them. These protests were replied to by 
 the Surgeon Greneral as follows: 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 .June 4, 1845. 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 Your communication (without date) to the Secretary of War, representing that 
 Doctor Foot, the surgeon stationed at Madison Barracks, and Mr. Veits the hospital 
 steward of the post, come in 'competition' with you in the practice of the adjacent 
 village and country, and asking for the interposition of the Department of War in the 
 matter, has been referred to this office. 
 
 Whether, by your expression, 'putting themselves in competition' with you, you 
 mean to convey anything more than that they comply with the applications of those 
 who desire their professional aid, is not clearly understood. If neither a breach of 
 professional etiquette, nor any improper means to obtain professional employment is 
 charged against them, it is not perceived that this Department can with propriety 
 interfere in the matter. In the absence of reasons such as have just been stated, the 
 only other, and indeed the principal circumstance that would seem to call for the 
 restraint of authority in the present case would be, that they neglect or have neglected 
 their official duties by engaging in private practice. This you have not alleged ; ' and 
 as no report has been made upon the subject by their commanding officer, it is to 
 be presumed there is no cause of complaint on that score. Indeed the elevated 
 character and fidelity of the officers of the Medical Staif afford satisfactory guaranties 
 that this will seldom, if ever occur. If however, they should so far forget what is due 
 to the government and expected of themselves, as to engage in private practice to the 
 neglect of the officers and soldiers who are dependent on them for medical aid, they 
 can be readily checked by their immediate military commander; and if they should 
 persist in this dereliction of public duty, they can promptly be brought to trial before 
 a military tribunal. 
 
 When therefore, it does not interfere with their military duties, medical officers 
 have a right to give their professional advice, &c., to whomsoever they please, and 
 they have always been permitted to do so with a view to their professional advance- 
 ment. Indeed at military posts occupied by a small number of troops, and where of 
 course the subjects of disease are few in number, and the complaints of these few
 
 KROM 1821 TO 1846. 175 
 
 present but little variety of character, it is rather desirable than otherwise that the 
 army physician should extend his sphere of action to the citizens immediately around 
 him, so as to become familiar with disease under all circumstances, the maladies pre- 
 vailing through the country and among the citizens generally, as well as the diseases 
 peculiar to the soldier, or to military life in camp or garrison. To deprive the army 
 surgeon of any reasonable opportunity of practical advancement in his profession, 
 would surely be inflicting an injury upon the service generally, and especially upon 
 those who have to depend upon him for professional aid. 
 
 Again, while this Department in its reply to your communication desires to con- 
 fine itself strictly to official considerations, or such as affect the public service merely, 
 it may not be out of place incidentally to state, that to prohibit a medical officer (when 
 his public duties will permit) from extending relief to those of his fellow citizens who may 
 apply for his services having confidence in his professional attainments would be as 
 ungracious to them as it would be devoid of the common dictates of humanity ; and might 
 afford as just and perhaps a better cause for complaint on the part of the neighboring 
 community than the one alleged by yourselves, which relates exclusively to private 
 interests. 
 
 In reply to your proposition that you may be permitted to come into competition 
 with them (the surgeon and steward) inside 'the garrison,' and 'the amount of our 
 [your] services to be deducted from their pay,' I beg leave to say that as there are gen- 
 erally a number of persons at a military garrison, who receive the professional services 
 of the surgeon only by right of courtesy (which has always however been regarded as 
 obligatory), they are entirely at liberty if they think proper to employ you ; and as far 
 as the discipline of the service will permit and my jurisdiction extends, I can offer no 
 objections to their so doing; but as the pay of the surgeon and steward is fixed by 
 law, it is not competent for the Department to order you to be paid for your services 
 in the manner you propose. 
 
 Very respectfully, etc., 
 
 H. L. HEISKELL. 
 
 Acting Surgeon General.''^ 
 
 The threatening aspect of affairs rendering a war with Mexico not an 
 improbable occurrence, in August, 1845, a hirge body of troops was concen- 
 trated at Corpus Christi, Texas. This was placed under command of General 
 Z. Taylor, and was entitled the " Army of Occupation." In anticipation of this 
 movement the Medical Purveyor at New York was, in June, instructed to 
 forward a years supply for fifteen hundred men to New Orleans, to be subject 
 to General Taylor's orders, and an additional quantity was forwarded to Corpus 
 Christi in August. Assistant Surgeon McCormick was also detailed to pur- 
 chase in New Orleans such supplies for immediate use as might be needed by 
 the troops en route to Texas. The troops thus constituting the " Army of 
 Occupation," were the second dragoons, the third, fouith, fifth, seventh and 
 eighth regiments of infantry, and portions of the first, second and fourth regiments 
 of artillery. Surgeon Presley H. Craig was appointed Medical Director and 
 Surgeon W. L. Wharton, Medical Purveyor to the army. This latter officer 
 was subsequently relieved on account of ill health and was succeeded by
 
 176 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 Assistant Surgeon James Simons. A general hospital was established, which 
 was placed in charge of Surgeon N. S. Jarvis. The following medical officers were in 
 charge of the various regimental hospitals, viz: third infantry, Assistant Sur- 
 geon J. B. Porter ; fourth infantry. Assistant Surgeon Madison Mills ; fifth 
 infantry. Surgeon R. C. Wood; seventh infantry, Assistant Surgeon H. E. 
 Cruttenden ; eighth infantry, Surgeon J. J. B. Wright ; second dragoons. 
 Assistant Surgeon L. C. McPhail ; battalion artillery, Surgeon H. S. Hawkins ; 
 battalion field artillery. Assistant Surgeon John B. Wells. In addition to these 
 the following medical officers were either attached to the general hospital or to 
 the various regiments: Assistant Surgeons Moore, Byrne, Conrad, DeLeon, 
 Steiner, Kennedy, Buist, J. W. Russell, Glen and Levely. In March, 1846, 
 the army was transferred from Corpus Christi to Brazos Santiago. The sick 
 that were unable to be transported were left behind in general hospital, which 
 was then placed in charge of Surgeon H. S. Hawkins, with Assistant Surgeon 
 William Roberts as his assistant, and removed to St. Joseph's Island near 
 Aransas Pass. Surgeon Jarvis, who had been in charge of the general hospital, 
 was assigned to the third infantry, and accompanied it on the march to the 
 Rio Grande. Assistant Surgeon Porter was transferred in consequence fi-om 
 the third infantry to the battalion of artillery. Assistant Surgeon J. R. Conrad 
 relieved Assistant Surgeon McPhail in charge of the second dragoons, and the 
 latter officer was assigned to the seventh infantry. Assistant Surgeon Byrne 
 remained with a detachment of troops guarding stores at St. Joseph's Island. 
 Such was the distribution of medical officers in the camp opposite Matamoras, 
 when on the sixth of May, 1846, the bombardment of our works at that point 
 (afterwards known as Fort Brown) precipitated the conflict which had long been 
 felt to be inevitable, and for the third time in its history the country entered on 
 a foreign war. The consideration of the services rendered by the Medical Staff 
 in the campaigns which followed will appropriately form the subject of a 
 separate chapter.
 
 DURING THE MEXICAN WAR. 177 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 From the commencement op the Mexican War until the bom- 
 bardment OP Fort Sumter in 1861. 
 
 On the thirteenth of May, 1846, President Polk issued his proclamation 
 announcing to the people of the United States that Congress had declared that 
 " By the act of the Republic of Mexico, a state of war exists between that 
 government and the United States." 
 
 The war was in actual operation on the Rio Grande previous to this pro- 
 clamation ; for the bombardment of Fort Brown took place on the sixth of May, 
 the battle of Palo Alto on the eighth, and that of Resaca de la Palma dn the 
 ninth. As these battles were both fought in the afternoon, the wounded were 
 attended to as well as circumstances permitted during the night. As soon as 
 possible after the actions they were sent to Point Isabel, where a general hospital 
 was hastily established with hospital tents, and by clearing out some of the 
 quartermaster's storehouses. Surgeon Robert C. Wood was placed in charge, 
 with Assistant Surgeon J. W. Russell as assistant ; but the latter being obliged 
 to leave the country on account of his health. Assistant Surgeon J. B. Wells 
 was assigned to his duties in the general hospital and also relieved Assistant Sur- 
 geon Simons as Medical Purveyor, the latter joining the army at Matamoras. One 
 hundred and thirteen wounded were received into this hospital at Point Isabel, 
 and the remainder, numbering forty-eight, were sent to the general hospital at 
 St. Joseph's Island, Corpus Christi Bay, under charge of Surgeon Hawkins. 
 
 The following is Greneral Belknap's report of the conduct of the medical 
 officers at these actions : 
 
 "FIRST BRIGADE, CAMP MATAMORAS, 
 
 June 10, 1846. 
 Capt. W. W. S. Bliss, 
 
 Assistant Adjutant General. 
 Sib: In reporting the operations of the first brigade on the eighth and ninth of 
 >i[ay, Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, a proper reference to the services of the 
 Medical Staff was inadvertantly omitted. I beg leave, therefore, to offer this supple- 
 mentary statement. It is due to Surgeon Wright and Assistant Surgeons Porter, 
 UeLeon and Madison to say that their professional aid was required early in the action 
 of the eighth instant, and that the number of wounded soon called for their unceasing 
 attention. I am happy to bear testimony that the devotion of these officers to the 
 12
 
 178 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 wounded under their care, was conspicuous during the day and through the entire 
 night. In the action of the ninth, Doctors Wright and Porter were again present and 
 passed a second sleepless night in the performance of their arduous duties. Their 
 eflForts to alleviate pain and suffering were as benevolent as they were untiring; serv- 
 ing with equal kindness and zeal our army and the large number of the enemy's 
 wounded that fell into our hands. 
 
 I have the honor to be, etc., 
 
 W. G. BELKNAP, 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel, 
 Commanding First Brigade. ^^ 
 
 When General Taylor moved his amiy across the river and occupied Mata- 
 moras, a hospital was established at Fort Brown under charge of Assistant 
 Surgeon L. C McPhail, and on the twenty-fifth of June a general hospital 
 was opened in Matamoras, and placed in charge of Surgeon J. J. B. Wright. 
 Meanwhile, a body of troops occupied Reynosa, Mexico, about a hundred miles 
 up the river, where the hospital was attended by Assistant Surgeon Laub, who 
 on the arrival of the main army at Camargo in August, joined that body, having 
 been relieved by Assistant Surgeon Wotherspoon. 
 
 Early in September the purveying depot at Point Isabel was moved to 
 Camargo, which was established by General Taylor as his base of supplies on the 
 march to Monterey. On the departure of the army, Assistant Surgeon Wells 
 in addition to his duty as purveyor, was given the general direction of all the 
 hospitals, regular and volunteer, in and around Camargo. In this portion of his 
 duties he was relieved in November by Surgeon G. F. Turner. The battle of 
 Monterey was fought on the twenty-third of September. Of the conduct of 
 the medical officers in this action, General Taylor thus speaks in his official 
 report : " Surgeon Craig, Medical Director, was actively employed in the important 
 duties of his department, and the Medical Staif generally were unremitting in 
 their attentions to the numerous wounded ; their duties with the regular regi- 
 ments being rendered uncommonly arduous by the small number serving in the 
 field." General Worth, in reporting the operations of his division, says: "In 
 common with the entire division, my particular thanks are due tb Assistant 
 Surgeons Porter (senior), Byrne, Conrad, DeLeon and Roberts, Medical 
 Department, who were ever at hand in the close fight, promptly administering to 
 the wounded and suflPering soldier." 
 
 While these events were transpiring with the main army, a column of 
 troops marched from Leavenworth, Kansas, to Santa F6, to occupy the territory 
 of New Mexico. The medical officers who accompanied this expedition were 
 Surgeon S. G. I. De Camp, Medical Director, Assistant Surgeons J. S. Griffin 
 and R. F. Simpson. In September a body of troops was collected at San 
 Antonio, Texas, under command of General Wool, destined for the invasion of
 
 DURING THE MEXICAN WAR. 179 
 
 Chihuahua. Surgeon Lyman Foot was - assigned as Medical Director of this 
 ai-my, but was soon after relieved on account of ill health, and Assistant Sur- 
 geon C. M. Hitchcock, who was at the time Medical Purveyor at San Antonio, 
 was appointed Medical Director, and Assistant Surgeon John C. Glen, Medical 
 Purveyor. The latter was also placed in charge of the general hospital. This 
 column consisted of portions of the first and second dragoons, fourth artillery 
 and sixth infantry, besides Kentucky and Illinois volunteers. The other regu- 
 lar medical officers were Assistant Surgeon Josiah Simpson, in charge of the 
 sixth infantry and Kentucky volunteers, and Assistant Surgeon W. Levely, in 
 charge of the dragoons and artillery. There were also several volunteer sur- 
 geons and citizen physicians. They left San Antonio in the last week in 
 September, and marched to Presidio del Norte. 
 
 Surgeon General Lawson in his annual report to the Secretary of War, 
 dated November 9, 1846, thus speaks of the services of the medical officers in 
 the campaign which closed with the capture of Monterey: 
 
 "The officers of the Medical Staff serving with the several army corps employed 
 against the enemy have participated largely in the toils, the privations and the dangers 
 of the field, with their associates-in-arms of the line of the army. The services of 
 those, with Medical Director Craig at their head, attached to the Army of Occupation, 
 have been more conspicuously brought to our notice; and it is but justice to say that 
 they have been found present wherever their honor and their duty called them, nobly 
 fulfilling in every particular their obligations to their country. 
 
 Those gallant spirits led on by Major General Taylor, always in the presence of 
 the enemy and frequently in conflict with him, have necessarily afforded ample scope 
 for their exercise and judgment in practical surgery ; and the ability which the med- 
 ical officers have displayed, and the unremitting attention they have bestowed on the 
 sick and wounded soldier (the enemy included) have called forth a willing tribute of 
 respect, and the grateful acknowledgments of all who have experienced or witnessed 
 the results of their humane efforts and practical skill." 
 
 It will be necessary now to look back a little and ascertain what measures 
 were taken by the government to supply the additional demand for medical officers 
 caused by the great increase of troops at the seat of war. An act of May 13, 
 1846, called for fifty thousand volunteers, to be apportioned ^ro rata among the 
 diiFerent states ; these were supplied with medical officers on the basis of one surgeon 
 and one assistant surgeop to each regiment called into service by the act of June 
 18th, all such medical officers to be appointed by the President, by and with the 
 advice and consent of the Senate. No increase was made during this year in 
 the regular Corps, although its necessity was urged by the Surgeon General in 
 several communications to the Secretary of War. The examining board for 
 this year consisted of Surgeons Mower, Steinecke and McDougall, and met in 
 New York city on the first of July. Sixty-three applicants were invited to
 
 180 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 present themselves for examination ; forty-three of these appeared, of whom 
 three were rejected for physical disqualifications, fifteen retired without exami- 
 nation, and of the remainder eight received a favorable report. 
 
 After the battle of Monterey, geperal hospitals for each of the divisions of 
 the army were established in that city. That at St. Joseph's Island was broken 
 up and Surgeon Hawkins with the remaining sick and wounded removed to 
 Matamoras. On the twenty-fourth of October, Surgeon C A. Finley arrived at 
 Monterey and by virtue of seniority relieved Surgeon Craig as Medical Director 
 of the army. About the middle of November the column under General Wool 
 which had been destined for Chihuahua, was ordered to join the main army 
 and arriving at the town of Parras was henceforth known as the Second Division 
 of the Army of Invasion. Assistant Surgeon Hitchcock was detached fi-om the 
 division at Agua Nueva and ordered to Saltillo as Purveyor, Assistant Surgeon 
 Josiah Simpson relieving him of his duties as Medical Director. This position 
 the latter soon after relinquished to accompany the sixth infantry on its march 
 to join Worth's division, destined for Vera Cruz, and Doctor Hitchcock once 
 more assumed its duties. About this same time the city of Tampico was captured 
 by the naval forces, and immediately occupied by our troops under command 
 of Colonel Belton. Of this command Assistant Surgeon John M. Cuyler was 
 the chief medical officer. 
 
 The end of the year 1846 found the army of General Taylor occupying 
 Saltillo as its advanced station, with one division at Parras and the head-quar- 
 ters at Monterey. General Scott at this time was at Brazos Santiago organizing 
 the expedition against Vera Cruz by way of Tampico and Lobos Island. For 
 this purpose in January Twiggs' division was detached fi"om General Taylor's 
 army and ordered to Tampico, and Worth with his division to the mouth of the 
 Rio Grande. On the first of February (as near as can now be ascertained) the 
 following was the distribution of the medical officers serving with the army : 
 Surgeon P. H. Craig had again relieved Surgeon Finley as Medical Director of 
 General Taylor's army, the latter having left the country on leave on account of 
 his health. At Monterey the general hospital was in charge of Surgeon N. S. 
 Jarvis, with Assistant Surgeon B. M. Byrne as his assistant. At Camargo, 
 Surgeon Turner was in charge of the purveying depot and Assistant Surgeon 
 S. P. Moore of the post hospital. At Matamoras, the general hospital was in 
 charge of Surgeon J. J. B. Wright, who had on duty with him Assistant Sur- 
 geons McPhail and Holden, and Assistant Surgeon J. F. Head in charge of the 
 post hospital at Fort Brown. The general hospital at Point Isabel remained in 
 charge of Surgeon R. C. Wood and Assistant Surgeon J. W. Russell. At 
 Saltillo Assistant Surgeon C. M. Hitchcock was on duty as Medical Director of
 
 DURING THE MEXICAN WAR. 181 
 
 the Second Division, and Assistant Surgeons Madison, Levely and Prevost were 
 attached to regiments. At Tampico, Surgeon B. F. Harney was Medical Direc- 
 tor, Surgeon Satterlee was in charge of the garrison, composed of portions of 
 the second, third and fourth artillery, and Surgeon Tripler was with the second 
 infantry. Assistant Surgeons Cuyler, Mills, Steiner and Newton were also on 
 duty with troops at this place. Surgeon Hawkins and Assistant Surgeons 
 Simons and Edwards were on duty with General Taylor's army at or near 
 Monterey, and the following officers were either en route or under orders to join 
 the forces which were to rendezvous at Lobos Island for the capture of Vera 
 Cruz : Surgeons McLaren and Porter and Assistant Surgeons Suter, Laub. 
 J. Simpson, DeLeon, Barnes, Wotherspoon, Keeney and Roberts. These 
 officers were changed so frequently from one regiment or hospital to another 
 during the rapidly shifting scenes of the war, that it is not possible now to give 
 the exact duty to which each was assigned at any particular time ; it is desira- 
 ble, however, to place on record the names of those officers who took part in 
 this victorious campaign, and hence the foregoing and other lists are given, 
 imperfect as they may be in their details. 
 
 In December, 1846, Surgeon General Lawson left Washington for -New 
 Orleans on official business. On his arrival in the latter city he was invited by 
 General Scott to accompany him on his projected campaign in Mexico, as chief 
 of his Medical Staff, an invitation which was promptly accepted, and in Febru- 
 ary, 1847, he departed with him for Lobos Island. During his absence from 
 Washington, Surgeon H. L. Heiskell performed the duties of Surgeon General. 
 
 On the eleventh of February, Congress passed an act " To raise for a 
 limited time an additional military force and for other purposes." This act 
 provided for the raising for the war of ten additional regiments (nine of infan- 
 try and one of cavalry) to be added to the regular army. Each regiment was 
 to be entitled to one surgeon and two assistant surgeons ; to be appointed by the 
 President and confirmed by the Senate in the same manner as those of the 
 permanent establishment, and to take rank with them as long as they were 
 retained in service. In addition, the increase of the Corps, which the Surgeon 
 General had strongly urged a number of times, was authorized by the eighth 
 section : 
 
 ^' And be it further enacted, That the President of the United States is hereby 
 authorized, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint two addi- 
 tional surgeons, and twelve additional assistant surgeons 'in the regular army of the 
 United States, subject to the provisions of an act entitled 'An act to increase and reg- 
 ulate the pay of the surgeons and assistant surgeons of the army, approved June 30, 
 1834;' and that the officers whose appointment is authorized by this section, shall 
 receive the pay and emoluments of officers of the same grades respectively ; and that
 
 182 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY < 
 
 the rank of officers of the Medical Department of the army shall be arranged on the 
 same basis which at present determines the amount of their pay and emoluments; 
 Provided, That the medical officers shall not in virtue of such rank be entitled to com- 
 mand in the line or other staif departments of the army." 
 
 The fifth section of this act provided, " That the said officers, musicians 
 and privates, authorized by this act, shall immediately be discharged from the 
 service of the United States at the close of the war with Mexico." On the 
 conclusion of peace, however, it was found that by the acquisition of California 
 and New Mexico the number of additional posts to be garrisoned was, so great, 
 that a proportionately large medical staff was necessary, and on the nineteenth 
 of July, 1848, the following clause was passed in " An act to amend an act 
 entitled, ' an act supplemental to an act entitled, an act providing for the prose- 
 cution of the existing war between the United States and the republic of 
 Mexico' and for other purposes," which was as follows : 
 
 '* And be it further enacted, That so much of said act passed on the eleventh of 
 February, 1847, as requires the discharge hi the close of the war with Mexico, of two 
 additional surgeons and twelve ad(jlitional assistant surgeons, as authorized by the 
 eighth section of the said act, * * * * be and the same is hereby repealed ; 
 Provided, that no vacancy happening under the provisions so repealed shall be filled 
 up, until further authorized by law." 
 
 A most important clause in the act of February 11, 1847, waa that which 
 gave definite rank to medical officers. The Surgeon General and the officers 
 of the Department had always claimed such rank, by virtue of the laws giving 
 them the pay and emoluments of officers of cavalry of certain grades, but the 
 concession had not been generally made throughout the army, and hence medical 
 officers were often placed in disagreeable positions, such as grew out of contro- 
 versies similar to the one noted already in reference to their position on boards 
 of survey. The medical officers neither claimed nor desired any right to com- 
 mand outside of their own department; they did demand the right to be 
 supreme within it, and to be recognized as something more than mere civilian 
 employees of the government authorized by courtesy to wear a uniform. The 
 bill only placed them on an equality with the other staff departments of the 
 army, and gave no jurisdiction to medical officers which they did not feel they 
 had a right to exercise. 
 
 As soon as possible after the passage of this act, a medical board met in 
 New York city, to examine candidates for appointment. The members were 
 Surgeons Mower, Finley and Steinecke, and Assistant Surgeon Southgate, 
 recorder. One hundred and three persons were invited to present themselves 
 for examination ; of these fifty-eight appeared. Five were rejected for defec- 
 tive physical or moral qualifications, eight withdrew without examination, thirty-
 
 DURING THE MEXICAN WAR. 183 
 
 four failed to pass the board, and eleven were found qualified and received a 
 favorable report. 
 
 As a general hospital for the sick and wounded arriving in New Orleans 
 from the seat of war was much needed, the barracks and adjoining buildings in 
 the vicinity of that city were fitted up for this purpose and placed in charge of 
 Assistant Surgeon W. J. Sloan and subsequently the hospital and barracks at 
 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were devoted to the same purpose under direction of 
 Assistant Surgeon A. W. Kennedy. 
 
 On the twenty-third of February the battle of Buena Vista, four miles 
 
 from Saltillo, was fought. The severely wounded were sent to general hospital 
 
 at Saltillo while trifling injuries were treated in the regimental hospitals. Surgeon 
 
 Craig, the Medical Director, was not present at this action, having been detailed 
 
 elsewhere on special duty by Greneral' Taylor's orders. He arrived on the field 
 
 of battle, however, the following morning and rendered efiicient service in 
 
 superintending the removal of the wounded. During the action the direction 
 
 of the hospital devolved on Assistant Surgeon C. M. Hitchcock, as the next 
 
 officer in rank. Greneral Taylor in his official report thus speaks of the services 
 
 of the medical officers : 
 
 "The Medical Staif under the able direction of Assistant Surgeon Hitchcock, 
 were assiduous in their attentions to the wounded upon the field and in their careful 
 removal to the rear. Both in these respects and in the subsequent organization and 
 service of the hospitals, the administration of this department -was everything that 
 could be wished." 
 
 General Wool in the report of the operations of his division, says : 
 
 "Surgeons Hitchcock, Levely, Hensly, Price, Roane, Madison, Peyton, Herrick, 
 Roberts and Glen, for their devotion to the wounded of the Mexican Army, as well 
 as those of our own are entitled to my highest praise." 
 
 It is gratifying also to be able to record the following opinion of a distin- 
 guished officer who was present at the battle, and wrote a history of it. It is 
 taken from Carleton's " History of the battle of Buena Vista :" 
 
 "Of the Medical Staff, there were on the field Doctor Hitchcock, Doctor Madison, 
 Doctor Levely and Doctor Prevost. The courageous manner in which these gentlemen 
 passed along the lines and rendered assistance to the wounded, oftentimes at the 
 moment they fell ; the positions of imminent peril to which they cheerfully and at all 
 times hurried whenever their professional services were required on the instant ; the 
 care with which they had those who were struck borne to the rear, and subsequently 
 carried to Saltillo, and their assiduity in attending on them day and night, gained for 
 them the unqualified praise of the whole army." 
 
 Some months after the battle, General Wool paid the following tribute to 
 the services of Assistant Surgeon Grayson M. Prevost, in a special report, to the 
 Secretary of War:
 
 184 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 "CAMP BUENA VISTA, 
 
 August 9, 1847. 
 General : 
 
 In my report of the battle of Buena Vista, 4th March last, I intended to name 
 all the surgeons and assistant surgeons who were on the field of battle during the two 
 eventful days of the twenty-second and twenty-third of February. It appears that I 
 omitted the name of Assistant Surgeon Prevost. At the time I was not personally 
 acquainted with him, and he was I supposed, in Saltillo, where he had been stationed. 
 From statements recently received, it appears that he was not only on the field attend- 
 ing to the wounded, but that he rendered me important and gallant services during 
 the battle. Seeing me alone (my staff being all absent in endeavoring to rally the 
 tiying troops from the field) he came to me, when I made use of him on several occa- 
 sions to hasten up the troops, in order to attack the heavy column of Mexican lancers 
 and infantry which had succeeded in getting to our left and rear. He also carried my 
 orders to the Mississippi and Third Indiana regiments, to charge the enemy under the 
 most trying circumstances a tremendous fire from the Mexicans, not only from the 
 lancers and infantry, but from their pieces of artillery, which had been brought to 
 bear on the right flank from the plain in front of our centre. 
 
 At this time I supposed he was an ofi&cer who had just arrived, and belonged to 
 the staff of General Taylor and called him captain. It is therefore that I would 
 recommend Assistant Surgeon Prevost to the special notice of the Secretary of War, 
 for his daring courage and gallant bearing on the fields of Buena Vista. 
 I have the honor to be, etc., 
 
 JOHN E. WOOL, 
 Bbioameb General R. Jones, Brigadier General. 
 
 Adjutant General, Washington." 
 
 The army under Greneral Scott was assembled at Lobos Island, sixty miles 
 south of Tampico, in the latter part of February, 1847. It was organized as 
 follows: the regular troops (excepting the cavalry) were formed into two 
 brigades under command of Generals Worth and Twiggs, and the volunteers 
 into a division of three brigades, conunanded by General Patterson, the brig- 
 ades being under the command of Generals Pillow, Quitman and Shields, 
 respectively. After the siege of Vera Cruz the regular brigades were formed 
 into divisions of two brigades each. 
 
 On the eighth of March the army effected a landing at Sacrificios, near 
 Vera Cruz, and the regular siege operations commenced on the tenth. During 
 the investment the sick and wounded were treated in hospital tents by their 
 regimental medical officers, but on the surrender of the city on the twenty-ninth 
 of March a general hospital was established in a monastery with Surgeon John 
 B. Porter in charge. A purveying depot was also opened under the direction 
 of Assistant Surgeon C H. Laub. 
 
 On the twenty-fifth of March, during the progress of the siege, the second 
 dragoons, under command of Colonel Harney, had a severe skirmish with the 
 enemy at the stone bridge of Medellin, some miles south of Vera Cruz.
 
 DURING THE MEXICAN WAR. 185 
 
 Assistant Surgeon J. K. Barnes was at the time the medical officer of the 
 regiment, and Colonel Harney in his report of the aiFair makes special mention 
 of him for activity and zeal in the performance of his duties. 
 
 During the campaign from Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico, Surgeon 
 General Lawson was chief medical officer on the staff of General Scott, acting, 
 however, rather in an advisory than a directing capacity. Surgeon B. F. Harney 
 being the actual Medical Director. Surgeon R. S. Satterlee was senior surgeon 
 to Worth's di\asion-of regulars, and Surgeon C. S. Tripler occupied the same 
 position on General Twiggs' staff. Surgeon J. J. B. Wright was Purveyor to 
 the army. The other medical officers were on duty with the various regular 
 regiments. 
 
 The army reached Plan del Rio, not far from Cerro Gordo, during the 
 second week in April, and on the eighteenth the battle of Cerro Gordo was 
 fought. In the week previous a temporary general hospital in charge of Sur- 
 geon Cuyler was established at the Plan, which was occupied by the sick who 
 were unable to march, and to which the wounded in the battle were sent. The 
 day before the action the General commanding issued the following order : 
 
 General Orders, No. 111. 
 
 "HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY, 
 
 Plan del Rio, April 17, 1847. 
 
 [Extract.] 
 
 As soon as it shall be known that the enemy's works have been carried or that 
 the general pursuit has commenced, one wagon for each regiment or battery and one 
 for the cavalry will follow the movement, to receive under the direction of the medical 
 officers the wounded and disabled, who will be brought back to this place for treat- 
 ment in general hospital. The Surgeon General will organize this important service 
 and designate that hospital as well as the medical officers to be left at it. 
 
 ****** 
 
 By command of Ma.ior General Scott: 
 
 H. L. SCOTT, 
 Acting Assistant Adjutant General." 
 
 The labors of the medical officers in this engagement were very severe. 
 Cerro Gordo being a high hill, destitute of houses or cultivation, the surgeons 
 were engaged for from twenty-four to thirty-six hours attending to the wounded 
 in the open air, without any shelter. In the various official reports their con- 
 duct is uniformly spoken of as deserving of the highest praise. Colonel Childs, 
 of the first artDlery, thus commends the services of the medical officer of his 
 regiment : "I beg particularly to notice the untiring attention of Assistant 
 Surgeon Steiner to the wounded of the regiment, and to those of the enemy 
 that fell into our hands. His professional services were in constant requisition 
 12*
 
 186 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 for more than forty-eight hours." Surgeon Wright and Assistant Surgeon 
 Keeney were also specially mentioned by their respective conmianders. 
 
 In the progress of the army towards the city of Mexico general hospitals 
 were established at Jalapa, under the charge of Surgeon McLaren, (to which 
 the sick and wounded from Plan del Rio were moved), at the Castle of Perote, 
 also under Doctor McLaren's charge, and at Puebla, of which Surgeon Madison 
 Mills was in charge. For most of these hospitals large monasteries or colleges 
 were used, but at Perote the casemates of the castle were occupied, which were 
 so cold and damp that Surgeon McLaren advised the removal of the patients 
 to Jalapa, at which place the hospital had been abandoned soon after its estab- 
 lishment in consequence of the removal of the United States garrison to Puebla. 
 
 The condition of the army during the period from the battle of Cerro 
 Gordo to those of Contreras and Churubusco in August was far from satisfac- 
 tory'. It found in the diseases of the country foes more to be dreaded than 
 the Mexican troops. To such an extent did the command suffer from fevers, 
 dysentery and diarrhoea, and so crowded were the hospitals that the Surgeon 
 General called for special reports from the chief surgeons of divisions on the 
 causes of the sickness and mortality. These reports may appropriately be 
 introduced without abridgment, showing as they do, better than any other 
 description, the obstacles that the medical officers had to encounter from causes 
 beyond their jurisdiction in all their strenuous efforts to increase the efficiency 
 of the army by prpsers'ing its health. The following is Surgeon Satterlee's 
 report: 
 
 "PUEBLA, MEXICO, 
 
 July 5, 1847. 
 Sib: 
 
 In obedience to your instructions that I should report for the information of the 
 General-in-Chief the probable causes of the great amount of sickness and mortality 
 prevailing among the troops, I proceed to state that sufficient causes of disease exist, 
 and have existed since and during the siege of Vera Cruz, to account for all the sick- 
 ness that prevails; and not a few of these causes have been spoken of, both in the 
 reports of the medical officers of the first division and in their conversations and often 
 by them deplored. 
 
 To prove the above position, it is only necessary to give a brief history of the 
 operations and changes of the division from the time it left Vera Cruz until the present 
 time. 
 
 1. The division-left Vera Cruz with the most limited means of transportation, 
 not being allowed to bring even their tents; in consequence of which they have been 
 obliged to bivouac in all situations from the 'Tiei-ra Caliente' to the cold and elevated 
 positions of Jalapa, Ias Vegas and on the march to this place. This would under any 
 circumstances produce diseases of the thoracic and abdominal viscera from the great 
 change of temperature, and when it is recollected that many of the men were without
 
 DURING THE MEXICAN WAR. 187 
 
 blankets or great coats, having iniprovidently thrown them away while exposed to the 
 scorching heat of the sun in the low country, or while hurrying to the support of the 
 advance on the day of Cerro Gordo, I think the position will not be denied. 
 
 2. The almost total change in the character of the rations issued to the troops, 
 while on board the transports and during the siege operations before Vera Cruz. They 
 were almost exclusively confined to salt meat and hard bread, without vegetables so 
 tar as I know, except beans and rice, not even the antiscorbutics allowed by regulations 
 except in rare instances. This when the march into the country was commenced, was 
 exchanged for fresh mutton, pork and beef (the latter always of inferior quality), and 
 instead of the hard bread, always considered healthy when good, in several instances 
 flour has been issued, and since our arrival at Puebla, Mexican bread, which experi- 
 ence has taught us is not healthy, at least for us, and the unrestrained indulgence in 
 crude and unripe fruits, and the vile liquors, both distilled and fermented. All this is 
 without doubt a fruitful source of disease. 
 
 3. The quarters that the troops occupy are undoubtedly far from being healthy. 
 Many of the rooms are low and damp, and almost without ventilation, and in many 
 instances surrounded by high walls which exclude in some degree the fresh air; in 
 other cases the men are quartered in long entries, through which there is a rush of 
 cold air, rendered more unhealthy by having passed through damp places. In some 
 instances the men are greatly crowded, nearly three times the number of men allowed 
 by regulations for hot climates living in one room. Almost, if not all the quarters have 
 thick stone walls with floors of the same material, or brick, upon which the men sleep 
 with only a mat under them (and that but recently), and with scant covering. This the 
 men now suffier, and did at Perote, and the first brigade and light troops of the divi- 
 sion, while at Tepeahualco had added very bad water from brackish wells. These 
 things, I think cannot be denied to be prolific sources of disease. 
 
 4. The unacclimated state of many of our men and their ignorance of a soldier' s 
 life. Nearly if not quite two-thirds of some corps are recruits. In one regiment that 
 has lost fifteen men since our arrival in Puebla, thirteen were recruits, and the char- 
 acter of the recruits that have recently joined is of such a nature that disease and 
 death must be expected among them. Many of them are boys entirely too young to 
 undergo the hardships of a soldier's life, while others are old and worn out men who 
 should never have been enlisted. 
 
 5. The great want of personal cleanliness. Many patients are received into our 
 hospitals who probably have not washed their persons for months, and who for weeks 
 have not changed their underclothes, and who are not only filthy but covered with 
 vermin. This remark does not apply of course, to our old brave and faithful soldiers 
 who are an ornament to any service, but particularly to the recruits, a great part of 
 whom are indolent and of course filthy. Now, it is impossible for men to be healthy 
 under such circumstances. 
 
 6. The rainy season, exposure to the warm sun in the morning and cold damp 
 atmosphere at night, is exceedingly deleterious. 
 
 7. The great elevation of our position. The rarified air permitting no evapora- 
 tion from the surface, the skin becomes dry and feverish as well as inactive, the natural 
 excretions of the body are of necessity thrown upon the thoracic and abdominal viscera, 
 the large glands from this over exertion and excitement become torpid and refuse to 
 perform their functions, hence the great amount of bilious derangements, etc. 
 
 The above statements I have drawn up in obedience to your orders. I consider 
 them to be very plain facts open to the cognizance of the most common observer who
 
 188 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 will take the trouble to investigate them. They are the concerted opinions of all the 
 medical officers of the division and have often been the subject of conversation, as 
 well as of official reports. They are submitted with the respectful consideration of 
 
 Your most obedient servant, 
 
 R. S. SATTERLEE, 
 
 Senior Surgeon, \st Division, U. S. Army." 
 
 The report of Surgeon Tripler on the same subject was as follows : 
 
 "PUEBLA, MEXICO, 
 
 6th July, 1847. 
 Sib: 
 
 Agreeably to your instructions of the third instant, I called together yesterday 
 the medical officers of the second division for the purpose of consultation, and the 
 interchange of opinion, upon the causes of the diseases now so extensively prevailing 
 among the troops. I have the honor to submit the result. 
 
 We consider the origin of the evil, the inferior physical constitution of so many 
 of the men that are enlisted for the service. In peace, when we have good comfortable 
 quarters, good hospitals, abundance of clothing and bedding, and no exposure for our 
 men, the greatest care and caution are exercised in the inspection of recruits, and it 
 is seldom a man gains admission into the ranks who is not qualified to perform the 
 duties of a soldier. But in war, where a still greater degree of physical vigor in the 
 soldier is required, from the necessary privation and exposure to which he must be 
 subjected, a relaxation in the scrutiny the recruit is submitted to, is winked at and 
 even encouraged, with the effects of giving us armies on paper, filling our hospitals 
 and embarrassing the operations of our Generals in the field. It is undeniable that 
 the recruits the regiments of this division have received within the past year, have 
 been of the most inferior description, and it is among them the greatest proportion of 
 disease has occurred. 
 
 Another cause of disease is the necessary and rapid transition of climate. It is 
 believed that few individuals in private life make a rapid transit from one climate to 
 another, without experiencing some disturbance of healthy function. This cause 
 would of course operate to a greater extent among soldiers from the peculiarity of 
 their circumstances, and it is one that cannot be obviated. 
 
 Deficiency of clothing is another cause. In many and perhaps most instances, 
 this is the fault of the soldier himself. Men will throw away their clothing on a march 
 to relieve their knapsacks, preferring future pain, disease and death to present fatigue. 
 This evil has prevailed extensively on the march from Vera Cruz to Puebla. 
 
 Tlie sudden and violent change of habits the recruit must undergo in becoming a 
 soldier produces an unfavorable influence upon the power of his constitution to resist 
 disease. This cause is also irremediable. 
 
 The neglect of personal cleanliness is another cause of disease. It is a fact that 
 numbers of our men, particularly tliose reporting sick, neglect to a shameful extent 
 such ablutions as are necessary to health. 
 
 The quarters occupied by our troops are for the most part open to the weather, 
 those which are within doors are small and ill ventilated apartments, the floors upon 
 which the men sleep are of brick, and at least one-half on the ground floor and neces- 
 sarily damp. This is a palpable cause of disease. It has been mitigated to some 
 degree by the issue of mats to the men.
 
 DURING THE MEXICAN WAR. 189 
 
 The use of fresh provisions extensively no doubt occasions disturbance of the 
 digestive organs and swells the number of our cases of diarrhoea. The imprudent use 
 of the fruits of the climate occasions many cases and is a great impediment in the 
 way of convalescence. It is also thought that a proper attention is not given to the 
 cooking of the rations; that the cooks are frequently careless in the performance of 
 their duties and that bad cooking makes a doubtful diet positively injurious. 
 
 But an important reason for the increase in the number of the sick report may 
 be found in the climatic influence. Ordinarily men when relieved of disease rapidly 
 recover strength and flesh, and are able to return to duty. Here this is not the case, 
 convalescence is astonishingly slow, and an improvement scarcely perceptible is made 
 from day to day in men who do not want any further medical treatment. Of this 
 class are most of those now on the surgeon's reports. 
 
 Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 CHS. S. TRIPLER, 
 
 Medical Director, 2nd Division." 
 
 The condition of the garrisons left on the coast was equally bad. The 
 vomito broke out at Vera Cruz very soon after the departure of the army, and 
 the permanent garrison and the troops arriving en route to the seat of war had 
 suiFered severely. One medical officer, Assistant Surgeon Robert C. Wiekham, 
 died on the thirteenth of May, and Surgeon Finley, Medical Director of the 
 Department of Vera Cruz, Assistant Surgeons Laub, John Campbell, J. S. Battee 
 and others had been incapacitated for duty for a large portion of the summer 
 by attacks of yellow fever. Even those who escaped this disease suffered much 
 from the enervating influences of the climate and became a prey to exhausting 
 diarrhoeas, which reduced them mentally and physically. The want of medical 
 officers was very great, and the citizen physicians obtainable for the most 
 part adventurers who had come to Vera Cruz to see what they could pick up, 
 and were utterly worthless. Great credit was due under these trying circum- 
 stances to the energy and fidelity to duty of Surgeon J. B. Porter, who, though 
 himself broken down by climatic influences, managed the general hospital with 
 great efficiency, and in addition acted as Medical Director for a large portion of 
 the season. 
 
 The army advanced from Puebla between the seventh and tenth of August. 
 On the twentieth the battles of Contreras and Churubusco were fought. Im- 
 mediately previous a general hospital was established at San Augustin. The 
 wounded of Worth's division were, however, at first taken to houses in the imme- 
 diate vicinity of Churubusco, and afterwards removed to regimental hospitals at 
 Tacubaya. There were also large hospitals established at San Antonio, San 
 Angel and Mixcoac. The former was principally filled with Mexican wounded, 
 who although they had numbers of their own surgeons to attend them showed a 
 decided preference for our officers, and frequently refused to have their wounds
 
 190 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 dressed by the former if they saw any prospect of being attended by an Ameri- 
 can surgeon. 
 
 The official reports of these engagements show that the medical officers 
 performed their duty with their accustomed fidelity. General Worth writes from 
 Tacubaya on the twenty-third of August: "The Medical Corps, consisting of 
 Surgeons Satterlee (senior) and Wright; Assistant Surgeons Simpson, DeLeon, 
 Simons, Holden, Roberts and Dyerle, presents claims to especial thanks and 
 admiration ever among the most fearless and indifferent to hazard during the 
 conflict. It is after the battle, when others seek repose, that they are found 
 Skilfully and noiselessly fulfilling the duties of their high vocation in adminis- 
 tering comfort to the crushed and sorrowful soldier. * * * * To 
 Surgeon Satterlee, senior surgeon, the highest praise is due." 
 
 General Twiggs reported : " The medical officers of the division, always 
 ready to administer to the comfort of the sick and wounded were particularly 
 active on this occasion. With no conveniences for themselves and but little 
 shelter for the wounded, this admirable corps of officers spent the entire night 
 exposed to the pitiless storm in dressing the wounded and alleviating their suf- 
 ferings. I cannot do less than give their names a place in this report. Surgeons 
 C. S. Tripler, B. Randall and J. M. Cuyler; Assistant Surgeons A. F. Suter, 
 H. H. Steiner, C. C. Keeney and Hammond make up the number." In his 
 report of the volunteer division General Pillow makes special mention of Assist- 
 ant Surgeon E. Swift, who was serving with the regiment of voltigeurs, " for 
 devoted attention to the wounded." 
 
 The report* of subordinate commanders are no less commendatory. Major 
 J. L. Gardner, of the fourth artillery, says : " To Doctor Cuyler, surgeon of the 
 regiment, I offer my thanks for his able services, always marked by his kindness 
 and humanity." Captain T. Morris, commanding the second infantry, speaks of 
 the same officer : '' Surgeon Cuyler, though not attached to my regiment, attracted 
 my attention by his energy and perseverance in following the brigade throughout 
 the actions of San Geronino and Contreras, and for his humanity and attention 
 to the wounded of the regiment, receives my warmest thanks. To Surgeon 
 Tripler and Assistant Surgeon Hammond (the latter attached to the second 
 infantry) for their prompt and able attention to the wounded, and also to Sur- 
 geon W. J. Berry of the eleventh infantry, who very kindly and seasonably 
 aided in attending to the wounded of the battle of the afternoon, are tendered 
 my warmest thanks." 
 
 In the report of Lieutenant Colonel Plympton, seventh infentry, it is re- 
 marked : " Particular praise is due to Surgeon B. Randall for his zeal in following 
 the regiment and attending to the wounded and sick."
 
 DURING THE MEXICAN WAR. 191 
 
 Captain Alexander, commanding third infantry, says : " In closing my report 
 it gives me great pleasure to add that the wounded received, through our assist- 
 ant surgeon, Doctor Keeney, every relief which skill and unwearied attention 
 could ensure." Major Lee, of the fourth infantry, reports: "Assistant Surgeon 
 James Simons of the Medical Staff was in attendance with the battalion in the 
 zealous discharge of his duties." Colonel Judson Dimick, of the first artillery, 
 ' calls to the notice of the Commanding Greneral the untiring attention of Assistant 
 Surgeon H. H. Steiner to the wounded both of our army and that of the enemy. 
 He deserves the highest reward for his unceasing exertions to alleviate their 
 sufferings." Major Loring, of the mounted rifles, says : " The surgeon of the 
 regiment, Doctor Suter, deserves the highest praise for his untiring exertion in 
 behalf not only of the wounded of his own regiment but of the army at large." 
 Similar praise is accorded to Assistant Surgeon DeLeon by Major Montgomery', 
 of the eighth infantry. 
 
 On the sixth of September the Archbishop's palace at Tacubaya, was taken 
 for a general hospital and placed in charge of Assistant Surgeon Josiah Simpson. 
 This was, strictly speaking, a division hospital for the sick and wounded of 
 Worth's command, but during the ensuing engagements wounded from all 
 portions of the army were brought here for treatment ; the hospital at Mixcoac 
 accommodating the remainder. Two days after the establishment of this hospi- 
 tal the battle of Molino del Rey took place. The slaughter was unprecedented 
 for the number of men engaged. The wounded were taken to Tacubaya as 
 rapidly as possible on stretchers and in ambulances ; but soon it became necessary 
 to load the army wagons with the sufferers, and the jolting in these rough 
 vehicles no doubt contributed greatly to the excessive mortality which ensued. 
 This action possesses an especial but mournfiil interest to the Medical Staff, from 
 the mortal wound received by one of their number. Assistant Surgeon William 
 Roberts, who had gained during his term of service the esteem of the whole 
 army. The writer is fortunate in being able to present an authentic statement 
 of the circumstance through the kindness of Lieutenant Cplonel Lugenbeel, at 
 the time adjutant of the fifth infantry. 
 
 " At the battle of Molino del Rey, Doctor Roberts established his attendants in 
 rear of the regiment in a slight hollow, so as to be protected from the fire of the enemy. 
 When the line was formed and advanced upon the enemy I did not notice the doctor. 
 Very soon afterwards I saw Second Lieutenant C. S. Hamilton, fifth infantry, who com- 
 manded company 'I' of that regiment stagger, and fall as if severely wounded. As- 
 sistant Surgeon Roberts ran up to him from the rear and after examining his wound 
 said something to him and then started for the line of battle. I called to him to go 
 back, but he pointed to Hamilton's company and ran on. The next I saw of him he 
 was lying down on the field of battle with the wound in his forehead which afterwards 
 caused his death. When I saw Hamilton I asked him about Roberts' singular conduct.
 
 192 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 and he told me that Roberts came and examined his wound, and told him to go to the 
 rear where his stewards and attendants were, and that he (Roberts) would run for- 
 ward and take command of his company as it was without an officer. 
 
 On the twentieth of August, at the battle of Churubusco, Roberts attempted to 
 enter into action with the regiment in the same manner, but I was fortunately near 
 enough to him to capture him and send him to the rear, where Worths division hos- 
 pital was temporarily established, telling him that he was the only doctor we had and 
 that he must not go under musketry fire. 
 
 I don't think I ever saw a doctor who enjoyed a fight more than he did, and with 
 all this pluck and go ahead courage, he was as gentle as a woman, an attentive, intel- 
 ligent physician and a kind hearted, good man." 
 
 Doctor Roberts had been two days before detailed for duty at the general 
 hospital at Tacubaya, which was being organized by Assistant Surgeon Simpson, 
 but he preferred duty with his regiment and obtained an order relieving him 
 from hospital duty, and rejoined the fifth infantry but a few hours before the 
 charge on the Molino. Aft^r he was wounded he was carried to Tacubaya and 
 attended by Doctor Simpson, whose pen ftimishes the following interesting 
 account of his case : 
 
 " The action commenced at daybreak, and about eight o'clock in the morning 
 Assistant Surgeon Roberts was brought to my room in the Bishop's palace wounded in 
 the head. He was struck by a musket or escopet ball on the temporal ridge of the 
 frontal bone, about two inches above the left supra-orbital arch, the ball glanced, 
 fractured and carried away a portion of the frontal bone, leaving the brain exposed ; 
 abscesses formed in the cavity of the cranium, and he died in convulsions. Assistant 
 Surgeon Roberts received his wound in the assault made by the fifth infantry on the 
 Casa Mata, a stone work on the enemy's right. All the officers of one company \i&y- 
 ing been shot down, he took command and was mortally wounded in the assault. 
 From the Bishop's palace he was moved to Mixcoac, and from there to the house of 
 the Minister of War in the city of Mexico, near the Mineria, where he died October 
 13, 1847." 
 
 Doctor Roberts had attracted special attention during the whole campaign 
 by his skill as a medical officer and his personal bravery. Colonel Mcintosh of 
 the fifth infantry, thus mentioned him in his official report of the battle of 
 Churubusco: " His talents and zeal were not alone confined to his profession, 
 but were displayed in a more military capacity in aiding and urging on the men 
 to the contest." Captain Chapman, the senior officer of this regiment after the 
 terrible conflict at Molino, reported : " Assistant Surgeon W. Roberts was again 
 found as at S^n Antonio in the most exposed position attending to the wounded 
 and encouraging the living to the contest. But he was not permitted to escape 
 unhurt, and was cut down most severely wounded in the midst of his useful- 
 ness." In the annual report to the Secretary of War of the condition of the 
 Medical Department during the year 1847 occurs the following mention of 
 this intrepid officer :
 
 DURING THE MEXICAN WAR. 193 
 
 "In the many conflicts with the armies of Mexico, which have reflected so much 
 glory upon our arms and imperishable honor upon our troops, it is due to the officers 
 of the Medical Department to say that they have ever maintained their reputation for 
 professional skill and devotion to duty, and have uniformly elicited the unqualified 
 praises of their respective commanders. Among the gallant spirits who have sealed 
 their devotion to duty with their lives, the army has to mourn the loss of Assistant 
 Surgeon Wilwam Roberts, who with another officer of the Medical Department, was 
 wounded in the memorable battle of Molino del Rey. Although the career of Doctor 
 Roberts was brief, he had already given evidence of high professional merit united 
 with undaunted courage, and secured for himself the confidence and esteem of his 
 brother officers." 
 
 The "other officer" refen'ed to above was Assistant Surgeon James Simons, 
 who was slightly wounded while " zealously and actively engaged in the dis- 
 charge of his professional duties," attending the fourth infantry during the same 
 action. He had sufficiently recovered to perform his duties during the subse- 
 quent engagement at Chapultepec. 
 
 Major General Worth, ever ready to acknowledge the faithful service of 
 his medical staff, in his official report of the operations of his division at Molino, 
 says: "It is again my gratifying duty to present to the General-in-Chief 
 those ever faithful and accomplished medical officers Satterlee, Wright, Simp- 
 son, Simons, Dyerle and Roberts; the last mentioned, when the men of 
 his regiment were almost deprived of commanding officers, assumed the duties 
 of his fallen comrades, and was desperately, probably mortally, wounded." The 
 reports from subordinate commanders were, as at Contreras, of similar tenor. 
 Among others the following from Colonel E. V. Sumner, commanding the 
 second dragoons, is given because the cavalry being a separate command the 
 reports of their operations are not found among those forwarded by the division 
 commanders: "I have also to state that Assistant Surgeon Barnes was very 
 assiduous in his duties and took such measures that our wounded men received 
 prompt attention." 
 
 It was found very soon after the action at Molino del Rey that the village 
 of Tacubaya was within range of the enemy's guns from the fortress of Cha- 
 pultepec; consequently, on the thirteenth of September, the wounded in the 
 Archbishop's palace were removed to Mixcoac, whence they were shortly after- 
 wards transferred to hospitals in the city of Mexico. 
 
 The final battles at Chapultepec and the gates of the city of Mexico 
 occurred on the thirteenth of September, and the city surrendered on the follow- 
 ing day. The following is a complete list of the officers who participated in this 
 triumph, and the duty to which they were assigned : Surgeon General Lawson, 
 with the General-in-Chief; Surgeon B. F. Harney, Medical Director of the 
 army. The latter officer was not actually present at the surrender, having been 
 13
 
 194 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMV 
 
 wounded some months before, (June 6th,) while en route from Vera Cruz to the 
 army with a detachment commanded by Colonel Mcintosh, fifth infantry. In 
 consequence of disability resulting from his wound and subsequent indisposition 
 he was placed in general charge of all the hospitals at Mixcoac, at which place 
 he remained until the twenty-ninth of September. Surgeons Satterlee and 
 Tripler, as before mentioned, were Surgeons-in-Chief of the two regular divisions, 
 and Surgeon Wright was Medical Purveyor. The following officers were at- 
 tached to regiments. Surgeons B. Randall, seventh infantry, and J. M. Cuyler, 
 fourth artillery; Assistant Surgeons A. F. Suter, mounted rifles, Josiah Simp- 
 son, sixth infantry, D. C. DeLeon, eighth infantrj', H. H. Steiner, first 
 artillery, James Simons, fourth infantry, Joseph K. Barnes, cavalry brigade, 
 L. H. Holden, third artillery, C C. Keeney, third infentry, J. F. Head, Ma- 
 gruder's batter}', John F. Hammond, second infantry, J. M. Steiner. first 
 dragoons, E. P. Dyerle, second artillery, and E. Swift, voltigeurs. 
 
 Coincident with the surrender of the Mexican forces at the Capital large 
 bodies of guerillas made demonstrations of a hostile character against our garri- 
 son left at Puebla. Thay were subsequently reinforced by Santa Anna with 
 several thousand troops, and the afiair soon assumed the importance of a siege. 
 The garrison consisted of only about eight hundred men, under command of 
 Colonel Childs, first artillery, and eighteen hundred sick, wounded and disabled 
 in the general hospital under charge of Surgeon Madison Mills. The siege 
 la.sted from the thirteenth of September to the fourteenth of October, taxing 
 severely the ienergies of both officers and men by continual details day and 
 night. The official report of Colonel Childs renders a deserved tribute to the 
 important assistance obtained from those attached to the hospital : 
 
 "To Surgeon Mills, chief of the Medical Department and to his assistants, great 
 praise is due for their unwearied and laborious services. Left with eighteen hundred 
 sick and limited supplies, with but six assistants, their utmost exertions were neces- 
 sary to administer timely remedies to so many patients. Their attention to the 
 wounded deserves my notice and thanks. These gentlemen were not only occupied 
 in their professional duties, but the want of officers and men compelled me to make 
 large requisitions for the defence of the hospitals on surgeons and invalids, and they 
 were nightly on guard, marshalling their men upon the roofs and other points. To 
 them I am greatly indebted." 
 
 As soon as possible after the occupation of the city of Mexico, the sick 
 and wounded were removed from Mixcoac and Tacubaya to buildings within the 
 city, where division hospitals were established, the regimental surgeons attend- 
 ing to their own patients, but under the immediate supervision of the senior 
 surgeons of divisions, who were refjuired to visit the hospitals daily at a stated 
 hour and give as much of their personal attention as possible to the sick and
 
 DDRING THE MEXICAN WAR. 195 
 
 wounded. These firequent movements, often in springless army wagons, had a 
 
 most injurious eifect on the condition of the wounded, and when added to 
 
 the cold, damp and ill-ventilated buildings occupied as hospitals, caused a very 
 
 great mortality among those who had been wounded in the previous battles. On 
 
 this subject Surgeon Josiah Simpson remarks in a recent communication : 
 
 "The buildings used in Mexico for hospitals and barracks were entirely unsuited 
 for either purpose, being constructed around quadrangles, with interior court and cor- 
 ridors, to which the doors and windows opened ; built of rubble masonry, with floors 
 mostly of brick or tile ; without chimneys ; they were deficient in light, ventilation 
 and means of warming; cold, damp, dark and cheerless; a fruitful cause of the low 
 forms of fever and bowel affections so prevalent among our troops." 
 
 Soon after the surrender and occupation of the city Colonel Harney was 
 ordered with a force to open communication with Vera Cruz, and in December 
 detachments were ser\t for various purposes to Toluca, Pachuca and other towns 
 in the interior. These opei-ations necessitated the establishment of a general 
 hospital in the city, the ordera for which were issued on the sixteenth of 
 December, to be carried out under the direction of Surgeon Satterlee, who on 
 the twenty-sixth of October had relieved Surgeon Harney as Medical Director, 
 the latter being ordered to the United States. 
 
 The duty of organizing and taking charge of the general hospital was 
 assigned to Surgeon Tripler. Assistant Surgeons DeLeon and N. L. Campbell, 
 with several medical officers of the new regiments and of volunteers, were 
 ordered to report for duty to Doctor Tripler, and some weeks later Assistant 
 Surgeons J. Simpson and Cooper received similar orders. The buildings occu- 
 pied for the purpose were those known as the Bishop's palace, the Grovernor's 
 palace, the Iturbide palace, the Inquisition, the College of Mines, and the con- 
 vent of Santa Isabella. Stewards, cooks and nurses were detailed from the 
 various regiments, and all regiments sending sick to hospital were required to 
 deposit a certain portion of their regimental hospital fund to procure for them 
 any needed luxuries. Throughout this period the want of a sufficient number 
 of medical officers was a great obstacle to the efficient management of the depart- 
 ment. The number of hospitals required was very large, the extent of country 
 occupied very great, and the officers of the regular corps were taxed to the utmost 
 to perform all the duties required of them, especially as several had been obliged 
 to leave the country on account of ill heath. The volunteer surgeons, with a 
 few honorable exceptions, were inefficient; several of them had absented them- 
 selves for a long time without permission, and the distance from the United 
 States prevented the supply of reliable men to fill their places. An army board 
 met in New York city on the twenty-seventh of October, consisting of Sur- 
 geons Mower, Steinecke and Assistant Surgeon Southgate, which examined
 
 196 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 twenty-two candidates and accepted six. These not proving sufficient for the 
 needs of the army, another convened in the spring of 1848, composed of 
 Surgeons Mower, Porter and Assistant Surgeon Southgate. This board 
 passed four out of twenty-one candidates. 
 
 With the close of the year 1847 active operations on the part of the 
 Army of Invasion terminated. The early months of the ensuing year were 
 occupied with the collection of the tax imposed on the Mexican states and the 
 negotiations for peace. Except a few changes in the details of medical officers 
 there was no important alteration in the condition of the Depai-tment. Surgeon 
 Craig succeeded to the charge of the hospital at Jalapa, Surgeon Wells relieved 
 Surgeon Wright at Vera Cruz, and Surgeon Cuyler became chief medical officer 
 of the forces at Toluca. This uneventful condition of affiiirs did not obtain, 
 however, at the West, to which section the attention of the country was now 
 directed. When General Kearney marched from Santa F^, New Mexico, for 
 California, in September, 1846, he left Surgeon De Camp in charge of the general 
 hospital in that city, and took with him Assistant Surgeon John S. Griffin, 
 who was the first medical officer ever stationed on the Pacific coast. Assistant 
 Surgeon Robert Murray arrived there early in 1847, having accompanied Colo- 
 nel Stevenson's regiment of volunteers from New York city. 
 
 After the departure of General Kearney, General Sterling Price com- 
 manded in New Mexico, and early in 1848 he conceived the idea of an invasion 
 of Mexico, by way of El Paso del Norte. He accordingly left Santa F6 on the 
 eighth of February, with a force of United States dragoons and some Missouri 
 and Santa F6 volunteers, and reached the city of Chihuahua early in March. At 
 Santa Cruz, sixty miles from Chihuahua, he had a severe, but victorious engage- 
 ment with the enemy. The medical officei-s of the expedition were Assistant Sur- 
 geons Richard F. Simpson and H. R. Wirtz, and are thus mentioned by General 
 Price in his official report of the affair : " To the Medical Staff, conducted by 
 Assistant Surgeon R. F. Simpson, I have to express my acknowledgments. 
 The attention and ability displayed by Assistant Surgeon Simpson to our 
 wounded on the field as well as to those of the enemy after the action has won 
 for him admiration and esteem from both armies." 
 
 On the fifth of March, 1848, the armistice provided for by the treaty of 
 Guadaloupe Hidalgo went into effect. Subsequent military operations were only 
 against the guerilla bands which infested the routes of communication to the 
 Capital, and immediate steps were taken for the abandonment of the country 
 by the American forces. A board consisting of the ranking medical 
 officers in the city, met to advise a plan for the removal of the troops 
 with the least danger to life in passing through the unhealthy regions bordering
 
 DURING THE MEXICAN WA^. 197 
 
 on the coast. Their recommendations were that the troops should be marched 
 towards the coast until the border's of the " Tierra Caliente" were reached, and 
 then halted until it was positively ascertained that transports were in readiness 
 at Vera Cniz to receive them; that these transports should be anchored in 
 stream and allowed no communication with the shore, and that every thing being 
 ready for embarkation, the troops should be rapidly marched through the " Tierra 
 Caliente," and on reaching the city of Vera Cruz should be embarked imme- 
 diately on tug boats and transported to the vessels in the stream, without a 
 moment's delay in the city. Unfortunately this excellent advice was not follow- 
 ed, and as will be seen hereafter, disastrous results in more than one instance 
 occurred. 
 
 On the fifth of April orders were issued providing for the selection of six 
 hundred men from the wounded and chronic cases in the general hospitals in 
 the city of Mexico, and two hundred from that at Puebla, and their removal to 
 Jalapa under charge of Surgeons Craig and Tripler. Assistant Surgeons J. 
 Simpson, N. L. Campbell, Ryer and Wheaton were assigned to duty with this 
 expedition. The general hospital at Vera Cruz was at the same time cleared of 
 patients, and all those not subjects for discharge transferred to New Orleans 
 under charge of Surgeons Wright and Mills. On the twentieth of May the 
 general hospital at Jalapa was abandoned, and the sick sent to New Orleans in 
 charge of Surgeon Craig and Assistant Surgeon J. Simpson. On the first of 
 June the hospital at Puebla was broken up, the sick being sent to their respec- 
 tive regiments as they passed through that city. Soon after Assistant Surgeon 
 Simons, Medical Purveyor at head-quarters, was ordered to New Orleans with 
 all surplus medical stores, and on the twelfth the transfer of flags took place and 
 the army took up its line of march for the coast. No hospitals were left behind, 
 all the sick being transported with their regiments and attended by the regi- 
 mental medical officers. On General Taylor's line nearly all the troops had 
 long before been transferred to General Scott's army, those left being encamped 
 at various points along the Rio Grande. These and the purveying depot at 
 Tampico, under charge of Assistant Surgeon Hitchcock, were removed to New 
 Orleans. Here the volunteers of the araiy were discharged, the regiments for 
 the war mustered out, and the old regular army, with its brave and efficient 
 body of medical officers distributed to various posts throughout the country. 
 
 The arrival of large numbers of sick at New Orleans with the returning 
 army rendered necessary the establishment of general hospitals. Accordingly 
 Surgeon R. C. Wood was detailed to make a report on the hospital accommo- 
 dations at Baton Rouge and New Orleans barracks. It was found that the 
 number of available beds was entirely inadequate to the proper care of the
 
 198 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 patients and it was decided to build a new hospital at New Orleans, and pending 
 its construction to establish a general hospital at some other convenient point. 
 Greenwood Island, near East Pascagoula, Mississippi, was finally fixed upon, and 
 the hospital opened on the first of July under the name of Camp Lawson, in 
 honor of the Surgeon General. Surgeon John B. Porter was in charge, with 
 a large number of the returned medical ofiicers as his assistants. In November 
 this hospital was broken up and the patients transferred to the new hospital at 
 New Orleans, Doctor Porter continuing in charge. 
 
 The fourth regiment of artillery on arrival at New Orleans was ordered 
 direct to Fortress Monroe, Virginia. On the passage the yellow fever broke 
 out on the transports and before reaching their destination there were eighty- 
 seven cases and thirteen deaths. The medical officers were Surgeon John B. 
 Wells and Assistant Surgeon E. Swift. Aflr their arrival the fever continued 
 to prevail in the regiment, causing thirty-eight deaths in August and Septem- 
 ber. It did not extend to the other troops composing the garrison of Fortress 
 Monroe. 
 
 The latter part of the year 1848 was occupied chiefly in the distribution 
 of the medical officers to the numerous new posts established in the great area 
 of new territory gained by the treaty of Guadaloupe Hidalgo. A number went 
 to the Pacific coast, others to New Mexico and Texas, whence during the 
 next few years many very valuable reports were received on the medical topog- 
 raphy, the fauna and flora of those sections, etc., which were afterwards embodied 
 in the second volume of Army Medical Statistics. The large number of new 
 garrisons rendered an increase of the Corps a necessity, and on the urgent 
 representations of the Surgeon General, Congress on the second of March, 1849, 
 pissed the following bill : 
 
 ''Be it enacted, etc., That so much of section third of an act entitled 'An act to 
 amend an act entitled an act supplemental to an act, entitled an act providing for the 
 prosecution of the existing war between the United States and the Republic of Mexico, 
 and for other purposes,' approved .July 19, 1848, as prevents the filling of vacancies 
 in the Medical Department of the army until further authorized by law, be, and the 
 same is hereby repealed. 
 
 Sfxtion 2. And be it further enacted, That the Medical Staff of the army be in- 
 creased by the addition of ten assistant surgeons, to be appointed as provided by 
 existing laws and the regulations made under them." 
 
 A board for the examination of candidates to fill these vacancies met in 
 New York on the first of May. The detail was Surgeons Mower, Wood, 
 Cuyler and Assistant Surgeon Henderson. Seventy-five candidates were invited 
 to appear, of whom fifty-two presented themselves. Eighteen withdrew of their 
 own accord, the invitation of one was cancelled because he was not a citizen of
 
 FROM 1849 TO 1861. 199 
 
 the United States, seven were found physically disqualified, and nine were 
 accepted. The long experience of Surgeon Mower on these boards had satisfied 
 him that certain requirements in addition to those heretofore exacted would 
 inure to the advantage of the Corps, and the' board accordingly addressed a special 
 report on this subject to the Surgeon General, which, as its suggestions were 
 adopted and have since been recognized in all examinations for admission, be- 
 comes an important item of the history of the Department. The following are 
 extracts : 
 
 "The Board have given to the examination of candidates ample time, calm reflec- 
 tion, unbiassed judgment, disinterested decision. The session just closed adds to the 
 uniform experience of medical boards, that but a single object has been kept in view, 
 viz : the good of the service ; in attaining which nothing has been lost sight of that 
 could impress on the minds of successful and unsuccessful applicants, that this was 
 the sole purpose of the board. 
 
 Accumulated observations on successive boards cannot fail to present from time 
 to time points of novel or increased interest to the Department. Action on these 
 points leads, if to anything', to an improvement or elevation of standard ; and the 
 Board have now the duty to ask the attention of the Surgeon General to some highly 
 important particulars. These are a knowledge of Latin; of Physics or Natural Phi- 
 losophy; of a given amount of Practical Anatomy in the form of dissection, and a 
 certain amount of Clinical Instruction. 
 
 1. Latin. To show the importance of a knowledge of this language to the med- 
 ical student and practitioner, one fact may suffice. In no one instance, within the 
 knowledge of the Board, has a candidate ignorant of Latin ever been approved. Here 
 the Board states in terms not to be misunderstood, that ignorance of Latin was not the 
 direct cause of rejection ; but it shows conclusively the connection between liberal pre- 
 liminary education and the science of medicine generally, and specially too, as the 
 technicalities of medical science are inseparably interwoven with the Latin tongue. 
 Another instance just witnessed illustrates with singular force the importance of this 
 language. A highly intelligent approved candidate in his 'exercise,' wrote in fine 
 Latin a prescription with directions, 'inform for the apothecary;' in two instances 
 candidates who said they had studied Latin, could not understand or translate that 
 prescription. How could such cases maintain the standing of the Medical Depart- 
 ment before the highly educated line of the army, or before society at large. How- 
 ever desirable the classics or dead languages may be, on general grounds for candidates, 
 and however true it is that just in proportion as the mind is by preliminary education 
 expanded, so is it prepared for the cultivation of medical knowledge ; those are not 
 the points involved in these remarks. The point is the inseparable relation existing 
 between the Latin language and medical education ; this relation has been established 
 by the uniform experience of the Board, and by universal professional concurrence. 
 The Board therefore recommend that in the circular forwarded to applicants for in- 
 vitation they be notified that a knowledge of Latin is requisite. 
 
 2. Physics, or Natural Philosophy. The relation that this branch of knowledge 
 bears to medicine gives much but not undue importance to Physics in the estimate of 
 the Board. The object is to have the subject so appreciated, that its bearing on med- 
 ical pursuits may be rightly understood. It is taught in schools, academies and in 
 colleges for general purposes ; it should be studied by the physician for special pro-
 
 200 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 fessional purposes. Therefore the Boartl recommend the introduction of Natural 
 Philosophy as a study preliminary to examination. 
 
 3. Practical Anatomy by Dissection. It will be seen that the Board have laid much 
 stress on this branch of medical study. Nor can too much weight be given to it. It 
 is assumed as an axiom that a candidate cannot be qualified for the duties of a medical 
 officer without having done a fair amount of dissection. It would be little short of 
 injustice to the well ordered views of the Surgeon General to suppose a word of argu- 
 ment necessary to enforce a point so self-evident. Yet it is common to have candidates 
 admit that they have dissected a little; and not very uncommon to find that no dissec- 
 tion at all has been done, because forsooth, the cost was a few dollars for subjects, or 
 it may be, that dainty fingers might not be soiled. Be that as it may, while the point 
 is so essential, it is neglected to a lamentable extent ; and the only remedy is to render 
 it henceforth obligatory on the Board to adopt the principle, which is unquestionable 
 with every rightly ordered mind, that Anatomy, Physiology, the Principles and Practice of 
 Surgery can neither be appreciated nor comprehended without this fairamount of Practi- 
 cal Anatomy. Divest the army medical officer of this appreciation and of this compre- 
 hension and what, the Board ask in the name of the service and of the profession, is 
 left to him? It is not the object of the Board to specify the amount of dissection. 
 It is sufficient to say for all legitimate purposes, that the practical anatomy of the 
 whole body should have been carefully done. 
 
 4. Clinical Instruction. It is gratifying to see that professional sentiment is 
 acquiring rapidly force as to the importance of this department of medical instruction. 
 If at first view it might be supposed that difficulties surround positive arrangements 
 on this point, these vanish when deliberately looked at. A young man graduates 
 reputably at the schools ; he comes before the Board and passes the examination. An 
 order awaits him to repair to a post, or to duty where he is without aid. This young 
 man may never have resided in a hospital, nor walked a ward, nor had experience in 
 private practice. Where is he and how is he, in this fearfully responsible position? 
 Where and how are the officers and soldiers and the attaches of the post with none but 
 t his inexperienced man for reliance ? Can this be corrected prospectively ? It can to 
 a great extent by constituting one of three things the requisite; 1. Residence in a 
 hospital ; 2. Clinical attendance on such an institution ; or 3. Experience in private 
 practice; satisfactory evidence on this point being given to the Board. It has 
 occurred more than once to this Board, that candidates who have gone through the 
 schools, obtained diplomas and came well recommended, were utterly unable to apply 
 a roller to the leg, and were equally uninstructed or inexpei'ienced in minor surgery. 
 It is at the bedside only that these, and more important matters can be learned; and 
 hence to this subject the attention of the Surgeon General is earnestly invited. * * 
 
 Much as may have been done heretofore in order to elevate the standard of qual- 
 ification for the candidates, it cannot be imagined that in a department comparatively 
 so recently organized as that to which the Board belongs, and in a science so broad in 
 its bearings and so important in its interest on the health, life and happiness of the 
 officer and soldier it cannot be supposed, that room for improvement is exhausted. 
 Far from it. The standard of medical education in the schools throughout the land 
 is being elevated. The Army and Navy Medical Boards are from their very nature 
 and object, moving in advance of these schools. Tlie influence of these boards if 
 wisely brought to bear, cannot fail to be salutary, not only to the respective arms of 
 the service, but to the profession at large; for it is from these schools and from this 
 profession that candidates emanate. It is therefore especially proper that suggestions 
 duly weighed, should, from time to time, be presented to the Surgeon General.
 
 PROM 1849 TO 1861. 201 
 
 Nor can it for a moment be supposed that, in selecting the above subjects as 
 worthy of present consideration, any incautious or impolitic movement is suggested 
 in undue advance of a sound public sentiment. They bear on their front an im- 
 portant aspect, and thus they are commended to the consideration of the Surgeon 
 General, with a confident hope of meeting his approval." 
 
 The number of candidates passed by this board not being sufficient to 
 meet the requirements of the service, another was ordered to convene on the 
 fifteenth of October in Philadelphia. This was composed of Surgeons Mower 
 and Satterlee and Assistant Surgeon Southgate. It examined twenty-one can- 
 didates, of whom seven were approved. 
 
 On the fifteenth of September, 1849, Assistant Surgeon Joseph P. Rus- 
 sell, one of the most esteemed officers of the Medical Stafi", died at Fort 
 Columbus, New York. His widow and children were left in narrow circum- 
 stances by his untimely decease, and so great was the respect in which his 
 memory was held by all, both of the line and the staff, with whom he had 
 served during a period extending over thirty-five years, that it was suggested 
 that no more fitting monument could be erected to him " who never forgot the 
 widow and the fatherless, and who was himself so liberal to others in like cir- 
 cumstances" than a voluntary testimonial on the part of the whole army, in the 
 shape of a subscription for the benefit of those whom he had left behind. Ac- 
 cordingly circulars were sent to all medical officers, inviting them to interest 
 themselves in the project. The result exceeded the most sanguine expectations 
 of the projectors. Every officer in the army gave, and gave liberally, and in 
 June, 1851, when the accounts were closed upwards of four thousand dollars 
 had been collected and judiciously invested for the benefit of the family, a noble 
 monument both to the worth of the lamented Russell, as well of the liberality of 
 the army of which he was so long an ornament. 
 
 In 1851 the board consisted of Surgeons Mower and De Camp and 
 Assistant Surgeons Eaton and J. Simpson. It met in New York city on the 
 fifteenth of May, and examined twenty-two candidates, of whom seven were 
 approved. 
 
 Allusions have been several times made in the course of these pages to the 
 controversies which had arisen from time to time on the relative rank, positions 
 on army boards, etc., of the officers of the Greneral Staff and of the line. The 
 same vexed questions had repeatedly come up for decision in the various 
 bureaux of the navy. The attention of Congress was at length called to the 
 matter, and that body on the eighteenth of July, 1850, passed a resolution 
 requesting the President of the United States to communicate to the House, 
 his views " of the rules and regulations which should be established by law," 
 upon all the points in controversy. To enable the President to present an 
 13*
 
 202 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 opinion which should as far as possible reflect the ideas of the officers of the 
 two services, a joint board was ordered to convene in Washington, October 14th. 
 to investigate and report on the whole subject. The detail on the part of the 
 army was : 
 
 Major General Winfield Scott. 
 
 Brevet Major General Thomas S. Jesup. 
 
 Brevet Major General John E. Wool. 
 
 Colonel J. B. Crane, first artillery. 
 
 Brevet Colonel C. A. Waite, eighth infantry. 
 
 Surgeon Thomas G. Mower. 
 
 Paymaster David Hunter. 
 
 Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Henry L. Scott, Recorder. 
 
 The army portion of this board presented a report, with a draft of a bill, 
 which they recommended be passed by Congress. The following sections which 
 refer to the Medical Department, are presented to show the opinions of the 
 leading officers of the army on the status of the officers of the non-militarj- 
 staff: 
 
 "Section 5. And be it further enacted, That the rank conferred by section 8 of 
 the act approved February 11, 1847, entitled 'an act to raise for a limited time, an 
 additional military force, and for other purposes,' upon the oiRcers of the Medical 
 Department, * * * * shall entitle the officers holding such rank to 
 
 choice of quarters and to precedence according to rank on courts, boards and councils, 
 and to the military honors of that rank, and when they chance to be at a post or with 
 a detachment commanded by a junior officer they shall not absent themselves from 
 the post or detachment, without notifying the commanding officer, though of inferior 
 rank, of their intention to do so." 
 
 The boards were also directed to report on the comparative rank of officers 
 of the army and navy; but on account of the great difference of opinion 
 existing between them as to the status of staff officers in the two services, found 
 themselves unable to do so, the officers of the navy board insisting upon a lower 
 relative grade for officers of the Medical and Pay Departments than the army 
 board thought expedient to accede to. 
 
 It was not long before the comparative status of the staff and the line was 
 brought up in another shape, by the trials of two officers of the Medical Corps 
 for disobedience of orders and contempt and disrespect, in refusing or neglect- 
 in" to obey the commands of junior officera commanding the posts where they 
 were sfcitioned. Both were sentenced to be dismissed. The President of the 
 United States, in remitting the sentences, makes the decision that, " whatever 
 doubts may be entertained on the subject in regard to the officers of other staff 
 eorps, none can exist in regard to those of the Medical Department. The law
 
 FROM 1849 TO 1861. 203 
 
 of 1847, expressly excludes them from command. Now the officers of that 
 corps are not a distinct and independent body, but are a part of the army and 
 as they cannot command it follows that when on duty they must be commanded." 
 This was a practical settlement of the whole question and has been the rule of 
 the service ever since, with the exception of certain modifications growing from 
 the establishment of general hospitals during the last war which will be noticed 
 in the proper place. 
 
 In 1850 it was considered advisable by the Surgeon General that the Corps 
 should be represented at the annual meeting of the American Medical Asso- 
 ciation, which was to occur in Cincinnati on the seventh of May. Accordingly, 
 Surgeon C. S. Tripler, who was elected a delegate by the State Medical Society 
 of Michigan, was directed also to appear on behalf of the Medical Department 
 of the army. Doctor Tripler was very cordially received, and in connection 
 with Surgeon Ruschenberger of the navy rendered valuable service in bringing 
 to the notice of the Association the claims of the medical officers of the army 
 and navy, both upon the profession at large and upon the country as represented 
 in Congress. 
 
 In 1851 the unifonn and dress of the army was again changed, and the 
 one adopted which has been in use during the past twenty years, and which has 
 just been dispensed with. One little item in connection with this change may 
 be thought worthy of record. The board which devised the new uniform gave 
 no sash to the medical officers. To this Surgeon General Lawson objected, and 
 in a letter to the Adjutant General, dated June 12, 1851, insisted upon a green 
 sash for the Medical Corps, because, " to take it from them now, would be 
 making an invidious distinction between them and the other staiF officers of the 
 army." The green sash, accordingly, was prescribed to be worn by all medical 
 officers. 
 
 The Medical Department was represented this year in the American Medi- 
 cal Association, which met at Charleston, South Carolina, by Surgeon John B. 
 Porter, who like his predecessor Surgeon Tripler was treated with marked 
 cordiality and attention by the assembled delegates. 
 
 The examining board for 1851 met in New York city on the fifteenth of 
 November, and was composed of Surgeons Mower, Steinecke and Cuyler and 
 Assistant Surgeon J. Simpson. Fifty-two candidates were invited to present 
 themselves, of whom twenty-seven appeared and ten were recommended for 
 appointment. 
 
 This was the last board dignified by the presence of Surgeon Thomas G. 
 Mower. This distinguished officer died on the seventh of December, 1853. 
 Probably no person, not even the Surgeon General, had been more intimately
 
 204 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 associated than he with the rise and development of the Medical Staif; and the 
 officers of the Corps, especially the older ones who knew and loved him in life, 
 will not consider too much space occupied if a few pages are devoted to the 
 record of his life and services and to some of the numerous tributes oflPered t(t 
 his memory. The following sketch was written for his family by Surgeon 
 Mower himself a short time before his death : 
 
 "Thomas Gardinkr Mowkr was born at Leicester, near Worcester, Massachu- 
 setts, February 18, 1790. His father dying when he was seven years old, his early 
 education was directed by an uncle. He graduated at Harvard University in 1810, 
 and studied medicine with Thomas Babbitt, an eminent surgeon of Brookfield, Massa- 
 chusetts, and formerly a surgeon in the United States navy. Having been examined 
 and licensed to practice medicine, he was appointed surgeon's mate in the 9th regi- 
 ment, U. S. Infantry, December 2, 1812, and immediately joined his regiment in win- 
 ter quai'ters at Burlington, Vermont. In the spring following he accompanied the 
 regiment to Sackett's Harbor and afterwards to Niagara; during this year (1813) he 
 participated in the capture of Fort George, and in the actions of Chrystler's Fields. 
 In the spring of 1814 he accompanied the 9th from its winter quarters at French's 
 Mills to the Niagara frontier. This regiment, forming a part of Scott's brigade, was 
 the first to land on the Canadian shore, under the fire of the enemy, on the third of 
 July, 1814, and the writer was in the leading boat conveying the regimental field and 
 staff, also General Scott and Staff. In this year, June 30, he was promoted to the 
 surgeoncy of his regiment, and continued on the New York frontier till the close of 
 the war, February, 1815. He participated in the active campaign on the Niagara 
 frontier, having been engaged in the battles of Chippewa, Lundy's Lane, and in the 
 assault by the British on Fort Erie. At the close of the war he was one of ten regi- 
 mental surgeons, out of at least forty, that was selected for the peace establishment. 
 After nine or ten years service on the frontier (the last two on the upper Missouri), 
 he was placed on special duty in the harbor of New York, and charged with various 
 duties pertaining to the station. Here, with occasional absences on duty, he has con- 
 tinued till the present time (1851). In 1833 and 1834 he travelled under orders 
 upwards of 12,000 miles as a member of a medical board of examination and inspec- 
 tion, which visited most of our military posts southwest and northwest of New York. 
 He was a member of every medical board except one, that was convened from the 
 first organization in 1832 to the present time, and with the above exception and one 
 other was the presiding member. To the operation of these boards the present 
 efficiency and high standing of the Medical Staff" are mainly attributable. In the 
 year 1818 he received the degi-ee of doctor of medicine at the College of Physicians 
 and Surgeons, New York, and in 1844 he was elected a member of the American 
 Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, an institution over which Franklin and Jefferson 
 had presided." 
 
 It is a statement which will be endorsed by every one who ever appeared 
 before him for examination, that no one had to undergo that ordeal, without 
 pleasant recollections of his dignity and learning, his gentleness and tenderness 
 of character, the personal interest which he felt in every young candidate for 
 the honor of a position in the Corps. The variety of his services was as exten- 
 sive as the country. There was hardly a project, involving the exercise of more
 
 FROM 1849 TO 1861. 205 
 
 than usual judgment or foresight that was not refen-ed to him for decision. 
 Indeed, for the last twenty years of his life, so constantly was "his advice sought 
 for and listened to with deference, that he possessed an influence coequal with 
 the Surgeon General, an influence which it is hardly necessar}^ to say, was 
 invariably exercised on the side of truth, justice and the advancement of his 
 beloved Corps. Doctor Lovell, who had many traits of character in common 
 with Doctor Mower, thus spoke of him, in a letter written shortly before his 
 death : 
 
 "I can confidently aflu'm, without the fear of contradiction, that there is not in 
 the whole Department a single officer who is better qualified than the present occu- 
 pant [Doctor Mower] to perform the various duties which devolve upon him, either 
 as the medical officer of the station [New York], as inspector of recruits at the largest 
 rendezvous and depot of the army, as president of the medical board of examination 
 which usually convenes in New York, and which devolves upon him as the senior 
 officer but one in the Department, or as acting apothecary in purchasing and distribut- 
 ing the medical supplies for the various posts. In the latter capacity especially he is 
 invaluable to the Department, and his removal from any cause would be a serious loss 
 both to the Department and to the public service. 
 
 Without increase of expense the supplies have been increased in quantity and 
 highly improved in quality, and they are so reported by the several surgeons from 
 year to year, with scarcely an exception, as well as to have been safely and carefully 
 packed, and to have arrived in good order; a result which is entirely due U> the dili- 
 gence, intelligence and fidelity of Surgeon Mower. * * * From personal 
 observations during the war (with Great Britain), both in the field and in the hos- 
 pitals and from subsequent official relations, I can with confidence add my testimony 
 to those with whom he has served, that he is second to no officer in the Department, 
 either as to the extent or importance of the services which have devolved on him 
 during this period, or in the faithful and intelligent manner in which these services 
 were performed." 
 
 Surgeon General Lawson, who was always chary in praise, in his annual 
 
 report to the Secretary of War, November 8, 1854, remarks: 
 
 "Although we have been called upon to mourn the loss, not only of many of our 
 number, but of some of our best and most distinguished officers, it will be doing no 
 injustice to others, whether of the living or of the dead, to render a richly merited 
 tribute of respect to the memory of Surgeon Thomas G. Mower, for many years the 
 senior surgeon of the army, its Chief Medical Purveyor, and the presiding officer of 
 its boards of medical examiners. During a service of forty-one years he had fre- 
 quently confided to him the highest and most responsible duties, all of which were 
 invariably performed to the satisfaction of the Department. To the judgment and 
 discretion with which he exercised the power delegated to him as president of the 
 army boards of medical examiners, the Medical Staff owes much of its present 
 efficiency and reputation, and it is hoped the influence of his example will not be lost." 
 
 The New York Timefi of January 11, 1854, contains a notice of his life 
 and career, from which the following admirable summary of his character 
 is taken :
 
 206 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 " lu all the relations of life he was most exemplary and unexceptional; as a hus- 
 band, devoted and affectionate; as a parent, kind and indulgent, and most solicitous 
 for the honor and welfare of his children; as a friend, ardent, disinterested and un- 
 changeable; as a man, upright, punctilious, exact in all his dealings, charitable and 
 tvctively benevolent; as a gentleman, affable, polite, courteous and deferring to his 
 equals, and ever considerate of the feelings and interests of those below him in posi- 
 tion; as a soldier, jealous of the honor of his profession, firm, decided and brave, 
 knowing no fear but the fear of a mean action, quick to perceive and prompt to exe- 
 cute; ivs a physician and surgeon, mature in judgment, sound in theory, skilful in 
 practice, humane, sympathetic and self-sacrificing in his efforts to relieve or alleviate 
 the sufferings of his patients; as a christian, sincere without ostentation, believing in 
 religion as a principle rather to be possessed than spoken of, and practicing rather 
 than professing the Golden Rule. That he has gone to the enjoyment of that reward 
 promised to the just made perfect no one can doubt who knew his manly, generous 
 nature and many virtues." 
 
 Surgeon Josiah Simpson, through whose kindness the foregoing extracts 
 have been obtained, adds the following personal description of Surgeon Mower : 
 
 "He was of slender figure, exact and martial in carriage, with prominent, bright 
 blue eyes, niddy complexion, and a pleasing expressive face; of delicate physical 
 organization, in height not over five feet ten inches, in weight probably not more than 
 one hundred and thirty pounds. Scrupulously neat in dress and person, pure and 
 chaste in word and deed, he was a noble type of what an army surgeon should be." 
 
 Since the commencement of this decade death had been unusually busy 
 with the officers of the Medical Corps. In addition to the lamented Mower, 
 nine vacancies had occurred by death among its members. Among them were 
 Surgeon William Hammond, who died at Benecia, California, February 13, 
 1851 ; Assistant Surgeon Sylvester Day, the oldest officer in the Department, 
 having seen continuous service since 1807, who died at Alleghany Arsenal, 
 Pennsylvania, February 20, 1851 ; Assistant Surgeons Kennedy, Sprague, 
 Fullwood and Dyerle ; and Surgeon John B. Wells, an officer of the highest 
 distinction, who died at Baltimore, Maryland, July 24, 1853. 
 
 In addition to these, one young officer of promise, Assistant Surgeon 
 Edward H. Watson, who had but just received his commission, was lost at sea. 
 He sailed from Philadelphia on the schooner " Mechanic" for Indianola, Texas, 
 on the twenty -seventh of August, 1853, but neither the vessel, or any on board 
 were ever heard of afterwards. ^ 
 
 An examining board, consisting of Surgeons Finley, Wright and Cuyler 
 and Assistant Surgeon J. Simpson, met in New York on the first of December, 
 1853. Thirty-four candidates reported for examination, of whom three were 
 found physically disqualified, seven withdrew without examination, and of the 
 remainder fifteen were found (jualified for appointment in the Medical Staff. 
 
 There were several points of great importance to the efficiency of the
 
 FROM 1849 TO 1861. 2(7 
 
 Medical Department urged by General Lawson in his annual reports to the 
 Secretiiry of War for 1853-4-5. The fii-st of these related to the necessity for 
 an increase in the number of medical officers. Although the Corps was already 
 very large in comparison with the size of the army, yet the great number of 
 new posts which had been established in the new territories rendered it impos- 
 sible to supply them all with medical attendance with the number of surgeons 
 at that time allowed by law. Besides garrison duty, medical officers were 
 constantly needed to accompany detachments of troops ordered on Indian 
 expeditions, which made it necessary always to have several surplus officers in 
 every department. On this subject the Surgeon General reports, November 
 10, 1855 : 
 
 "Tlie duty again devolves upon me to i-eport that the numerical strength of the 
 Medical Corps of the army is not sufficient to meet the requirements of the service. 
 It may appear at a first glance that ninety-four medical officers should suffice for an 
 army of nineteen regiments and corps of the line, with the necessary officers and men 
 of the staff departments, the whole force numbering 17,861 men: but upon an ex- 
 amination into the matter, it will be found that the Corps with its present number 
 does not and cannot give the necessary medical aid to all the troops dispersed through- 
 out our very widely extended territory. 
 
 The number of physicians does not depend upon the numerical force of the army, 
 but upon the manner in which it is employed ; that is upon the divisions and sub- 
 divisions it has to undergo, and the particular service in which it is engaged. One 
 surgeon and two assistant surgeons will suffice for one regiment or corps of ten com- 
 panies, or a thousand men ; these three officers may also serve that corps divided into 
 three battalions; but they cannot possibly render tlie necessary medical aid to the ten 
 companies of the corps, each company occupying a separate post, the one twenty miles 
 distant from the other. 
 
 Our army is spread all over the country, from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans, 
 occupying eighty-nine military posts and arsenals, each station requiring one physician 
 and some of them two. To supply medical officers to the military posts garrisoned by 
 troops of the line, and furnish the necessary complement of physicians to serve with 
 detachments of men constantly operating in the field, would exhaust the whole num- 
 ber of our regular corps, ninety-four in number, were they all efficient and present 
 for duty ; leaving us to supply medical aid to troops passing in transports or by land, 
 from one section of the country to another ; to the officers and men stationed in our 
 large cities, on staff and other duties ; to the many forts on the Atlantic not gar- 
 risoned, but held in charge by a few engineer and ordnance men ; and to the various 
 recruiting rendezvous, as best we can, under contract by the month, or by the day 
 and the visit. 
 
 Officers of the Medical Department, however get sick as well as other people ; 
 they are entitled to occasional relaxation from duty like other officers; and again they 
 have a claim the same as officers of the line and other staff departments of the army, 
 to the indulgence of a leave of absence from duty to visit their families and friends, 
 and attend to important private business. 
 
 With the aged and permanently disabled officers and the sick, together with those 
 entitled to leaves of absence, our force of ninety-four surgeons and assistant surgeons
 
 208 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 may be considered as reduced on an average, eight or ten per cent., or to eighty-five 
 effective men for duty. At this time, however, there is but one medical officer on leave 
 of absence: and this one has just now returned from a six years tour of service in 
 the Department of the Pacific. 
 
 Within the last three years there has been paid out, on account of the employ- 
 ment of private physicians, seventy-two thousajid five hundred and twenty dollars, 
 averaging twenty-four thousand one hundred and seventy-three dollars per annum; 
 this last sum being about the amount of the annual pay of twenty-four assistant sur- 
 geons of the army. Now as we have to expend annually for extra medical attendance 
 twenty-four thousand dollars and more, or the sum of the pay and emoluments of 
 twenty-four medical oflBcers of the army, the question arises whether we shall pay 
 out the money to private physicians, unknown to us and employed on the spur of the 
 occasion, instead of regularly instructed and disciplined medical officers, who have 
 been examined by competent persons and found qualified morally and physically, 
 as well as professionally for the practice of physic and surgery in the army." 
 
 A second matter to which General Lawson invited the attention of Congress 
 was the advisability of the enlistment of a certain number of competent persons 
 to serve especially as hospital stewards. Previous to this time hospital stewards 
 were detailed from time to time from the line of the army, on the recommen- 
 dation of the post surgeon, and were liable as soon as they were carefully 
 instructed in their duties to be returned to duty with their companies, either 
 by the caprice of commanding officers, or the inevitable movements of troops. 
 To remedy this evil, General Lawson suggested the enlistment or appointment 
 by the Secretary of War, of a certain number of competent persons, to serve 
 as hospital stewards and to belong to the general non-commissioned staff of the 
 army, and to have the rank and pay of first sergeants of infantry. 
 
 A third measure was, " the making of some provision by which to requite 
 hospital nurses and attendants, for the laborious and loathsome duties they have 
 to perform, and in consideration of their frequent exposure to contagious 
 diseases." By acts of Congress passed in 1819 and 1854, all soldiers on 
 fatigue duty, and all on " extra or daily duty involving constant labor for a 
 period not less than ten days," were entitled to extra compensation therefor, 
 and for many years cooks and nurses in hospitals had received this extra pay 
 the same as other detailed men. Recently, however, it had been decided by 
 the Treasury Department that soldiers detailed in hospitals did not come within 
 the provisions of these acts, though performing much more constant labor and 
 of a more disagreeable character than any other detailed men. General Law- 
 son therefore asked for the passage of a special act giving them the same extra 
 allowance as others, and characteristically remarks : 
 
 " In conclusion, I beg leave to say that the doctrine which seems now-a-days to 
 obtain, viz: that nurses and physicians administering to the body, as well as the high 
 personages of the church who administer to the soul of man, have to look for their
 
 FROM 1849 TO 1861. 209 
 
 reward in Heaven, for the good deeds done in this world, may be very consolatory, very 
 satisfactory, and even very flattering to some of us of the craft, particularly as it brings 
 us somewhat in juxtaposition with the pure members of the hierarchy. There are other 
 persons, however, and among them soldiers of the army, faithfully laboring by day 
 and by night as nurses in our hospitals, who cannot brook the idea of being placed 
 beyond the pale of rightful consideration accorded to soldiers employed in making a 
 bridge or cutting a road, and who cannot be brought to believe otherwise than that 
 they might as well receive a portion if not their full measure of recompense on earth 
 here below, and take their chance for higher and more permanent reward in another 
 and a better world." 
 
 Bills were several times introduced in the years before mentioned to meet 
 these suggestions of the Surgeon General, but it was not until 1856, when the 
 army was increased by the addition of four regiments, that any of them re- 
 ceived a favorable consideration. On the sixteenth of August, of that year, 
 Congress passed an act, " For a necessary increase and better organization of the 
 Medical and Hospital Department of the Army," which was as follows: 
 
 " Be it enacted, etc., That there be added to the Medical Department of the army, 
 four surgeons and eight assistant surgeons, to be appointed in accordance with exist- 
 ing laws. 
 
 Section 2. And be it further enacted, That the Secretary of War be, and he is 
 hereby authorized to appoint from the enlisted men of the army, or to cause to be 
 enlisted, as many competent hospital stewards as the service may require, not to ex- 
 ceed one for each military post. The said hospital stewards to be mustered and paid 
 on hospital muster rolls as non-commissioned staff oflScers, with the rank, pay and 
 emoluments of a sergeant, of ordnance, and to be permanently attached to the medical 
 and hospital department, under such regulations as shall be prescribed by the Secre- 
 tary of War. 
 
 Section 3. And be it further enacted. That soldiers acting as cooks and nurses in 
 hospitals be, and are hereby allowed the extra pay authorized to soldiers on fatigue 
 duty, by ' an act to increase the rank and file of the army,' approved August 4, 
 1854." 
 
 A medical examining board, consisting of Surgeons Finley, Satterlee and 
 Moore, met in New York city, April 1, 1855, for the examination of assistant 
 surgeons for promotion. No candidates for appointment were invited to present 
 themselves, as of the fifteen passed by the board in 1853 seven yet remained 
 uncommissioned. In 1856, when it became certain that the foregoing bill 
 would become law, a board was ordered to convene at Newport Barracks, Ken- 
 tucky, for the examination of candidates for appointment. The detail was 
 Surgeons C. S. Tripler, N. S. Jarvis and A. N. McLaren, and it met on the 
 first of August. Of thirty-nine candidates, ten were found qualified. This 
 number not being sufficient to fill all the vacancies, another board, consisting of 
 Surgeons Finley, DeCamp, Wright and Abadie, met in St. Louis, Missouri, on 
 the first of November. Eighteen candidates presented themselves, of whom 
 two were passed. 
 14
 
 210 THE MEDICAL DEPART3IENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 In July. 1856, the second part of the " Medical Statistics, U. S. Army," 
 was issued. This was intended to be a continuation of the volume prepared by 
 Assistant Surgeon Samuel Forry in 1839, and to give topographical and statis- 
 tical reports of the various posts since that date. In 1852 General Lawsou 
 had issued a circular to each officer of the Corps calling for information in 
 regard to the location, topography and prevailing diseases of the various posts, 
 the geology and natural history of the neighboring country, with such observa- 
 tions on climate, manners and customs of the inhabitants, etc., as would subserve 
 the end in view. The compilation of this work was entrusted to Assistant Sur- 
 geon Alexander S. Wotherspoon, but on his death in May, 1854, Assistant 
 Surgeon R. H. Coolidge was detailed to complete it. Besides the special reports 
 above referred to, the work contained statistical tables of the sickness and mor- 
 tality of the army, observations and statistics on the recruiting service, and a 
 valuable series of papers on the administration of quinine in large doses, which 
 was first brought to the notice of the profession through the observations of 
 members of the Stafi" stationed in the southwest. The work received general com- 
 mendation from the profession at large, as reflecting great credit not only on 
 the compiler but on every officer who had contributed to its columns. 
 
 Equally valuable as a contribution to science, was the " Army Meteoro- 
 logical Register," compiled by Assistant Surgeon Coolidge, under direction of 
 the Surgeon General, and published by order of the Secretary of War in 1855. 
 The meteorological observations of the army had been taken continuously since 
 1820. "The result of the observations for 1820 and 1821 were published at 
 the end of each year. Those of subsequent observations have been published 
 in a series of Army Meteorological Registers, of which the first volume, 
 embracing the years from 1822 to 1825, inclusive, was issued by Surgeon 
 General Lovell in 1826. The second and third volumes of the series, com- 
 prising respectively the years from 1826 to 1830, and from 1831 to 1842, 
 inclusive, were prepared and published, the former in 1840, the latter in 1851, 
 under the direction of the present Surgeon General, Doctor Thomas Lawson." 
 
 In 1842 instruments of an improved character were ftirnished to the 
 diflFerent posts, and the army examining board, then in session in Philadelphia, 
 consisting of Surgeons Mower and Steinecke and Assistant Surgeon Cuyler, 
 were instructed to prepare a series of rules for taking meteorological observa- 
 tions. The result of their labors was approved by the Surgeon General, and 
 the volume now printed (embracing the period from 1842 to 1854, inclusive) 
 contained the observations taken in accordance with the directions then drawn 
 up. It contained the result of observations of the thermometer, direction and 
 force of winds, clearness of sky and fall of rain and snow, with a special report
 
 FROM 1849 TO 1861. 211 
 
 " on the prominent features of general climate in the United States, as exhibited 
 in the distribution of temperature and of rain," and a number of charts of 
 mean distributions of temperature for each season of the year, the whole form- 
 a quarto volume of nearly eight hundred pages. The publication of this volume 
 brought forth a communication from Professor Joseph Henry, Secretary of 
 the Smithsonian Institution, to the Surgeon General, in which he accused the 
 Medical Bureau of plagiarism in reference to the construction of the isothermal 
 and rain charts in the work, and asserted besides that these charts were con- 
 structed on "unreliable and insufficient data." General Lawson was not the 
 man to tamely submit to such at attack, and an angry controversy ensued, in 
 which much personal feeling was shown on both sides and a great deal of ink 
 expended, with the final result of the whole matter being referred to the Secre- 
 tary of War, Jefferson Davis, who gave the rather non-committal opinion, that 
 the Medical Department had evidently never intended to appropriate anything 
 belonging to the Smithsonian, but that even if it had the charts were of no 
 value to science, so that the Smithsonian had no right to feel aggrieved, a decis- 
 ion which most probably satisfied neither side. 
 
 The army board which met in New York city on the first of May, 1857, 
 consisted of Surgeons Finley, Satterlee and McDougall. There were twenty- 
 six candidates for appointment, of whom one was found physically disqualified, 
 eleven withdrew without an examination, ten were rejected and five passed. 
 
 In the summer of 1857 troops were concentrated at Fort Leavenworth 
 for the operations against the Mormons, generally known as the Utah Expedi- 
 tion. Surgeon Madison Mills was assigned to duty as Medical Director. The 
 troops originally composing the column were the fifth and tenth regiments of 
 infantry, the second dragoons and a battery of the fourth artillery, to each of 
 which was assigned a medical officer. Subsequently they were reinforced by 
 the seventh infantry and a battery of the third artillery. These forces remained 
 encamped at Camp Floyd and Fort Bridger until just before the outbreak of the 
 Rebellion. In January, 1858, Surgeon J. J. B. Wright was assigned to duty 
 as Medical Director, but after reaching Fort Leavenworth his destination was 
 changed, and Assistant Surgeon Thomas H. Williams in July relieved Surgeon 
 Mills and also assmned the duties of Purveyor to the Utah army. He in turn 
 was relieved by Surgeon J. B. Porter in September, 1859. There was no gen- 
 eral hospital established, the sick being treated by their regimental medical 
 officers. 
 
 The examining board for 1858 was composed of Surgeons Finley, Satterlee 
 and S. P. Moore and Assistant Surgeon Edwards, and met in Richmond, Virginia, 
 on the first of April. There were forty-four candidates invited to appear for
 
 212 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 examination, of whom twenty-seven reported in person. Four withdrew with- 
 out examination, seven after failure on a partial examination, six were foiuid 
 physically disqualified, and of the remainder, ten were rejected and two found 
 qualified for appointment. The next board met in Philadelphia, April 1, 1859. 
 and was composed of Surgeons Finley, Cuyler and S. P. Moore and Assistinit 
 Surgeon C. H. Crane. Twenty-five candidates were invited to appear, only 
 seven of whom were examined. Of these four were rejected and three passed. 
 
 In the following year the board met in New York city on the first of May. 
 the detail being Surgeons Finley, McDougall and Cuyler and Assistant Surgeon 
 J. F. Hammond. It passed four candidates out of a total of twenty-one, three 
 being rejected for physical disability. Just subsequent to its adjournment 
 Congress added an amendment to the Army Appropriation Bill for the year 
 ending June 30, 1860, providing for an addition of four surgeons and four 
 assistant surgeons to the Corps. This necessitated the meeting of another 
 board to fill the vacancies thus created, and accordingly one was called to meet 
 in Baltimore, Marj'land, on the twentieth of September. The detail was Sur- 
 geons Finley, Satterlee and Tripler and Assistant Surgeon C. H. Smith. 
 Eleven applicants for appointment reported for examination, of whom seven were 
 examined and five passed. 
 
 On the first of November, 1859, a board of medical officers, consisting of 
 Surgeons Finley, Satterlee. Tripler and Cuyler, and Assistant Surgeon Coolidge 
 as recorder, met in Washington to examine models for ambulances and to revise 
 the Standard Supply Table. Various models for ambulances were presented 
 before this board, and afl^r mature deliberation it decided to advise that a four 
 wheel ambulance in accordance with a plan proposed by Surgeon Tripler be 
 adopted, and also that two wheel ambulances, on plans suggested by Surgeon 
 Finley and Assistant Surgeon Coolidge, be constructed and sent to various 
 frontier stations for trial in the field. The Standard Supply Table was completely 
 revised so as to include most of the modem improvements in medicines and 
 hospital stores, instruments and dressings. The board also reported a plan for 
 an ambulance system for troops sen'ing in the field. 
 
 The sendees of the medical officers during the ten years previous to the 
 civil war, were characterized by all the hardships of iictual war, without any of 
 its compensating opportunities for distinction. The new territory acquired by 
 conquest from and subsei^juent treaty with Mexico, and by treaty with Great 
 Britain, was filled with tribes of hostile Indians, which resisted every attempt at 
 the settlement of the country. Consequently, our troops, scattered over a great 
 extent of country in Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, California and Oregon, 
 were continually engaged in hazardous expeditions against the savages, taxing
 
 FROM 1849 TO 1861. 21 H 
 
 often to the utmost the resources of the Surgeon Greneral's Bureau to supply 
 medical attendance from the small number of medical officers available. The 
 records of the Surgeon Greneral's Office during this period contain a rich store 
 of reports of these various expeditions, many of them embracing facts of the 
 greatest interest in reference to the topography, diseases, climate, and physical 
 characteristics of the country and its wild inhabitants, all attesting the energy 
 and fidelity with which the officers of the Medical Staff performed their irk- 
 some and arduous duties. It is much to be regretted that the limits of this 
 work do not permit a more extended notice of these services and extracts fi'om 
 these reports, but on examination it was found impossible to make a selection, 
 and the collection is too extensive to admit of even a reference to them all. 
 The third volume of Army Medical Statistics, compiled like its predecessor under 
 direction of Assistant Surgeon Coolidge, which was issued in 1860 does full 
 justice in its pages to the officers of the Corps, and bears ample testimony to 
 the truth of the above statements. 
 
 The Medical Staff during this decade was called upon to mourn the loss of 
 many of its best and most distinguished members. Besides those tf) whom 
 allusion has been made on a previous page. Assistant Surgeon Thomas Hender- 
 son died at Lexington, Virginia, on the eleventh of August. 1854. Doctor 
 Henderson had long been incapacitated for active duty by age and infirmity, 
 but in his prime there was no officer of the Corps more distinguished for pro- 
 fessional culture. He was the author of a " Manual for the examination of 
 Recruits," originally published in 1840, which had for many years been the 
 standard authority on the subject. Assistant Surgeon Joel Martin, a veteran 
 officer, died at Norfolk, Virginia, December 10, 1854. Surgeon Henry L. 
 Heiskell, so well known to the whole army as the confidential assistant tt) the 
 Surgeon Greneral through a long series of years, and who was Acting Surgeon 
 Greneral during General Lawson's absence in Mexico, died in Washington on 
 the twelfth of August, 1855; and Surgeon H. A. Steinecke, another old and 
 experienced surgeon, at Baltimore, Maryland, on the twentieth of December of 
 the same year. Surgeon B. F. Harney, the senior surgeon in the army, a 
 veteran of the war of 1812, and continuously on duty since that time, died at 
 Baton Rouge, August 29, 1858. Except the Surgeon Greneral, there were now 
 left but two officers whose service extended back to the last war with England. 
 Surgeon W. V. Wheaton and Assistant Surgeon Joseph Eaton. Neither of 
 them lived to witness the commencement of the Rebellion, the latter dying at 
 Fort Hamilton, New York, March 16, 1860, and the former at Philadelphia. 
 April 23, 1860. The following eulogium on Surgeon Wheaton was addressed 
 by Greneral Lawson to the Secretary of War on receiving news of his death :
 
 214 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 "Surgeon Wheaton's military life extended over a period of forty-seven years, 
 and was alike honorable to himself, to the army, and to his country at large. I can- 
 not injustice to my own feelings announce the death of this veteran officer and old 
 companion in arms during the war of 1813, without paying a passing tribute to his 
 gallantry and efficiency as an officer, and to his many excellent qualities as a man.' ' 
 
 In addition to those above named, Surgeon Bernard M. Byrne, an oflBcer 
 of twenty-five years service in the Medical Corps, died at Fort Moultrie, Char- 
 leston, South Carolina, on the sixth of September, 1860. 
 
 With the close of the year 1860, the Medical Department entered upon 
 a new era in its existence. The commencement of the great war swept out of 
 sight in a moment many ideas which had been so long cherished that they had 
 become part of the organic law of the Bureau. Old things passed away not 
 because they were faulty, but because they were adapted to an army of nineteen 
 regiments and not to one of half a million of men. New organizations were 
 forced upon us by the exigencies of the first few months of 1861, new regula- 
 tions had to be adopted, new and varied services were called for from the ofiicers/ 
 Yet the experience gained in the war with Mexico and twelve years of almost 
 incessant expeditions against hostile Indians on the western frontiers was sure to 
 be of value in the conflict in which they were called on to participate, and the 
 prestige gained by the Corps in the past gave favorable augury for success in 
 the future.
 
 DURING THE REBELLION. 215 
 
 PART V. 
 
 From the commencement op the Rebellion to the present time. 
 
 The time has not yet arrived to write an impartial history of the Rebellion, 
 either in its political or personal aspects. The events are too recent and too 
 many of the prominent actors therein still living to render it possible to give in 
 detail every circumstance connected even with the comparatively uneventful 
 record of the services of the Medical Corps, without trenching on matters which 
 might give rise to controversy, and hence be foreign to the object of this volume. 
 Enough will be written to show that the Medical Department maintained its 
 high standard of efficiency, gaining new laurels in every campaign and possess- 
 ing at the close of the war the admiration of the profession throughout the 
 world. The details of hospital construction and management, the conduct of 
 field ambulance service, the record of the vast variety of wounds and injuries 
 treated and of the immense number of camp diseases which came under the 
 observation of the medical officers ; these and kindred topics have been en- 
 trusted to the abler hands who are engaged in writing the " Medical and 
 Surgical History of the War," and hence anything more than a passing reference 
 to them is rendered unnecessary in these pages ; but, indeed, were it otherwise 
 any attempt to treat of them in a volume of the size of this would be very 
 unsatisfactory. It is only proposed, therefore, in what follows to give a detail 
 of the legislation for the Medical Department, with such occasional references 
 to individuals as the circumstances of the case may demand. 
 
 On the first of January, 1861, the Medical Corps consisted of one Sur- 
 geon General, thirty surgeons and eighty-three assistant surgeons. Of these, 
 three surgeons and twenty-one assistant surgeons resigned to take part in the 
 Rebellion, and three assistant surgeons were dismissed for disloyalty. Five 
 surgeons and eight assistant surgeons, natives of, or appointed from the states 
 which took part in the Rebellion, remained true to the flag. Considering the 
 universal disafiection which prevailed throughout the service, and the strong 
 pressure brought to bear on every man of southern birth in the army, these 
 figures are exceedingly creditable to the Corps. 
 
 Very soon after the attack on Fort Sumter, and while troops were hurry- 
 ing from all parts of the country to the defence of the Capital, the Surgeon 
 General, whose long experience and military proclivities would have rendered
 
 216 THK MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 liis services invaluable in the critical aspect of affairs, was compelled to leave 
 the "office where he had labored so faithfully for thirty-four years, and retire for 
 his health to Norfolk, Virginia. In that place on the fifteenth of May, 1861, 
 he was seized with a stroke of apoplexy and died in a few hours. He was the 
 last of that gallant band of medical officers who had upheld the credit of the 
 (Jorps under such difficult circumstances during the arduous campaigns of the 
 second war with England. He had seen continuous service for forty-eight years, 
 and had wielded his vigorous pen in the office of Surgeon General ever since 
 the death of the lamented Lovell. Whatever may have been the judgment of 
 his contemporaries on other points, no one denied him the possession of an extra- 
 ordinary vigor of intellect, an industry which did not fail with advancing yeai-s, 
 an ardent love for the military profession, and a high sense of the value of his 
 Corps to the army ; the determination to secure for it every right which his 
 judgment thought just, and to weed out from it every member whom he con- 
 sidered to reflect no credit on its history. These traits of character brought 
 him frequently in collision both with his superiors in the War Office and his 
 subordinates in the army, but he was dismayed neither by authority nor influ- 
 ence in the prosecution of a favorite design or the establishment of a cherished 
 plan. Consequently, while the energy of his character, the sincerity of his 
 purpose and the ability of his administration caused him to be officially respected, 
 he possessed none of those traits which had endeared Lovell to the entire army, 
 and lacked that personal magnetism which obtains for those in high position the 
 confidence and love of their subordinates. He was thoroughly conversant, from 
 long service in camp and garrison, with all the details of a medical officer's 
 duties, was a skilful surgeon and experienced hygienist, and in the long war 
 waged by the Medical Corps for their rights of rank in the army was perhaps 
 the fittest man to lead them to final success. The Medical Staff can well forget 
 his defects, in recalling the great services he rendered in the long series of years 
 during which he filled the position of Surgeon General. 
 
 On the receipt of official information' of his death the War Department 
 issued the following order : 
 
 "WAR DEPARTMENT, 
 
 Adjutant General's Office, 
 
 Washington, May 20, 1861. 
 Qeneral Orders, No. 28. 
 
 It is with pain that the Secretary of War announces to the service the loss of a dis- 
 tinguished veteran oflBcer, the late Surgeon General Thomas Lawson, of the army, 
 who died at Norfolk, Virginia, on the 15th instant. 
 
 Having in 1811 resigned from the navy, where he had served two years. Doctor 
 Lawson passed immediately into the army a service with which, from that time, he 
 has been uninterruptedly connected. Full of a military fire, which not even the frost*
 
 I
 
 DURING THE REBELLION. 217 
 
 of age could quench, and of a zeal for the honor of his profession which made his 
 administration of the Medical Department a model of inflexibility, efficiency and 
 economy, he never spared himself, and was always prompt to volunteer his services 
 wherever they might be required. 
 
 Thus after having gone with credit through the war of 1812-15, he was one of 
 tlie first to hasten with General Gaines to the relief of our forces in Florida ; and 
 having been placed at the head of a regiment of volunteers by the suff"rages of the 
 gallant Louisianians who composed it, he acquitted himself with much credit in this 
 new sphere of duty, and proved himself an able and effective colonel. 
 
 In fact, so marked were the military traits in his character, and among these, 
 especially, his personal intrepidity, that at the close of the Mexican war, he was 
 rewarded for his services in it by a brevet of Brigadier General in the army. 
 
 As an appropriate tribute of respect to his memory there will be fired at every 
 military post, on the day after the receipt of this order, eleven minute guns, com- 
 mencing at meridian and the national flag will be displayed at half mast from the 
 same hour until sunset of the same day ; and for thirty days the prescribed badge of 
 mourning will be worn by the officers of the army. 
 
 By Order, 
 
 L. THOMAS, 
 
 Adjutant General.'" 
 
 During the absence of General Lawson from Washington Surgeon Robert 
 0. Wood performed the duties of Surgeon General, and immediately after his 
 death, Surgeon Clement A. Finley, the senior surgeon in the army, was ap- 
 pointed to fill the vacancy. The new Surgeon General was a native of Ohio, 
 from which state he was appointed surgeon's mate of the first infantry in 1818. 
 He was retained as assistant surgeon on the reorganization in 1821, and pro- 
 moted surgeon in July, 1832. At the time of his promotion he was president 
 of a medical examining board, which convened in New York city on the first of 
 May. The other officers composing the detail were Surgeons McDougall and 
 Sloan. The approach of war and prospective increase of the Corps caused the 
 number of applicants for appointment to be much greater than usual. One 
 hundred and fifty-six received invitations to present themselves before the board, 
 of whom one hundred and sixteen appeared. The services of the new officers 
 being much needed in the field it was considered advisable that they should be 
 appointed as soon as possible, and the board was consequently directed to 
 arrange the successful candidates in three classes in the order in which they 
 were examined. Of the first class, embracing those examined up to the twenty- 
 fifth of May, three were rejected for physical disability, three voluntarily with- 
 drew before the completion of their examinations, and twenty-two received a 
 favorable report. Of the second class, embracing all examined up to the first 
 of July, seven were rejected for physical disability, seventeen withdrew, seven 
 were rejected for defective professional acquirements, and twenty-nine were 
 recommended for appointment. The third class included those examined up 
 14*
 
 218 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 to the final adjournment on the fourteenth of August. Eight failed to pass 
 the examination, nine withdrew their names, and eleven were accepted, making 
 in all sixty-two approved candidates. 
 
 A board for the examination of brigade surgeons met in Washington in 
 August, and was composed of Surgeons McLaren, Holdeu, TenBroeck and 
 White. It examined one hundred and thirty candidates for the position of 
 surgeon of brigade, of whom one hundred and ten were approved. Thirty- 
 seven candidates for the regular Medical Staff also appeared before this board, 
 of whom twenty-four were found qualified for appointment. 
 
 The first troops brought into the field at the commencement of the war 
 consisted, as will be remembered, of the three months militia called for by the 
 President's proclamation, issued soon after the attack on Fort Sumter. These 
 brought with them their own medical ofiicers, and the only active service seen by 
 them was at the battles of Big Bethel and Bull Run, Virginia, where, considering 
 their lack of experience in military surgery, many of them rendered efficient 
 service. Several were captured by the enemy while attending to the wounded 
 of the latter fight. On the third of May the President issued a second proc- 
 lamation calling for an additional force of forty regiments for two years ser- 
 vice, to be apportioned among the various states. To each of these regiments 
 one assistant surgeon was allowed to be appointed by the governor of the state 
 fiimishing the troops, but only after examination by a properly authorized 
 board, to be appointed in like manner. Soon afl^r this organization was altered 
 80 as to provide for one surgeon and one assistant surgeon to each regiment. 
 In the matter of appointment of these officers, the clause retjuiring them to be 
 examined was not rigidly executed, and so many received appointments on 
 personal grounds who proved incompetent, that it was found necessary, at the 
 request of the Surgeon General, to issue an order authorizing Medical Directors 
 to summon any medical officer reported as unfit from any reason for his posi- 
 tion before a board of examination, and any who failed to receive a favorable report 
 from this board were ordered to be dropped from the rolls of the army. This 
 order had a most excellent effect, and in the regiments raised in accordance with 
 the act of Congress of July 22nd, in which the same organiztition was main- 
 tained, a much more efficient class of medical officers was obtained. By the 
 President's proclamation of May 8rd the force called for was organized into 
 divisions, to each of which was allowed a surgeon to act as Medical Director ; 
 but afl^r the passage of the act of Congress just mentioned this organization 
 was abandoned, and a corps of brigade surgeons provided for, who were to be 
 appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. 
 
 The number of medical officers in the regular army being evidently insuf-
 
 DURING THE REBELLION. 219 
 
 ficient, Congress on the third of August passed an act for the " Better organi- 
 zation of the military establishment," of which the following are extracts: 
 
 "Section 2. A?id be it further enacted, That the President be and is hereby 
 authorized to appoint by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, in addition 
 to the number authorized by existing laws, and in accordance with existing regulations, 
 * * * * ten surgeons and twenty assistant surgeons, to have the pay, rank 
 and allowances, and perform the duties of similar officers in the present military 
 establishment. 
 
 ****** 
 
 Section 5. And be it further enacted, That there be added to the Medical Staff of 
 the army a corps of medical cadets, whose duty it shall be to act as dressers in the 
 general hospitals and as ambulance attendants in the field, under the direction and 
 control of the medical officers alone. They shall have the same rank and pay as the 
 military cadets at West Point. Their number shall be regulated by the exigencies of 
 the service, at no time to exceed fifty. It shall be composed of young men of liberal 
 education, students of medicine, between the ages of eighteen and twenty-three, who 
 have been reading medicine for two years and have attended at least one cours^ of 
 lectures in a medical college. TTiey shall enlist for one year and be subject to the 
 I'ules and articles of war. On the fifteenth day of their last month of service, the 
 near approach of their discharge shall be reported to the Surgeon General, in order 
 if desired, that they may be relieved by another detail of applicants. 
 
 Section 6. And be it further enacted, That in general or permanent hospitals, 
 female nurses may be substituted for soldiers, when in the opinion of the Surgeon 
 General or medical officer in charge it is expedient to do so ; the number of female 
 nurses to be indicated by the Surgeon General or surgeon in charge of the hospital. 
 The nurses so employed to receive forty cents a day and one ration in kind or by 
 commutation, in lieu of all emoluments except transportation in kind. 
 
 ****** 
 
 Section 17. And be it further enacted. That the Secretary of War, under the 
 direction and approval of the President of the United States, shall, from time to time 
 as occasion may require, assemble a board of not more than nine nor less than five 
 commissioned officers, two-fifths of whom shall be of the Medical Staff; the board 
 except those taken from the Medical Staff, to be composed as far as may be of their 
 seniors in rank, to determine the facts and nature and occasion of the disability of 
 such officers as appear disabled to perform military service, * * * * 
 
 Provided, always, That the members of the board shall in every case be sworn to an 
 honest and impartial discharge of their duties, and that no officer of the army shall 
 be retired either partially or wholly from the service without having had a fair and 
 full hearing before the board if upon due summons he shall demand it." 
 
 As originally reported from the Military Committee to the Senate, this bill 
 contained a section providing for the appointment of two Assistant Surgeons 
 Greneral, to have the rank of lieutenant colonels of cavalry, who were to be 
 assigned to duty as inspectors of hospitals, but in the course of the debate this 
 clause was stricken out. 
 
 In the House of Representatives a bill was passed on the thirteenth of 
 July, providing that boards for the retirement of disabled officers should be
 
 220 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 composed entirely of medical officers ; but as the Senate a few days subse- 
 quently passed the bill above quoted, no action was ever taken on the House 
 bill by that body, and it was enacted that retiring boards should be composed 
 two-fifths of officers of the Medical Staff. 
 
 The capture of medical officers of volunteers at the battle of Bull Run 
 has been incidentally mentioned. During the first year of the war the same 
 fate befell a number of the officers of the regular staff. On the surrender of the 
 United States troops in Texas, through the treachery of Twiggs, several of the 
 medical officers on duty in that department were taken prisoners. These were 
 Surgeon E. H. Abadie, Medical Director, Assistant Surgeons Joseph R. Smith. 
 R. D. Lynde, D. C. Peters and C. C. Byrne. On the surrender of Fort Fill- 
 more, New Mexico, in July, 1861, Assistant Surgeons J. C. McKee and Charles 
 H. Alden were also captured by the enemy. All these officers after a short 
 detention were released on parole. At the first battle of Bull Run Assistant 
 Surgeons C. C. Gray and G. M. Sternberg volunteered to remain behind in 
 charge of our wounded at Sedley Church, and fell into the hands of the enemy. * 
 The latter wjis released in a few days, but the former was carried to Rich- 
 mond, where during his detention he was required to attend our wounded in 
 the " tobacco warehouse." He was afterwards sent to Castle Pinckney in 
 Charleston Harbor, and from there to the prisons at Columbia and at Salisbury, 
 from which place he was finally released on the twenty-eighth of July, 18()2, 
 having endured upwards of a years imprisonment. Surgeon Lyman H. Stone, 
 U. S. Army, Assistant Surgeon C. S. DeGraw of the eighth New York militia, 
 (now Assistant Surgeon, U. S. Army) with several other volunteer medical 
 officers, were likewise captured at this battle. Afler the battle of Wilson's 
 Creek, Missouri, Assistant Surgeon P. C. Davis was detailed to remain in charge 
 of our wounded at Springfield, where he fell into the hands of the enemy on 
 their occupation of that town. He was released on parole on the twentieth of 
 September. 
 
 In his annual report to the Secretary of War for the year 1861 Surgeon 
 General Finley thus speaks of the corps of medical cadets brought into service* 
 by the act of August 3, 1861 : 
 
 "They have been found to be of great service in the field and in hospitals, in- 
 creasing the efficiency of the Medical Department by an intelligent assistance, and 
 gleaning for themselves an amount of knowledge impossible to be obtained in the 
 study of their profession in civil life,except at the cost of the labor of years. 
 
 As no provision was made by the act for the subsistence of medical cadets, it is 
 therefore respectfully recommended that they be allowed one ration for each per diem . 
 There is also no allowance for camp and garrison equipage made for their accommoda- 
 tion in the field. They should have the same as is now allowed subalterns in the 
 army. It is respectfully recommended that this deficiency be supplied.
 
 DURING THK REBELLION. 221 
 
 In view of the advantage derived fvom tlie employment of this body of young 
 men, and the increased comfort that is afforded by their means to the sick and 
 wounded of our brave army, it is respectfully recommended that fifty more cadets be 
 added to the corps, to be appointed in the same manner, and to enjoy the same priv- 
 ileges and emoluments as those already in service." 
 
 Other recommendations made by the Surgeon General in thi.s report were : 
 an addition of one a.ssistant surgeon to each regiment of volunteers ; an increase 
 of the regular Medical StaflP by ten surgeons and thirty assistant surgeons ; the 
 enlistment of civilians as nurses in the general hospitals, and the addition to the 
 organization of each company of two men to attend the sick in the field under 
 orders of the regimental surgeon. He also called the attention of the Secre- 
 tary to " the inequality in rank in proportion to the services and exposures that 
 obtains in the Medical Coi"ps of the regular army, compared with other branches 
 of the General Staff.'" 
 
 On the seventh of February, 18G2. Mr. Wilson, chairman of the Military 
 Committee of the Senate, introduced a bill " To increase the efficiency of the 
 Medical Department of the Army." The provisions of this bill effecting deci- 
 ded changes in the organization of the Medical Coi-jis, gave rise to much 
 discussion in both Houses of Congress. After being amended in many partic- 
 ulars, it finally became a law on the sixteenth of April in the following form : 
 
 ^^ Be it enacted, etc.. That there shall be added to the present Medical Corps of the 
 army ten surgeons and ten assistant surgeons, to be promoted and appointed under 
 e.xisting laws; twenty medical cadets and as many hospital stewards as the Surgeon 
 General may consider necessary for the public service, and that their paj' and that 
 of all hospital stewards in the volunteer as well as in the regular service shall be thirty 
 dollars per month, to be computed from the passage of this act. And all medical 
 cadets in the service, shall, in addition to their pay. receive one ration per day, either 
 in kind or commutation. 
 
 Section" 2. And he it further e?iacted, That the Surgeon General to be appointed 
 under this act shall have the rank, pay and emoluments of a brigadier general. There 
 shall be one Assistant Sui'geon General and one Medical Inspector General of Hospi- 
 tals, each with the rank, paj' and emoluments of a colonel of cavalry, and the Medical 
 Inspector General shall have, under direction of the Surgeon General, the supervision 
 of all that relates to the sanitary condition of the army, whether in transports, quarters 
 ox camps, and of the hygiene, police, discipline and efficiency of field and general 
 hospitals, under such regulations as may hereafter be established. 
 
 Skotion 8. And he it further enacted, That there shall be eight Medical Inspectors, 
 with the rank, pay and emoluments each of a lieutenant colonel of cavalry, and who 
 shall be charged with the duty of inspecting the sanitary condition of transports, 
 quarters and camps, of field and general hospitals, and who shall report to the Medi- 
 cal Inspector General, under such regulations as may be hereafter established, all 
 circumstances relating to the sanitary condition and wants of troops and of hospitals, 
 and to the skill, efl&ciency and good conduct of the officers and attendants connected 
 with the Medical Department.
 
 22*2 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Section 4. And be it further enacted, That the Surgeon General, the Assistant 
 Surgeon General, Medical Inspector Genei'al, and Medical Inspectors shall, immedi- 
 ately after the passage of this act, be appointed by the President, by and with the 
 advice and consent of the Senate, by selection from the Medical Corps of the army, 
 or from the surgeons in the volunteer service, without regard to their rank when so 
 selected, but with sole regard to qualifications. 
 
 Section 5. And he it further enacted. That Medical Purveyors shall be charged 
 under the direction of the Surgeon General, with the selection and purchase of all 
 medical supplies, including new standard preparations, and of all books, instruments, 
 hospital stores, furniture and other articles required for the sick and wounded of the 
 army. In all cases of emergency, they may provide such additional accommodations 
 for tlie sick and wounded of the army, and may transport such medical supplies as 
 circumstances may render necessary, under such regulations as may hereaftef be 
 established, and shall make prompt and immediate issues upon all special requi- 
 sitions made upon them under such circumstances by medical officers; and the 
 special requisitions shall consist simply of a list of the articles required, the qualities 
 required, dated and signed by the medical officer requiring them. 
 
 Section 6. And be it further enacted. That whenever the Inspector General or 
 any one of the Medical Inspectors, shall report an officer of the Medical Corps as 
 disqualified, by age or otherwise, for promotion to a higher grade, or unfitted for the 
 performance of his professional duties, he shall be reported by the Surgeon General, 
 for examination, to a Medical Board as provided by the seventeenth section of the act 
 approved August third, eighteen hundred and sixty-one. 
 
 Section 7. And be it further enacted. That the provisions of this act shall con- 
 tinue and be in force during the existence of the present Rebellion and no longer; 
 Provided, hoieever, That when this act shall expire, all officers who shall have been 
 promoted from the Medical Staff of the army under this act shall retain their re- 
 spective rank in the army, with such promotion as they would have been entitled to." 
 
 It was proposed in the course of discussion on this bill to give the chief 
 of the Medical Bureau the title of Director General, and also to appoint a 
 Medical Purveyor with the rank, pay and emoluments of a lieutenant colonel 
 of cavalry, but both these propositions were voted down in committee. The 
 day before the passage of this act Surgeon General Finley was retired from ac- 
 tive service on his own application after forty years service, under the fifteenth 
 section of the act of Congress, approved August 3, 1861. On the twenty-fifth 
 of April, Assistant Surgeon William A. Hammond was promoted to the 
 vacancy, with the rank, pay and emoluments of a brigadier general. Surgeon 
 Robert C. Wood was appointed Assistant Surgeon General, and Brigade Sur- 
 geon Thomas F. Perley, Medical Inspector General, each with the rank, pay 
 and emoluments of a colonel. The following officers were appointed medical 
 inspectors, with the rank, pay and emoluments of lieutenant colonel : Surgeons 
 John M. Cuyler, Richard H. Coolidge, Charles C. Keeney and Edward P. 
 VoUum of the regular corps ; Brigade Surgeons George H. Lyman, William 
 H. Mussey and George T. Allen; and Surgeon Lewis Humphreys, of the twenty- 
 ninth Indiana volunteers.
 
 DURING THE REBELLION. 223 
 
 The following general order in reference to general hospitals and to the 
 discharge of soldiei-s on surgeon's certificate of disability was issued on the 
 seventh of April, 1862: 
 
 "Gexekai, Orders, No. 36. 
 
 1. The general hospitals are under the direction of the Surgeon General. Orders 
 not involving expense of transportation may be given by him to transfer medical 
 oflBcers or hospital stewards from one general hospital to another, as he may deem 
 best for the service. 
 
 2. The chief medical officer to whom the charge of all the general hospitals in a 
 city may be entrusted, will cause certificates of disability to be made out for such 
 men as, in his judgment should be discharged. He will be responsible that the cer- 
 tificates are given for good cause and that they are made in proper form, giving such 
 medical description of the cases, with the degree of disability, as may enable the 
 Pension Office to decide on any claim to pension which may be based upon them. 
 The certificates of disability will be signed by the chief medical officer and forwarded 
 by him to the military commander in the city, who shall have authority to order the 
 discharge and dispose of the case according to existing regulations. 
 
 3. The final statements, and all the discharge papers, will be made out under 
 the supervision of the military commander and signed by him. AVhere the men are 
 provided with their descriptive rolls there will be no delay in discharging them after 
 their certificates of disability are acted on. But if they have no descriptive rolls, ap- 
 plication will be made to the company commander for the proper discharge papers, and 
 the men may be maintained a reasonable time while awaiting them, to avoid their being 
 turned off without means of support. The discharge will in all cases bear the d^te 
 when the papers are actually furnished the soldier. 
 
 4. When a man is received in any hospital without his descriptive roll, the fact 
 will be immediately reported by the medical officer in charge to the military com- 
 mander, who will at once call on the company commander in the name of the Secretary 
 of War, promptly to furnish the military history of the man, and his clothing, money 
 and other accounts with the government. 
 
 5. When too long a delay would arise in discharging the man because of the remote 
 station of his company, application will be made by the medical officer to the Adjutant 
 General for such account of the man as his records will furnish. To this partial de- 
 scriptive roll, the medical officer will add the period for which pay is due the man since 
 his entry into the hospital. The man will then be discharged, and receive the pay 
 and traveling allowances thus shown to be due him, leaving the balance due him on 
 account of clothing, I'etained pay, &c., for settlement in such manner as may here- 
 after be determined. * * * * 
 
 9. Whenever the chief medical officer shall report a number of patients as fit to 
 join their regiments, the military commander will give the necessary orders to have 
 them forwarded in good order and under suitable conduct. 
 
 10. The chief medical officer in each city is authorized to employ as cooks, 
 nurses and attendants any convalescent, wounded or feeble men, who can perform 
 such duties instead of giving them discharges. * * * * 
 
 By obdeb of the Secretaby of Wab: 
 
 L. THOMAS, 
 
 Adjutant General^
 
 224 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 In order to still further facilitate the discharge of enlisted men for disa- 
 bility, and thus relieve the general hospitals from the large number of chronic 
 cases that were crowding them to the exclusion of others, Congress on the 
 fourteenth of May passed the following bill : 
 
 " Be it enacted, etc., That the Medical Inspector General, or any Medical Inspector 
 is hereby authorized and empowered to discharge from the service of the United States 
 aay soldier or enlisted man, in the permanent hospitals, laboring under any physical 
 disability which makes it disadvantageous to the service that he be retained therein, 
 and the certificate in writing of such Inspector General or Medical Inspector, setting 
 forth the existence and nature of such physical disability, shall be sufficient evidence 
 of such discharge ; Provided, however, That every such certificate shall appear on its 
 face to have been founded on personal inspection of the soldier so discharged, and 
 shall specifically describe the nature and origin of such disability; and that such dis- 
 charge shall be without prejudice to the right of such soldier or enlisted man to the 
 pay due him at the date thereof, and report the same to the Adjutant General and the 
 Surgeon General." 
 
 The next legislation on the part of Congress in reference to the Medical 
 Department was a bill for the appointment of medical storekeepers and hospital 
 chaplains, which was passed without debate on the nineteenth of May, and was 
 its follows : 
 
 ''Be it enacted, etc.. That the Secretary of AVar be authorized to add to the Med- 
 ical Department of the army, medical storekeepers, not exceeding six in number, who 
 shall have the pay and emoluments of military storekeepers in the quartermaster's 
 department, and who shall be skilled apothecaries or druggists, who shall give the 
 bond and security required by existing laws for military storekeepers in the quarter- 
 master's department, and who shall be stationed at such points as the necessities of 
 the army may require ; Provided, That the provisions of this act shall remain in force 
 only during the continuance of the present Rebellion." 
 
 On the approval of this act, the following general order was issued in 
 reference thereto : 
 
 "WAR DEPARTMENT, 
 
 Adjutant General's Office, 
 
 Washington, May 24, 1862. 
 General Obdebs, No. 55. 
 
 ****** 
 
 II. The following are the regulations which will govern the appointment of 
 medical storekeepers, under the first section of the foregoing act of Congress. 
 
 1. A board of not less than three medical officers will be assembled by the Sec- 
 retary of War, to examine such applicants as may, by him, be authorized to appear 
 before it. 
 
 2. Candidates to be eligible to examination, shall be not less than twenty-five 
 years, nor more than forty years of age ; shall possess sufficient physical ability to 
 perform their duties satisfactorily; and shall present with their applications, satis- 
 factory evidence of good moral character.
 
 DURING THE REBELLION. 225 
 
 3. Candidates will be required to pass a satisfactory examination in the ordinary 
 branches of a good English education, in pharmacy and materia medica; and to give 
 proof that they possess the requisite business qualifications for the position. 
 
 4. The board will report to the Secretary of War, the relative merit of the candi- 
 dates examined, and they will receive appointments accordingly. 
 
 5. When appointed each medical storekeeper will be required to give a bond in 
 the amount of forty thousand dollars, before he shall be allowed to enter on the per- 
 formance of his duties. 
 
 By order of the Secretary of War: 
 
 L. THOMAS, 
 
 Adjutant General.'" 
 
 On the twelfth of May, 1862, Surgeon Nathan S. Jarvis, a veteran officer 
 of the highest distinction, died at Baltimore, Maryland, where he had been on 
 duty as Medical Director. He was appointed from New York to be assistant 
 surgeon in the army in 1833, and had served faithfully in Louisiana, Florida, 
 Texas and Mexico, holding many important trusts as medical purveyor, medi- 
 cal director, member of examining boards, and delegate to the American Medi- 
 cal Association, in all of which he had performed his duties to the credit of 
 the Corps of which he was a worthy member. 
 
 On the first of June a medical board, consisting of Surgeon General 
 William A. Hammond and Assistant Surgeons Jonathan Letterman, J. J. 
 Woodward and M. J. Asch, met in Washington to examine candidates for 
 appointment both as assistant surgeons and medical storekeepers. Twenty-one 
 candidates for the position of assistant surgeon appeared, of whom seven 
 received a favorable report, the remainder withdrawing before their examination 
 was completed. The board reconvened on the ninth of July, with Surgeon 
 L. A. Edwards as president, and examined eight, of whom two were passed. 
 Ten applicants for the position of medical storekeeper were invited to appear for 
 examination, six of whom were found qualified. 
 
 Very soon after his appointment Surgeon General Hammond saw the 
 great advantage that would accrue to the cause of scientific medicine and sur- 
 gery by rendering the enormous experience of the war available for future 
 study. Hardly ever in the history of the world had such an opportunity been 
 offered for the collection of statistics upon all points of military medicine, sur- 
 gery and hygiene, and of obtaining specimens illustrative of pathological 
 anatomy. It was therefore determined to commence such a collection in Wash- 
 ington, and the initiatory steps were taken by the promulgation of the follow- 
 ing circular: 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 Washington, D. C, May 21, 1862. 
 
 ClECULAE, No. 2. 
 
 In the monthly report of sick and wounded the following details will be briefly 
 mentioned in accompanying remarks : 
 15
 
 226 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 Surgery. 
 
 Fractures ^Tlie date of reception, the situation, character, direction, treatment 
 and result in all cases. 
 
 Gunshot wounds The date of reception, the situation, direction and character, 
 the foreign matters extracted (if any), and the result in all cases. 
 
 Amputations The period and nature of the injury, the character of the opera- 
 tion, the time, place, and result. 
 
 Exsections All operations for, with a statement of the injury demanding them, 
 the date of injury, the date of operation, the joint or bone operated upon, and the 
 result. 
 
 Medicine. 
 
 Fevers Tlieir character and symptoms, an outline of the plan of treatment found 
 most efficient, with remarks on the location and sanitary condition of camps or 
 quarters, during the prevalence of these disorders. 
 
 Diarrhoea and Dysentenj Grade and treatment, with remarks on the character of 
 the i-ation, and the modes of cooking. 
 
 Scorbutic diseases Character and symptoms with observations on causation, and a 
 statement of the means employed to procure exemption. 
 
 Respirator}/ diseases Symptoms, severity and treatment, with remarks on the 
 sheltering of the troops, and the atmospheric conditions. 
 
 Similar remarks on other preventable diseases. 
 
 Important cases of every kind should be reported in full. Where post mortem 
 examinations have been made, accounts of the pathological results should be carefully 
 prepared. 
 
 As it is proposed to establish in Washington an An-viy Medical Museum, medical 
 ofBcers are directed diligently to collect and to forward to the Office of the Surgeon 
 General, all specimens of morbid anatomy, surgical or medical, which may be regardeil 
 as valuable; together with projectiles and foreign bodies removed, and such other 
 matters as may prove of interest in the study of military medicine or surgery. 
 
 These objects should be accompanied by short explanatory notes. Each specimen 
 in the collection will have appended the name of the medical officer by whom it was 
 prepared. 
 
 WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, 
 
 Surgeon General." 
 
 The original organization of the volunteer medical staff was found in 
 practice to be verj' defective, and the next legislation by Congress which was of 
 interest to the Medical Department was a bill approved July 2nd, to reorganize 
 that service so as to bring the medical officers of the volunteers more directly 
 under the control of the Surgeon General, and assimilate their grades more 
 nearly to those of the regular staff. It was as follows ; 
 
 " Be it enacted, etc.. That there shall be appointed by the I'resident, by and witli 
 the advise and consent of the Senate, forty surgeons and one hundred and twenty 
 assistant surgeons of volunteers, who shall have the rank, pay and emoluments of 
 officers of corresponding grades in the regular army ; Provided, That no one shall be 
 appointed to any position under this act, unless he shall previously have been exam- 
 ined by a board of medical officers to be appointed by the Secretary of War, and that 
 vacancies in the grade of surgeon shall be filled by selection from the grade of assistant
 
 DURING THE REBELLION. 227 
 
 surgeon, on the ground of merit only; and provided further , That this act shall continue 
 in force only during the present Rebellion. 
 
 Section 2. And be it further enacted, That ft-om and after the passage of this 
 act, brigade surgeons shall be known and designated as surgeons of volunteers, and 
 shall be attached to the General Medical Staff, under the direction of the Surgeon 
 General; and hereafter such appointments for the medical service of the army shall 
 be appointed surgeons of volunteers. 
 
 Section 3. And be it further enacted, That instead of 'one assistant surgeon,' 
 as provided by the second section of the act of .July 22, 1861, each regiment of vol- 
 unteers in the service of the United States shall have two assistant surgeons." 
 
 The medical board for the examination of these new officers consisted of 
 Surgeons John H. Brinton and Meredith Clymer, U. S. Volunteers, and Assist- 
 ant Surgeon Warren Webster, U. S. Army. 
 
 Soon after the Army of the Potomac was organized the officers assigned to 
 its head-quarters as chiefs of the Quartermaster's and Subsistence Departments 
 were made additional aides-de-camp, under the provisions of the act of August 
 5, 1861, so as to give them the rank of colonels. No such additional rank was 
 given to the Medical Director, although his services were equally onerous and 
 his responsibilities far greater. The officers of the Medical Staff were naturally 
 desirous that the official head of their Department in the field should enjoy 
 equal privileges of rank with those of the other staff corps, and to attain this 
 end if possible, Surgeon General Hammond on the fifth of July, 1862, ad- 
 dressed a letter to the Secretary of War, requesting that the temporary rank of 
 colonel might be conferred on the Medical Directors of the armies under com- 
 mand of Grenerals McClellan and Halleck. To this Secretary Stanton returned 
 an unfavorable answer, upon the receipt of which the Surgeon General addressed 
 the following letter to the Secretary : 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 July 17, 1862. 
 Hon. E. M. Stanton, ' 
 
 Secketaky of Wak. 
 
 Sir : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of your endorsement 
 on my application to have the temporary rank of colonel given to the Medical Directors 
 of General McClellan's and General Halleck's armies. In that endorsement it is 
 stated : 
 
 ' Refused unless it can be shown that the skill and efficiency of surgeons are 
 increased by an increase of rank and pay.' 
 
 I cannot undertake to show this. I do not believe it to be true, that the skill and 
 elficiency of surgeons would be increased by an increase of rank and pay but if not 
 surgeons, certainly not quartermasters or commissaries, or engineer officers. I think 
 however and I am sure, sir, you will agree with me, that no men work more for less 
 reward than the officers of the Medical Department. 
 
 My request was not, however, intended to refer to surgeons as such, but to 
 the Medical Directors of large armies. The duties of Medical Directors are purely
 
 228 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 administrative, they are on the Staff of the Commanding General, and have control 
 of all the medical officers, supplies and details. 
 
 Their duties are most onerous. For the proper performance of important duties 
 it is a recognized principle in military affairs, that rank is essential. A Medical 
 Director has only the rank of any other surgeon, that of major, and I truly believe 
 that increased rank will enable him to perform his duties better by causing his wishes 
 to be treated with greater respect by his commanding officer, and his commands 
 obeyed more willingly by his subordinates. The application was made without the 
 knowledge of either of the officers who would be benefitted by the request being 
 granted. 
 
 Upon presenting the matter to General McClellan he assured me that it met with 
 his cordial approval and he authorized me to say so to you. 
 
 Other staff officers whose duties are of no greater importance than those of the 
 officers for whom I ask increased rank, and which are not of so purely a military 
 character, have had this rank conferred upon them. It certainly does not appear 
 just that the chiefs of the Adjutant General's, Quartermaster's and Subsistence Depart- 
 ments should receive greatly increased rank and the chief of the Medical Department 
 be entirely overlooked. 
 
 I again therefore ask that the Medical Directors of General McClellan' s and Gen- 
 eral Halleck's armies may be appointed aides-de-camp with the rank of colonel, and I 
 beg leave to add to this request that the same rank be given to the Medical Director 
 of General Pope's army. I assure you that no act would be received with greater 
 satisfaction by the three thousand medical officers of our army than this. 
 I am, sir, very respectfully, etc., 
 
 WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, 
 
 Surgeon General J" 
 
 No action was taken on this application, and it was not until February, 
 1865, that Medical Directors were granted additional rank, which was then 
 given them by act of Congress. 
 
 At the battle of Antietam, on the seventeenth of September, the Medical 
 Corps lost a most valuable officer in the person of Surgeon W. J. H. White, at 
 the time on duty as Medical Director of the Sixth Army Corps. He was 
 riding in company with General Franklin and others, somewhat in advance of 
 the line of battle, when a volley was fired from a neighboring clump of woods, 
 by which he was instantly killed. Surgeon Letterman, Medical Director of the 
 Army of the Potomac, thus mentions the medical officers slain in this action : 
 
 "I have alluded to the loss of medical officers in battle. Three of them fell upon 
 the battle field of Antietam, whose devotion to duty I cannot pass over. Surgeon W. 
 J. H. White, U. S. Army, Medical Director of the Sixth Corps under General Franklin, 
 was killed on that field by a shot from the enemy. He was a skilful surgeon, a gal- 
 lant officer, and a gentleman whose deportment was kind and courteous to all who 
 had intercourse with him. These admirable traits together with his familiarity with 
 the medical affairs of that Corps, made his loss deeply to be deplored, and especially 
 on that day. Assistant Surgeon Revere of the twentieth Massachusetts volunteers, 
 accompanying his regiment into the midst of the fight, fell by the hands of the enemy. 
 Qobly and fearlessly discharging his duty to the wounded. Assistant Surgeon A. A.
 
 DURING THE REBELLION. 229 
 
 Kendall of the twelfth Massachusetts volunteers was killed by the enemy while with 
 his regiment in this battle. He was a faithful and efficient officer, active and zealous 
 in his devotion to his duty, to which he fell a victim in the midst of battle." 
 
 On the receipt of the news of the death of Surgeon White, the Surgeon 
 General issued the following memorial circular : 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 September 20. 186'2. 
 Orders. 
 
 It is with feelings of profound grief that the Surgeon General announces to the 
 Medical Department the untimely death of Surgeon W. J. H. White, who was killed 
 in the battle of Antietam, on Wednesday, the 17th instant. 
 
 Surgeon White was appointed assistant surgeon in the army on the 12th of March, 
 1850, and was ordered to New York city to report to Surgeon Mower, then the prin- 
 cipal Medical Purveyor of the army. In August of the same year he sailed with 
 recruits under Colonel Craig for Port Lavacca, Texas, and accompanied them to El 
 Paso, from whence he was soon ordered to accompany the escort to the Boundary 
 Commission as medical officer. Being relieved in May, 1851, from duty with that 
 escort, he was assigned to Abiqui, New Mexico, and served at different posts in that 
 department (he was one of the pioneers of Fort Craig) until the year 1855, when he 
 was ordered before the Medical Board at New York for examination for promotion. 
 Having been examined and found qualified, he received a short leave of absence, at 
 the expiration of which (August 18, 1855) he was assigned to temporary duty at 
 Fortress Monroe, and shortly after received orders to sail with troops for Texas. In 
 this department he served at Fort Davis, San Antonio, Camp Colorado, Forts Duncan, 
 Mcintosh and Clark, from which latter post he was relieved on the nineteenth of 
 December, 1860, and ordered to report in person to the Surgeon General. 
 
 In January, 1861, Doctor White arrived at Washington, and after being for some 
 time attached to the Surgeon General's Office, was detailed for duty with ti-oops in 
 this city. Here he was in charge of the general hospital in the Washington Infirmary, 
 and in addition to his duties in that hospital, was detailed as member of the Army 
 Medical Board convened in this city, for the examination of candidates for the position 
 of surgeon of brigade and for appointment in the Medical Staff of the army. 
 
 On the sixteenth of April, 1862, he was appointed surgeon to fill an original 
 vacancy, and on the twenty-third of June was ordered to report to the head-quarters, 
 Army of the Potomac, where he served as Medical Director of Franklin's Corps; and 
 it was while fulfilling the duties of this office that Surgeon AVhite was killed on the 
 field of battle. 
 
 The first medical officer of his corps who has fallen in battle during the present 
 war, the Surgeon General feels it no less his duty than his pleasure to bear tribute 
 to the many estimable qualities which had endeared Surgeon White to his brother 
 officers. Amiable in disposition, and of talents and integrity unquestioned, Surgeon 
 White performed every duty which devolved upon him during a service of more than 
 twelve years, to the entire satisfaction of this Department, which feels his loss as that 
 of an officer not easily to be replaced. 
 
 As a tribute of respect to his memory, the usual badge of mourning will be worn 
 by the officers of the Medical Department for thirty days. 
 
 WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, 
 
 Surijeon General, U. S. A."
 
 230 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 An arniy medical board of examination, consisting of Surgeons Abadie 
 and A. K. Smith and Assistant Surgeons Dunster and Asch, met in Philadel- 
 phia on the first of October. It continued its sessions at intervals until the 
 following April, Surgeon Abadie being relieved as president in December by 
 Medical Inspector Cuyler. In all thirty-three candidates presented themselves, of 
 whom fourteen were approved, one rejected, and eighteen withdrew their names 
 before their examinations were completed. 
 
 In his annual report for 1862 to the Secretary of War the Surgeon Gen- 
 eral makes the following suggestions to increase the ability of the Medical 
 Department to care for the sick and wounded : 
 
 But there are still other measures, which if adopted cannot fail to add to the 
 efficiency of the Department, and these I desire to urge through you on the attention 
 of Congress. First among these is the establishment of a permanent hospital and 
 ambulance corps, composed of men specially enlisted for duty in the Medical Depart- 
 ment, and properly officered, who shall be required to perform the duties of nurses in 
 the hospitals, and to attend to the service of the ambulances in the field. By the 
 establishment of this corps, several thousand soldiers, now detached as nurses, cooks, 
 etc., would be returned to duty with their regiments and the expense now incurred 
 by the necessary employment of contract nurses obviated. * * * * Xhe 
 necessity of such a corps has been recognized in all European armies, and I am able 
 to speak from personal observation of the great advantages to be derived from it. 
 
 ****** 
 
 Considerable progress has been made in the establishment of an Army Medical 
 Museum. The advantages to the service and to science from such an institution can- 
 not be overestimated. I respectfully recommend that a small annual appropriation 
 be made for its benefit. 
 
 An Army Medical School in which medical cadets and others seeking admission 
 into the Corps could receive such instruction as would better fit them for commissions 
 and which they cannot obtain in the ordinary medical schools, is a great desideratum. 
 Such an institution could be established in connection with any general hospital, with 
 but little if any expense to the United States. A hospital of a more permanent char- 
 acter than any now in this city, is I think necessary, and will be required for years 
 after the present Rebellion has ceased. I therefore recommend that suitable build- 
 ings be purchased or erected for that purpose. If this is done, the medical school 
 and museum will be important accessions to it. 
 
 The Engineer and Ordnance Department are charged with the erection of build- 
 ings, which require special knowledge. Tlie building of hospitals also requires 
 knowledge of a peculiar character, which is not ordinarily possessed by officers out of 
 the Medical Department. It would therefore appear obviously proper that the Med- 
 ical Department should be charged with the duty of building the hospitals which it 
 is their duty to administer. 
 
 In the matter of transportation, the interests of the service require that the 
 Medical Department should be independent. Much suffering has been caused by the 
 impossibility of furnishing supplies to the wounded, when those supplies were within 
 a few miles of them in great abundance.
 
 DURING THE REBELLION. 281 
 
 The establishment of a laboratory, from which the Medical Department could 
 draw its supplies of chemical and pharmaceutical preparations, similar to that now so 
 successfully carried on by the Medical Department of the navy, would be a measure of 
 great utility and economy. I therefore respectfully recommend that authority be given 
 for this purpose. * * * * 
 
 Soon after my appointment, I issued circulars to medical officers, inviting them 
 to cooperate in furnishing materials for a Medical and Surgical History of the Rebel- 
 lion. A large number of memoirs and reports of great interest to science and military 
 surgery especially have been collected, and are now being systematically arranged. 
 The greatest interest in this labor is felt by medical officers of the army and physicians 
 at large." 
 
 In addition, the Surgeon Greneral advised the increase of the regular 
 Medical Corps by another Assistant Surgeon General, two more Medical Inspec- 
 tore General, eight medical inspectors, twenty surgeons, and forty assistant sur- 
 geons ; and to the volunteer medical staiF, of fifty surgeons, and two hundred 
 and fifty assistant surgeons. He also recommended that so much of the first 
 section of the act of June 30, 1834, as forbade the promotion of any assistant 
 surgeon until he had served five years in that grade should be repealed. He 
 repeated his previous recommendation that increased rank should be given to 
 INIedical Directors while serving as such. 
 
 On the twenty-seventh of December, an act was approved " To facilitate 
 the discharge of disabled soldiers from the Army, and the inspection of conva- 
 lescent camps and hospitals," by the appointment of additional medical inspec- 
 tors. The following is the text of this bill : 
 
 " i?e it enacted, etc., That there shall be added to the present Medical Corps of the 
 army, eight medical inspectors, who shall immediately after the passage of this act 
 be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, 
 without regard to their rank when so selected, but with sole regard to qualifications, 
 and who shall have the rank, pay and emoluments now authorized by law to officers 
 of that grade. 
 
 Section 2. Aiid be it further enacted, That the officers of the Medical Inspector's 
 Department shall be charged, in addition to the duties now assigned to them by exist- 
 ing laws, with the duty of making regular and frequent inspections of all military 
 general hospitals and convalescent camps, and shall upon each such inspection, des- 
 ignate to the surgeon-in-charge of such hospitals or camps, all soldiers who may be. 
 in their opinion, fit subjects for discharge from the service on surgeon's certificate of 
 disability, or sufficiently recovered to be returned to their regiments for <luty, and 
 shall see that such soldiers are discharged or so returned; and the medical inspecting 
 officers are hereby empowered, under such regulations as may be hereafter established, 
 to direct the return to duty or the discharge from service, as the case may be, of all 
 soldiers designated by them.'' 
 
 When this bill was first introduced into the Senate from the Military Com- 
 mittee it contained a clause providing for the appointment of two additional 
 Medical Inspectors General ; but this was stricken out. It was endeavored,
 
 232 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 however, to carry out the suggestions of the Surgeon General in another bill 
 reported by Mr. Wilson from the Military Committee on the nineteenth of Jan- 
 uary, 1863, "To provide for the greater comfort of the sick and wounded 
 soldiers, and to promote the efficiency of the Medical Department of the Army." 
 This bill provided for the addition to the Medical Corps of one Assistant Sur- 
 geon General, two Medical Inspectors General, twenty surgeons and forty 
 assistant surgeons ; also, ten medical storekeepers and as many medical cadets as 
 the Surgeon General might deem necessary for the public service. So much of 
 the first section of the act approved June 30, 1834, as forbade the promotion 
 of assistant surgeons before they had served five years was repealed. These 
 measiires it will be observed were precisely those urged by the Surgeon General 
 in his last annual report. In addition, the bill contained the following changes : 
 In the organization of army corps, each corps was to have besides the stafi" 
 authorized by existing laws, a Medical Director, with the rank pay and emolu- 
 ments of colonel of cavalry. All Medical Directors of departments and the 
 senior surgeon on duty in the Surgeon General's Office were given similar rank. 
 Fifty surgeons and two hundred and fifty assistant surgeons were added to the 
 volunteer medical stafi". At the request of the Surgeon General a section was 
 proposed by Mr. Pomeroy, of K^ansas, providing for the selection of three 
 officers from the regular or volunteer corps, who should be assigned to duty in 
 the Surgeon General's Office, as chiefs of the Medical, Sanitary and Statistical 
 branches of the Medical Department, and who were to have, under the direc- 
 tion of the Surgeon General, the control of all matters pertaining to these 
 branches, and to constitute with the Surgeon General a council of advice upon 
 all matters which might be referred to them by the Surgeon General ; such 
 chiefs of branches to have while acting as such the rank, pay and emoluments 
 of colonels of cavalry and to rank next after the Surgeon General. This sec- 
 tion met with so much opposition from various senators that after a long 
 discussion it was withdrawn. This bill was debated on several occasions, 
 Senators Wilson and Pomeroy urging its passage and others opposing. Finally 
 all of the bill, except the section providing for an addition to the volunteer 
 force, was stricken out, and in this emasculated shape it passed the Senate. In 
 ' the House it was referred to the Military Committee on the twenty-sixth of 
 January and that was the last heard of it. 
 
 The medical inspectors appointed under the act of the twenty-seventh of 
 December, 1862, were as follows: Surgeon Joseph K. Barnes, U. S. Army; 
 Surgeons Frank H. Hamilton, Peter Pineo and Augustus C. Hamlin, U. S. 
 Volunteers ; Doctor George K. Johnson, of Michigan ; Surgeon John E. Sum- 
 mers, U. S. Army ; Doctor N. S. Townshend, of Ohio, and Surgeon George W. 
 Stipp, U. S. Volunteers.
 
 I
 
 DURING THE REBELLION. 233 
 
 In a bill for promoting the efficiency of the Corps of Engineers, etc., 
 approved March 3, 1863, occurs the following section relative to the duties of 
 medical officers : 
 
 "Section 8. A7id be it further enacted, That the officers of the Medical Depart- 
 ment shall unite with the line officers of the army, under such rules and regulations 
 as shall be prescribed by the Secretary of War, in supervising the cooking within the 
 same, as an important sanitary measure ; and that the said Medical Department shall 
 promulgate to its officers such regulations and instructions as may tend to insure the 
 proper preparation of the ration of the soldier." 
 
 As has been already mentioned, a number of the medical officers of the 
 army were held as prisoners of war by the enemy soon after the beginning of 
 the Rebellion ; some of them being detained in rebel prisons for upwards of a 
 year. Efforts had been made for the arrangement of a cartel by which non- 
 combatants on either side should be exempted from the penalties of capture on 
 the field of battle. These had proved unsuccessful, but our government, willing 
 to take the initiative in a good cause, plainly enunciated its views upon this 
 subject in paragraph 53, of General Orders, No. 100, dated April 24, 1863, 
 containing " Instructions for the government of the armies of the United States 
 in the field," drawn up by Professor Francis Lieber, LL.D. : 
 
 "The enemy's chaplains, officers of the medical staff, apothecaries, hospital 
 nurses and servants if they fall into the hands of the American army, are not to be 
 treated as prisoners of war unless the commander has reason to detain them. In this 
 latter case, or if at their own desire, they are allowed to remain with their captured 
 companions, they are treated as prisoners of war, and may be exchanged if the com- 
 mander sees fit." 
 
 After this, though there was no formal cartel on the subject between the 
 two governments, surgeons and other non-combatants were generally released as 
 soon as captured. 
 
 On the tenth of August, 1863, Medical Inspector General Thomas F. 
 Perley resigned and Medical Inspector Joseph K. Barnes was promoted to fill 
 the vacancy. Soon after his promotion the following order was issued by the 
 Secretary of War relative to the duties of medical inspectors : 
 
 "WAR DEPARTMENT, 
 
 Adjutant General's Office, 
 
 Washington, September 12, 1863. 
 Geneeal Orders, No. 308. 
 
 The Medical Inspector General has under the direction of the Surgeon General, 
 the supervision of all that relates to the sanitary condition of the army, whether in 
 transports, quarters or camps ; the hygiene, police, discipline and efficiency of field 
 and general hospitals ; and the assignment of duties to medical inspectors. 
 
 Medical Inspectors are charged with the duties of inspecting the sanitary con- 
 dition of transports, quarters and camps, of field and general hospitals, and will 
 15*
 
 234 THE 3IEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 report to the Medical Inspector General all circumstances relating to the sanitary 
 condition and wants of troops and of hospitals, and to the skill, efficiency and conduct 
 of the oificers and attendants connected with the Medical Department. They are 
 required to see that all regulations for protecting the health of troops, and for the 
 careful treatment of and attendance upon the sick and wounded are duly observed. 
 
 They will carefully examine into the quantity, quality and condition of medical 
 and hospital supplies, the correctness of all medical, sanitary, statistical, military and 
 property records and accounts pertaining to the Medical Department, and the punctual- 
 ity with which reports and returns, required by regulations, have been forwarded to 
 the Surgeon General. 
 
 They will ascertain the amount of disease and mortality among the troops, inquire 
 into the causes, and the steps that may have been taken for its prevention or mitiga- 
 tion, indicating verbally or in writing to the medical officers, such additional measures 
 or precautions as may be requisite. When sanitary reforms, requiring the sanction 
 and cooperation of military authority, are urgently demanded, they will report at 
 once in writing to the officer commanding Corps, Department or Division, the circum- 
 stances and necessities of the case, and the measures considered advisable for their 
 relief, forwarding a duplicate of such reports to the Medical Inspector General. 
 
 They will instruct and direct the medical officers in charge as to the proper 
 measures to be adopted for the correction of errors and abuses, and in all cases of 
 conflict of views, authority or instructions with those of medical directors, will report 
 the circumstances fully and promptly to the Medical Inspector General for the Sur- 
 geon General's orders. 
 
 Upon or near the beginning of each month, medical inspectors will make minute 
 and thorough inspections of hospitals, barracks, camps, transports, &c., &c., within 
 the districts to which they are assigned, in conformity with these instructions and 
 the forms for inspection reports furnished them. 
 
 Monthly inspection reports, in addition to remarks under the several heads, will 
 also convey the fullest information in regard to the medical and surgical treatment 
 adopted; the advantages or disadvantages of location, construction, general arrange- 
 ment and administration of hospitals, camps, barracks; the necessity for im- 
 provement, alteration or repair, with such recommendations as will most certainly con- 
 duce to the health and comfort of the troops, and the proper care and treatment of the 
 sick and wounded. When alterations, improvements or repairs, requiring the action 
 of Heads of Bureaus are considered essential, special reports, accompanied by plans 
 and approximate estimates of quantities or cost, will be made. 
 
 Medical Inspectors will make themselves fully conversant with the regulations of 
 the Subsistence Department in all that relates to issues to hospitals, whether general, 
 field, division or regimental, and will satisfy themselves, by rigid examination of 
 accounts and expenditures, that the fund accruing from retained rations is judiciously 
 applied, and not diverted from its proper purposes through the ignorance or inatten- 
 tion of medical officers, giving such information and instruction on this subject as may 
 be required. They will also give close attention to the supervision of cooking by the 
 medical officers, whose duty it is, under the act of Congress of March 3, 1863, and 
 General Orders, No. 247, of 1863, to 'submit his suggestions for improving the cooking, 
 in writing to the commanding officer,' and to accompany him in frequent inspections 
 of the kitchens and messes. 
 
 They will exercise sound discrimination in reporting ' an officer of the Medical 
 Corps as disqualified, by age or otherwise, for promotion to a higher grade, or unfitted
 
 DURING THE REBELLION. 235 
 
 for the performance of his professional duties,' and be prepared to submit evidence of 
 its correctness to the Medical Board, by whom the charge will be investigated. 
 
 Medical Inspectors are also charged with the duty of designating, to the surgeon 
 in charge of general hospitals and convalescent camps, all soldiers who are in their 
 opinion fit subjects for discharge on surgeon's certificate of disability, or sufficiently 
 recovered to be able for duty. In h\l such cases they will direct the surgeon to dis- 
 charge from service, in accordance with existing orders and regulations, or return to 
 
 duty those so designated. 
 
 ****** 
 
 It is expected that all commanding .officers will aff"ord every facility to Medical 
 Inspectors in the execution of their important duties, giving such orders as may be 
 necessary to carry into eifect their suggestions and recommendations ; and it is enjoined 
 upon all medical officers, and others connected with the Medical Department of the 
 United States army, to yield prompt compliance with the instructions they may receive 
 from Medical Inspectors on duty in the Army, Department or District in which they 
 are serving, on all matters relating to the sanitary condition of the troops, and of the 
 hygiene, police, discipline and efficiency of hospitals. 
 By oeder of the Secretary of War: 
 
 E. D. TOWNSEND, 
 
 Assistant Adjutant General." 
 
 The sanitary condition of the Departments of the South and the Gulf 
 requiring special attention and care at this period, Surgeon General Hammond 
 was, in the latter part of August, directed to proceed to Hilton Head, Charles- 
 ton Harhor and other points on the southern coast, and give his special personal 
 attention to the management of the medical branch of the service in those 
 departments, making his head-quarters in New Orleans, and reporting to the 
 Secretary of War every ten days. To enable him to give his whole time and 
 attention to this important work, and to obviate any intermission in the transac- 
 tion of the routine duties of the Department, he was relieved from the charge 
 of the bureau of the Surgeon General at Washington. On the third of Sep- 
 tember, the following order was issued providing for the performance of the 
 duties of chief of the Bureau during his absence : 
 
 "WAR DEPARTMENT, 
 
 Adjutant General's Office, 
 
 Washington, September 3, 1863. 
 Special Orders, No. 396. 
 
 Extract. 
 ****** 
 
 3. Medical Inspector General J. K. Barnes, is under the provisions of the act of 
 July 4, 1836, empowered to take charge of the Bureau of the Medical Department of 
 the army and to perform the duties of Surgeon General during the absence of that 
 officer. He will enter upon the duties herein assigned him without delay. 
 By order of the Secretary of War: 
 
 E. D. TOWNSEND, 
 
 Assistant Adjutant General."
 
 236 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 A medical examining board, consisting of Surgeon TenBroeck and Assist- 
 ant Surgeons Shorb and Mecbem, met in San Francisco, California, on the 
 twenty-ninth of April, but no candidates appearing before it adjourned on the 
 eighth of May. A board, consisting of Surgeons Wright and Abadie and 
 Assistant Surgeon Bill, was ordered to meet in New York city on the fifteenth 
 of October. Nineteen candidates were invited to present themselves, of whom 
 eleven reported. Of these six were passed, the others withdrawing before their 
 examinations were completed. 
 
 There was no fiirther legislation by Congress in behalf of the Medical 
 Corps in the year 1863, nor was there any in the following year, with the excep- 
 tion of an act passed March 11, 1864, and promulgated in Greneral Orders, Ntt. 
 106 from the War Department, "For the establishment of a uniform system of 
 ambulances in the armies of the United States." This act provided, first, that 
 the medical director of each army corps, under the control of the medical direc- 
 tor of the army, should have entire direction and supervision over all ambu- 
 lances, medicine wagons, etc., and of all officers and men detailed for ambulance 
 duty ; second, that there should be detailed in each army corps for ambulance 
 duty, one captain, one first and one second lieutenant, with non-commissioned 
 officers and privates, and that all persons so detailed should be examined by a 
 board of medical officers as to their fitness for such duty. The remaining sec- 
 tions of the act detailed the respective duties of the various officers, and the 
 management of the ambulances and other property of the corps, and defined 
 the relations between medical directors and the officers detailed on ambulance 
 duty. By an order issued a short time previously the ambulance flags for the 
 army were designated as follows : 
 
 *'^or General Hospitals; of yellow bunting 9 by 5 feet, with the letter H, 24 
 inches long, in green bunting, in the centre. 
 
 For Post and Field Hospitals; of yellow bunting 6 by 4 feet, with the letter H, 24 
 inches long, in green bunting, in the centre. 
 
 For ambulances, and guidons to mark the way to field hospitals: of yellow bunting 
 14 by 28 inches, with a border one inch deep of green." 
 
 The work of collecting specimens for the Army Medical Museum and 
 materials for the preparation of a Medical and Surgical History of the War, 
 was vigorously prosecuted during the years 1863 and 1864. Additional circu- 
 lars were issued November 11 and 24, 1863, the first requiring medical directors 
 to detail suitable officers to collect all reliable data relative to the operations of 
 the armies in the field, more particularly with reference to the following points : 
 
 "The morale and sanitary condition of the troops, condition and amount of med- 
 ical and hospital supplies, tents, ambulances, etc. ; the points at or near the field where 
 the wounded were attended to; degree of exposure of the wounded to wet, cold or
 
 r
 
 DURING THE REBELLION. 237 
 
 heat; adequacy of supplies of water, food, stimulants, etc.; mode of removal of 
 wounded from field to field hospitals.; to what general hospital the wounded were 
 transferred by what means and where; the character and duration of the action, 
 nature of the wounds received, etc." 
 
 The circular of November 24th was as follows : 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 Washington, D. C, November 24, 1863. 
 
 The attention of medical officers in charge of U. S. A. General Hospitals is invited 
 to the importance of preparing illustrations of the results of surgical operations. 
 These can in many instances be conveniently obtained by means of plaster casts, 
 which are readily made without subjecting patients to the slightest inconvenience. 
 
 The casts most desired are those of stumps of amputations of every variety, and 
 models of limbs upon which excisions may have been performed. 
 
 In selecting proper subjects for representation, it would be well to choose not 
 only cases in which the results have been favorable, but also those in which they may 
 have been unfavorable. In a collection like the National Museum, truthful rep- 
 resentations of both good and bad results are alike instructive and valuable for future 
 reference and study. * * * * 
 
 All preparations should be accompanied by proper histories, with name, rank and 
 station of the contributor, who will be duly credited in the museum catalogue. 
 
 JOS. K. BARNES, 
 
 Acting Surgeon General.'" 
 
 The following Circular Letter on the same subject was issued on the 
 twenty-fourth of June, 1864 : 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 Washington, D. C, June 24, 1864. 
 
 Medical officers in charge of hospitals are directed diligently to collect and pre- 
 serve for the Army Medical Museum all pathological surgical specimens which may 
 occur in the hospitals under their charge. 
 
 The objects which it is desired to collect for the Museum may be thus enumerated : 
 
 Fractures, compound and simple fractures of the cranium. 
 
 Excised portions of bone. 
 
 Diseased bones and joints. 
 
 Exfoliiitions, especially those occurring in stumps. 
 
 Specimens illustrative of the structure of stumps, (obliterated arteries, bulbous 
 nerves, rounded bones, etc.) 
 
 Integumental wounds of entrance and of exit, both from the round and conoidal 
 ball. 
 
 Wounds of vessels and nerves. 
 
 Vessels obtained subsequent to ligation and to secondary haemorrhage. 
 
 Wounded viscera. 
 
 Photographic illustrations of extraordinai-y injuries, portraying the results of 
 wounds, operations or peculiar amputations. 
 
 Models of novel surgical appliances, and photographic views of new plans of 
 dressing.
 
 238 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 Plaster casts of stumps of amputations, and models of limbs upon which excisions 
 may have been performed. 
 
 It is not intended to impose on medical officers the labor of dissecting and pre- 
 paring the specimens they may contribute to the museum. This mil be done under 
 the superintendence of the Curator. 
 
 ****** 
 
 JOSEPH K. BARNES, 
 
 Actinff Surgeon General." 
 
 On the twentieth of August, 1864, Surgeon General William A. Ham- 
 mond was dismissed the service by sentence of a General Court-Martial. 
 
 Medical Inspector General Joseph K. Barnes, who had been acting as 
 Surgeon General ever since General Hammond departed for his southern tour of 
 inspection, as already stated, was promoted to be Surgeon General, and Medical 
 Inspector John M. Cuyler assigned temporarily. to duty as Medical Inspector 
 General. On the first of December Surgeon Madison Mills was appointed 
 Medical Inspector General vke Barnes promoted, and Lieutenant Colonel Cuy- 
 ler resumed his duties as Medical Inspector. 
 
 A medical board, consisting of Surgeons Tripler, King and Perin, met in 
 Cincinnati on the eighteenth of October. But five candidates were examined, 
 of whom two were approved. 
 
 In June, 1864, a bill was passed by the House of Representatives giving the 
 increased rank to Medical Directors which had been repeatedly asked for during 
 the war. It went to the Senate, and being referred to the Military Committee 
 was reported back by them without amendment on the second of July ; but 
 objection being made to its consideration, it was laid aside, and did not come up 
 again until the twenty-third of the following February, when it was passed with- 
 out amendment. As approved by the President the act read as follows : 
 
 "Be it enacted, etc., That the Medical Director of an army in the field consisting 
 of two or more army corps, and the medical director of a military department in which 
 there are United States General Hospitals containing four thousand beds or upwards, 
 shall have the rank, pay and emoluments of a colonel of cavalry ; and the medical 
 director of an army corps in the field, or of a department in which there are United 
 States General Hospitals containing less than four thousand beds, shall have the rank, 
 pay and emoluments of a lieutenant colonel of cavalry. But this increased rank and 
 pay shall only continue to medical officers while discharging such special duties, and 
 the assignments from time to time to such duty shall be at least two-thirds of them 
 from among the surgeons and assistant surgeons of volunteers." 
 
 The military control of general hospitals had been a vexed question, giv- 
 ing rise to many controversies throughout the whole war. This had partly 
 arisen from the fact that the Army Regulations and General Orders in existence 
 contained no specific instructions on the subject, and partly from an indisposi-
 
 DURING THE KEBELLION. 239 
 
 tion on the part of many officers to recognise the right of medical officers to 
 command even in their own department. It frequently happened that officers 
 of the line or of other staff departments were stationed at general hospitals or 
 admitted to them for treatment, and they were indisposed to acknowledge the 
 authority of the surgeons-in-charge in reference to military duties connected with 
 the hospitals. In other cases the hospitals were situated in th6 immediate 
 vicinity of military posts, the commanding officers of which would attempt 
 to exercise command over them as appendages of their posts, an assump- 
 tion of jurisdiction not conceded by the medical officers. Hence arose frequent 
 conflicts of authority which tended to subvert the efforts of the Medical 
 Bureau to perfect the hospital system, and to bring into contempt the authority 
 of medical officers, even over their own patients. As early as February, 1862, 
 Surgeon General Finley gave this matter his careful attention and addressed the 
 following letter on the subject to the Secretary of War : 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 February 14, 1862. 
 Hon. E. M. Stanton, 
 
 Secretary of War. 
 Sir: In order to aid in the administration of the hospital system of the army and 
 to relieve the several Medical Directors of each of the Military Departments of the 
 Grand army, I have after much consideration on the subject, concluded that it would 
 conduce to the interests of the service, to have the establishment and control of the 
 General Hospitals placed in charge of the Surgeon General. 
 
 In view then of the responsibility of the head of the Medical Bureau, I have the 
 honor to propose the following regulations : 
 
 1st. Medical Directors of an army in the field shall have control only over the 
 brigade and regimental hospitals belonging to the division or army with which they 
 are serving. They shall make monthly reports of the sick and wounded to the Gene- 
 ral commanding the division or army in the field and to the Surgeon General. 
 
 2nd. The control of the General Hospitals shall be in the War Department by 
 the Surgeon General. No change in the organization of those hospitals or in the 
 medical officers attached thereto shall be made but by order of the Secretary of War or 
 Commander-in-Chief, through the Surgeon General. 
 
 3rd. The Surgeon General shall select from the Medical Staff" of the United States 
 army as many medical officers as he may consider necessary, who shall by his order 
 visit, inspect and report to the Surgeon General, the condition of said hospitals at 
 least once in each month and a condensed statement of those reports shall be sent by 
 the Surgeon General to the office of the Adjutant General of the United States army 
 monthly, for the information of the Secretary of War and the Commander-in-Chief. 
 
 I have the honor to be, etc., 
 
 C. A. FINLEY, 
 
 Surgeon General. ^^ 
 
 Any action on the last of these recommendations was rendered unnecessary 
 by the passage of the act for the appointment of medical inspectors. The
 
 240 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 suggestion in regard to the control of general hospitals was, by the War De- 
 partment General Order of April 7, 1862, so far acceded to as to place them 
 under the supervision of the Surgeon General, but it was not sufficiently explicit 
 in its terms to cover all the questions likely to arise and which did arise, relative 
 to the authority of medical officers to have and exercise command in the hospi- 
 tals of which they were placed in charge. Nothing less than a positive 
 acknowledgment of this right would render the hospitals efficient, and enable 
 the surgeons to perform their multifarious duties so as to conduce to the best 
 interests of the service. No medical officers ever thought or desired to usurp 
 the place of officers of the line by exercising general command over troops, but 
 they did assert their right to be considered as commanding officers of posts 
 when placed in charge of general hospitals. They were required to muster 
 troops, to make out post returns and perform all the other duties which apper- 
 tain usually to post commanders, and if without any military authority how 
 could even these routine duties be performed, not to mention the maintenance of 
 discipline and the preservation of order. Nor was there anything new or extra- 
 ordinary in these claims by the officers of the Medical Department, for the 
 Army Regulations of 1814, 1816, 1818, and 1825 distinctly provided that 
 ' The surgeon attending a general hospital shall observe the instructions of the 
 [Assistant Surgeon General and of the] Medical Director in everythivg relating 
 to the hospital under his charge ; superintend its construction, government and 
 police, and be held responsible for the manner in which the subordinate officers 
 perform their respective duties." This continued to be the regulation until 
 1840, when a new edition being issued the word "construction" in the above 
 paragraph was striken out. This edition, however, explicitly stated that the 
 Surgeon General " is, under the direction of the. Secretary of War, charged 
 with the administrative details of the Medical Department, and has the complete 
 control of all officers belonging to it. He will assign the surgeons and assistant 
 surgeons to regiments, posts, or stations, and will issue all orders or instructions 
 relating to their professional duties;" and further, that "hospitals are under 
 the immediate direction of their respective surgeons." These provisions were 
 reiterated in the edition of the Regulations for 1850, and it was not until 1856 
 that they were omitted, when substantially the present code was adopted by 
 order of Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War at that time. It will therefore be 
 seen that there was no foundation for the statement, made in an official form by 
 a distinguished officer of another staff corps that " a systematic course has been 
 pursued by the Medical Department to erect itself into a military corps, exer- 
 cising all the functions of command, not only over the large number of patients 
 and convalescents properly brought under it for treatment, but over all officers
 
 I
 
 DURING THE REBELLION. 241 
 
 and troops stationed at general hospitals as guai'ds, * * * * 
 claiming to be entirely independent of every other officer of whatever rank, 
 except the Surgeon General." No such claim was ever made on behalf of the 
 Medical Staff, but merely the right which the Army Regulations had given 
 them for forty years, and the justice of the repeal of which they had never 
 acknowledged. 
 
 After the issue of General Orders, No. 36, of April 7, 1862, no further 
 immediate action was taken on the subject by the Medical Department, although 
 on every appeal from an officer in charge of a general hospital the matter was 
 again brought to the notice of the War Department. In consequence of the 
 trial of an officer of the Corps in the latter part of 1863 on charges growing 
 out of the uncertain relations of surgeons in charge of general hospitals, 
 Mr. Nesmith, of Oregon, brought before the Senate a resolution, which was 
 agreed to, calling for the proceedings of this court, and providing also, " That 
 the General-in-Chief of the army be requested to report in detail what authority, 
 if any, subordinate military commanders have by existing regulations, inde- 
 pendent of the Medical Department, over general hospitals; what distinction, 
 if any, there is in that respect between field or post hospitals and general hospi- 
 tals ; what orders or decisions have been made by the Secretaiy of War, Gene- 
 ral-in-Chief or Surgeon General on the subject ; and whether the interests of 
 the service do not require that all orders relating to the management of general 
 hospitals, the reception, treatment and transfer of patients should pass through 
 the Surgeon General or his immediate representative the Medical Director." In 
 compliance with this resolution the General-in-Chief (Major General Halleck) 
 wrote a voluminous report, which, however, contained nothing positively settling 
 the jurisdiction of officers in general hospitals, as he considered the existing 
 regulations amply sufficient to decide every question likely to arise in reference 
 thereto. In 1864 the question was referred to a board of officers, consisting of 
 Major General Hitchcock and Brigadier Generals Ketchum and Delafield, who 
 were directed "to make a thorough examination of the subject of management 
 and military control of U. S. General Hospitals," but for some reason this board 
 never made a report. Meanwhile, as the great increase in the number of gene- 
 ral hospitals consequent on the prolongation of the war vastly augmented the 
 duties and responsibilities of the Surgeon General's Bureau, and as conflicts of 
 authority, often in relation to such trifling matters as the issue of bread to a hos- 
 pital or the building of a partition in a ward, were continually occurring and 
 seriously interfered with the usefulness of these institutions, the Surgeon Gene- 
 ral, on the thirteenth of September, 1864, addressed the following letter to the 
 Secretary of War, with a view to the final settlement of the whole matter : 
 16
 
 242 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 September 13; 1864. 
 
 Sie: I have the honor to request that the following may be published in General 
 Orders : 
 
 United States General Hospitals are under the exclusive control of the Surgeon 
 General, and will be governed by such regulations as the Secretary of War shall 
 approve, upon his recommendation. 
 
 Medical officers assigned to duty in charge of United States General Hospitals, 
 acting under the instructions of the Surgeon General and not subject to the orders of 
 local commanders, other than those of geographical military departments or divisions, 
 are charged with all the duties of commanding officers and will be obeyed and re- 
 spected as such. 
 
 Repairs, additions and alterations involving expenditures of public funds, will in 
 no instance be ordered by surgeons-in-charge, who will refer all necessary requisitions 
 for these purposes through the medical director, for the recommendation of the Surgeon 
 General and the action of the War Department. 
 
 Enlisted men fit for duty in the field will not be detailed to or retained in Gene- 
 ral Hospitals in any capacity. Companies of the Second Battalion, Veteran Reserve 
 Corps, will be detailed, with or without commissioned officers as the Surgeon General 
 may direct, for guards, attendants, nurses, cooks, etc., at General Hospitals. 
 
 Companies and detachments so detailed will be regularly mustered by surgeons-in- 
 charge, and will not be relieved or transferred except by order of the Secretary 
 of War. 
 
 Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 J. K. BARNES, 
 
 Surgeon General." 
 
 The Medical Department owes a debt of gratitude which can never be for- 
 gotten to the Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War, for the interest he took 
 in this matter, by directing the issue on the twenty-seventh of December of 
 General Orders, No. 306, embracing the above points, and which finally settled 
 the right of medical officers to command within their own sphere of action. 
 
 The question of the jurisdiction of medical officers over hospitals being 
 thus satisfactorily settled, the attention of the Department was next directed to 
 the subject of hospital transportation by sea. From an early period in the war 
 sea-going steamers had been used to transport the sick and wounded from one 
 part of the coast to another, and had been found of the greatest service. 
 Though belonging to the Quartermaster's Department the control of these ves- 
 sels had been vested entirely in the Medical Bureau. The propriety of this 
 action was manifest when the nature of the service performed by them was 
 considered. However, in November, 1863, the hospital steamer " Cosmopoli- 
 tan," which had been used in transporting sick from one point to another in the 
 Department of the South, was taken away from the Medical Department and 
 turned back to the Quarterma.ster's Department by order of Major General 
 Gilmore. The Acting Surgeon General requested the return of the steamer to
 
 I 
 
 DURING THE REBELLION. 243 
 
 the Medical Department, which being referred to General Grihnore for remark, he 
 replied that the vessel was only temporarily loaned to the Medical Department, 
 and that "as commanding officer of the department, I hold myself responsible 
 for the administration of its internal aifaii-s, and consequently assume the right 
 to apply its resources as the exigencies of the service may seem to require." 
 To this endorsement the Acting Surgeon Greneral replied, on the twenty-fifth of 
 December, in the following letter to the Secretary of War : 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 December 25, 1863. 
 
 Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Major General Gilmore's 
 endorsement upon my application for the restoration of the steamer " Cosmopolitan" 
 to the Medical Director, stating that "The steamer Cosmopolitan belongs to the Quarter- 
 master's Department and was placed at the disposal of the Medical Director for tem- 
 porary purpose by orders from these Head-quarters." 
 
 In the request of November 24, no question was made of the power of the General 
 commanding the Department to dispose of the steamer, but the necessity for her 
 services was stated as a reason for her restoration. The Cosmopolitan was selected by 
 the then Medical Director, under orders from Major General Hunter and by his orders 
 was fitted up and especially assigned to the Medical Department, as a hospital steamer 
 and not as a temporary transport. All hospital steamers are owned or employed by 
 the Quartermaster's Department, but their outfits and movements are under charge of 
 the Medical Department. Upon the only occasion of emergency when Major General 
 Hunter used the Cosmopolitan as a dispatch boat, he did so after advisement with his 
 Medical Director. * * * * 
 
 Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 J. K. BARNES, 
 
 Acting Surgeon General.'^ 
 
 The Secretary of War directed the steamer to be returned to the Medical 
 Department, which was accordingly done, but in the following June she was 
 again taken from it by Greneral Hatch, and much suffering to the sick and 
 wounded resulted. A similar interference with the Medical Department in the 
 case of the hospital steamer " Spaulding" was reported by Medical Inspector 
 Gr, H. Lyman in December, 1864. This report was forwarded to the Secretary 
 of War, with the following endorsement : 
 
 ' ' Respectfully forwarded to the Honorable Secretary of War, with the urgent 
 request that orders may be issued prohibiting interference with Hospital Transports 
 by other Departments. 
 
 The Hospital Transport "Spaulding" has just been fitted up at great expense, 
 and was dispatched to meet General Sherman's army upon notification of its arrival 
 at Savannah. To divert it to other purposes entirely cripples this Department in its 
 efforts to provide properly for the sick and wounded and subordinates all its interests 
 to the caprice or whim of local commanders. 
 
 S. G. 0., , J. K. BARNES, 
 
 Januari/ 3, 1865. Surgeon Oeneral."
 
 244 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 On the twenty-third of Januarj', 1865, the Surgeon General addressed a 
 further letter to the Secretary of War on this subject, of which the following 
 is a copy : 
 
 "SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 January 23, 1865. 
 
 Sir: From the nature of the service upon which they are employed, it is abso- 
 lutely essential that Hospital Transports and Hospital Boats should be exclusively 
 under the control of the Medical Department, and not under any circumstances 
 diverted from their special purposes by orders of local commanders or officers of other 
 departments. I have therefore the honor to request that orders to this effect be 
 issued, and that the Hospital Steamer "Cosmopolitan," be restored to the Medical 
 Department and placed under the immediate control of the Medical Director, Depart- 
 ment of the South, at Hilton Head, South Carolina, to be used as a hospital tender for 
 the troops operating under Major General Sherman in that department. 
 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 J. K. BARNES, 
 
 Surgeon General." 
 
 In accordance with this request, the following order was issued on the 
 eighth of February : 
 
 " Hospital transports and hospital boats, after being properly assigned .as such, 
 will be exclusively under the control of the Medical Department, and will not be 
 diverted from their special purposes by orders of local or department commanders, or 
 of officers of other staflF departments." 
 
 This definitely settled the whole question. 
 
 Immediately after the surrender of the rebel armies in April, 1865, orders 
 were issued by the War Department " that the chiefs of the respective bureaus 
 of this Department proceed immediately to reduce the expenses of their respec- 
 tive departments to what Ls absolutely necessary in view of an immediate 
 reduction of the forces in the field and garrison, and the speedy termination of 
 hostilities." Accordingly, the energies of the Surgeon General's Office were 
 directed during the next few months to the reestablishment of the Medical De- 
 partment on a peace footing. The army boards for the examination of candi- 
 dates for admission into the volunteer medical corps, which had been in session 
 at Philadelphia, Washington, Cincinnati, and Hilton Head, South Carolina, 
 were dissolved, as were also all those for the examination of acting assistant sur- 
 geons, medical cadets and hospital stewards. All soldiers, patients in hospital. 
 except veteran volunteers, veterans of the First Army Corps and those belong- 
 ing to the regular army, were ordered to be discharged. Medical Purveyors 
 were directed to suspend the purchase of medical and hospital supplies, and all
 
 I
 
 I
 
 DURING THE REBELLION. 245 
 
 except the principal purveying depots were discontinued. Medical Directors 
 received instructions to reduce as rapidly as possible the number and accommo- 
 dation of the general hospitals within their respective departments, substituting 
 post for general hospifcils with all permanent commands. They were also 
 ordered to discharge all contract physicians, civilian nurses, cooks and other 
 employees whose services could be spared. The Assistant Surgeon G-eneral, 
 Medical Inspector General and the medical inspectors were mustered out of 
 service in October, those who belonged to the permanent establishment resuming 
 their former positions in the Corps, and the remainder retiring to private life. 
 
 By the annual report of the Surgeon General it is shown how successfully 
 these difficult undertakings were achieved. On the fii-st of January, 1865, 
 there were two hundred and one general hospitals in operatit)n. and three were 
 subsequently added. The hospital transport system included ftur first class 
 sea-going steamers, equipped with stores and supplies for five thousand beds, 
 besides a large number of river hospital boats, hospital railway trains, ambu- 
 lances, etc. By the twentieth of October one hundred and seventy general 
 hospitals had been discontinued, the property turned into the purveying depots 
 or sold and the proceeds covered into the Treasury, the patients discharged and 
 furnished transportation to their homes, and the medical officers and attendants 
 of all kinds mustered out. Three out of the four sea-going transport steamers 
 had been given up, and all those employed on the rivers. 
 
 During the war, besides those who entered the regular corps, there had been 
 appointed five hundred and forty-seven surgeons and assistant surgeons of vol- 
 unteers. There were mustered into service between April, 1861, and the cktse 
 of the war two thousand one hundred and nine regimental surgeons and three 
 thousand eight hundred and eighty-two regimental assistant surgeons. During 
 the same period there were employed under contract eighty-five acting staff 
 surgeons, and five thousand five hundred and thirty-two acting assistant sur- 
 geons. That this large body of men, numbering almost an army in itself, was 
 faithful to the important trusts confided to its charge is evinced not only in the 
 numerous reports of the general officers in command of troops, but also by the 
 special testimony of the Surgeon General, who says in his annual report for 1865 : 
 
 "In conclusion I desire to bear testimony to the ability, courjige and zeal mani- 
 fested throughout the war by the officers of the Medical Department, under all 
 circumstances and upon all occasions. Willi hardly an exception they have been 
 actuated by the highest motives of national and professional pride and the number 
 who have been killed and wounded bears most honorable testimony to tJieir devotion 
 to duty on the field of battle." 
 
 That they did not shirk the post of danger is most cfnclusively shown by 
 the following record of the casualties of the regular and volunteer staff during
 
 246 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 the war. Thirty-two were killed in battle or by guemllas or partizans, and nine 
 by accident. Eighty-three were wounded in action, of whom ten died. Four 
 died in rebel prisons, seven of yellow fever, three of cholera, and two hundred 
 and seventy-one of other diseases, most of which were incidental to camp life 
 or the results of exposure in the field, making a roll of honor embracing four 
 himdred and nine names of those who it is a common error to ^ consider not 
 exposed to the dangers and chances of war. 
 
 An idea of the amount of labor perfoimed by the Medical Staff will be 
 obtained, when it is stated that one million fifty-seven thousand four hundred 
 and twenty-three cases of wounds and diseases occurring among white troops 
 were treated in general hospitals alone, not including the vast number that were 
 attended in regimental and post hospitals. The cost of maintaining the Medical 
 Department formed no small portion of the total expenses of the war, and it is 
 a matter of just pride that it can be said that the medical disbursing ofiicers 
 performed their duties honestly and faithfully and that the immense quantities 
 of medical supplies distributed all over the country were almost without excep- 
 tion properly accounted for. The expenditures on behalf of the Medical 
 Department to the close of each fiscal year on the thirtieth of June, from 1861 
 to 1866, were as follows : 
 
 1861, - - - - $194,126 77, 
 
 1862, ... - 2,371,113 19, 
 
 1863, - - . . 11,594,650 35, 
 
 1864, ... - 11,025,791 33, 
 
 1865, - - - - 19,328,499 23, 
 
 1866, - - - - 2,837,801 37, 
 
 making a total of forty-seven million three hundred and fifty-one thousand nine 
 hundred and eighty-two dollars and twenty-four cents, ($47,351,982 24) 
 expended during the war (exclusive of salaries of couimissioned officers) for 
 the benefit of the sick and wounded soldiers of the nation. 
 
 There is no doubt that very much of the success which was attendant on 
 the administration of the Medical Department during the Rebellion was due to 
 the uniformity with which every judicious recommendation from the Surgeon 
 General was acquiesced in by the Secretary of War. This indefatigable official 
 overburthened with the gigantic responsibilities incident to the period, yet found 
 time to give his special attention to the improvements asked for by the Surgeon 
 General to increase the administrative efficiency of the hospital service. Prompt 
 to censure and unrelenting in punishing any neglect in a medical officer, he was 
 equally ready to commend where praise was due. The following occurs in his 
 annual report for 1865 :
 
 SINCE THE REBELIJON. 247 
 
 "The establishment of medical depots within reach of armies in the field, and 
 their prompt supply upon the field of battle ; the transportation of sick and wounded 
 by ambulance, railroad and hospital transports ; the sufficiency and successful admin- 
 istration of the best system of general hospitals; the sanitary precautions as well as 
 all the minor details of this department, tending to the greater comfort of the sick 
 and wounded, as well as to the health and efficiency of the troops, have undergone 
 the severest possible test and in no instance have the movements of successful gene- 
 rals been impeded or delayed from any cause within the control of the Medical 
 Department." 
 
 The Surgeon General but expressed the opinion of every person connected 
 with the Medical Staff in writing in his report for 1866 to the Secretary: 
 
 " It is a matter of just pride and congratulation to the medical profession through- 
 out the civilized world, that your deep interest in the health and hygienic condi- 
 tion of tlie army, your constant vigilance and most liberal assistance in all that 
 could in any manner conduce to the greater comfort and welfare of the sick and 
 wounded, and your official recognition of faithful and meritorious service by officers of 
 this Department, have been responded to on their pai-t by redoubled exertions, un- 
 failing devotion to duty, and an esprit du corps that secures to it professional talent 
 of the highest order. Letters from the most eminent surgeons and physicians in 
 Europe, in acknowledgment of publications from this office, do not express more 
 astonishment at the magnitude of the war, than admiration of the unvarying support 
 and encouragement extended to the Medical Staff" under your administration of the 
 War Department." 
 
 The medical examining board for 1865 met in New York city on the 
 twentieth of September, and continued its sessions until the fifteenth of the 
 following February. The detail was Surgeons Tripler, Wirtz and Heger and 
 Assistant Surgeon Lee. Ninety-eight candidates were invited to present them- 
 selves, of whom thirty-one failed to appear. Of the remainder, seventeen with- 
 drew before their examinations were completed, thiity-one were rejected for 
 defective physical or professional qualifications, and nineteen were recommended 
 for appointment. 
 
 On the twenty-third of January, 1866, Surgeon Richard H. Coolidge, the 
 Medical Director of the Department of North Carolina, died after a brief illness. 
 Doctor Coolidge had been long and favorably known to the iarmy as an accom- 
 plished officer and christian gentleman. His long service in the Surgeon 
 General's Office, on army boards of examination, and as the compiler of the 
 Army Medical Statistics and Army Meteorological Register, had made him 
 thoroughly familiar with the interests of the Department, and his whole life had 
 been devoted to its advancement. During the war he had added to the distinc- 
 tion of his previous service by the ability with which he had performed the 
 duties of medical inspector. 
 
 The attention of Congress in the early part of 1866 was devoted to fixing
 
 248 THE MEDICAL DEPART .MK:.T OF THE ARMY 
 
 the peace establishment of the United States army. As early as the tenth of 
 January Mr. Wilson reported to the Senate a bill for this purpose, which was 
 referred to the Committee on Military Affairs and ordered to be printed. This 
 bill was several times reported and recommitted. As reported to the Senate on 
 the seventeenth of January the sections relating to the Medical Department 
 were as follows : 
 
 Section XVIII. And be it further enacted, That the Medical Department of the 
 army shall hereafter consist of one Surgeon General, with the rank, pay and emolu- 
 ments of a brigadier general ; one Assistant Surgeon General, with the rank, pay and 
 emoluments of a colonel of cavalry ; seventy-five surgeons, with the rank, pay and 
 emoluments of a major of cavalry; one hundred and fifty assistant surgeons, with the 
 rank, pay and emoluments of captains of cavalry after three years service, and with 
 the rank, pay and emoluments of a first lieutenant of cavalry for the first three years 
 service; and five medical storekeepers, with the same compensation as is now provi- 
 ded by law ; and the vacancies hereby created in the grades of surgeon and assistant 
 surgeon shall be filled by selection from among the persons who have served as staff 
 and regimental surgeons or assistant surgeons of volunteers two years during the war; 
 and persons who have served as assistant surgeons three years in the volunteer ser- 
 vice shall be eligible for promotion to the grade of captain. 
 
 Section XIX. Afid be it further enacted, That upon the recommendation of the 
 Surgeon General, the Secretary of War may detail a surgeon as Chief Medical Pur- 
 veyor, who while performing such duty, shall be in charge of the principal purchasing 
 and issuing depot of medical supplies, and shall have the rank, pay and emoluments 
 of a colonel of cavalry, and not to exceed five medical officers as assistant medical 
 purveyors, who while performing such duty in the different geographical divisions or 
 departments, shall have the rank, pay and emoluments of a lieutenant colonel of 
 cavalry. 
 
 Section XX. And be it further enacted, That the Surgeon General be, and he is 
 hereby empowered to detail from time to time, subject to the approval of the Secre- 
 tary of War, not to exceed five officers of the grade of surgeon, for duty as medical 
 inspectors, who, while performing such duties, shall have the rank, pay and emolu- 
 ments of colonel of cavalry, and who shall receive their instructions from, and make 
 their reports direct to the Surgeon General. * * * * 
 
 Sf-ction XXIX. And be it further enacted, IheA, the * * * * gur. 
 geon General * * * * shall hereafter be appointed by selection from 
 the corps to which they belong [he belongs.] 
 
 Section XXX. And be it further enacted. That no person shall be appointed to 
 any vacancy created by this act, in the * * Medical Department, * * 
 until he shall have passed the examination now required by law." 
 
 After some discussion the bill was laid aside, and no ftirther action taken 
 on the subject until the fifteenth of February, when Mr. Wilson reported a 
 new bill to fix the military peace establishment. The differences in the sections 
 relating to the Medical Department in the new and old bills, were that section 
 xviii was altered so as to provide that two-thirds of the vacancies created by 
 the act should be filled from among the volunteer medical officers and one-third
 
 SINCE THK REBKLLION. 249 
 
 from the regular staff; and sectitm xx was struck out entirely . The bill was 
 further amended in the Senate by adding after the word * selection," in sec- 
 tion xviii, the words " by competitive examination," and adding at the end of 
 this section a clause providing for the appointment of as many hospital stew- 
 ards as the service might require. In this amended form the bill was passed 
 by the Senate on the fourteenth of March. On the sixteenth of March the 
 subject came up in the House of llepresentatives, and was referred to the 
 (Committee on Military Affairs, who on the ninth of July rtsported back the 
 Senate bill, with an amendment to strike out all after the enacting clause and 
 insert a substitute. The sections in the substitute which referred to the Medical 
 Department were : 
 
 Section XXI. And bi- it further enacted, That the Medical Department of the 
 army shall hereafter consist of one Surgeon General, with the rank, pay and emolu- 
 ments of a brigadier general; one Assistant Surgeon General, with the rank, pay and 
 emoluments of a colonel ; one Chief Medical Purveyor and four assistant medical 
 purveyors, with the rank, pay and emoluments of lieutenant colonels, who shall give 
 the same bonds which are or may be required of Assistant Paymaster Generals of like 
 grade, and shall, when not acting as purveyors, be assignable to duty as surgeons by 
 the President; seventy surgeons, with the rank, pay and emoluments of majors; one 
 hundred and forty assistant surgeons with the rank, pay and emoluments of first lieu- 
 tenants for the first three years service, and with the rank, pay and emoluments of 
 captains after three years service ; and five medical storekeepers with the same com- 
 pensation as is now provided by law ; and at least two-thirds of the original vacancies 
 in the grades of surgeon and assistant surgeon shall be filled by selection by competi- 
 tive examination from among the persons who have served as staff or regimental 
 surgeons or assistant surgeons of volunteers in the army of the United States two 
 years during the late war, and one-third in the same manner from similar officers in 
 the regular army ; and persons who have served as assistant surgeons three years in 
 the volunteer service shall be eligible for promotion to the grade of captain. And 
 the Secretary of War is hereby authorized to appoint from the enlisted men of the 
 army, or cause to be enlisted, as many hospital stewards as the service may require, 
 to be permanently attached to the Medical Department, under such regulations as the 
 Secretary of War may prescribe. * * * * 
 
 Section XXVII. And be it further enacted, That in all the staff corps * * 
 one-third of the promotions may be made on the ground of merit alone, and without 
 regard to seniority in the date of appointments or commissions. * * * * 
 
 Section XL. And be it further enacted, That in all cases where a volunteer officer 
 has been appointed in the regular army to the same rank or grade which he may have 
 held in the volunteer forces, or to any lower rank or grade, his name shall be borne 
 on the army register with the date of his volunteer appointment, and he shall take 
 rank as with continuous service from such date." 
 
 Meanwhile, the Senate, finding the House had taken no action on the bill 
 passed by them on the fourteenth of March, passed another bill with the same 
 title. This, so far as the Medical Department was concerned was essentially the 
 16*
 
 250 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 same as the substitute subsequently passed by the House, but differed materi- 
 ally as regards other departments. When the House substitute was reported 
 back to the Senate, on the twenty-fourth of July, Mr. Wilson moved to strike 
 out all after the enacting clause and substitute their second bill, which was 
 agreed to. This necessitated a conference committee on the part of the two 
 Houses, which was accordingly appointed on the twenty-fifth of July. This 
 committee failed to come to any agreement, and were accordingly discharged 
 and a new committee appointed on the twenty-seventh, which made a report 
 which was adopted by the two houses, and the bill finally became a law on the 
 twenty-eighth of July. The organization of the Medical Department was the 
 same as has been given in section xxi of the bill passed by the House on the 
 ninth of July, with the exceptions that sixty surgeons and one hundred and 
 fifty assistant surgeons were provided for, instead of seventy surgeons and 
 one hundred and forty assistant surgeons ; and substituting the following clause 
 for the corresponding one in the House bill : 
 
 " And all the original vacancies in the grade of assistant surgeon, shall be filled 
 by selection by examination, from among the persons who have served as staff or 
 regimental surgeons or assistant surgeons of volunteers in the army of the United 
 States two years during the late war." 
 
 The clause was also a'dded fi-om the Senate bill requiring the Surgeon 
 General to be hereaftier appointed by selection fi-om the Medical Corps. The new 
 offices created by this act were filled as follows: Surgeon Charles H. Crane was 
 appointed Assistant Surgeon General on the twenty-eighth of July, and on the 
 twenty-second of August Surgeon R. S. Satterlee was appointed Chief Medical 
 Purveyor, and Surgeons C. McDougall, E. H. Abadie, Robert Miuray and Charles 
 Sutherland, assistant medical purveyors. To fill the vacancies in the grade of 
 assistant surgeon created by this law an examining board was called to meet in 
 New York on the twentieth of September. The officers composing the detail 
 were Surgeons Joseph B. Brown, H. R. Wirtz, A. Heger and Warren Web- 
 ster. Surgeon Heger was subsequently relieved by Surgeon John Moore. 
 This board continued its sessions until October 5, 1857, having during that time 
 examined one hundred and sixty candidates, out of two hundred and seventy- 
 two that were invited to present themselves. Of those examined, forty-eight 
 were found qualified and recommended for appointment, ninety-one were 
 rejected, and twenty-one withdrew after a' partial examination. 
 
 By an epidemic of cholera which prevailed at Hart Island, New York 
 Harbor, in the summer of 1866 the Medical Corps lost a young officer of great 
 promise. Assistant Surgeon J. Theodore Calhoun died in the faithfiil per- 
 formance of his duties on the nineteenth of July. In his official report of 
 this epidemic Surgeon John J. Milhau thus speaks of his untimely death :
 
 SINCE THE REBELLION. 251 
 
 " Brevet Major J. Tlieodore Calhoun, assistant surgeon, United States army, died 
 July 19, at 1 p. m., of cholera, after an illness of ten hours. He was faithfully 
 attended by Brevet Major Warren Webster. The funeral cortege consisted of officers 
 only, six of whom bore the coffin to the grave on the island. Thus ended the career 
 of a kind hearted, energetic, conscientious and intelligent medical officer, whose ser- 
 vices in the field and at the post had endeared him to all with whom he had served. 
 He was stricken down while in the zealous discharge of his duties, and his memory 
 will long be cherished by his old associates and his former patients." 
 
 Another officer, Assistant Surgeon J. E. McDonald, died of cholera at St. 
 Louis, Missouri, on the tenth of September. 
 
 The death of Surgeon Charles S. Tripler, which occurred at Cincinnati, 
 Ohio, on the twentieth of October, after a long and painful illness, left a vacant 
 place in the ranks of the Medical Staff difficult to be filled. He was one of 
 its most distinguished members, who during upwards of thirty-five years ser- 
 vice had ever been foremost in all enterprises for the advancemeht of the interests 
 of the Corps, and the dignity of the medical profession. So highly was he 
 appreciated in the army that the War Department paid to his memory the 
 unusual tribute of announcing his death in a general order, which was as follows : 
 
 "WAR DEPARTMENT, 
 
 Adjutant General's Office, 
 
 Washington, October 27, 1866. 
 General Orders, No. 89. 
 
 The following notice of the decease of a distinguished officer of the Medical De- 
 partment of the army, by the chief of his Department, is published to the army: 
 
 SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 Washington, October 23, 1866. 
 To THE Adjutant General, U. S. Army : 
 
 Sir : I have the honor to report the death, at Cincinnati, on the 20th instant, of 
 Brevet Brigadier General Q, S. Tripler, Surgeon, U. S. Army, Medical Director, 
 Department of the Lakes. 
 
 Entering the army as assistant surgeon, October, 1830, General Tbip&er served 
 continuously for thirty-six years, during which time he held with credit to himself and 
 advantage to the government, positions of high trust and responsibility, taking part in 
 the Seminole war, the war with Mexico, the occupation of California, and being the 
 first Medical Director of the Army of the Potomac. 
 
 His skilful administration and conscientious discharge of duty, has been rewarded 
 by three brevets for ' faithful and meritorious services.' The Medical Corps possesses 
 in his distinguished career a bright example of the union of great professional 
 attainments, with the military zeal and pride of an officer, and those qualities which 
 mark the christian gentleman. 
 
 Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 J. K. BARNES, 
 
 Surgeon General. 
 Bt order of the Secretary of War : 
 
 E. D. TOWNSEND, 
 
 Assistant Adjutant General."
 
 252 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMV 
 
 (xenei-al Tripler was born of English parents in New York city on the 
 nineteenth of January, 1806. He was prepared for college, but through the 
 failure of his father in business was compelled to abandon this intention, and 
 thrown upon his own resources at an age when most youths are commencing 
 their education. He supported himself for several years as a clerk in a dnig 
 store, and in 1828 commenced the study of medicine with Doctor Stephen 
 Brown, of New York, graduating at the College of Physicians and Surgeons 
 in 1 827. After receiving his degree he served as resident physician at Bellevue 
 Hospital, where he highly distinguished himself during an epidemic of small-pox. 
 carrying with him to his grave the marks left by his enctiunter with this malady. 
 About this time, through the influence of a great uncle, he was oflPered a 
 position in the Honorable East India Company's service, but this he declined, 
 having already in view an appointment in the Medical Staff. He went very soon 
 after this to West Point, where he entered the family of the late Surgeon Walter 
 V.Wheaton, and studied the practical duties of a military surgeon with that officer 
 until 1830, when he received an appointment as assistant surgeon. His subse- 
 quent career is so well known to the whole army as to need no mention here, 
 but the following brief lines by the one who knew him best in this 
 world, though not written with a view to publication, may appropriately be 
 given to show that in private life he was not less exemplary than distinguished 
 as a public man : 
 
 " He made many friends at West Point during the time he lived there, among 
 the Professors as well as among the future officers of the army. He was always a 
 student, though he described himself as a lazy hoy, who learned nothing unless it was 
 beaten into him. He certainly was beaten into the habit of study; he went through 
 the mathematical course pursued by the cadets while he was at West Point ; he after- 
 wards learned the French language so as to be able to translate with fluency and 
 elegance, the same with Italian and Spanish. He made no attempt to speak any but 
 the Spanish. He was no mean musician. His great desire seeme<l to be to learn well, 
 what he did learn. 
 
 He wrote less than he studied, but his stores of knowledge were always at the 
 service of his professional friends in civil life, who had less time than himself to give 
 to books. As far as I know he printed but the following: 1. Remarkn on Delirium 
 Tremens, 1S27, being his graduating Thesis, published by request. 2. A Treatise on 
 the duties of physicians in regard to popular delusions. 8. A Treatise on the nature, 
 cause and treatment of scurvy. 4. Manual for the medical officers of the army of the 
 United States. Part I. Recruiting and the inspection of recruits, 1858. '). Hand- 
 book for the military surgeon, 1861. These last two were incomplete, the latter on 
 account of his going to the field at the beginning of the Rebellion, and the former 
 being only the first part of the work, which he hoped to live to complete to his own 
 satisfaction. 
 
 There is little more to say. Any record of Doctor Tripler should tell of prompt 
 obedience of orders, of twenty-three years of service at one time without a leave, of
 
 SINCK THK RKBKl.lJON. 2i).) 
 
 thirty years of devotion to his corj)!< and to ever}' duty to Jiis country, of his services 
 in three wars so ill rewarded. 
 
 He was not in the habit of talking about himself. lie was one of the most self- 
 denying and charitable of men, but no one would have dreamed it from anything he 
 said. With nothing but his pay, he supported his own mother for twenty years and 
 his wife's mother and sister for half that time, and never to his own wife mentioned 
 the money which was sent each quarter with unfailing regularity. A devout christian, 
 he avoided the subject of religion in general conversation most carefully only to make 
 more telling some private talk which souls now on earth and many in Paradise listened 
 to, to their eternal welfare. His own faith never wavered ; he bore his painful sick- 
 ness, his horrible pangs more than patiently, he bore them thankfully: when he was 
 struck he gave the ring of the true metal, and so died." 
 
 A few uioiiths after hi.s death the officers of the Corps caused a handsoinc 
 monument to be erected over his grave in th(' cemetery at Detroit. Michigan. 
 
 Previous to the war of the Rebellion the only brevet ever conferred on a 
 medical officer was in the case of Surgeon (leneral Lawson. who at the close of 
 the Mexican war was brevetted a brigadier general for ''meritorious services'' 
 in the campaign which resulted in the capture of the city of Mexico. At the 
 close of the Rebellion, however, owing to the j)ersistent efforts of the Surgeon 
 General, in which he received the cordial support of Mr. Stanton, the principle 
 was at last recognized that medical officers who were equally exposed on the 
 battle field with officers of the line, and were frequently called upon to face 
 the more appalling dangers of pestilence in camp and hospitals, were equally 
 entitled to some mark of distinction for the faithful discharge of duty with 
 those of other branches of the service. Consequently, at th^ termination of the 
 war and afler the subsequent epidemics in 1866 the Medical Staff was not over 
 looked in the distribution of these marks of distinction. The Surgeon General 
 was brevetted a major general, twelve surgeons to the rahk of brigadier general, 
 fourteen surgeons and one assistant surgeon to the rank of colonel, fifty-three 
 surgeons and assistant surgeons to the rank of lieutenant colonel, sixty-three 
 assistant surgeons to the rank of major, and eight to the rank of captain. 
 
 The seventeenth section of the act of July 28, 1866, contained a clause, 
 that " persons who have served as assistant surgeons throe years in the volun- 
 teer service shall be eligible for promotion to the grade of captain." Although 
 not so intended, the phraseology of this clause had the effect of excluding from 
 such eligibility all those who had served in the grade of surgeon, thtis confining 
 its benefits to but a small proportion of the volunteer medical officers. This was 
 remedied by adding a section to a bill approved March 2, 1867, so as to make 
 the clause in question read, "all persons who have served as surgeons or assist- 
 ant surgeons, etc." By the same act military storekeepers, including those of 
 the Medical Department were given the rank, pay and emoluments of captains 
 of cavalry.
 
 254 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 The nomination of Surgeon E. H. Abadie to be Assistant Medical Pur- 
 veyor having failed of confirmation by the Senate, expired by constitutional 
 limitation on the fourth of March, 1867, and he resumed his former position as 
 surgeon. On the twentieth of July Surgeon J. H. Baxter, TJ. S. Volunteers, 
 received the appointment to fill the vacancy. 
 
 The year 1867 was one of unusual fatality to the ofiicers of the Medical 
 Stafi". Surgeon Robert O. Abbott, so well known as the eflScient Medical Di- 
 rector of the Department of Washington throughout the war, died on the 
 sixteenth of June, after a lingering illness. Few were better known in the 
 army and none more universally beloved than this high mindfed and able officer 
 and gentleman. 
 
 Severe epidemics of yellow fever at the south, and of cholera at the west, 
 caused the loss of a number of valuable lives. No less than thirty-one medical 
 officers were attacked with yellow fever while battling with that pestilence 
 along the Gulf coast, of whom ten died. These were, Surgeon George Taylor, 
 Surgeon-in-Chief of the District of Texas, who died at Galveston on the fifth of 
 August ; Assistant Surgeon Charles H. Rowe, on the fifth of September, at 
 Galveston; Assistant Surgeon J. Sim Smith, on the eighth of September, at 
 Fort Jefferson, Florida; Assistant Surgeon Samuel Adams, on the ninth of 
 September at Galveston ; and six citizen physicians employed under contract. 
 By cholera the army was deprived of the services of Assistant, Surgeon G. M . 
 McGill, who died, July 20, on the plains while en route with troops to New 
 Mexico. 
 
 The last army board convened in New York city on the first of May, 
 
 1868. The detail was the same as in 1867, except that Assistant Surgeon 
 Woodhull was substituted for Surgeon Warren Webster as recorder. Ninety- 
 three candidates were invited to appear for examination, of whom sixty-three 
 were examined. Fifteen were found qualified, forty were rejected, and eight 
 withdrew after a partial examination. 
 
 There were still a large number of vacancies in the Corps, but in conse- 
 quence of a section added to the Army Appropriation Bill approved March 3, 
 
 1869, these and others which have occurred since that time have never been 
 filled. This clause was as follows : 
 
 " Section VI. And be it further enacted, That until otherwise directed bv law, 
 there shall be no new appointments and no promotions in the * * Medical 
 Department." 
 
 Just before the passage of this bill General R. S. Satterlee, Chief Medi- 
 cal Purveyor, and General C. McDougall, Assistant Medical Purveyor, were, by 
 direction of the President, retired from active service. An effort was made in
 
 SINCE THE REBELLION. ZOO 
 
 Congress, on the twenty-second of March, to pass a bill restoring them to the 
 active list, but it met with so much opposition that the matter was indefinitely 
 postponed. 
 
 Brevet Brigadier General Robert C. Wood, a veteran surgeon of great 
 experience and extensive acquirements, died in New York city of pneumonia 
 on the twenty-eighth of March, 1869. General Wood was a native of Rhode 
 Island, from which state he was appointed an assistant surgeon in May, 1825. 
 For the first ten yea]-s of his service he was stationed at various posts in the 
 northwestern territory, and being promoted surgeon, July, 1836, was ordered to 
 Florida, where he remained until 1840. He was then stationed at Buffalo 
 until 1845. He was surgeon of the fifth infantry at the commencement of the 
 Mexican war, and organized and conducted the general hospital at Point Isabel 
 during the Rio Grande campaign. In the latter part of the war he had direc- 
 tion of the general hospital at Jackson Barracks, New Orleans, Louisiana. He 
 was post surgeon at Fort McHenry, Maryland, from 1850 to 1854, and subse- 
 quently in the office of the Surgeon General until 1862, being frequently 
 during this period on duty as Acting Surgeon General. He was appointed Assist- 
 ant Surgeon General, June, 1862, and stationed at Louisville, Kentucky, in 
 charge of the medical department of all the western armies until the close of the 
 Rebellion. His last duty was as a member of the board to retire disabled officers, 
 from which he was relieved and himself retired in February, 1869, a month 
 before his death. In all his long service he was distinguished, adorning every 
 high position which he occupied, and just before the close of his career was re- 
 warded by the government with three brevets for faithful and meritorious services. 
 
 General Wood was soon followed to the grave by Surgeon John B. Por- 
 ter, who died at Coventry, Connecticut, on the fifteenth of June. He entered 
 the service as assistant surgeon in December, 1833, had highly distinguished 
 himself during the Florida and Mexican wars, (especially during the prevalence 
 of yellow fever at Vera Cruz in 1847) and as Medical Director of the forces in 
 Utah from 1859 to 1861. He was retired in 1862 for "disability resulting 
 from long and faithful service," and assigned as Medical Purveyor at Chicago, 
 from which duty he was relieved in 1 864, and passed the remainder of his life 
 at his home in Connecticut. 
 
 To this roll of the depaited the name of Surgeon Samuel G. I. De Camp 
 was added on the eighth of September, 1872. For forty-eight years he had 
 served his country as a medical officer, the last nine of which, however, were 
 passed in retirement at his home at Saratoga, New York, where he died. His 
 long and varied service had been performed with credit to himself and the Corps, 
 and profit to his country.
 
 256 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 A bill pa.ssed Congress on the fourth of March. 1872. to provide for the 
 apjMjintment of a Chief Medical Purveyor. It was as follows : 
 
 "Be it enacted, etc.. That the President of the United .States be, and hereby is. 
 authorized to appoint by selection from the jiresent assistant medical purveyors, by 
 and with the advice and consent of the Senate, a chief medical purveyor of the army, 
 to fill the vacancy now existing. Nothing herein shall be construed to increase the 
 l>ay of the officer appointed to fill said vacancy." 
 
 Assistant Medical Purveyor J. H. Baxter was promoted to be (^hief Medi- 
 cal Purveyor in accordance with the provi.sions of this act. 
 
 The large number of vacancies in the Medical Department rendered it 
 impossible to supply all the military garrisons in the country and provide the 
 necessary details for other duty, except by the employment of a large number 
 of citizen physicians. It became therefore very advisable that the legislation 
 forbidding promotion and appointment in the staff corps should be repe^ded. in 
 so far as it referred to the Medical Department. The Surgeon Gi-eneral ear- 
 nestly urged such acti(m by Congress in his annual reports for 1870. 1871 and 
 1872, and it was strongly recommended in the latter year by both the Secretary 
 of War and the President. Nevertheless, no action was taken thereon. At 
 the last session of Congress several bills were introduced with this t)bject in 
 view, and one of them passed the Senate on the third of March, but the final 
 adjournment of Congress taking place the next day. it failed to reach a vote in 
 the House of Representatives. 
 
 There are at present (June, 1878) two vacancies in the grade of Assistant 
 Medical Purveyor, five in that of surgeon, fifly-five in that of assistant surgeon 
 and one in that of medical storekeeper ; in all sixty-three, a reduction of the 
 effective working force of the Department that cannot but be disastrous to the 
 best interests of the Medical Staff and of the service at large. 
 
 We have now in a rapid manner sketched the more important events in the 
 history of the Medical Staft", from its inception in 1775 to the present time. 
 Want of space has prevented the consideration of much valuable material on 
 file in the Surgeon General's Ofiice, but as this is chiefly of a personal charac- 
 ter, relating rather to individuals than to the corps at lai^e, it was thought best 
 to omit everything which was not of general interest either in the decision of 
 disputed points, the establishment of precedent, or the maintenance of the high 
 standard of the Corps and the profession. It now remains only to mention the 
 work performed under the auspices of the Surgeon General's Bureau since the 
 close of the war. 
 
 The Army Medical Museum has continued to increase in interest and 
 importance from the date of its incipience. It is now permanently located
 
 SINCE THE REBELLION. 257 
 
 in the old Ford's theatre building, in which the lamented Lincoln was 
 assassinated, which was purchased for this purpose in 1866, and havin<^ 
 been completely refitted and rendered fire-proof, was opened to the public on 
 the fouiteenth of April, 1867. Since that time it has been visited yearly by 
 many thousand persons, embracing not only the ordinary class of sight-seers, 
 but also medical and scientific men from all parts of this country and Europe, 
 by whom it is pronounced the most complete collection of the kind in the world. 
 It is divided into sections embracing specimens in surgery, medicine, anatomy, 
 microscopy and comparative anatomy. The surgical section contained on the 
 fii-st of July, 1872, six thousand and ninety-three preparations, embracing gun- 
 shot fractures of every description, plaster casts showing the results of opera- 
 tions, tumors, calculi, missiles of war, surgical instruments of every variety 
 and a large number of wet preparations illustrative of every description of 
 surgical disease and injury. The medical section contained eleven hundred and 
 twenty-five specimens and is especially rich in its illustrations of the diseases 
 incident to camps and hospitals, though by no means confined to this speciality. 
 In the microscopical division are nearly six thousand specimens carefully mounted 
 and labelled, afibrding a wide field for the study of histology and medical 
 and surgical pathology, which is being rapidly increased under the direction 
 of able and experienced microscopists. The anatomical collection embraces 
 nearly a thousand crania of existing tribes of Indians, a series of skulls from 
 tumuli and many rare specimens of artificial deformities of the cranium, and 
 will eventually become a rich field for ethnological research. In the section of 
 comparative anatomy are two hundred and ninety-five complete skeletons of 
 animals, and upwards of seven hundred crania of birds, reptiles, fishes and 
 mammals. To all these should be added a complete collection of models of am- 
 bulances, litters and other appliances for the transportation of sick and wounded, 
 aitificial limbs of every known design, a collection of photographs illus- 
 trative of the result of operations, etc., etc. ; making in all upwards of fifteen 
 thousand specimens on the catalogue, which is being constantly increased by the 
 receipt of new preparations from all parts of the country. 
 
 In the same building with the Museum is situated the Library of the 
 Surgeon General's Office. At the commencement of the war this contained 
 but about three hundred and fifty text books and journals. In October, 1865, 
 the number of volumes was about eighteen hundred, since which time it has 
 increased rapidly by purchase, donation and exchange, until at the present time 
 it numbers about twenty-five thousand volumes and thirteen thousand single 
 pamphlets, most of the latter being unbound theses. Among the former are six 
 hundred and fifty-eight bound volumes of the Paris theses, and upwards of six 
 17
 
 258 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 hundred volumes of pamphlets, makinp; the total number of titles nearly forty 
 thousand. About two thousand of the books are not of a professional charac- 
 ter, being works on the history of the late war, on meteorology, on physics, and 
 various public documents. The library is especially complete in its collection 
 of American medical periodicals. It is open to the public under the same 
 regulations as the Library of Congress. Its future depends to a great extent 
 on the liberality of Congress, but it may be confidently expected that at no 
 distant day it will be recognized as the standard medical library of this 
 country and will compare not unfavorably with the best collections of the old 
 world. To the industry and sound bibliographic judgment of Assistant Sur- 
 geon John S. Billings, who has devoted his time to this work, in addition to the 
 ordinary duties devolving upon his official position, much credit is to be given 
 in connection with the selection of the books now composing the collection 
 and the preparation of a complete catalogue of authors and an alphabetical 
 index of subjects. 
 
 The army chemical laboratory is also situated in this building, and is em- 
 ployed in such chemical investigations as are needed from time to time by the 
 Surgeon General, such as analyses of specimens of water sent to it from various 
 parts of the country, the detection of adulterations in the various constituents 
 of the soldier's ration and in medicines and other articles fiimished by the 
 Supply Table, etc., etc. It has, under the able direction of Acting Assistant 
 Surgeon B. F. Craig, become a most useful and important adjunct to the Sur- 
 geon General's Office. 
 
 Since the close of the war the Surgeon General has printed, by authority 
 of the Secretary of War, the following books : 
 
 Circular, No. 6. War Department, Surgeon General's Office, Washington, Novem- 
 ber 1, 1865. Report on the Extent and Nature of the Materials available for the 
 preparation of the Medical and Surgical History of the Rebellion. Quarto, pp. 166. 
 
 Catalogue of the United States Army Medical Museum. Prepared under the direc- 
 tion of the Surgeon General, U. S. Army. Washington, 1866. Quarto, pp. 960. 
 
 Circular, No. 5. War Department, Surgeon General's O^ce, Washington, May 
 4, 1867. Report on Epidemic Cholera in the Army of the United States during the 
 year 1860. Quarto, pp. 65. 
 
 Circular, No 7. War Department, Surgeon General's Office, Washington, July 1, 
 1867. A Report on Amputations at the Hip-Joint in Military Surgery. Quarto, pp. 87. 
 
 Circular, No. 1. War Department, Surgeon General's Office, Washington, June 
 10, 1868. "Report on Epidemic Cholera and Yellow Fever in the Army of the United 
 States during the year 1867. Quarto, pp. 156. 
 
 Circular, No. 2. War Department, Surgeon General's Office, Washington, January 
 2, 1869. A Report on the Excisions of the Head of the Femur for gunshot injury. 
 Quarto, pp. 141.
 
 SINCE THE REBELLION. 259 
 
 Circular, No. 4. War Department, Surgeon General's Office, Washington, Decem- 
 ber 5, 1870. Report on Barracks and Hospitals, with descriptions of Military Posts. 
 Quarto, pp. 494. 
 
 Circular, No. 2. War Department, Surgeon General's Office, Washington, July 27, 
 1871. Approved Plans and Specifications for Post Hospitals. Quarto, pp. 14. 
 
 Circular, No. 3. War Department, Surgeon General's Office, August 17, 1871. 
 Report of Surgical Cases treated in the Army of the United States from 1865 to 1871. 
 Quarto, pp. 296. 
 
 Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon General's Office, with an alphabetical inde^ 
 of subjects. Washington, 1872. 
 
 In addition to the above, during the period referred to there have been 
 written by officers of the Medical Department the following special reports : 
 
 On the hygienic fitness of the present uniform and allowance of clothing fojr 
 enlisted men. Washington, January 31, 1868. 
 
 A report made to the Commissioner of Agriculture on the Diseases of Cattle in 
 the United States. 1869. 
 
 Report to the Surgeon General of the United States Army on the Magnesium and 
 Electric Lights as applied to Photo-micrography. January 5, 1870. 
 
 Report to the Surgeon General of the United States Army on the Oxy-calcium 
 Light as applied to Photo-micrography. June 4, 1870. 
 
 Report to the Surgeon General of the United States Army on certain points con- 
 nected with the Histology of minute bloodvessels. July 6, 1870. 
 
 Report to the Surgeon General on an improved method of photographing Histo- 
 logical Preparations by Sunlight. 1871. 
 
 Report to the Secretary of War on Quarantine on the Southern and Gulf Coasts of 
 the United States. December 4, 1872. 
 
 Report to the Surgeon Genei'al of the Army on the Minute Anatomy of two cases 
 of Cancer. 1872. 
 
 "Copies of these publications have been distributed to medical officers of the army 
 and navy, to a large number of volunteer surgeons who served during the war and to 
 many colleges and learned societies. They have been adjudged at home and abroad 
 to contain real and valuable additions to human knowledge on the special subjects of 
 which they treat, and the demand for them has been so great, that the large editions 
 printed proved insufficient and it was necessary to refuse copies to many applicants." 
 
 The work done in the microscopic section of the Museum in the direction 
 of photo-micrography has also been very extensive and has been highly appre- 
 ciated by the most eminent microscopists in all parts of the world, to whom 
 copies of many of the photo-micrographs were sent. So have also the effi^rts 
 made to disseminate a knowledge of the collections of the Museum by means of 
 photographs, models of ambulances and hospitals, of improvements in artificial 
 limbs and surgical appliances, which were exhibited at the Paris Exposition and 
 sent to various governments and leading societies in Europe. A collection of
 
 260 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 four volumes of photographs, illustrating every kind of surgical injury, modes 
 of repair and the results obtained by conservative surgery, has been distributed 
 in this manner and met with the most flattering reception from such professional 
 leaders as Larrey, Legouest, Longmore, Pouchet, Parkes and others. All of 
 this work, however, important and valuable as it is, has been subordinate to the 
 " Medical and Surgical History of the War" of which the first part, embracing 
 two large quarto volumes, has just been published and is now being distributed. 
 It is yet too early to ascertain the verdict of the professional world on this great 
 storehouse of facts relative to military medicine and surgery, but the results of 
 the past warrant us in believing that a like appreciation will be shown to the 
 labors of the distinguished compilers of these volumes and still greater credit 
 accrue to the Medical Department from their publication than have already been 
 accorded to their predecessors. 
 
 The work above spoken of has been of such a character as to be of compara- 
 tively little interest outside of the medical and scientific world. In addition 
 the Medical Bureau since the war has been engaged in other labors which appeal 
 most forcibly to the sympathies of the community at large. The " Record and 
 Pension Division" of the Surgeon G-eneral's Office has been the means of fur- 
 nishing information in many thousand cases of application for pension for 
 disease or disability contracted during the war, verifying from its admirably kept 
 records the justice of the claim or protecting the government in the event of a 
 fraudulent application. From July 1, 1865, to April 30, 1873, applications 
 for information from the various departments of the government, as well as 
 from the parties concerned, have been made in two hundred and thirty-eight 
 thousand three hundred and ninety-five cases. Answers have been re- 
 turned in two hundred and thirty-seven thousand two hundred and eighty- 
 nine of these, leaving but eleven hundred and six unreturned at the last date. 
 These came from the following offices : 
 
 RECEIVED. RETURNED. REMAINING. 
 
 Adjutant General, 74,464, 74,167, 297. 
 
 Commissioner of Pensions, 140,096, 139,294, 802.' 
 
 Paymaster General, 11,972, 11,972, 
 
 Miscellaneous, 11,863, 11,856, 7. 
 
 The supplying of artificial limbs to disabled soldiers was placed in charge 
 of the Medical Department at an early period during the war. Up to the 
 thirtieth of April, 1873, there had been ftimished the following number and 
 variety : 
 
 I
 
 SINCE THE REBELLION. 261 
 
 Arms, 3,177 ; Legs, 5,894 ; Feet. 59 ; Apparatus for resections, 234 : 
 making a total of 9,364. 
 
 While these pages are passing through the press, information is received 
 that two more officers of the Corps have passed away from the scene of their 
 earthly usefulness. Brevet Brigadier General Madison Mills, after thirty-nine 
 years faithful sei-vice, in which he held many positions of trust and importance, 
 died at Fort Columbus, New York Harbor, on the twenty-ninth of April. The 
 following memorial circular, recently issued, gives the history of his military 
 career : 
 
 " WAR DEPARTMENT, 
 
 SuKGEON General's Office, 
 
 Washington, May 5, 1873. 
 
 The Surgeon General announces with regret to the Medical Corps the death of 
 one of its senior members, Surgeon and Brevet Brigadier General Madison Mills, 
 which occurred at Fort Columbus, New York Harbor, on the 28th of April. 
 
 Receiving his commission as Assistant Surgeon, U. S. A., in April, 1834, Surgeon 
 Mills' service extended over a period of thirty-nine years, during which it was his 
 fortune to take part in the Florida war, the war with Mexico, the Utah expedition of 
 1858 (as Medical Director) and the war of the Rebellion. He was Medical Director 
 of the Department of Tennessee (General Grant's Army) at the time of the siege and 
 surrender of Vicksburg, and in December, 1864, was appointed Medical Inspector 
 General, the duties of which position he discharged most satisfactorily. In November, 
 1864, the brevets of Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel and in April, 1865, that of Briga- 
 dier General were conferred upon him for faithful and meritorious services. 
 
 Possessed of unflinching determination and courage and guided by professional 
 abilities of a high order, his administration of tlie trusts c(Jnfided to him was marked 
 by a prompt efiiciency and sound judgment that secured successful results, even under 
 tlie most adverse circumstances. 
 
 J. K. BARNES, 
 
 Surgeon General, U. S. Arm;/." 
 
 Assistant Surgeon Thomas McMillin died of heart disease in the field 
 while chief medical officer of the forces operating against the Modoc Indians in 
 Oregon. As Medical Purveyor of the Army of the Potomac in 1862 and 
 1863 he contributed greatly by his efficient management of this important 
 charge to the admirable medical service of the campaigns in which that army 
 was engaged, and subsequently as surgeon in charge of the hospital transports 
 " Baltic" and " J. K. Barnes " superintended the transfer of many thousand 
 sick and wounded soldiers from various points at the south to northern hospi- 
 tals, performing all his duties to the entire satisfaction of the Department. His 
 excellent personal traits caused him to be as much beloved as he was officially 
 respected. 
 
 Ninety-eight years have now elapsed since the first humble beginning of^
 
 262 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 the Anny Medical Department at the siege of Boston. The successors of those 
 pioneers in American military surgery can say with pride that during that long 
 period they have taken no step backward. Under the leadership of such wise 
 and accomplished chiefs as Morgan, Shippen, Cochran, Tilton, Lovell and 
 Lawson the Corps steadily advanced from the inchoate condition of its birth to 
 the comparative perfection in organization, discipline and learning to which it had 
 attained on the outbreak of the Rebellion. Under their equally distinguished 
 successors, who were forced to meet the emergencies of a gigantic campaign 
 with an experience gained on the most limited scale, the Corps proved true to 
 its past record, and has astonished the world, not less by the vastness of it 
 operations than by the success of their accomplishment. During the Revolu- 
 tion we but copied the systems in vogue in European araiies, and unavailingly 
 endeavored to adapt them to the partisan warfare which characterized the cam- 
 paigns of that period. To-day the great surgeons of Europe recognize their 
 indebtedness to us for much that constitutes progress in military medicine, 
 hygiene and surgery, and European governments send special commissions to 
 avail themselves of the vast treasures of experience accumulated by the Medical 
 Department in our last great war. In the past history of the Medical Corps, 
 in the gradual increase of its reputation and usefiilness, in the high esteem in 
 which it has always been held by the rest of the army, in the distinguished 
 names which have adorned its ranks, as well as in the encomiums which have 
 recently been so freely accorded to it, there is every encouragement to maintain 
 a high standard of individual and professional integrity, and the esprit dv corps 
 which is so important an element of its very existence. 
 
 the end.
 
 APPENDIX. 263 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 A. 
 
 Reoisteu of Medical Officers who served to the close of the Revolution 
 
 AND WERE discharged IN 1783. 
 
 As it is impossible at this date to ascertain the names of all the medical of&cers who 
 served during the Revolutionary war, those only are given in the following table who 
 are known to have been honorably discharged at the termination of hostilities. The 
 list has been obtained from Force's American Archives, from pension returns and 
 Revolutionary muster rolls. The roster of hospital surgeons is believed to be very 
 nearly complete ; that of the regimental medical officers is necessarily imperfect from 
 lack of data to ascertain to what regiments many officers were attached, from the 
 want of uniformity in the nomenclature of regiments, and from the fact that during 
 the last year of the war many officers availed themselves of the indefinite furlough 
 granted to all officers, and were never discharged at all. 
 
 The hospital officers are arranged according to rank, those attached to regiments 
 by states. 
 
 GENERAL STAFF. 
 
 Director. 
 John Cochran, of New York. 
 
 Deputy Director. 
 David Olyphant, of South Carolina. 
 
 Physician to the Army. 
 James Craik, of Virginia. 
 
 Purveyor. 
 Thomas Bond, of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Assistant Purveyors. 
 Isaac Ledyard, of New York, N. Brownson, of South Carolina. 
 
 Apothecary General. 
 Andrew Craigie, of New York. 
 
 Apothecaries. 
 J. B. Cutting, of New York, Henry C. Flagg, of South Carolina.
 
 264 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Hospital Surgeons. 
 
 1. Malachi Treat, of New York, 
 
 2. Charles McKniglit, of New York. 
 
 3. Peter Fayssoux, of South Carolina. 
 
 4. James Tilton, of Delaware. 
 
 5. Samuel Adams, of Mass. 
 
 6. David Townshend, of Mass. 
 
 7. Henry Latimer, of Delaware. 
 
 8. Philip Turner, of Connecticut. 
 
 9. William Burnet, of New Jersey. 
 
 10. John Warren, of Mass. 
 
 11. William Eustis, of Mass. 
 
 12. George Draper, of New York. 
 
 I 
 
 13. Barnabas Binney, of Penn. 
 
 14. Robert Johnson, of Penn. 
 
 15. William Read, of South Carolina. 
 
 16. Joseph Young, of New York. 
 
 17. Goodwin Wilson, of Penn. 
 
 18. Daniel Jenifer, of Maryland. 
 
 19. Samuel Edmondston, of Maryland. 
 
 20. George Campbell, of New York. 
 
 21. Thomas T. Tucker, of South Carolina. 
 
 22. Samuel Vickers, of South Carolina. 
 28. William Barnett, of New Jersey. 
 24. Thomas Tillotson, of Maryland. 
 
 Hospital Surgeon's Mates. 
 Andrew Caldwell, of Penn. Joseph Savage, of Virginia. 
 
 W. Hooker Smith, do George Yates, do 
 
 John A. Saple, do Samuel J. Axson, of South Carolina. 
 
 George Stevenson, do Charles Lochman, do 
 
 REGIMENTAL STAFF. 
 
 Surgeons. 
 
 Mathew Mans, of Penn. Invalid Corps. 
 Robert R. Henry, First N. H. Regiment. 
 Ebenezer Stockton, Second N. H. do 
 Azel Washburn, Warner's N. H. do 
 Joseph Fisk, First Mass. do 
 
 John Hart, Second do do 
 
 Samuel Whitwell, Third Mass. do 
 
 Daniel Shute, Fourth do do 
 
 James B. E. Finley, Fifth do do 
 
 Henry Adams, Sixth do do 
 
 Samuel Finley, Seventh do do 
 
 John Thomas, Eighth do do 
 
 John DuflBeld, Crane's do Artillery. 
 Samuel Tenney, First R. I. Regiment. 
 David Adams, Durkee's Conn. do 
 Noah Coleman, C. Webb's do do 
 Timothy Mather, Swift's do do 
 .John Rose, Webb's do do 
 
 John Noyes, Starr's do do 
 
 Thomas Skinner, Russell's do do 
 John R. Watrous, Wyllis' do do 
 Ebenezer Crosby, Guard's do do 
 Caleb Sweet, First New York do 
 Daniel Minnema, Second do do 
 
 Kenlock Woodruff, Third do do 
 
 John T. Vache, Fourth do do 
 
 Ebenezer Elmer, Third New Jersey Reg't. 
 John McDowell, First Penn. do 
 
 Richard Allison, Second do do 
 
 James Jones, Third do do 
 
 Alexander Stewart, Third do do 
 
 Reading Beatty, Fourth do Artillery. 
 James Davidson, Fifth do Regiment. 
 Joseph Brown, Seventh do do 
 Hugh Martin, Eighth do do 
 Andrew Ladley, Twelfth do do 
 Alexander McCoskey, Artificer do 
 Thomas McCalla, Fourth Penn. Dragoons. 
 
 William Adams, do Artillery. 
 
 Reuben Gilder, First Delaware Regiment. 
 Louis Denwood, Maryland Infantry. 
 William Kilty, do do 
 
 Walter Warfield, do do 
 
 Thomas Chryslie, First Virginia Regiment. 
 David Holmes, Second do do 
 
 Joseph Davis, Third do do 
 
 Robert Rose, First Va. Light Dragoons. 
 John Trezvant, Second Va. do 
 James Wallace, Third do do 
 Alexander Skinner, Lee's Va. Legion. 
 Joseph Blyth, First N. C. Regiment. 
 William McClure, do do Dragoons. (?)
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 265 
 
 Surgeons Continued. 
 
 Samuel Cook, Fifth New York Regiment. 
 Thomas Reed, Livingston's N. Y. do 
 Nicholas Schuyler, Hazen's do do 
 .Jacob Harris, First New Jersey do 
 Garret Tunison, Second do do 
 
 James Martin, South Carolina Infantry. 
 Frederick Sunn, do do 
 
 James Houston, do do 
 
 Benjamin Tetard, do do 
 
 Surgeons ichose 
 Ezekiel Brown, of Mass. 
 Daniel Bartlet, do 
 
 John Crane, do 
 
 Walter Hastings, do 
 Abij ah Richardson, do 
 Thaddeus Thompson, do 
 Timothy Hosmer, of Connecticut. 
 Peter Turner, of Rhode Island. 
 William McGaw, of Penn. 
 Peter Peres, do 
 
 regiments are unknown. 
 
 John R. B. Rodgers, of Penn. 
 Ezekiel Hame, of Maryland. 
 Richard Pindell, do 
 Cornelius Baldwin, of Virginia. 
 Mace Clement, do 
 
 George Munroe, do 
 
 Bazil Middleton, do 
 
 James Fergus, of North Carolina. 
 James W. Green, do 
 
 Solomon Hailing, do 
 
 Regimental Surgeon^ s Mates. 
 
 David Allen, First N. H. Regiment. 
 William Laughlin, First Mass. Reg't. 
 Origen Brigham, Second do 
 Francis L. B. Goodwin, Third do 
 Isaac G. Graham, Sproats' do 
 EbenezerBallentine, Tupper's Mass. Re't. 
 Justus Starrs, First Conn. Regiment. 
 Joseph Higgins, Second Conn, do 
 Isaac Bronson, Sheldon's do do 
 Eneas Manson, Webb's do do 
 
 Nicholas U. Bogart, First R. I. Reg't. 
 John Elliot, First New York do 
 
 Robert Harris, First Penn. do 
 
 John Wilkins, Third do do 
 
 Aaron WoodrufiF, Twelfth Penn. do 
 Joseph Thompson, Fourth Penn. Drag's. 
 Christopher Taylor, Invalid Corps. 
 Alexander Smith, Maryland Infantry. 
 Nathan Smith, Posey's Va. Regiment. 
 Claiborne Vaughan, First Va. Lt. Drag's. 
 
 17*
 
 26f> 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 KEGISTERS OF MEDICAL OFFICERS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNITED STATES ARMY. 
 
 In the following tables an attempt Las been made to give the military history of every officer of the 
 Corfs since the organization of the first infantry in 1789. For convenience sake they are divided into 
 three parts, the first embracing the period before the establishment of the office of Surgeon General, the 
 second the three years from 1818 to 1821, and the third the period after the reorganization of the Corps 
 in the latter year. Although this arrangement necessitates the repetition of a number of names it was 
 fonnd necessary, as the designations and duties of medical officers differed so much in each of these 
 periods as to render it impracticable to place them all under one heading. The first of the following 
 registers is as correct as it can be made, in view of the absence of any official Army Register previous to 
 1800, except two in manuscript, both of which were imperfect. The most of the information about the 
 medical officers of this period has been obtained from Gardner's " Dictionary of the Army," and it is prob- 
 able that some names have been omitted. The second and third registers are believed to be complete, 
 being taken entirely from the official records of the War Department. 
 
 FKOM 1789 TO 1818. 
 
 Name and date of commission. 
 
 Previous military service. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Phytician General. 
 
 James Ceaik, 19 July, 1798 Hos.sur. rev. army 1776 
 
 Ch.ho8.phy'n 6 Oct. 1780 
 
 Ch.phy'n & sur. of 
 
 army 3 Mar. 1781 
 
 Hos.sur. rev. army 1776 
 
 Hos.phy'n A sur... eOct. 1780 
 
 Del 
 
 Phygician and Surgeon General. 
 jAJfxS TiLTON 11 Jane, 1813 
 
 Apothecary General. 
 
 Fbakcu Le Barbon..!! June, 13|8ur. mate, U. S. N.. Dec. 1800 Mass . 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 26 Mar. 1802 
 
 Gar. sur Dec. 1808 
 
 Atsistant Apothecaries General. 
 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 La 
 
 Gar. 8ur. mate 10 June, 1809 N. Y.. 
 
 David Neilson 3 Dec. 12 
 
 James Cutbush 2 Aug. 14 
 
 Christopher Backu8..12 Aug. 
 
 Richard Brownell 16 Nov. 
 
 Joseph West 16 Nov. 
 
 David Low 16 Nov. 
 
 Cornelius Cunningham .Tone, 15iQar. sur. mate 16 Oct. I8IO1D. C. 
 
 Surgeons. j 
 
 Richard Allison ...29 Sep. 1789 Snr. rev.ann7 . 
 
 Joseph Waldo Mar. 91 1 Sur. under the con- 
 federation 9 Aug. 1787 
 
 John Elliott.....^ Mar. 8ur.mate,inf.reg...29 Sep. 1789!n.Y... 
 
 Penn. 
 
 Disbanded 15 June, 1800. 
 
 Disbanded 15 June, 181.'). 
 
 Prov. ret Jnne, 1815. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1815. 
 
 Prov. ret May, 1816. 
 
 Prov. ret Jnne, 1816. 
 
 Disbanded Jnne, 1815. 
 
 Died 17 Dec. 1814. 
 
 Disbanded Juno, 1815. 
 
 Resigned 31 Mar. 1820. 
 
 Inf.rcg 29 Sep. 1789. 
 
 Gen. Staff Apr. 1792. 
 
 Out of service in 1798. 
 
 Levies of. 1791. 
 
 Disbanded 1792. 
 
 1 inf. Mar. 1791. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1802.
 
 REGISTER. 
 
 267 
 
 Name ani^ date of commiseion. 
 
 Previous military service. 
 
 .3 3 
 = S 
 
 Surgeons Oontinusd. 
 
 John F. Carmicha;! Mar. 1792 Sur. mate, 1 inf., ....29 Sep. 1789 
 Sur. mate, 2 inf..... Mar. 1791 
 
 John M.Scott Apr. 
 
 Natlian Hay ward Apr. 
 
 Charles Brown 2 June,94 
 
 Joseph Phillips June,96 
 
 George Gillaspie 3 Mar. 97 
 
 William McCoskry.... 30 Apr. 98 
 
 James Scanlan 14 June, 
 
 John Chetwood 1 Apr. 99 
 
 Francis H. Peyton July, 
 
 Oliver Mann July, 
 
 Robert Geddes July, 
 
 Joseph Trowbridge... July, 
 
 Edward Conrad July, 
 
 Charles Blake July, 
 
 William Hurst Sep. 
 
 Samuel Finley Sep. 
 
 Roger Cutler 24 Apr. 1800 
 
 David Davis Mar. 02 
 
 Oliver H. Spencer 9 Oct. 04 
 
 Isaac Davis 12 Dec. 
 
 Alfred Thruston 12 Dec. 
 
 Dennis Claude 12 Dec. 
 
 Smith Cutter .12 Dec. 
 
 Josiah D. Foster 12 Dec. 
 
 William Upshaw 12 Dec. 
 
 Lewis Dunham 12 Dec. 
 
 Francis Le Barron Dec. 
 
 John Moncure Daniel 7 July, 09 
 Richard Shubrick 8 Aug. 
 
 Sur. mate, inf. reg..29 Sep. Vd 
 
 Sur.mate under con- 
 federation 1 May, 1787 
 
 Sur. mate. art. bat..29 Sep. 1789 
 
 Sur. mate levies 1791 
 
 Sur.mate 11 Apr. 1792 
 
 Sur. mate levies 1791 
 
 Sur. mate,l sub.leg.ll Apr. 1792 
 
 Sur. mate levies 1791 
 
 Sur mate, 2 inf. Mar. 1792 
 
 N.J. 
 
 N. J... 
 
 Mass. 
 
 Penn. 
 N. J... 
 
 N.Y.., 
 Penn. 
 Md.... 
 N. J.. 
 Va.... 
 Mass. 
 
 Md 
 
 Conn. 
 
 Va 
 
 Mass. 
 
 Sur.mate, 1 sub.leg. 1796 
 
 4 inf. Nov. 1796 
 
 Sur. mate, 7 inf..... 13 Mar. 1807 
 Sur.mate 24 Mar. 1804 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 26 Mar. 1802 
 
 Penn. 
 N.Y.. 
 
 N. C, 
 
 La.... 
 Penn. 
 
 Tenn. 
 Md...., 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Mass. 
 
 Va.... 
 N.J., 
 
 Va... 
 8. C, 
 
 3 sub. leg Mar. 1792. 
 
 4inf Nov. 1796. 
 
 Post sur Mar. 1799. 
 
 Retained in 3 inf..... Feb. 1801. 
 
 Gar. sur Mar. 1802. 
 
 Resigned 27 June, 1804. 
 
 2 sub. leg Apr. 1792. 
 
 Resigned Jan. 1797. 
 
 3 sub. leg Apr. 1792. 
 
 Resigned May, 1796. 
 
 1 art. & eng 2 June, 1794. 
 
 Disbanded 1 June, 1802. 
 
 3 sub. leg June, 1796. 
 
 3inf Nov. 1796. 
 
 Disbanded 1 June, 1802. 
 
 2 inf. 3 Mar. 1797. 
 
 Trans, to Navy Mar. 1798. 
 
 2 inf. 30 Apr. 1798. 
 
 Resigned 1 Feb. 1802. 
 
 2 art. & eng 14 June, 1798. 
 
 Disbanded 1 June, 1802. 
 
 11 inf. 1 Apr. 1799. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1800. 
 
 7 inf. July, 1799. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1800. 
 
 15 inf July, 1799. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1800. 
 
 9 inf. July, 1799. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1800. 
 
 13 inf. July, 1799. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1800. 
 
 8 inf. July, 1799. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1800. 
 
 14 inf. July, 1799. 
 
 Ret. as sur.mate 1 inf Mar. 1801. 
 
 In 2 art & eng Oct. 1801. 
 
 Retained Apr. 1802. 
 
 Resigned June, 1805. 
 
 10 inf. Sep. 1799. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1800. 
 
 12 inf. Sep. 1799. 
 
 Resigned 1800. 
 
 6 inf. 24 Apr. 1800. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1800. 
 
 Post surg Mar. 1802. 
 
 Resigned 20 Jan. 1808. 
 
 Gar. sur 9 Oct. 1804. 
 
 Resigned 20 June, 1814. 
 
 6 inf. 12 Dec. 1808. 
 
 ligned 21 May, 1813. 
 
 Sur. 3 inf. 21 May, 1814. 
 
 Died,Montgom'y,Ala21 July, 1814. 
 
 7 inf. 12 Dec. 1808. 
 
 Resigned 9 Feb. 1812. 
 
 Lt. art.reg Dec. 1808. 
 
 Resigned. Oct. 1810. 
 
 Rifle reg 12 Dec. 1808. 
 
 Resigned 18 Apr. 1811. 
 
 4 inf. 12 Dec. 1808. 
 
 Hos. sur .25 Apr. 1812. 
 
 Died 1813. 
 
 5 inf. 12 Dec. 1808. 
 
 ligned 10 June, 1811. 
 
 Lt. Drag. 12 Dec. 1808. 
 
 Ret. in It. art May, 1815. 
 
 Resigned 21 May, 1819. 
 
 Gar. sur Dec. 1808. 
 
 Promoted 11 June, 1813. 
 
 Hos. sur 7 July, 1809. 
 
 Died 8 Oct. 1813. 
 
 3 inf. 8 Aug. 1809. 
 
 Died May, 1814.
 
 268 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 Name and date of commission. 
 
 Previous military service. 
 
 2 . 
 
 3 a 
 
 Surgeons Continued. 
 
 James V. Stewart Feb. 11 
 
 Adam Hays 10 Feb. 12 
 
 John Irwin 
 
 AdamG.Goodlet, jr...lO Feb. 
 
 James Norcum 12 Mar. 
 
 Alex. Montgomery.. ..12 Mar. 
 
 Wm. Wilmot Hall 24 Mar. 
 
 Giles Gridley 9 Apr. 
 
 Samuel Clarke 14 Apr. 
 
 Ephraim Brewster... .14 Apr. 
 
 Fenn Demtng 14 Apr. 
 
 Stephen D. Beekman.l4 Apr. 
 Garret .Pendergra8t2d Apr. 
 James C. Bronaugh...28 Apr. 
 
 David C. Ker 30 Apr. 
 
 Jacob DeLaMotta..... 1 May, 
 
 Joeeph liovell 15 May, 
 
 Samuel Gilliland .15 May, 
 
 Wm. Henry Brown. ..15 May, 
 
 John Young 4 June, 
 
 Wm. Horace Buckner 6 July, 
 
 Joeeph F. Lee 6 July, 
 
 George Bates- 6 July, 
 
 Silaa Fuller 6 July, 
 
 Samuel Akerly 6 July, 
 
 John Watts, jr 6 July, 
 
 John Parker Gough.. 6 July, 
 
 Wm. H. Williams July, 
 
 George Phillips 14 Sep. 
 
 Jonathan Shaw 29 Sep. 
 
 John Y. Lansing 1 Oct. 
 
 Gar. BUT. mate 27 Feb. 1807 
 
 Sur. U. S.N 28 Sep. 1811 
 
 Sur. mate, 9 inf.....l2 Dec. 1808 
 
 Md.... 
 Penn. 
 
 Ky.... 
 
 Ky.... 
 
 N.C.. 
 Ky.... 
 
 Md.... 
 
 Mass. 
 Mass. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 N.Y.. 
 Penn. 
 Va.... 
 
 Va 
 
 S. C. 
 
 Mass. 
 
 Penn. 
 Va.... 
 Md.... 
 Va.... 
 
 S. C. 
 Mass. 
 Conn. 
 N.Y.. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 S. C... 
 N.C... 
 Ga.... 
 
 Vt 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Lt. art Feb. 
 
 Died, Fort Penn, Del.24 Dec. 
 
 5 inf. 10 Feb. 
 
 Hos. sur 30 Mar. 
 
 Disbanded 15 June, 
 
 Hos. sur 
 
 Act.Sur.Gen.Ky.Vol. 
 Killed at river RaiBin22 Jan. 
 
 7 inf. .10 Feb. 
 
 Ket. in 3 inf May, 
 
 Resigned 1 Oct. 
 
 10 inf. 12 Mar. 
 
 Resigned 1 Jan. 
 
 17 inf. 12 Mar. 
 
 Killed, under Gen'l 
 Winchester, at river 
 
 Raisin 22 Jan. 
 
 Rifle reg 24 Mar. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate .21 Apr. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 25 inf. 9 Apr. 
 
 Dropped 15 Feb. 
 
 Hos. sur 14 Apr. 
 
 Resigned 
 
 14 Apr. 
 
 Died 11 Sep. 
 
 15 inf. 14 Apr. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 13 inf. 14 Apr. 
 
 Resigned 1 Oct. 
 
 Hos. sur .25 Apr. 
 
 Resigned 3 May, 
 
 12 inf. 28 Apr. 
 
 Hos. sur 15 Apr. 
 
 Promoted 18 Apr. 
 
 Hos. sur .30 Apr. 
 
 Retained May, 
 
 Post sur. (declined).. Apr. 
 
 2 art 1 May, 
 
 Ret.as Bur.mate,4 inf. 
 
 (declined) Sep. 
 
 9 inf. 15 May, 
 
 Hos. sur 30 June, 
 
 Sur. Gen .18 Apr. 
 
 16 inf. 15 May, 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 20 inf. 15 May, 
 
 Resigned 2 July, 
 
 14 inf. 4 June, 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 2 It. drag 6 July, 
 
 Ret. as sur. mate Sep. 
 
 4 inf. Sep. 
 
 Post sur Apr. 
 
 18 inf. 6 July, 
 
 Resigned 15 May, 
 
 21 inf. 6 July, 
 
 Resigned 1 Oct. 
 
 23 inf. 6 July, 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 Hos. Bur 6 July, 
 
 Disbanded .15 June, 
 
 3 art 6 July, 
 
 Resigned 16 Apr. 
 
 Hos. sur 6 July, 
 
 Resigned Aug. 
 
 24 inf. July, 
 
 Resigned 9 Sep. 
 
 "inf. 14 Sep. 
 
 Resigned 3 Nov. 
 
 11 inf. 29 Sep. 
 
 Neg'ed by Senate .... 3 Feb. 
 
 13 inf. lOct. 
 
 Resigned 21 Sep.
 
 REGISTER. 
 
 269 
 
 Juliu8 B. Shumate. ..31 Dec. 
 South worth Harlow. 51 Dec. 
 
 Levi Rogers 28 Jan. 1 
 
 Sylvester Day 13 Mar. 
 
 William M. Ross 18 Mar. 
 
 Tobias P. Cambridge. Mar. 
 
 Samuel Shaw 6 Apr. 
 
 Gordon P. Spencer.... 7 Apr. 
 William R. Waring. ..11 Apr. 
 John Hamm 16 Apr. 
 
 Henry Skinner 24 Apr. 
 
 Jotham Forbes 30 Apr. 
 
 Perley F. Groves 30 Apr. 
 
 William Turner Apr. 
 
 Thomas Lawson May, 
 
 Hozea Blood 5 May, 
 
 John White 17 May, 
 
 Elijah Butts 20 May, 
 
 William McCaw 20 May, 
 
 George D. Proctor 11 June, 
 
 Peleg S. Blason 29 June, 
 
 Benj. Waterhouse 29 June, 
 
 Thomas Akin 29 June, 
 
 Martin Jennison 1 July, 
 
 John R. Martin 2 July, 
 
 Marcus C. Buck 2 July, 
 
 Thomas P. Hall 10 July, 
 
 Truman Powell 19 July, 
 
 Wright Tucker 19 July, 
 
 Samuel McKeehan...29 July, 
 
 Squier Lea 1 Aug. 
 
 Amasa Trowbridge... 1 Aug. 
 Ezekiel W. Bull 9 Aug. 
 
 Sur. mate, U. S. N.. 4 Jan. ISlOjPenn. 
 Oar. 8ur. mate 26 Mar. 1802 Mass. 
 
 Ohio 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 9 Dec. 1807 Vt 
 
 Sur. mate, 23 inf... 6 July, 1812 N. Y. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 2 July, 1812 Penn. 
 
 Resigned 20 Jan. 1813 
 
 Sur. mate, 2 inf.. ...30 July, 1807 
 
 Gar. sur. mate. 9 July, 1810 
 
 Sur. mate, U. S. N.. 1 May, 1809 
 
 6 inf .28 Jan. 1811 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 6 July, 1812 
 
 Sur. mate, 18 iD.... 1 May, 1812 
 
 Sur. mate, O. Vol... 
 
 N. H. 
 S. C... 
 Ohio. 
 
 Mass. 
 Me... 
 Md.... 
 Va.... 
 Ky.... 
 
 Md 
 
 Conn. 
 S. C... 
 Ga.... 
 
 Vt 
 
 Mass. 
 S. C... 
 
 Mass. 
 Va.... 
 
 Md.... 
 Vt... 
 
 Ohio. 
 
 N.Y., 
 D.C.. 
 
 22 inf. 31 Dec. 
 
 Killed 1 Sep. 
 
 8 inf. .31 Dec 
 
 Ist It. 21 inf. 
 
 Resigned Apr. 
 
 19 inf. 28 Jan. 
 
 Dismissed .30 Sep. 
 
 5 inf. .13 Mar. 
 
 Post sur 
 
 Hos. sur ......18 Mar. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 Lt. art Mar. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate Sep. 
 
 Prov. ret Sep. 
 
 Resigned 1 May, 
 
 Hos. sur 6 Apr. 
 
 Retained Sep. 
 
 Post sur 18 Apr. 
 
 Resigned 31 Dec. 
 
 11 inf. 7 Apr. 
 
 Dismissed 30 Jan. 
 
 8 inf. 11 Apr. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 27 inf. 16 Apr. 
 
 Trans, to 19 inf 
 
 Resigned 6 July, 
 
 2 inf. 24 Apr. 
 
 Resigned 11 July, 
 
 34 inf. 30 Apr. 
 
 Resigned Aug. 
 
 33 inf. 30 Apr. 
 
 Resigned 1 Aug. 
 
 17 inf. Apr. 
 
 Resigned 31 Jan. 
 
 6 inf. May, 
 
 Retained May, 
 
 Hos. sur 5 May, 
 
 Ret. as post sur May, 
 
 Died 12 Sep. 
 
 32 inf. 17 May, 
 
 Resigned Nov. 
 
 37 inf. ....20 May, 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 Hob. sur 20 May, 
 
 Dismissed 22 Mar. 
 
 Hos. sur .11 June, 
 
 Disbanded .15 June, 
 
 31 inf. 29 June, 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 Hos. but .29 June, 
 
 Prov. ret May, 
 
 Hos. sur 29 June, 
 
 Disbanded 15 June, 
 
 29 inf. July, 
 
 Resigned 30 June, 
 
 Hos. sur 2 July, 
 
 Disbanded 15 June, 
 
 !20inf. 2 July, 
 
 JRet. in 4 inf. May, 
 
 'Resigned 4 Sep. 
 
 |36inf. 10 July, 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 30 inf. 19 July, 
 
 Resigned 11 Jan. 
 
 .35 inf. 19 July, 
 
 Resigned 5 Oct. 
 
 18 inf. 29 July, 
 
 Resigned 18 Jan. 
 
 44 inf. 1 Aug. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 21 inf 1 Aug. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 Hos. sur 9 Aug. 
 
 Disbanded 15 June, 
 
 1812. 
 1813. 
 1812. 
 1812. 
 1813. 
 1813. 
 1813. 
 1813. 
 1818. 
 1813. 
 1815. 
 1813. 
 1814. 
 1815. 
 1816. 
 1813. 
 1815. 
 1818. 
 1818. 
 1813. 
 1815. 
 1813. 
 181 .i. 
 1813. 
 1814. 
 1814. 
 1813. 
 1814. 
 1813. 
 1814. 
 1813. 
 1814. 
 1813. 
 1815. 
 1813. 
 1815. 
 1813. 
 1816. 
 1816. 
 1813. 
 1813. 
 1813. 
 1815. 
 1813. 
 1814. 
 1813. 
 1815. 
 1813. 
 1815. 
 1813. 
 1815. 
 1813. 
 1815. 
 1813. 
 1814. 
 1813. 
 1815. 
 1813. 
 1815. 
 1815. 
 1813. 
 1815. 
 1813. 
 1814. 
 1813. 
 1813. 
 1813. 
 1815. 
 1813. 
 1815. 
 1813. 
 1815. 
 1813. 
 1815.
 
 270 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Name and date of commission. 
 
 Previous military service. 
 
 B 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Surgeons Continued. 
 Samuel A. Walsh 9 Aug. 
 
 N.Y. 
 
 Wm. Newton Mercer Aug. Hoe. sur. mate 18 May, 1813 Va.-. 
 
 .TohnNeilson .30 Sep. 
 
 William Thomas 18 Feb. 14 
 
 Foster Swift 18 Feb. 
 
 Daniel Turney Feb. 
 
 Moses H. Elliott 11 Mar. 
 
 Henry Hnntt .17 Mar. 
 
 Thomas 0. WatkiD8..17 Mar. 
 Phinehas Woodbury. Mar. 
 
 Louis Liv'ston Near.. Mar. 
 
 Egbert H.Bell Mar. 
 
 .Alexander Blair Mar. 
 
 Jabez W. Heustis 2 Apr. 
 
 Edward Scull 8 Apr. 
 
 Hugh Stanard 19 Apr. 
 
 John Bogers Apr. 
 
 Aaron M. Smith 21 Apr. 
 
 John Trevdtt 18 Apr. 
 
 Charles Marvin Apr. 
 
 Henry F. Hall Apr. 
 
 Franklin Bache Apr. 
 
 William H. Wilson... Apr. 
 Nathaniel L. Bonlden Apr. 
 
 John L. Ford .21 May, 
 
 Stephen Bapalje 14 June, 
 
 William Purris 21 June, 
 
 Pryor Quarles 26 June, 
 
 Thomas O. Mower 30 Jane, 
 
 iGar. sur. mate. 
 Ho8. sur. mate. 
 
 Aug. 1799;n.Y. 
 7 July, 1809 N.Y. 
 
 ....Mass 
 
 Sur. mate, 19 inf...31 Dec. 1812iOhio 
 Mass 
 
 Sur. mate, 25 inf... 6 July, 1812 
 
 Sur. mate, 2 art.. 
 Sur. mate, 10 inf.. 
 Sur. mate, 5 idf .. 
 
 . 6 July, 1812 
 .12 Mar. 1812 
 . 6 July, 1812 
 
 Md.... 
 Tenn. 
 Vt 
 
 Del .. 
 N.C.. 
 Penn. 
 
 La. 
 
 Sar.Ind.vol 7 Nov. 1811 Penn. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate. 
 Hoe. sur. mate.. 
 
 .20 May, 1813 
 .15 July, 1813 
 
 Gar. BUT. mate 
 
 Sur. mate, 19 inf.. 
 
 Sur. mate, 32 inf... 
 Sur. mate, 32 inf... 
 
 N.Y. 
 DeL.. 
 
 .. 8 Apr. 1814 DeL... 
 . Mar. 1812 Ohio. 
 
 .17 May, ISlSjMd... 
 .17 May, 1813! Penn. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate... 
 Hob. but. mate. 
 
 .26 Apr. 1812!n.Y.. 
 . 9 July. 1813 
 
 Sur. 2 N. Y. vol. 
 
 1813 
 
 Sur. mate, in.... 2 Dec. 1812 
 
 Del... 
 N.Y.. 
 Tenn. 
 
 Va 
 
 Mass. 
 
 Sur. Mil. Acad 9 
 
 Retained 
 
 Post sur 
 
 .Resigned 1 
 
 .22 inf. 
 
 Trans, to 19 inf. 
 
 jHos. sur .22 
 
 iRet. as post sur 
 
 .41 inf. 30 
 
 {Disbanded 
 
 .Hos. sur 18 
 
 iRet. as sur. rifle reg.. 
 
 Resigned 15 
 
 Gar. sur 18 
 
 Post sur 
 
 2rifle8 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 40 inf. 11 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 Post sur 7 
 
 Sur. 4inf 
 
 iHo8. sur .17 
 
 Disbanded 15 
 
 3 rifles .17 
 
 Resigned 
 
 25 inf 
 
 Ret. in 8 inf. 
 
 Died 
 
 4 rifles 
 
 Ret. (declined) 
 
 10 inf. 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 .;5inf. 
 
 Ret. as hos. sor. mate 
 
 (declined) 
 
 2 inf. 2 
 
 Resigned 31 
 
 Post sur 12 
 
 19 inf 8 
 
 Trans, to 22inC 
 
 linf. 
 
 Died, Pass Christian, 
 Miss .28 
 
 26 inf 19 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 22 inf 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 27 inf. 21 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 Post sur 18 
 
 Prov. rut.as sur.mate 
 
 26 inf 
 
 Trans, to 1 rifles 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 42 inf 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 32 inf. 
 
 Ret. in 2 inf 
 
 Resigned 1 
 
 45 inf 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 28 inf 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 Hos sar .21 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 46 inf 14 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 39 inf. 21 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 35 inf. 25 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 9 inf. .30 
 
 Ret. in 6 inf. 
 
 Aug. 
 May, 
 Apr. 
 Oct. 
 Aug. 
 
 Nov. 
 
 May, 
 
 Sep. 
 
 June, 
 
 Feb. 
 
 Sep. 
 
 Nov. 
 
 Feb. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Feb. 
 
 June, 
 
 Mar. 
 
 June, 
 
 Nov. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 June, 
 
 Mar. 
 
 Nov. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 May, 
 
 Mar. 
 
 May, 
 
 Mar. 
 
 June, 
 
 Mar. 
 
 Sep. 
 Apr. 
 Mar. 
 Nov. 
 Apr. 
 
 May, 
 
 Nov. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 June, 
 
 Apr. 
 
 June, ' 
 
 Apr. 
 
 June, ' 
 
 Apr. 
 
 June, 
 
 Apr. 
 
 May, 
 
 June, ' 
 
 Apr. 
 
 June, ' 
 
 Apr. 
 
 May, 
 
 July, 
 
 Apr. 
 
 June, : 
 
 Apr. 
 
 June, '. 
 
 May, 
 
 June, '. 
 
 June, 
 
 June, '. 
 
 June, 
 
 June, : 
 
 June, '. 
 
 June, ' 
 
 June, 
 
 May,
 
 REGISTER. 
 
 271 
 
 Name and date of coinniission. 
 
 Surgeons Continued 
 Jas. II. McCuUoh, jr..l7 July, 14 
 Rogers M. Byrne 20 July, 
 
 German Senter 9 July, 
 
 Harry C. Bradford July, 
 
 James Mease....'. 2 Sep. 
 
 John McCall Sep. 
 
 Hanson Catlett Sep. 
 
 John Gale 
 
 Arnold Elzey 17 May, 15 
 
 Jonathan S. Cool 24 Apr. 16 
 
 Alexander Walcott... Apr. 
 
 Lemuel B. Clark Apr. 
 
 Solomon Walcott Apr. 
 
 William Turner Apr. 
 
 Thomas J. C. Monroe May, 
 
 William C. Lane Aug. 
 
 William S. Madison... Oct. 
 
 Samuel B. Smith 12 Nov. 
 
 Edwin Wyatt 17 Feb. 17 
 
 George A. Carroll 17 Feb. 
 
 Samuel Ayer 17 Feb. 
 
 William Baker 20 June, 
 
 Mordecai Hale .'.13 Feb. 18 
 
 Surgeon's Mates. 
 John F. Carmich8el29 Sep. 1789 
 
 John Elliott 29 Sep. 
 
 Joshua Sumner 29 Sep. 
 
 John M.Scott 29 Sep. 
 
 Nathan Hayward 29 Sep. 
 
 Charles Brown Mar. 91 
 
 Victor Qrasson Mar. 
 
 Joseph Phillips Mar. 
 
 Previous military service. 
 
 Sur. mate, 3 art 14 Apr. 1812 
 
 Sur. mate, 24 inf... 9 Aug. 1813 
 
 Sur. mate, 13 inf...l6 Apr. 1812 
 
 5 S 
 
 Md.... 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Mass. 
 Ohio. 
 Penn. 
 N.Y.. 
 Ky.... 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 26 Mar. 1804 
 
 Resigned 23 Nov. 18041 
 
 Sur. mate 18 Feb. 1813| 
 
 Sur. mate, 23 inf... 6 July, 1812iN. H 
 
 Gar. 
 Gar. 
 Gar. 
 Gar. 
 Gar. 
 
 Gar. 
 
 Sur. 
 Gar. 
 Gar. 
 
 sur. mate 15 Apr. 
 
 sur. mate 28 Jan. 
 
 sur. mate 2S Mar. 
 
 sur. mate 4 Jan. 
 
 sur. mate 8 Apr. 
 
 sur. mate 29 Sep. 
 
 mate, 6 inf.. ...12 Sep. 
 
 sur. mate Apr. 
 
 sur. mate 15 Sep. 
 
 1814 
 
 1811 
 
 1812 
 
 1808 
 
 1814 
 
 1812 
 1811 
 1814 
 1814 
 
 D.C.. 
 N. J.. 
 Conn. 
 Md.... 
 Del... 
 R.L.. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Sur. mate, 17 inf... 2 Dec. 1812 
 
 Tenn. 
 Md.... 
 
 Sur.mate under con- 
 federation 1 May, 1787 
 
 Ky.. 
 
 D. C. 
 N.Y... 
 
 N. J.., 
 
 N.Y.., 
 Conn. 
 N. J.. 
 Maes. 
 Penn. 
 
 Fr'ce. 
 
 Gar. sur 17 July, 
 
 Disbanded 24 Apr. 
 
 47 inf. 20 July, 
 
 30 inf. Nov. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 Re-ap.sur.mate 5 inf. Nov. 
 
 29 inf. 1 9 July, 
 
 Ret. as post sur May, 
 
 24 inf. July, 
 
 Resigned 14 Apr. 
 
 Hos. sur 2 Sep. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 13 inf. Sep. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 1 inf. Sep. 
 
 Ret. as post sur May, 
 
 34 inf. 
 
 Ret.sur.mate3inf... Sep. 
 
 Sur. rifle reg Apr. 
 
 Hos. sur 17 May, 
 
 Died 6 June, 
 
 Post sur 24 Apr. 
 
 Resigned 1 Sep. 
 
 Post sur Apr. 
 
 Resigned 1 Apr. 
 
 Post sur Apr. 
 
 Resigned ..,. 18 Oct. 
 
 Post sur Apr. 
 
 Resigned 15 Nov. 
 
 Post sur Apr. 
 
 Post sur May, 
 
 Post sur Aug. 
 
 Resigned 14 Nov. 
 
 3 inf. Oct. 
 
 Post sur 12 Nov. 
 
 Rifles .17 Feb. 
 
 Resigned Apr. 
 
 Post sur 17 Feb. 
 
 Resigned 24 Oct. 
 
 Post sur 17 Feb. 
 
 Resigned 9 Mar. 
 
 Post sur 20 June, 
 
 Resigned 12 Aug. 
 
 Post sur 13 Feb. 
 
 Inf. reg 29 Sep. 
 
 2 inf. Mar. 
 
 Promoted Mar. 
 
 Inf. reg 29 Sep. 
 
 Promoted Mar. 
 
 Inf. reg 29 Sep. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 Inf. reg 29 Sep. 
 
 Promoted Apr. 
 
 Art. bat 29 Sep. 
 
 Promoted Apr. 
 
 Butler's bat.Gibson's 
 
 reg., levies 
 
 Promoted 2 June, 
 
 Gaither's bat.Darke's 
 
 reg., levies 
 
 Killed in battle with 
 Indians on Maumee 
 
 river 4 Nov. 
 
 Patterson's bat. lev.. 
 
 1 sub. leg Apr. 
 
 Pi'omoted June, 
 
 814. 
 816. 
 814. 
 814. 
 815. 
 817. 
 814. 
 816. 
 814. 
 815. 
 814. 
 815. 
 814. 
 815. 
 814. 
 816. 
 
 814. 
 815. 
 
 818. 
 815. 
 818. 
 816. 
 816. 
 816. 
 817. 
 816. 
 817. 
 816.. 
 816. 
 816. 
 816. 
 
 816. 
 818. 
 816. 
 
 816. 
 
 817. 
 818. 
 
 .817. 
 818. 
 817. 
 818. 
 817. 
 818. 
 818. 
 
 1789. 
 1791. 
 1792. 
 1789. 
 1791. 
 1789. 
 1790. 
 1789. 
 1792. 
 1789. 
 1792. 
 
 1791. 
 1794. 
 
 1791. 
 1791. 
 1792. 
 1796.
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Name and date of coniniission. 
 
 Previous niilitary sei^ice. 
 
 SS 
 
 2 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Surgeon's Mates Continued. 
 Elijah Tisdale Mar. 91 
 
 .John Hamill Mar. 
 
 James Woodhouse.... Mar. 
 William McCoskry... Mar. 
 
 J. C. Wallace 5 Mar. 92 
 
 Qeorge Balfour 11 Apr. 
 
 Thomas Farley 11 Apr. 
 
 William A. McCrea...ll Apr. 
 
 John Sellman 11 Apr. 
 
 Jamee Clayton 11 Apr. 
 
 Thomas Hutchins 11 Apr. 
 
 Klihu Lyman 11 Apr. 
 
 Frederick Dalcho 11 Apr. 
 
 Thos. A. Claiborne 11 Apr. 
 
 .Toeeph Andrews 4 May, 
 
 Joseph Strong 4 May. 
 
 Charles Watrous 23 Feb. 93 
 
 Thoe. J. Vandyke 13 May, 94 
 
 Samuel H. Marlow....l3 May, 
 
 John Comman 13 May, 
 
 FrancisO.Brewster... 2 June, 
 
 Richard Griffith. 2 June, 
 
 Jno. Gorbam Coffin... 2 June, 
 
 JohnR.Lynch 2 June, 
 
 Samuel Osborne 1 June,96 
 
 Charles Rhodes 1 June, 
 
 Cyms Dart 1 June, 
 
 DaTid Davis 1 Jnne, 
 
 William Steele Ifar. 97 
 
 Bur Harrison 4 June,98 
 
 Thos. TilUngbast 4 Jane,e8 
 
 Penn. 
 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 
 Penn. 
 
 Va 
 
 Mass. 
 Del .. 
 Md...., 
 Del ... 
 Penn. 
 
 Ga 
 
 Md.... 
 
 Mass. 
 
 Conn. 
 Conn. 
 
 Del ... 
 
 Qa 
 
 Penn. 
 N. J... 
 Del... 
 Mass. 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Penn. 
 
 Ky 
 
 R.L.. 
 
 2 inf. Mar. 1791. 
 
 2 sub. leg Dec. 1792. 
 
 1 inf. Nov. 1796. 
 
 Resigned 31 Dec. 1797. 
 
 Bed'ger's bat.Darke'8 
 
 reg., levies 1791. 
 
 4 inf. .23 Feb. 1793. 
 
 Out 1798. 
 
 Clark's bat. Gibson's 
 
 reg., levies 1791. 
 
 Resigned 1792. 
 
 Butler's bat.Qibson's 
 
 reg., levies 1791. 
 
 2 inf. 1792. 
 
 Promoted 30 Apr. 1798. 
 
 3 inf. 5 Mar. 1792. 
 
 1 inf. Apr. 1801. 
 
 Disbanded 1 June, 1802. 
 
 3 sub. leg 11 Apr. 1792. 
 
 Sur. U. S. N 1798. 
 
 2 sub. leg 11 Apr. 1792. 
 
 Out 1798. 
 
 Gar.sur.mate 11 Apr. 1792. 
 
 Died 1801. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 11 Apr. 1792. 
 
 Resigned July, 1797. 
 
 Gar.sur.mate 11 Apr. 1792. 
 
 Resigned Apr. 1794. 
 
 Gar.sur.mate 11 Apr. 1792. 
 
 Resigned 14 Dec. 1793. 
 
 Gar.sur.mate 11 Apr. 1792. 
 
 Out 1796. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 11 Apr. 1792. 
 
 Lieut, art 1794. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate .11 Apr. 1792. 
 
 Out 1798. 
 
 4 sub. leg 4 May, 1792. 
 
 4 inf. Nov. 1796. 
 
 Out 1796. 
 
 2 sub. leg 4 May, 1792. 
 
 Resigned 1796. 
 
 1 sub. leg 23 Feb. 1793. 
 
 1 inf. Nov. 1796. 
 
 Out 1798. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 13 May, 1794. 
 
 Resigned 1807. 
 
 Gar. sur. matp 13 May, 1794. 
 
 Died 1795. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 13 May, 1794. 
 
 Out 1796. 
 
 lart. A eng 2 Jnne, 1794. 
 
 Resigned May, 1796. 
 
 1 art. A eng 2 June, 1794. 
 
 Resigned May, 1796. 
 
 1 art. & eng 2 June, 1794. 
 
 Out 1798. 
 
 1 art. & eng 2 Jnne, 1794. 
 
 Out 1798. 
 
 Art. A eng 1 June, 1796. 
 
 Out 1798. 
 
 Art. A eng 1 June, 1796. 
 
 Died _. Jan. 1797. 
 
 2 sub. leg 1 June, 1796. 
 
 Resigned 2 Jan. 1802. 
 
 1 sub. leg June, 1796. 
 
 4 inf. Nov. 1796. 
 
 Promoted Mar. 1802.- 
 
 Art. A eng Mar. 1797. 
 
 Lieutenant June, 1798. 
 
 Art. A eng 4 June, 1798. 
 
 Resigned 3 June, 1800. 
 
 Art. A eng 4 June, 1798. 
 
 Disbanded 1 June, 1802.
 
 REGISTER. 
 
 273 
 
 I^ante and date of commission. 
 
 Previous military service. 
 
 SB 
 ft* 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Surgeon's Mates Continued. 
 
 Timothy Pierce 13 Feb. 9 
 
 John C. Wynans 24 Apr. 
 
 Jonathan White 8 July, 
 
 Thomas Triplett 12 July, 
 
 Thaddeus Capron July, 
 
 Samuel M. GrifiSth July, 
 
 James Irvine July, 
 
 James W. Wallace.... July, 
 Kben. Lawrence July> 
 
 George Wilson July, 
 
 John H. Douglas Sep. 
 
 Elijah Greenlee 
 
 Samuel Davis Dec. 
 
 Joseph Wilkinson.. Feb. 1800 
 
 John Howell 24 Apr. 
 
 John Orton, jr 24 Apr. 
 
 Thompson McDonald Apr. 
 
 Chas. A. Beatty 4 May, 
 
 George Dill 3 Aug. 
 
 Lewis Hansford 15 Aug. 
 
 Aaron C. White 
 
 John GrifBn 
 
 Edward Reynolds 3 Mar. 01 
 
 Prescott Barron 3 Mar. 
 
 Reuben Everitt 3 Mar. 
 
 Gan-et E.Pendergrast 3 Mar. 
 
 Stephen Thomas 3 Mar. 
 
 Jos. C. Cornwell 
 
 John P, Fisher 26 Mar. 02 
 
 Francis Le Barron ...26 Mar, 
 
 Conn. 
 N. J.. 
 
 Va. 
 
 Penn. 
 Va.... 
 
 Mass. 
 
 Penn. 
 N.Y.. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 
 N. j:., 
 
 Conn. 
 S. C... 
 Md 
 
 N.O. 
 
 Md.... 
 R.L.. 
 N.C.. 
 
 Penn. 
 Mass. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 Mass. 
 
 13 inf. 13 Feb. 1799. 
 
 Disbanded 1800. 
 
 11 inf. 24 Apr. 1799. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1800. 
 
 15 inf. 8 July, 1799. 
 
 'Disbanded June, 1800. 
 
 i8 inf. 12 July, 1799. 
 
 7 inf. July, 1799. 
 
 IDisbanded June, 1800. 
 
 is inf. July, 1799. 
 
 il art. & eng July, 1801. 
 
 iRet. 4inf 5 Apr. 1802. 
 
 Resigned 1803. 
 
 10 inf. July, 1799. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1800. 
 
 7 inf. July, 1799. 
 
 Resigned 1800. 
 
 15 inf. July, 1799. 
 
 Ret. linf 1801. 
 
 Out June, 1802. 
 
 10 inf. July, 1799. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1800. 
 
 12 inf. Sep. 1799. 
 
 Ret. 2 inf 1801. 
 
 Resigned 16 July, 1801. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 1799. 
 
 Resigned 13 Sep. 1800. 
 
 12 inf. Dec. 1799. 
 
 4 inf. Feb. 1801. 
 
 Resigned 1 Dec. 1801. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate Feb. 1800. 
 
 Disbanded 1802. 
 
 11 inf. 24 Apr. 1800. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1800. 
 
 13 inf. J4 Apr. 1800. 
 
 Disbanded .* June, 1800. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate Apr. 1800. 
 
 Out 1802. 
 
 9 inf. 4 May, 1800. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1800. 
 
 2 art. & eng 3 Aug. 1800. 
 
 Retained Apr. 1802. 
 
 Died,Ft.Wolcott,R.I. 6 Feb. 1805. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 15 Aug. 1800. 
 
 Resigned 2 July, 1801. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 1800. 
 
 Resigned 1801. 
 
 Gar. sur.mate 1800. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1802. 
 
 Re-appointed 22 Nov. 1803. 
 
 Died,Ft.John8on,N.C15 July, 1805. 
 
 2 inf. 3 Mar. 1801. 
 
 Retained Apr. 1802. 
 
 Resigned May, 1802. 
 
 1 art. & eng 3 Mar. 1801. 
 
 Retained Apr. 1802. 
 
 ^ signed 30 June, 1804. 
 
 3 inf. 3 Mar. 1801. 
 
 Out 1802. 
 
 Re-appointed Mar. 1806. 
 
 Resigned 31 Dec. 1810. 
 
 10 inf. Mar. 1813. 
 
 Died,Ft.Johnson,N.C 1814. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 3 Mar. 1801. 
 
 Resigned 1802. 
 
 2 art. & eng 3 Mar. 1801. 
 
 Resigned 31 Aug. 1801. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 1801. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1802. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 26 Mar. 1802. 
 
 Resigned 30 Apr. 1803. 
 
 Gar. Bur. mate ..26 Mar. 1802. 
 
 Promoted Dec. 1808. 
 
 18
 
 274 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Name and date of commission. ! Previous military serrice. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Surgeon's Mates Continued. ! 
 
 Fiducis Tuttle 26 Mar. 02. 
 
 Thomas R. Jack 26 Mar. \ 
 
 James Lee 26 Mar. 
 
 Samuel McKee, jr.....26 Mar. 
 
 Lyman Spanlding.....26 Mar. 
 
 South worth Harlow. .26 Mar. 
 
 Henry Jackson .26 Mar. 
 
 Robert Stark 26 Mar. 
 
 John Rippey 26 Mar. 
 
 Philip Turner. 26 Mar. 
 
 Nath. Bedford .26 Mar. 
 
 Alexander A.Peters.. 1 Apr. 
 
 William King 10 June, 
 
 John P. Heileman 2 July, 
 
 Hos. sur. rev. war.. 
 
 Sur. Brit, army un- 
 der Burgoyne 
 
 William C. Smith 2 July, 
 
 Jona'n A. Sparhawk. 7 Sep. 
 George W. Maupin... 5 Nov. 
 Joseph Goodhue ...... 8 Feb. 03 
 
 Cordial N. Daniel 3 Mar. 
 
 Richard Chew 2 May, 
 
 Joseph McCrarj' 18 May, 
 
 Calvin Taylor .16 July, 
 
 John Watson 22 Nov. 
 
 Edmund Hayward ...15 Dec. 
 
 George Hall 26 Mar. 04 
 
 Hanson Catlett .26 Mar. 
 
 "Richard Davidson 26 Mar. 
 
 Cornelius Baldwin ...27 Mar. 
 
 Hugh M. Hall 27 Mar. 
 
 Abraham Edwards ... 8 June, 
 Charles Williamson -.17 Jan. 05 
 
 Josiah Kirk 17 Jan 
 
 Anthony Saugrain...l7 Jan. 
 
 Abraham Stewart 6 Mar. 06 
 
 James R. Grove 6 Mar. 
 
 Thomas Borland 6 Mar. 
 
 James 11. Sargent.... 6 Mar. 
 
 N.C. 
 
 N.H 
 
 N.Y.. 
 Md.... 
 S. C. 
 Ky... 
 Ky.... 
 Va.... 
 Ga.... 
 N.J.. 
 Md.... 
 Miss. 
 la.... 
 Mass. 
 Vt.... 
 Vs.... 
 Blass. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 26 Mar. 1802. 
 
 Resipiod 1808. 
 
 Gar. 8ur. mate 26 Mar. 1802. 
 
 Resigned 1803. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 26 Mar. 1802. 
 
 Resigned 20 Apr. 1804. 
 
 Gar. snr. mate 26 Mar. 1802. 
 
 Died,Vincenne8, Ind 5 Nov. 1809- 
 
 Gar. Bur. mate 26 Mar. 1802- 
 
 Resigned 31 May, 1804. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 26 Mar. 1802- 
 
 Resigned 1805- 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 26 Mar. 1 802- 
 
 Resigned July, 1802- 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 26 Mar. 1802- 
 
 Resigned 26 Sep. 1802- 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 26 Mar. 1802- 
 
 Resigned 12 .Tuly, Ifm- 
 
 Gar. snr. mate 26 Mar. 1802- 
 
 Died, New York Apr. 181o- 
 
 Gar. sur. mate -.26 Mar. 1802- 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 1 Apr. 1802- 
 
 Died,Ft.Johnson,N.C Nov. 1802- 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 10 June, 1802. 
 
 Died,NewOrlean8,Lal5 May, 1807- 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 2 July, 1802- 
 
 Retained May, 1815. 
 
 Post sur Apr. 1816- 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 2 July, 1802- 
 
 Dismissed 27 June, 1810- 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 7 Sep. 1802- 
 
 Resigned i..31 May, 1804- 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 5 Nov. 1802. 
 
 Prov. ret June, 1815. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 8 Feb. 1803. 
 
 Prov. ret June, 1815- 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 3 Mar. 1803. 
 
 Resigned 1 Jan. 1805. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 2 May, 1803- 
 
 Resigned 1806. 
 
 Gar. snr. mate 18 May, 1803. 
 
 Resigned 19 Oct. 1803. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 16 July, 1803. 
 
 Died 1806. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 22 Nov. 1803. 
 
 Died,WestPoint,N.Y31 May, 1812. 
 
 Artillery 15 Dec. 1803. 
 
 Died,NewOrIeans,La 1806. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 26 Mar. 1804. 
 
 Resigned 28 Feb. 1805. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 26 Mar. 1804. 
 
 Resigned 23 Nov. 1804. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 26 Mar. 1804. 
 
 Resigned 30 June, 1807. 
 
 G8U*. sur. mate 27 Mar. 1804. 
 
 Resigned 30 Nov. 1806. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 27 Mar. 1804. 
 
 Died,NewOrleans,La Sep. 1805. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 8 June, 1804. 
 
 Resigned 1 June, 1810. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 17 Jan. 1805. 
 
 Resigned 1807. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 17 Jan. 1805. 
 
 Resigned 1807. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 17 Jan. 1805. 
 
 Resigned 29 Oct. 1811. 
 
 .;Gar. snr. mate. 6 Mar. 1806. 
 
 Resigned 24 Feb. 1815. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 6 Mar. 1806. 
 
 Resigned 31 July, 1807. 
 
 Gar. snr. mate 6 Mar. 1806. 
 
 Resigned 1 Apr. 1808. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 6 Mar. 1806. 
 
 A. A. Apoth. Gen 1814. 
 
 Retained Apr. 1816.
 
 REGISTER. 
 
 275 
 
 Name and date of commission. | Previous militarj- service. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Surgeon's Mates CJontinued. 
 
 Isaac Bawlings 21 Apr. 06 
 
 Alexander Macauley.ll June, 
 
 Nathan Kennedy 11 July, 
 
 John PoUard 9 Oct. 
 
 Blias Lee i27 Feb. 07 
 
 James V. Stewart. ....27 Feb. 
 
 Alex. H. Morrison 27 Feb. 
 
 Robert Huston 27 Feb. 
 
 Alfred Thruston 18 Mar. 
 
 Charles Slocum 25 Mar. 
 
 Samuel D. Forsyth. ..21 Apr. 
 
 Henry Skinner .30 July, 
 
 Thomas C. Gantt 9 Dec. 
 
 William H. Emery ... 9 Dec. 
 
 Sylvester Day 9 Dec. 
 
 John Bigelow 9 Dec. 
 
 Lemuel B. Clarke 4 Jan. 08 
 
 John Cooper 13 June, 
 
 William T. Davidson.l3 June, 
 
 John L. Murray 13 Jude, 
 
 Robert Simpson 13 June, 
 
 Wm. A. Dandridge...l2 Dec. 
 Adam G. Goodlet, jr..l2 Dec. 
 
 James Langley .12 Dec. 
 
 William E. Lee 12 Dec. 
 
 EnoB Lewis J.2 Dec. 
 
 Peter Turner Dec. 
 
 Thomaa A. Holland... 2 Feb. 09 
 Thomas Pinkerton ...28 Apr. 
 
 Joseph West 10 June, 
 
 William Thomas 7 July, 
 
 John H. Turner 1 May, 10 
 
 William Turner 9 July, 
 
 Jacob K. Kendall 9 July, 
 
 Cor'lius Cunninghaml5 Oct. 
 Thomas Lawson .28 Jan. 11 
 
 Va 
 
 Vt 
 
 Md..... 
 
 Md 
 
 Penn.. 
 Tenn.. 
 
 Md..... 
 
 Mass.. 
 Vt 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 21 
 
 Resigned 31 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 11 
 
 Resigned 25 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 11 
 
 Out 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 9 
 
 Resigned 1 
 
 Gar. sur.mate 27 
 
 Out 
 
 Gar. sur.mate 27 
 
 Promoted 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 27 
 
 Died, Pt. Coup6e, La.20 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 27 
 
 Died 
 
 7 inf. 18 
 
 Promoted 12 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 25 
 
 :Ret. (declined) 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 21 
 
 Resigned 30 
 
 2 inf. 30 
 
 Promoted 24 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 9 
 
 Snrg. mate, U.S.N..1 Mar., 1809! 
 
 Md..... 
 N.Y..'. 
 Penn., 
 Ind.T 
 D. C... 
 
 Va 
 
 Ky 
 
 S. C... 
 Conn. 
 
 Vt 
 
 R.L... 
 N.C... 
 Md...., 
 N.Y.., 
 N.Y.. 
 Md.... 
 
 Md.... 
 Ind.. 
 D.C.. 
 Va.... 
 
 Apr. 
 
 May, 
 
 June, 
 
 Apr. 
 
 July, 
 
 Oct. 
 
 July, 
 
 Feb. 
 
 Feb. 
 
 Feb. 
 Feb. 
 Nov. 
 Feb. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 May, 
 
 Apr. 
 
 June, 
 
 July, 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 9 Dec. 
 
 Resigned 1 Apr. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 9 Dec. 
 
 Promoted 13 Mar. 
 
 Gar. sur.mate 9 Dec. 
 
 Died 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 4 Jan. 
 
 Ret., post sur Apr. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 13 June, 
 
 igned 1 Apr. 
 
 Gar. sur.mate 13 June, 
 
 Ret., post sur 18 Apr. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 13 June, 
 
 Resigned 31 Mar. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 13 June, 
 
 Resigned 10 Sep. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 12 Dec. 
 
 Resigned 1 Dee. 
 
 7 inf. 12 Dec. 
 
 Promoted 12 Feb. 
 
 5 inf. .12 Dec. 
 
 Out 
 
 Oiax. sur. mate 12 Dec. 
 
 Resigned 1 Aug. 
 
 Rifles 12 Dec. 
 
 Resigned 1 Sep. 
 
 Lt. art Dec. 
 
 Died,Platt8b'gh,N.Y. 5 Nov. 
 Gar. sur. mate 2 Feb. 
 
 ligned 1 Sep. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 28 Apr. 
 
 ligned 15 Apr. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 10 June, 
 
 Promoted.. V. 16 Nov. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 7 July, 
 
 Promoted 18 Feb. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 1 May, 
 
 Died, Pass Christian, 
 
 Miss 28 Nov. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 9 July, 
 
 Promoted Apr. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 9 July, 
 
 Revoked 11 Feb. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 16 Oct. 
 
 Promoted June, 
 
 6 inf. 28 Jan. 
 
 Promoted... May, 
 
 1806. 
 1808. 
 1806. 
 1811. 
 1806. 
 1807. 
 1806. 
 1807. 
 1807. 
 1809. 
 1807. 
 1811. 
 1807. 
 1809. 
 1807. 
 1814. 
 1807. 
 1808. 
 1807. 
 1815. 
 1807. 
 1808. 
 1807. 
 1813. 
 1807. 
 1808. 
 1807. 
 1812. 
 1807. 
 1813. 
 1807. 
 1808. 
 1808. 
 1816. 
 1808. 
 1811. 
 1808. 
 1818. 
 1808. 
 1811. 
 1808. 
 1812. 
 1808. 
 1811. 
 1808. 
 1812. 
 1808. 
 1812. 
 1808. 
 1810. 
 1808. 
 1809. 
 1808. 
 1812. 
 1809. 
 1809. 
 1809. 
 1813. 
 1809. 
 1814. 
 1809. 
 1814. 
 1810. 
 
 1813. 
 1810. 
 1813. 
 1810. 
 1811. 
 1810. 
 1815. 
 1811. 
 1813.
 
 276 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Name and date of commiBsion. I Previous military service. 
 
 Surgecn's Mates Continued. 
 
 Jonathan S.Cool 28 Jan. li;. 
 
 Richard J. Butler.. ...28 Jan. 
 Isaac V. Van Voorhis 1 Mar. 
 
 Thomas J. C. Monroe.l2 Sep. 
 
 William Meriwether. .12 Mar. 12 
 
 Egbert H. Bell 12 Mar. 
 
 Samuel P. Hugo 12 Mar. 
 
 Qeorge McAroy 12 Mar. 
 
 Renben T. Baker .12 Mar. 
 
 Lyddall Wilkinson. ..17 Mar. 
 
 William Ballord 24 Mar. 
 
 Alexander Walcott...25 Mar. 
 
 John H. Sackett 25 Mar. 
 
 Anthony Benezet 25 Mar. 
 
 Samuel DQzenbury...25 Mar. 
 
 Charles Marvin Mar. 
 
 Jacob B. Moore 9 Apr. 
 
 James Stark 9 Apr. 
 
 Joseph Eaton 14 Apr. 
 
 Daniel Cook 14 Apr. 
 
 James H. Bradford ...14 Apr. 
 
 German Senter 14 Apr. 
 
 Amos Famsworth 15 Apr. 
 
 John McCall 15 Apr. 
 
 Joseph Berry .22 Apr. 
 
 Jones Davis .25 Apr. 
 
 Carlisle Humphreys. .25 Apr. 
 
 John T. Priestly 26 Apr. 
 
 William McCaw 1 May, 
 
 Wm. W. Southall 1 May, 
 
 N. J... 
 Penn.. 
 
 N.y... 
 
 Ohio . 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 N. C... 
 Md 
 
 N. J... 
 N. J... 
 
 Ky 
 
 Mass. 
 Conn. 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 N.Y... 
 Ohio. 
 N.H.. 
 N.H.. 
 Mass. 
 
 Mass. 
 Mass. 
 
 Mass. 
 Mass. 
 N.Y... 
 
 Va 
 
 Penn., 
 Tenn. 
 Tenn.. 
 S. C... 
 Va 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 28 
 
 Ret., post sur 24 
 
 6 inf. 28 
 
 Resigned 1 
 
 Gar. 6ur. mate 1 
 
 Killed in action und. 
 Capt. Heald with In- 
 dians, Chicago, 111. ..15 
 
 6 inf. 12 
 
 Resigned 20 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 
 
 Ret., post sur 
 
 8inf 12 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 
 
 Resigned 3 
 
 10 inf. 12 
 
 Promoted 
 
 14 inf. 12 
 
 Trans., 1 rifles 
 
 Ret., rifles.- 
 
 15 inf. 12 
 
 Resigned 
 
 15 inf. 12 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 17 inf. 17 
 
 Resigned 1 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 24 
 
 Retained 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 25 
 
 Ho8.8ur.mate(dec'd).25 
 
 Ret., post sur 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 25 
 
 iHos. sur. mate 
 
 iRet., gar. sur. mate.. 
 
 iHos. sur. mate 25 
 
 |Resigned 1 
 
 iHos. sur. mate 25 
 
 Resigned 1 
 
 19 inf. 
 
 iResigned 
 
 In inf. 9 
 
 Died 10 
 
 11 inf. 9 
 
 IResigned 25 
 
 3 art 14 
 
 IResigned 12 
 
 IHos. sur. mate .15 
 
 Retained 
 
 9 inf. 14 
 
 IResigned 
 
 9 inf. 14 
 
 Prom. sur. 3 art 
 
 Neg'd by Senate 
 
 3 art 14 
 
 Promoted 9 
 
 4 inf. 15 
 
 Resigned 14 
 
 13 inf. 15 
 
 Promoted 
 
 12 inf. 22 
 
 Resigned 26 
 
 16 inf. 25 
 
 Resigned 31 
 
 24 inf. 26 
 
 Resigned 1 
 
 Ghir. sur. mate 25 
 
 Resigned 31 
 
 18 inf. 1 
 
 Promoted 20 
 
 10 inf. 1 
 
 Resigned 
 
 36 inf. 
 
 Ret.,2inf.(declined). 
 
 Jan. 1 
 
 811. 
 
 Apr. ] 
 
 816. 
 
 Jan. 
 
 811. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 811. 
 
 Mar. ] 
 
 811. 
 
 Aug. ] 
 
 1812. 
 
 Sep. ] 
 
 1811. 
 
 Jan. 
 
 812. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 1814. 
 
 May, 
 
 1816. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 812. 
 
 July, 
 
 1813. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 813. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 812. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 814. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 812. 
 
 
 813. 
 
 May, 
 
 1815. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 812. 
 
 July, 
 
 1812. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 812. 
 
 June, 
 
 815. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 812. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 812. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 812. 
 
 June, 
 
 816. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 812, 
 
 Mar. 
 
 812. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 1816. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 .812. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 .813. 
 
 June, 
 
 815. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 .812. 
 
 July, 
 
 1814. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 812. 
 
 May, 
 
 L814. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 .812. 
 
 Nov. 
 
 813. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 1812. 
 
 Jan. 
 
 .813. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 1812 
 
 July, 
 
 1813. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 1812. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 .813. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 1814. 
 
 
 815. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 1812. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 .812. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 1812. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 1813. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 1812. 
 
 July, 
 
 814. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 812. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 814. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 812. 
 
 Sep. 
 
 814. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 812. 
 
 Aug. 
 
 813. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 812. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 812. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 812. 
 
 Sep. 
 
 814. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 1812. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 813. 
 
 May, ] 
 
 812. 
 
 May, 1 
 
 813. 
 
 May, 1 
 
 812. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 812. 
 
 July, 1 
 
 813. 
 
 Blay, 1 
 
 815.
 
 REGISTER. 
 
 Name and date of commission. | Previous military service. 
 
 Surgeon's Mates Continued. 
 Lewis M. Bailey 7 May, 12 
 
 Rogers Smith 14 May, 
 
 Wm. Henry 'WiIson...25 Maj', 
 James Stephenson ...27 May, 
 
 Stephen Sutton 27 May, 
 
 Robt. McG. Walmsley 1 July, 
 
 Ij-a Wright 1 July, 
 
 Tobias P'. Cambridge. 2 July, 
 
 Alexander Blair 6 July, 
 
 James Trimble 6 July, 
 
 Louis Liv'ston Near... 6 July, 
 Joseph W. Caldwell... 6 July, 
 James B. Hill 6 July, 
 
 Hosea Blood 6 July, 
 
 William Thorndyke... 6 July, 
 Hugh Weir Honston. 6 July, 
 
 Presley H.Craig 6 July, 
 
 James Reynolds 6 July, 
 
 William M. Ross 6 July, 
 
 John Gale 6 Julj', 
 
 Phinehas Woodbury.. 6 July, 
 
 Samuel Schofleld 15 Sep. 
 
 Burton W. Halsey....23 Sep. 
 
 William Turner 29 Sep. 
 
 George Nicholas 14 Oct. 
 
 William Beaumont... 2 Dec. 
 
 Thomas G. Mower 2 Dec. 
 
 Gustavus Bailies 2 Dec. 
 
 William S. Madison... 2 Dec. 
 
 John L. Comstock ... 2 Dec. 
 
 Anthony Foster, jr.. .18 Dec. 
 
 Daniel Tumey 31 Dec. 
 
 Joseph M. Harper 19 Jan. 13 
 
 Va. 
 
 N. H. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 Va.... 
 Va.... 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 
 Del... 
 6a.... 
 N.C.. 
 
 Ky.... 
 Mass. 
 Va.... 
 Penn. 
 Ohio. 
 N.Y.. 
 N. H.. 
 
 Vt 
 
 N.Y.. 
 N. J.., 
 R. I... 
 Md..... 
 Md?... 
 
 Mass. 
 
 R. I.. 
 
 Ky.... 
 
 R. I.. 
 
 Tenn. 
 Ohio . 
 N. H. 
 
 2 It. drag 7 May, 1812. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate May, 1814. 
 
 Resigned 11 July, 1814. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 14 May, 1812. 
 
 Discharged 26 Nov. 1813. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 25 May, 1812. 
 
 Promoted Apr. 1814. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 27 May, 1812. 
 
 Died ISep". 1817. 
 
 Hob. sur. mate 27 May, 1812. 
 
 Resigned June, 1814. 
 
 29 inf. IJuly, 1812. 
 
 Ret., 7 inf. May, 1815. 
 
 21 inf. IJuly, 1812. 
 
 Resigned July, 1813. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 2 July, 1812. 
 
 Resigned 20 Jan. 1813. 
 
 5 inf. 6 July, 1812. 
 
 Promoted Mar. 1814. 
 
 2 art 6 July, 1812. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate July, 1814. 
 
 Resigned 1 Sep. 1816. 
 
 2 art 6 July, 1812. 
 
 Promoted Mar. 1814. 
 
 8 inf. 6 July, 1812. 
 
 Resigned Teb. 1815. 
 
 18 inf. 6 July, 1812. 
 
 3 inf. May, 1815. 
 
 Resigned 14 Oct. 1816. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 6 July, 1812. 
 
 Promoted 5 May, 1813. 
 
 21 inf. 6 July, 1812. 
 
 Resigned July, 1813. 
 
 20 inf. 6 July, 1812. 
 
 Died 1813. 
 
 22 inf. 6 July, 1812. 
 
 iigned 28 Feb. 1814. 
 
 Gar. sur.mate 6 July, 1812. 
 
 Killed,Detroit,Mich.l6 Aug. 1812. 
 
 23 inf. 6 July, 1812. 
 
 Promoted 18 Mar. 1813. 
 
 23 inf. 6 July, 1812 
 
 Promoted 1814. 
 
 25 inf. 6 July, 1812. 
 
 Promoted Mar. 1814. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 15 Sep. 1812. 
 
 Died July, 1815. 
 
 15 Inf. 23 Sep. 1812. 
 
 Resigned June, 1813. 
 
 Gar. sur.mate 29 Sep. 1812. 
 
 Promoted Apr. 1816. 
 
 14 inf. 14 Oct. 1812. 
 
 Died 17 Mar. 1813. 
 
 16 inf. 2 Dec. 1812. 
 
 Trans., 6 inf. Jan. 1813. 
 
 Ret., 8 inf.(declined) May, 1815. 
 
 ' inf. 2 Dec. 1812. 
 
 Promoted June, 1814. 
 
 Ret.,6inf May, 1815. 
 
 16 inf. 2 Dec. 1812. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate Oct. 1813. 
 
 Resigned 14 June, 1814. 
 
 17 inf. 2 Dec. 1812. 
 
 Ret.,linf. May, 1815. 
 
 Promoted Oct. 1816. 
 
 25 inf. 2 Dec. 1812. 
 
 30 inf. Apr. 1814. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1815. 
 
 24 inf. 18 Dec. 1812. 
 
 Resigned 2 July, 1813. 
 
 19 inf. , 31 Dec. 1812. 
 
 Promoted Feb. 1814. 
 
 4 inf. 19 Jan. 1813. 
 
 Resigned 1 Jan. 1815.
 
 278 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Name and date of commission. I Previoos military service. 
 
 .ss 
 
 o.i: 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Surgeon^s Mates Continued. 
 
 Israel Stoddard 18 Feb. 13 
 
 Hanson Catlett Feb. 
 
 DaTid March 1 Mar. 
 
 John M. Talbot 13 Bdar. 
 
 Clajon BeUy 22 Mar. 
 
 John Ladd 28 Mar. 
 
 iJamuel W. Magruder.28 Mar. . 
 Josh. B. Whiteridge-.30 Mar. 
 Charles Taylor 3 Apr. 
 
 Samuel C. Muir 7 Apr. 
 
 Ward Basset lU Apr. 
 
 John P. Briggs 10 Apr. 
 
 Elisha Scott 16 Apr. 
 
 Joseph L. Stevens... ..29 Apr. 
 Thomas William8on..30 Apr. 
 
 Peter Spenk, jr Apr. 
 
 Edward Pnrcell 2 May, 
 
 William M. Hazard.. .14 May, 
 
 Henry Bmndidge 16 May, 
 
 Henry P. Hall 17 May, 
 
 Franklin Bache 17 May, 
 
 Wm. Newton Mercer.18 May, 
 Charles Loring 20 May, 
 
 Hagh Stanard 20 May, 
 
 Thaddeus Hubbanf...22 May, 
 
 Stougbton Qantt 2 June, 
 
 William Paddock 29 June, 
 
 Thomas C. Walker ... i July, 
 William E. Horner... 2 July, 
 
 William Jones 2 July, 
 
 Mordecai Morgan 9 July, 
 
 Nathaniel L. Bonlden 9 Jnly, 
 
 Sur. mate 26 Mar. 1804 
 
 Resigned 23 Nov. 1801 
 
 Mass. 
 Ky.... 
 Vt .... 
 Tenn. 
 D. C. 
 
 B.C.. 
 
 Mass. 
 Penn. 
 
 B.C.. 
 
 Me... 
 Me... 
 B.C.. 
 
 8. C. 
 Md... 
 Ohio 
 Va... 
 
 Va.... 
 Md.... 
 Penn. 
 Va .... 
 Mass. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 Mass. 
 
 Ky. 
 Vt. 
 Md.. 
 Va.. 
 Md.. 
 
 Hoe. sur. mate 18 Feb. 
 
 Resigned 30 May, 
 
 Hos. sur. mate Feb. 
 
 Pl-omoted 1 Sep. 
 
 Hoe. Hur. mate 1 Mitr. 
 
 Resigned 25 Jan. 
 
 Hos. 8ur. mate 13 Mar. 
 
 Resigned 17 Aug. 
 
 5 inf. 22 Mar. 
 
 Ret., 8 inf. May, 
 
 Hos.sur.mate Oct. 
 
 Died 25 Feb. 
 
 11 inf. 28 Mar. 
 
 Resigned 30 June, 
 
 14 inf. 28 Mar. 
 
 Resigned 29 June, 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 30 Mar. 
 
 Ret. (declined) May, 
 
 Hos.sur.mate June, 
 
 Prov. ret., gar. sur. 
 
 mate (declined) May, 
 
 1 inf. 7 Apr. 
 
 8 inf. May, 
 
 Hos.sur.mate Oct. 
 
 33 inf. 10 Apr. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 33 inf. 10 Apr. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 12 inf. 16 Apr. 
 
 Resigned May, 
 
 3 inf. .21 May, 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 Hos.sur.mate 29 Apr. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 36 inf. 30 Apr. 
 
 Resigned 
 
 19 inf. Apr. 
 
 Resigned 15 June, 
 
 Hos.sur.mate 2 May, 
 
 Prov. ret May, 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 14 May, 
 
 Resigned 20 Sep. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 16 May, 
 
 Resigned 3 Feb. 
 
 32 inf. 17 May, 
 
 Promoted Apr. 
 
 32 inf. 17 May, 
 
 Promoted Apr. 
 
 Hos.sur.mate 18 May, 
 
 Promoted Aug. 
 
 34 inf. 20 May, 
 
 Ret., 6inf May, 
 
 Resigned 1 Oct. 
 
 Hos.sur. mate 20 May, 
 
 Promoted 19 Apr. 
 
 34 inf. 22 May, 
 
 Resigned 13 Aug. 
 
 Re-appointed 22 Nov. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 Rifles 2 June, 
 
 1 lieutenant 13 Mar. 
 
 30 inf. 29 June, 
 
 Kesigned Sep. 
 
 Hos.sur.mate 2 July, 
 
 Disbanded Juno, 
 
 Hos.sur.mate 2 July, 
 
 Resigned 20 Mar. 
 
 Hos.sur.mate 2 July, 
 
 Ret. (declined) May, 
 
 UoB.sur. mate 9 July, 
 
 Resigned Feb. 
 
 Hos.sur.mate 9 Jnly, 
 
 Promoted Apr.
 
 REGISTER. 
 
 279 
 
 Name and date of commission. 
 
 Surgeon^ Mates Continued. 
 Eleazer Aspinwall ...15 July, 13 
 
 John Rogers 15 July, 
 
 Joseph Wallace 15 July, 
 
 Thos. V. Wiesenthal..l6 July, 
 
 Charles Lewis 19 July, 
 
 William A. Needham.l9 July, 
 Elisha Lee Allen 21 July, 
 
 John L. McCullongh.29 July, 
 
 John H. Reed 29 July, 
 
 John H. Beall 31 July, 
 
 Abraham Van Hoy... July, 
 Samuel Merri wether.. 1 Aug. 
 
 William Williams 1 Aug. 
 
 James M. Kelly 4 Aug. 
 
 Harry C. Bradford.... 9 Aug. 
 
 John Sackett 9 Aug. 
 
 Theodore Woodward. 9 Aug. 
 
 Asahel Hall 19 Sep 
 
 Fayette Cooper 30 Sep. 
 
 Abijah Tombling 4 Oct. 
 
 Elias C. Badeau 1 Mar. : 
 
 Richard E. Hall 11 Mar. 
 
 William Sterne .11 Mar. 
 
 Clayton TiflSn 11 Mar. 
 
 William P. Marshall.. 30 Mar. 
 
 William Stewart 30 Mar. 
 
 Reuel Hampton .30 Mar. 
 
 John O'Conner 31 Mar. 
 
 William M. Scott 2 Apr. 
 
 John Trevfitt 8 Apr. 
 
 Oarrett Barry 8 Apr. 
 
 Thomas Byrne 8 Apr. 
 
 Seymour Carpenter... 8 Apr. 
 Patrick Macanlay 8 Apr. 
 
 Previous militaty service. 
 
 o g 
 
 Del 
 
 Md.... 
 6a.... 
 Vt .... 
 
 Mass. 
 
 Ky... 
 Tenn. 
 Md... 
 N.Y.. 
 Ind. T 
 Penn.. 
 N. J... 
 Ohio.. 
 
 Conn. 
 N.Y.. 
 N.Y.. 
 N.Y.. 
 
 La.... 
 
 Mass. 
 Ohio. 
 S. C. 
 Md.... 
 N. J.. 
 Md..., 
 
 Mi'hT 
 Del .. 
 Md.... 
 Va .... 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Hos.sur. mate 15 July, 1813. 
 
 Disbanded 15 June, 1815. 
 
 Hos.sur. mate. ...*.. ...15 July, 1813. 
 
 Promoted Apr. 1814. 
 
 Hos.8ur.mate 15 July, 1813. 
 
 Retained May, 1815. 
 
 6 inf. 16 July, 1813. 
 
 Resigned Sep. 1813. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 19 July, 1813. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1815. 
 
 30 inf. 19 July, 1813. 
 
 Out July, 1814. 
 
 21 inf. 21 July, 1813. 
 
 Ret, 5 inf. May, 1815. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate Mar. 1817. 
 
 Died 5 Sep. 1817. 
 
 Hos.sur. mate 29 July, 1813. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1815, 
 
 m inf. 29 July, 1813. 
 
 Resigned 1 Oct. 1814. 
 
 36 inf. 31 July, 1813. 
 
 Resigned Mar. 1814. 
 
 Hos.sur. mate July, 1813. 
 
 Resigned 1 July, 1814. 
 
 Hos.sur.mate 1 Aug. 1813. 
 
 Resigned 15 Sep. 1814. 
 
 Hos.sur.mate 1 Aug. 1813. 
 
 Disbanded .14 Apr. 1818. 
 
 42 inf. 4 Aug. 1813. 
 
 Resigned 15 Sep. 1814. 
 
 24 inf. 9 Aug. 1813. 
 
 Promoted July, 1814. 
 
 11 inf. 9 Aug. 1813. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1815. 
 
 11 inf. 9 Aug. 1813. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1815. 
 
 37 inf. 19 Sep. 1813. 
 
 Ret.,7 inf. (declined). May, 1815. 
 
 41 inf. 30 Sep. 1813. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1815. 
 
 Hos.sur.mate 4 Oct. 1813. 
 
 Discontinued 14 May, 1814. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 1 Mar. 1814. 
 
 27 inft Apr. 1814. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1815. 
 
 44 inf. 11 Mar. 1814. 
 
 Ret.,3 inf. (declined). May, 1815. 
 
 40 inf..: 11 Mar. 1814. 
 
 Ret., 6 inf. May, 1815. 
 
 17 inf. 11 Mar. 1814. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1815. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 30 Mar. 1814. 
 
 Prov. ret May, 1815. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 30 Mar. 1814. 
 
 Retained May, 1815. 
 
 15 inf. 30 Mar. 1814. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1815. 
 
 3 rifles 31 Mar. 1814. 
 
 36 inf. May, 1814. 
 
 Hos.sur.mate May, 1814. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1815. 
 
 Hos.sur.mate 2 Apr. 1814. 
 
 Died July, 1815. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 8 Apr. 1814. 
 
 Promoted Apr. 1814. 
 
 38 inf. 8 Apr. 1814. 
 
 Died, Norfolk, Va ...22 Apr. 1815. 
 
 12 inf. 8 Apr. 1814. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1815. 
 
 42 inf. 8 Apr. 1814. 
 
 Disbanded June, 1815. 
 
 Hos.sur.mate 8 Apr. 1814. 
 
 Resigned 10 Jan. 1816.
 
 280 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPAR,TMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Name and date of commission. 
 
 Previous military service. 
 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Surgexm's Mates Continued. 
 
 L. R. Robinson 8 Apr. ] 
 
 Solomon Wolcott 8 Apr. 
 
 Edward Brux 15 Apr. 
 
 William I. Cocke 15 Apr. 
 
 Alfred Foster .16 Apr. 
 
 Charles Gigniliat 15 Apr. 
 
 Carter Edmonds 18 Apr. 
 
 James W. Hunt 18 Apr. 
 
 Francis S. Geslain 19 Apr. 
 
 William H. Hening...20 Apr. 
 
 Henry Field 23 Apr. 
 
 James Bates 27 Apr. 
 
 M. J. Cunningham ... Apr. 
 
 Robert Archer 13 May, 
 
 Isaac Pennington 13 May, 
 
 David M. Wharry 13 May, 
 
 Daniel Smith, Jr. 17 May, 
 
 Hugh F. Rose .21 May, 
 
 Joseph P. Russell 25 May, 
 
 Caleb Parker .26 May, 
 
 Elnathan Judson .....31 May, 
 
 William Sloan 28 June, 
 
 James Purine .29 June, 
 
 Thomas Russell .21 July, 
 
 John R. Bamhill 26 July, 
 
 Walter H. Living8ton26 July, 
 Ebenezer S. Phelps... 27 July, 
 
 Henry White 28 July, 
 
 William H. Pieraon .. 4 Aug. 
 
 Theodore Dexter 16 Aug. 
 
 Donaldson Yates 16 Aug. 
 
 Benjamin O. Scott ...19 Aug. 
 
 William C. Lane 15 Sep. 
 
 Stephen M. IngerBoU.16 Sep. 
 
 Isaac Foot 22 Nov. 
 
 Va 35 inf. 8 Apr. 
 
 Resigned 21 Jan. 
 
 Del ... Gar. sur. mate 8 Apr. 
 
 Promoted Apr. 
 
 Penn..'HoB. sur. mate 15 Apr. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 Va ,20 inf. 15 Apr. 
 
 Ret.,4inf (declined). May, 
 Penn..;HoB. sur. mate 15 Apr. 
 
 Ret.,3 inf. (declined). Jan. 
 Va Hos. sur. mate 15 Apr. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 Va 3 rifles 18 Apr. 
 
 [Ret.,2 inf (declined). May, 
 N.C...I43 inf. 18 Apr. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 Ga Hog. sur. mate 19 Apr. 
 
 Died Nov. 
 
 Penn..;4 rifles .20 Apr. 
 
 JResigned 10 Mar. 
 
 Penn..[4 rifles 23 Apr. 
 
 Ret.,1 inf. (declined). May, 
 45 inf. 27 Apr. 
 
 'Hos. sur. mate May, 
 
 rRet.,4 inf. (declined). May, 
 ;22 inf. Apr. 
 
 Di-opped .17 Aug. 
 
 Va JHos. sur. mate 13 May, 
 
 {Retained May, 
 
 Penn..lHoB. sur. mate 13 May, 
 
 JResigned 30 Sep. 
 
 Va 'Hos. sur. mate 13 May, 
 
 'Disbanded June, 
 
 Ohio ..]2 rifles 17 May, 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 Hob. sur. mate 21 May, 
 
 Resigned 1 May, 
 
 4 inf. 25 May, 
 
 Ret, 5 inf May, 
 
 36 inf. 26 May, 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 40 inf. 31 May, 
 
 iDisbanded June, 
 
 Md 14 inf. 28 June, 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 19 inf 29 June, 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 21 July, 
 
 Prov. ret May, 
 
 28 inf 26 July, 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 Ltart 26 July, 
 
 Retained ^Ay> 
 
 9 inf 27 July, 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 23 inf 28 July, 
 
 Disbanded Juno, 
 
 1 inf. 4 Aug. 
 
 Ret., rifles May, 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 16 Aug. 
 
 Disbanded June, 
 
 IIoH. sur. mate 16 Aug. 
 
 Ret. (declined) May, 
 
 Ho8.sur.mate 19 Aug. 
 
 Resigned Oct. 
 
 Oar. sur. mate 15 Sep. 
 
 Promoted Aug. 
 
 37 inf 16 Sep. 
 
 Ret., 7 inf. Sep. 
 
 Resigned 1 Sep. 
 
 Hos.snr.mate 22 Nov. 
 
 Retained Jan. 
 
 Resigned 16 May, 
 
 D.C... 
 
 Mass.. 
 
 Ohio. 
 Mass. 
 Ky.... 
 
 N.Y... 
 Mass. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 N. J.. 
 
 Mass.. 
 Md 
 
 Mass. 
 Ind. T 
 
 Conn. 
 
 N.Y...
 
 REGISTER. 
 
 281 
 
 Name and date of commission. 
 
 Previous military service. 
 
 1 
 
 .5 8 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Surgeon^s Mates Continued. 
 
 
 S. C... 
 
 Hos.sur.mate 19 Dec. 1814. 
 
 Albion T. Crow 1 July, 16 
 
 George B. McKniglit.17 Fob. 17 
 Robert M Ball 17 Feb 
 
 
 Disbanded June, 1815. 
 
 Hos.sur.mate 1 July, 1816. 
 
 Disbanded 14 Apr. 1818. 
 
 1 inf. 17 Feb. 1817 
 
 
 Penn.. 
 Va 
 
 
 4 inf. 17 Feb. 1817. 
 
 
 
 1 inf. 19 Feb. 1817 
 
 
 
 Penn.. 
 
 N.Y... 
 N.Y... 
 
 Penn.. 
 Ky..... 
 
 Md 
 
 Resigned 18 Mar. 1818 
 
 7 inf. 19 Feb. 1817 
 
 William H.Nicoll 19 Feb 
 
 
 Resigned 8 Oct. 1818 
 
 6 inf. .19 Feb. 1817 
 
 .lolin Carpenter 9 Apr. 
 
 William J. Clarke 26 Apr. 
 
 Robt. IT. C. Peargon..l8 July, 
 
 Arthur Nelson 31 Oct. 
 
 
 Hos.sur.mate 9 Apr. 1817 
 
 Resigned 1 Mar. 1818 
 
 Hos.sur.mate 26 Apr. 1817 
 
 3 inf. 18 July, 1817 
 
 Resigned 9 Oct. 1817 
 
 8 inf. 31 Oct. 1817 
 
 
 
 
 J. P. C. Macmahon...21 Nov. 
 
 
 
 Resigned 1 May, 1818 
 
 3 inf. 21 Nov. 1817 
 
 18*
 
 282 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 II. 
 
 FKOM 1818 TO 1821. 
 
 Name, rank and date of 
 commission. 
 
 Original entry into service 
 and previous commissions. 
 
 .2 8 
 
 S 
 
 Remarks 
 
 Surgeon General. 
 
 Joseph Lovell 18 Apr. 18 
 
 Assistant Surgeons General. 
 Tobias Watkins 18 Apr. 
 
 Jamxs C. BB0NAuaH...18 Apr. 
 
 Apothecary General. 
 Fbancis Le BABB0N...11 June,13 
 
 Assistant Apothecaries. 
 
 Christopher Backus. .12 Aug. 14 
 James Cutbush 12 Aug. 
 
 C.G. Foster .28 Jan. 20 
 
 Robert P. McCalla.....l6 May, 
 
 Past Surgeons. 
 
 George W. Manpin... 5 Nov. 02 
 
 Joseph Goodhue 8 Feb. 
 
 James H. Sargent 6 Mar. 06 
 
 William T. Davidson.lS June,( 
 Cor'lius Cunning]iaml5 Oct. 
 
 William Ballord .24 Mar. 12 
 
 William Turner 29 Sep. 
 
 Hanson Catlett 18 Feb. 
 
 Sur. 9inf. 15 May, 12 
 
 Sur. 38 inf. 20 May, 13 
 
 Prov. ret June,15 
 
 Hos. sur 15 Apr. 14 
 
 Sur. 12 inf 28 Apr. 12 
 
 Hos. sur 15 Apr. 14 
 
 Gar sur. mate .26 Mar. 02 
 
 Surgeon Dec. 08 
 
 Mass. 
 
 Mass. 
 
 Md., 
 
 Va.. 
 
 Md.. 
 Va. 
 
 La.... 
 Penn. 
 
 La .... 
 Penn. 
 
 La 
 Penn.. 
 
 Ret.,8ur. gen. on re- 
 organization of the 
 army 2 Mar. 21 
 
 Disbanded 1 June, 
 
 Disbanded IJune, 
 
 Disbanded 1 June, 
 
 Resigned 15 Nov. 19 
 
 Post sur 16 May, 20 
 
 Ret., asst. sur 17 May, 21 
 
 Disbanded 1 June, 
 
 Disbanded 1 June, 
 
 John H. Sackett 22 Mar. 13 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 5 
 
 Prov. ret 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 8 
 
 Prov. ret 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 6 
 
 A. A. Apoth Gen... 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 13 
 
 Gar. Bur. mate 15 
 
 A. Apoth. Gen 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 24 
 
 Prov. ret 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 29 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 26 
 
 Resigned 23 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 18 
 
 Sur. 1 inf. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 25 
 
 8. A.Walsh 9 
 
 Foster Swift 18 
 
 JohnTrev6tt 8 
 
 Arnold Elzy 15 
 
 German Senter 9 
 
 W.C.Lane .15 
 
 William N. Mercer...22 
 
 Aug. 
 Feb. 1 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 July, 
 
 Sep. 
 Nov. 
 
 T. J.C. Monroe 29 Apr. 16 
 
 Samnel B. Smith 12 
 
 George A. Carroll 17 
 
 Samuel Ayer 17 
 
 William Baker 20 
 
 Jabez W. Heustis 12 
 
 Nov. 
 Feb. ] 
 Feb. 
 June, 
 Nov. 
 
 Nov. 02 
 June,15 
 Feb. 03 
 June,15 
 Mar. 06 
 14 
 June,! 
 Oct. 10 
 June,15 
 Mar. 12 
 June,15 
 Sep. 12 
 Mar. 04 
 Nov. 04 
 Feb. 13 
 Sep. 14 
 Mar. 12 
 
 Vt ... 
 
 Mass 
 
 Penn. 
 D. C. 
 
 R. I.. 
 
 Ky... 
 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Vt .... 
 
 Mass. 
 
 Penn. 
 D.C... 
 
 R. I. 
 Ky... 
 
 Sur. Mil. Acad.. 
 
 Gar. sur 
 
 Gar. sur. mate .. 
 
 Post sur 
 
 Hos. sur. mate .. 
 
 Hos. sur 
 
 Sur. mate 3 art.. 
 
 Sur. 29 inf. 
 
 Gar. sur. mate .. 
 Hos. sur. mate .. 
 
 Sur. 22 inf. 
 
 Trans., 28 inf..... 
 Sur. mate 6 inf.. 
 
 Resigned 
 
 Gar. sur. mate .. 
 
 . 9 Aug. 
 .18 Feb. 
 .. 8 Apr. 
 ..18 Apr. 
 ..14 Apr. 
 .17 May, 
 ..14 Apr. 
 .. July, 
 ..15 Sep. 
 ,.18 May, 
 .. Aug. 
 
 ..12 Sep. 
 ..20 Jan. 
 ,. Apr. 
 
 N.Y... 
 Mass. 
 N. H. 
 
 D. C... 
 
 Mass. 
 
 Ind ... 
 Va.... 
 
 Sur. 2 inf. 2 Apr. 
 
 Resigned .31 Mar. 
 
 Va. 
 
 Md.... 
 Mass. 
 D.C. 
 La.... 
 
 Ret., asst. sur 2 Mar. 
 
 do do 
 
 do do 
 
 Resigned 1 May, 20 
 
 Resigned 31 Mar. 
 
 Ret., asst. sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 do 
 do 
 
 do 
 do 
 
 N.Y... 
 Mass. 
 N. H. 
 
 D. C... 
 
 Mass. 
 
 Ind ... 
 Va.... 
 
 Ohio. 
 
 Md 
 
 Mass.. 
 D. C... 
 La 
 
 Sur. It. art. reg. (de- 
 clined) 4 Dec. 19 
 
 Disbanded 1 June,21 
 
 Resigned 1 Oct. 20 
 
 Ret., asst. sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 do do 
 
 Died 6 June,18 
 
 Dismissed 2 Oct. 20 
 
 Resigned 14 Nov. 18 
 
 Ret., asst. sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 du 
 
 do 
 
 do do 
 
 Resigned .24 Oct. 18 
 
 Resigned 9 Mar. 
 
 Resigned 12 Aug. 
 
 Resigned 31 Dec. 19
 
 REGISTER. 
 
 283 
 
 Name, rank and date of 
 commission. 
 
 Original entry into service 
 and previous commissions. 
 
 .5E 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 I^st Surgeons Continued. 
 
 Mordecai Hale 13 Feb. ] 
 
 James Mann 18 Apr. 
 
 David C. Ker. .18 Apr. 
 
 Samuel Shaw 18 Apr. 
 
 Benj. Waterhouse 18 Apr. 
 
 Sylvester Day .18 Apr. 
 
 William H. Buckner..l8 Apr. 
 
 Joseph Wallace 18 Apr. 
 
 Edward Purcell .18 Apr. 
 
 William Stewart 18 Apr. 
 
 William P. Marshall.. 18 Apr. 
 Joseph Eaton 18 Apr. 
 
 B.Delavan 18 Apr. 
 
 Robert Archer 18 Apr. 
 
 Thomas Russell 18 Apr. 
 
 George C. Clitherall .18 Apr. 
 
 W.J.Clark 18 Apr. 
 
 SquierLea 15 Ma.y, 
 
 Robt. McG. WalmsleylO Aug. 
 
 Josiah Everett 10 Aug. 
 
 Joseph P. Russell 10 Aug. 
 
 Richard Weightman.'21 Aug. 
 Samuel C. Muir 28 Sep. 
 
 IIos. sur 9 Apr. 12 
 
 Hob. sur 30 Apr. 12 
 
 Hos. sur 6 Apr. 13 
 
 Hob. sur 29 June,13 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 9 Dec. 07 
 
 Sur. 5 inf. 13 Mar. 13 
 
 Sur. 2 It. art 6 July, 12 
 
 Hos. sur. mate Sep. 15 
 
 Sur. 4 inf. Sep. 16 
 
 ISur. 5 inf. .18 Apr. 18 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 2 May, 13 
 
 iProv. ret .; May, 15 
 
 JHos. sur. mate 13 Mar. 14 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 30 Mar. 14 
 
 Sur. mate 3 art 14 Apr. 12 
 
 Resigned 12 Dec. 13 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 15 Apr. 14 
 
 Sur. mate 16 inf.. ...15 Apr. 14 
 
 Hos. sur. mate May, 16 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 13 May, 14 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 21 July,14 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 8 Mar. 17 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 26 Apr. 17 
 
 Sur. 44 inf. 1 Aug. 13 
 
 Disbanded June,15 
 
 Sur. mate 29 inf..... 1 July, 13 
 
 Sur. mate 7 inf. May, 15 
 
 Sur. mate 21 inf.....21 July, 13 
 
 Sur. 21 inf. Apr. 14 
 
 Sur. mate 5 inf 25 May, 14 
 
 N.y... 
 MaS.. 
 
 Va 
 
 Vt 
 
 Vt 
 
 N.Y. 
 
 Mass 
 Va... 
 Vt ... 
 
 Mass.. 
 Vt 
 
 Va. 
 
 Mass. 
 Va.... 
 
 Mass. 
 Va .... 
 
 William Sterne 26 Oct. 
 
 William H. Pierson...l4 Nov. 
 
 Wm. H. Livingston... 3 Feb. 19 
 J. P. C. Macmahon...23 July, 
 
 Selah Kirby 27 July, 
 
 William Beaumont... 4 Dec. 
 
 Robert M. Ball Dec. 
 
 Egbert H. Bell 28 Jan. 20 
 
 William H. Nicoll....58 Jan. 
 Robert French 12 Apr. 
 
 Chaa. N. McCoskry ...12 Apr. 
 James Cutbush .16 May, 
 
 Wm. S. Comstock .....12 Oct. 
 Richard Randall 12 Oct. 
 
 George B. McKnight.l3 Oct. 
 
 Lyman Foot 12 Dec. 
 
 Thomas P. Hall .12 Dec. 
 
 Md.... 
 S. C... 
 Mass. 
 
 N. J.. 
 
 Md.... 
 
 S. C. 
 
 N. J... 
 
 Ret., asst. sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 do do 
 
 Declined app'nt 
 
 Resigned 31 Dec. 18 
 
 Disbanded 1 June,21 
 
 Ret., asst. sur 2 Mar. 
 
 Died 2 Oct. 20 
 
 Ret., asst. sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 do do 
 
 do do 
 
 Disbanded 1 June, 
 
 Ret., asst. sur 2 Mar. 
 
 do 
 
 do 
 
 Va.... 
 Mass. 
 N.C.. 
 Penn. 
 La .... 
 
 N.y.. 
 
 Sur. mate 1 inf. 7 Apr. 13 
 
 Ret., 8 inf Sep. 15 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 31 Oct. 17 
 
 Sur. mate 40 inf.. ...11 Mar. 14 
 
 Ret., 6 inf May, 15 
 
 Sur. mate 1 inf. 4 Aug. 14 
 
 Ret., rifles May, 16 
 
 Sur. mate It. art 26 July, 14 
 
 Sur. mate 3 inf. 21 Nov. 17 
 
 Vt 
 
 D. C... 
 D. C... 
 
 N. J.. 
 
 N.y.. 
 
 Sur. mate 8 inf. 2 Dec. 12 
 
 Sur. mate 1 inf. 17 Feb. 17 
 
 Sur. mate 10 inf.....lO Mar. 12 
 
 Sur. 10 inf. Mar. 14 
 
 Sur. 8 inf 18 Apr. 18 
 
 Sur. mate 6 inf. 19 Feb. 17 
 
 Sur. mate, U. S. N..16 Jan. 
 
 Apr. 09 
 
 Conn. 
 N.C.. 
 
 N.y... 
 D.C... 
 
 A. Apoth. Gen 12 Aug. 14 
 
 Prov. ret May, 15 
 
 Sur. mate 3 inf. 21 Apr. 18 
 
 Sur. mate 2 inf. 10 Aug. 18 
 
 Trans., 4 inf Sep. 18 
 
 Sur. mate 1 inf. 17 Feb. 17 
 
 ligned Aug. 18 
 
 Sur. mate 2 Inf. 10 Aug. 18 
 
 Sur. 36 inf 10 July, 13 
 
 Disbanded June,15 
 
 R^mental Medical Officers. 
 
 Surgeons. 
 
 Lewis Dunham 12 Dec. 08 
 
 Thomas Lawson 21 May, 13 
 
 Va do do 
 
 Mass.. Died 24 Aug. 19 
 
 N.C... Ret., asst. sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 Penn.. Resigned 1 June,19 
 
 La Ret., asst. sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 Sur. 8 inf. May, 20 
 
 3ur.lt. art.reg 28 Jan. 
 
 Ret., sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 Ret., asst. but 2 Mar. 
 
 do do 
 
 Dropped 27 July, 19 
 
 N.Y. 
 
 Vt... 
 D.C. 
 D.C. 
 
 Mass. 
 N.J... 
 N.Y.., 
 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 
 R. I.. 
 
 Md... 
 
 Conn. 
 Md.... 
 
 Va. 
 
 Conn. 
 Penn. 
 N.C. 
 
 N.Y 
 D. C... 
 
 Penn.. 
 Penn.. 
 
 R. I... 
 
 Md 
 
 Disbanded 1 June,21 
 
 Died 12 Nov. 20 
 
 Ret., asst. sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 do do 
 
 Died 5 Oct. 19 
 
 Ret., asst. sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 Died Oct. 20 
 
 Ret, asst. sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 Conn.. 
 Md 
 
 N.J. 
 Va... 
 
 do 
 do 
 
 do 
 do 
 
 do 
 do 
 
 do 
 do 
 
 do 
 do 
 
 do 
 do 
 
 do 
 
 do 
 
 do 
 do 
 
 do 
 do 
 
 Sur. It. drag 12 Dec. 08 
 
 Ret., It. art May, 15 
 
 Resigned 21 Sep. 19 
 
 Sur. mate, U. S. N... 1 Mar. 09 
 
 Resigned Jan. 11 
 
 Sur. mate 6 inf. 28 Jan. 
 
 Sur. 6 inf. May, 13 
 
 Ret., 7 inf May, 15 
 
 Ret., sur May, 21
 
 284 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Name, rank and date of 
 commission. 
 
 Original entry into service 
 and previous commissions. 
 
 p. 
 
 Surgeims Continued. 
 Thomas G. Mower 30 June,14 
 
 B. F. Harney 17 Aug. 
 
 W. V.Wheaton 4 Sep. 16 
 
 Wm. S. Madison 5 Oct. 
 
 M. H. Elliott .31 Oct. 17 
 
 Joseph Wallace 18 Apr. 18 
 
 Egbert H. Bell 18 Apr. 
 
 John Gale 18 Apr. 
 
 Edward Pnrcell 21 July, 
 
 Orimel Johnson 3 Mar. 
 
 Josiah Everett 20 Jan. 20 
 
 R. McG. Walmsley ...13 May, 
 
 Surgeon's Mates. 
 Samuel P. Hugo 12 Mar. 12 
 
 Sam'l H. Littlejohn... 3 Apr. 13 
 
 William Sterne 11 Mar. 14 
 
 B.C. Lane 11 Mar. 
 
 Jos. P. Russell 25 May, 
 
 W. H. Livingston 26 July, 
 
 W. H. Plerson 4 Aug. 
 
 Robert M. Ball 17 Feb. 17 
 
 Goo. B. McKnight.....l7 Feb. 
 Isaac W. Snowden ...10 Feb. 
 
 Wm. H. Nicoll 19 Feb. 
 
 Rogers M. Byrne 6 Nov, 
 
 Hos. sur 28 Mar. 13 
 
 Ret., post sur May, 16 
 
 Sur. mate 17 inf..... 2 Dec. 12 
 
 Ret., linf May, 15 
 
 Sur. 40 inf. 11 War. 14 
 
 Disbanded June,15 
 
 Post sur 7 Nov. 16 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 15 July, 13 
 
 Sur. mate 10 inf... ..12 Mar. 12 
 
 Sur. 10 inf Mar. 14 
 
 Disbanded June,15 
 
 Hos. sur 29 Apr. 16 
 
 Sur. mate 23 inf..... 6 July, 12 
 
 Sur. 34 inf. 14 
 
 Ret., sur. mate 3 inf Sep. 15 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 2 May, 13 
 
 Prov. ret May, 15 
 
 Post sur Apr. 18 
 
 R. I. 
 
 N. C. 
 
 Mass. .iSur. mate 9 inf. 2 Dec. 12 
 
 [Surgeon Juno,14 
 
 |Ret., 6inf. May, I.t 
 
 Ret., sur.- May, 21 
 
 jMies ..Sur. 3 inf 17 Aug. 14 
 
 Ret., 1 inf. May, 16 
 
 Ret., sur May. 21 
 
 R. I...|Sur. 2 inf 4 Sep. 16 
 
 jRet., 8ur._ May, 21 
 
 Ky Sur. 3 inf Oct. 16 
 
 Ret., sur May. 21 
 
 Mass .. Sur. 4 inf 31 Oct. 17 
 
 Rt., sur May, 21 
 
 Sur. 5 inf Apr. IS 
 
 Post sur Apr. 
 
 Sur. 8 inf 30 Apr. 
 
 Post sur 28 Jan. 20 
 
 N.C... 
 
 N. H.. 
 
 Va. 
 
 Sur. mate 21 inf.....21 July, 13 
 
 Sur. 21 inf Apr. 14 
 
 Ret., sur. mate 2 inf Sep. 15 
 
 Post sur Aug. 18 
 
 Sur. mate 29 inf..... 1 July, 12 
 
 Ret., 7 inf May, 15 
 
 Post sur Aug. 18 
 
 Sur. rifles Apr. 18 
 
 Ret., sur May, 21 
 
 Sur. 5 inf 21 July, 18 
 
 Ret., sur June,21 
 
 Ky ISur. rifles 3 Mar. 19 
 
 propped 4 Feb. 20 
 
 ISur. It. art 20 Jan. 
 
 Ret., sur May, 21 
 
 Hos. sur. mate (de- 
 clined) May, 14 
 
 Sur. 47 in/ 20July,14 
 
 30 inf Nov. 14 
 
 Disbanded June,15 
 
 N.y.. 
 
 Md. 
 
 Va. 
 
 N.Y. 
 
 Vt .... 
 
 N.Y... 
 N. J.. 
 
 Va.... 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 N.Y.. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Sur. 8 inf May, 2o 
 
 Disbanded Junc,21 
 
 Sur. mate 14 int....l2 Mar. 12 
 
 Trans., 1 rifles 13 
 
 Ret., rifle reg May, 15 
 
 Post snr Aug. 18 
 
 Dismissed 7 Sep. 
 
 Sur. mate 35 inf.... 3 Apr. 13 
 
 Trans.,1 It. drag May, 
 
 Ret.,8ur.matc 2 inf Sep. 15 
 Post sur. (declined) Aug. 18 
 
 Ret., asst. sur May, 21 
 
 Sur. mate 40 inf ...11 Mar. 14 
 
 Ret., 6inf May, 15 
 
 Post sur Oct. 18 
 
 Sur.mate 3 rifle regll Mar. 14 
 
 Ret., 4 inf Sep. 15 
 
 Resigned 1 June,18 
 
 Sur. mate 4 inf 25 Mav, 14 
 
 Ret., 5 inf May, 15 
 
 Post sur Aug. 18 
 
 Sur. mate It. art 26 July, 14 
 
 Retained May, 15 
 
 Post sur Feb. 19 
 
 Sur. mate 1 inf 4 Aug. 14 
 
 Ret., rifle reg May, 16 
 
 Post sur _ Nov. 18 
 
 Sur. mate 4 inf. 17 Feb. 17 
 
 Post sur Dec. 19 
 
 Sur. mate 1 inf 17 Fob. 17 
 
 Resigned Aug. 18 
 
 Sur. mate 7 inf .19 Fob. 17 
 
 Resigned 8 Oct. 18 
 
 Sur. mate 6 inf 19 Feb. 17 
 
 Post sur 28 Jan. 20 
 
 Sur. mate 5 inf. 6 Nov. 17 
 
 Resigned 30 Nov. 19
 
 REGISTKR. 
 
 285 
 
 Name, rank and date of 
 commission. 
 
 Orifpnal entry into service 
 and previous commissions. 
 
 Surgemi's Mates Continued. 
 J. P. C. Macraahon...21 Nov. 
 Thaddens IIul)bard...l3 Feb. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Wni. S. Comstock 21 Apr. 
 
 Wm. M. Rivers 10 Aug. 
 
 Clement A. Finley....lO Aug. 
 
 Lyman Foot 10 Aug. 
 
 Richard Randall 10 Aug. 
 
 Charles Mendenhall.lO Aug. 
 Richard M. Coleman.. 10 Aug. 
 
 Henry Smith 10 Aug. 
 
 Perry 0. Meloan 10 Aug. 
 
 Benjamin King 14 Oct. 
 
 Henry Stevenson 13 Nov. 
 
 Charles McCreedy 3 Feb. 
 
 Ayres P. Merrill 19 Mar. 
 
 Henry F. Hall 23 July, 
 
 Robert McMillan 4 Dec. 
 
 Joseph N. Clark 28 Jan. 
 
 Charles Sloan 28 Jan. 
 
 Presley H. Craig 12 Apr. 
 
 R. V. McGuire 12 Apr. 
 
 John Jackson 12 Dec. 
 
 18Sur. mate 34 inf.. ...22 May, 13 . 
 
 jResigned 13 Aug. 14! 
 
 Re-appointed 22 Nov. 14 
 
 Disbanded June,15 
 
 R. I... 
 
 o o 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Sur. mate 3 inf 21 Nov. 
 
 Post sur July, 
 
 Out 19 Mar. 
 
 S. C... 
 Ohio. 
 
 Md. 
 
 Del 
 Ky., 
 
 Sur. mate 22 inf 6 July, 12 . 
 
 Resigned 28 Feb. 14' 
 
 Snr. mate 3 inf. 21 Apr. 
 
 Post sur 12 Oct. 
 
 Sur. mate 1 inf .... 10 Aug. 
 
 Resigned Feb. 
 
 Sur. mate 1 inf. 10 Aug. 
 
 Ret., asst. sur May, 
 
 Conn..|Sur. mate 2 inf. 10 Aug. 
 
 Post sur 12 Dec. 
 
 Sur. mate 2 inf. 10 Aug. 
 
 Trans., 4 inf Sep. 
 
 Post sur Oct. 
 
 Sur. mate 5 inf. 10 Aug. 
 
 Ret., asst. sur June, 
 
 Sur. mate 7 inf. 10 Aug. 
 
 Ret., asst. sur........ May, 
 
 Sur. mate 8 inf. 10 Aug. 
 
 Out Mar. 
 
 Ky Sur. mate rifle reg.io Aug. 
 
 Resigned 31 Oct, 
 
 Md jSur. mate 7 inf 14 Oct. 
 
 JRet., asst. sur fune, 
 
 Va Sun niate.6 inf 13 Nov. 
 
 jDisbanded June. 
 
 Vt iSur.mate, It. art.... 3 Feb. 
 
 Died 24 May, 
 
 Mass. .'Sur. mate 8 inf 19 Mar. 
 
 Ret., asst. sur May, 
 
 Sur. mate 3 inf. 23 July, 
 
 Ret. asst. sur May, 
 
 S. C.jSur. mate 5 inf 4 Dec. 
 
 Disbanded June. 
 
 N. Y... Sur. mate 4 inf. 28 Jan. 
 
 iDied 8 Mar. 
 
 Md Sur. mate 8 inf 28 Ian. 
 
 Ret., asst. sur May, 
 
 Penn.. Sur. mate 6 inf. 12 Apr. 
 
 Ret., asst. snr May, 
 
 Md 'Sur. mate rifles 12 Apr. 
 
 iDropped 27 Dec. 
 
 ISur. mate 4 inf. 12 Dec. 
 
 Ret., asst. sur May,
 
 286 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 III. FBOM 1821 TO THE PRESENT TIME. 
 
 Name, rank and date of 
 commission. 
 
 Original entry into service 
 and previous military hiistory. 
 
 Surgeons General. 
 
 Joseph Lovell 18 Apr. ISJSur. 9 inf. .15 May, 12 
 
 Hos. sur 30 June,14 
 
 Thomas Lawsoji 30 Nov. 36 Gar. sur. mate 8 Feb. 11 
 
 iSur. 6 inf. 21 May, 13 
 
 Ret., 7 inf May, 15 
 
 jSurgeon 1 Jane,21 
 
 Clement A. Finley...15 May, OltSur. mate 1 inf. 10 Aug. 18 
 
 lAsst. sur 1 Jane,21 
 
 iSurgeon 13 July, 32 
 
 William A. Hammond25 Apr. 62iA88t.8ur 29 June,49 
 
 iResigned 31 Oct. 60 
 
 iA88t.8ur 28 May, 61 
 
 Joseph K. Barnes 22 Aug. 64jA8st.sur 15 June,40 
 
 ISurgeon 29 Aug. 56 
 
 ' Med. insp 9 Feb. 63 
 
 JMed. insp. gen 10 Aug. 63 
 
 Assistant Surgeons General. 
 
 Robert C. Wood 14 June,62|AB8t. sur 28 May, 25 
 
 Surgeon 4 July, 36 
 
 Charles II. Crane ...28 July, 66 Asst. sur 2 Feb. 48 
 
 Surgeon 21 May, 61 
 
 Medical Inspectors General. I 
 
 Thomas F. Perley 1 July, 62iBrig. sur. vol 23 Oct. 61 
 
 Joseph K. Barnes 10 Aug. 63iA8st.8ur 15 June,40 
 
 iSurgeon 29 Aug. 56 
 
 iMed. insp 9 Feb. 63 
 
 Madison Mills 1 Dec. 64JA88t.8ur 1 Apr. 34 
 
 iSurgeon 16 Feb. 47 
 
 judical Inspectors. 
 
 Mass.. 
 Va 
 
 Maas. 
 Va.... 
 
 Ohio. 
 Md.... 
 Penn. 
 
 R.I. 
 R.I.... 
 
 Me .... 
 Penn.. 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Ohio. 
 Md.... 
 Penn. 
 
 Died, Washington.. 17 Oct. 36 
 
 Lt. col. La. vol. in 
 
 Florida war Oct. 37 
 
 Cora. bat. N. Y. & 
 
 Penn. vol. till May, 38 
 
 Died, Norfolk, Va...l5 May, 61 
 Retired 14 Apr. 62 
 
 Dismissed 18 Aug. 64 
 
 R. I.... 
 
 Maes 
 
 Hon. must, out and 
 
 ret. to rank of sur. .31 Oct. 65 
 
 Fla..... 
 Penn. 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 John M. Cuyler 11 
 
 Richard H. Coolidgcll 
 Charles C. Keeney 11 
 
 June,62 
 
 June, 
 
 June, 
 
 Edward P. Vollum 11 Jane, 
 
 George U. Lyman 11 
 
 William II. Mu8Boy...l4 
 
 George T. Allen 14 
 
 Lewis Humphreys 30 
 
 Joseph K. Barnes 9 
 
 Frank H. Hamilton .. 9 
 
 Peter Pineo 9 
 
 Augustus C. Hamlin.. 9 
 George K. Johnson... 9 
 John K. Summers 27 
 
 N. 8. Townshend 11 
 
 George W. Stipp 12 
 
 John Wilson 10 
 
 John L. Leconte 29 
 
 E.D. Kittoe 30 
 
 June, 
 June, 
 June, 
 June, 
 Feb. 63 
 
 Feb. 
 Feb. 
 Feb. 
 Feb. 
 Feb. 
 
 Mar. 
 Mar. { 
 Aug. 
 Aug. 
 Mar. U\ 
 
 Asst. sur 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Asst. sur 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Asst. sur 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 Asst. sur 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Asst. sur 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Brig. sur. vol . 
 Brig. sur. vol , 
 Brig. sur. vol . 
 
 Apr. 34 
 Feb. 47 
 Aug. 41 
 June,60 
 July, 42 
 Sep. 
 Mar. 45 
 June,60 
 May, 53 
 May, 62 
 Aug. 61 
 Oct. 
 Apr. 62 
 
 Asst. sur 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Brig. sur. vol . 
 Brig. sur. vol . 
 Brig. BUT. vol . 
 
 June,40 
 Aug. 66 
 Aug. 61 
 Aug, 
 Apr. 62 
 
 I Asst. BUT. c 
 
 'Surgeon . 
 
 Dec. 47 
 May, 61 
 
 Ga 
 N.Y... 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Mass. 
 N.H.. 
 
 8hio. 
 Iiio. 
 Penn. 
 
 Vt ... 
 
 N.S.. 
 Me.... 
 N.Y.. 
 Va... 
 
 Qa.... 
 N.Y.. 
 Mich. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Mass. 
 Ohio. 
 Ind... 
 Ind... 
 Penn. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 Mass. 
 Me.... 
 Mich. 
 Va.... 
 
 Brig. sur. vol , 
 
 Sur. vol 
 
 Brig. sur. vol 
 Snr. vol 
 
 Sep. 
 Dec. 62 
 June, 
 Dec. 
 
 Eng'd 
 
 Va 
 
 Penn.. 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Ohio. 
 111-... 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 Ill... 
 
 Resigned 10 Aug. 64 
 
 Promoted 22 Aug. 
 
 Hon. must, out and 
 
 ret. to rank of sur. .31 Oct. 65 
 
 Hon. must, out and 
 
 ret. to rank of sur. .31 Oct. 
 
 Hon. must, out and 
 
 ret. to rank of sur. .31 Oct. 
 
 Hon. must, out and 
 
 ret. to rank of sur..31 Oct. 
 
 Hon. must, out and 
 
 ret. to rank of sur. .31 Oct. 
 
 Hon. must, out 31 Oct. 
 
 Resigned 1 Jan. 64 
 
 Hon. must, out 31 Oct. 65 
 
 do do 
 
 Promoted 10 Aug. 63 
 
 Resigned .29 Aug. 
 
 Hon. must, out .....31 Oct. 65 
 do do 
 
 Resigned 1 Oct. 
 
 Hon. nmst. out and 
 
 ret. to rank of sur. .31 Oct. 
 
 Hon. must, out 31 Oct. 
 
 do do 
 
 do do 
 
 do do 
 
 do do
 
 REGISTER. 
 
 287 
 
 Name, rank and date of 
 commission. 
 
 Original entry into service 
 and previous military history. 
 
 3B 
 o p 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Chief Medical Purveyors. 
 Richard S. Satterlee..28 July, 66 
 Jedediah H. Baxter...l2 Mar. 72 
 
 Assistant Medical Pitrveyors. 
 Charles McDougall ...28 July, 66 
 Eugene H. Abadie.....28 July, 
 
 Robert Murray 28 July, 
 
 Charles Sutherland. ..28 July, 
 Jedediah H. Baxter.. .20 July, 67 
 
 Asst.sur 25 
 
 Surgeon 13 
 
 Asst. med. purv 20 
 
 Asst.eur 13 
 
 Surgeon 7 
 
 Asst.sur 4 
 
 Surgeon 24 
 
 Asst. sur 29 
 
 Surgeon 23 
 
 Asst.sur 5 
 
 Surgeon .16 
 
 Feb. 22 
 July, 32 
 July, 67 
 
 N.Y. 
 
 Vt ... 
 
 Mich. 
 Vt 
 
 Retired 22 Feb. 
 
 July, 32 
 July, 38 
 July, 36 
 July, 53 
 June,46 
 June,60 
 Aug. 52 
 Apr. 62 
 
 Ohio . 
 Fr'ce., 
 
 Thomas Lawson 1 June,2 
 
 Thomas G. Mower 1 June, 
 
 B. F. Harney 1 June, 
 
 W. V. Wheaton 1 June, 
 
 W. S. Madison 1 June, 
 
 M.H. Elliott IJune, 
 
 John Gale 1 June, 
 
 Josiah Everett 1 June, 
 
 Edward Purcell 18 June, 
 
 B. Delavan 27 Jan. ! 
 
 Robert Archer 9 May, ! 
 
 J. P. C. Macmahon... 5 Aug. '. 
 William Beaumont.. .26 Nov. ; 
 
 William H. Nicoll 28 July, 30 
 
 Lyman Foot 5 Mar. 31 
 
 Clement A. Finley .. 
 Richard M. Coleman. 
 Presley H.Craig 
 
 Richard S. Satterlee. 
 Zina Pitcher 
 
 .13 July, 
 
 .13 July, 
 
 .13 July, 
 
 13 July, 
 13 July, 
 
 Ind... 
 Penn. 
 Md.... 
 Penn. 
 Vt .... 
 
 Retired 22 Feb. 69 
 
 Ap. rev. and ret. to 
 
 rank of sur 4 Mar. 67 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 8 Feb. 11 
 
 Sur. 6 inf. 21 May, 13 
 
 Sur. 7 inf. May, 15! 
 
 Sur. mate 9 inf. 2 Dec. 12 
 
 Sur. 9 inf. .30 June,14 
 
 Sur. 6 inf. May, ISJ 
 
 Sur. 3 inf. 17 Aug. 14 
 
 Sur. 1 inf. May, 16 
 
 Hos. sur Mar. 13 
 
 Sur. 2 inf. 4 Sep. 16 
 
 Sur. mate 1" inf.. ...12 Dec. 12 
 
 Sur. mate 1 inf. 15 Mav, 15 
 
 Sur. 3 inf. 5 Oct. 16 
 
 nr. 40 inf. 11 Mar. 14 
 
 Disbanded June,15 
 
 Post sur 7 Nov. 16 
 
 Sur. 4 inf. Oct. 17 
 
 Sur. mate 23 inf..... 6 July, 12 
 
 Sur. 34 inf. 14 
 
 Snr.rifles 18 Apr. 18 
 
 Sur. mate 21 inf... ..21 July, 13 
 
 Sur. 21 inf. Apr. 14 
 
 Sur. mate 2 inf. Sep. 15 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 2 May, 13 
 
 Post sur 18 Apr. 18 
 
 Sur. 5 inf. 21 July, 
 
 Sur. mate 16 inf.. ...15 Apr. 14 
 
 Hos. sur. mate May, 16 
 
 Post sur 18 Apr. 18 
 
 Asst. sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 Hob. sur. mate 13 May, 14 
 
 Post sur 18 Apr. 18 
 
 A88t.sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 Sur. mate 3 inf. 21 Nov. 17 
 
 Post sur 23 July, 19 
 
 Asst.sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 Sur. mate 16 inf..... 2 Dec. 12 
 
 6inf Jan. 13 
 
 Resigned 3 June,15 
 
 Post sur 4 Dec. 19 
 
 Asst.sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 Sur. mate 6 inf. 19 Feb. 17 
 
 Post sur 28 Jan. 20 
 
 Asst.sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 Sur. mate 2 inf. 18 Aug. 18 
 
 Post sur 12 Dec. 20 
 
 Asst.sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 Sur. mate 1 inf. 10 Aug. 18 
 
 Asst.sur 1 June,21 
 
 Sur. mate 7 inf. 10 Aug. 18 
 
 Asst.sur 1 June,21 
 
 Sur. mate 6 inf. 12 Apr. 20 
 
 Asst.sur 1 June,21 
 
 do 25 Feb. 22 
 
 do 8 May, 
 
 Mass. 
 
 Del... 
 N.Y. 
 
 Del... 
 
 N.Y. 
 Ky... 
 
 Mass.. 
 
 N. H 
 
 Va... 
 N.J. 
 
 Va. 
 
 Conn. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Conn. 
 
 Ohio. 
 Ky.... 
 Penn. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Va. 
 
 Promoted 12 Mar. 72 
 
 Promoted 30 Nov. 36 
 
 Died,New York city 7 Dec. 53 
 
 Wounded,Mex. war 6 June,47 
 Died,Baton Rouge..29 Aug. 58 
 Died, Philadelphia.23 Apr. 6n 
 
 Killed by Indians 
 
 before receipt of ap.l4 May, 21 
 
 Died,Pen8acola, Fla 8 Sep. 22 
 
 Died, Fort Arm- 
 strong, 111 27 July, 3(1 
 
 Died, in camp near 
 
 Fort Gratiot, Mich..l4 July, 32 
 
 Died, Ft. Snelling..ll Jan. 25 
 
 Died, Nachitoches, 
 
 La ;.26Nov. 27 
 
 Resigned 5 Aug. 26 
 
 asst.sur 5 Aug. 
 
 N.Y., 
 
 N.Y. 
 
 Conn.. 
 
 Ohio.. 
 
 Ky..... 
 
 Penn. 
 
 Mich. 
 N.Y... 
 
 Resigned 30 Oct. 34 
 
 Died,NewOrleans_.14 Apr. 37 
 
 Resigned .31 Dec. 39 
 
 Died, Jefferson Bar. 5 Mar. 31 
 
 Died, Port Lavacca, 
 
 Texas 24 Oct. 46 
 
 Promoted 15 May, 61 
 
 Died, Fort Arm- 
 strong, 111 2 Sep. 32 
 
 Died, New Orleans. 8 Aug. 48 
 
 Promoted 28 July, 66 
 
 Resigned .31 Dec. 36 
 
 Re-ap. asst. sur 2 Feb. 39 
 
 Resigned 31 Oct.
 
 288 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Name, rank and date of 
 commission. 
 
 , Original entry into service 
 and previous military history. 
 
 Reniarlis. 
 
 Surgeons Continued. 
 
 llobert McMillan 3 Sep. 32 Sur. mate 6 inf. 4 Deo. 19S. C. 
 
 Asst.sur 1 July,22 
 
 Samuel G. I. Decamp 1 Dec. 33 do 10 Oct. 23:N. J 
 
 do 20 Jan. 24;N.Y., 
 
 do 22 Nov. iMd.... 
 
 do 9May, 2oMd.. 
 
 do 28 May, R.I., 
 
 Resigned 1 Dec. 33 
 
 Edward Macomb 1 Nov. 34 
 
 Hamilton S. Hawkins 4 July, 36, 
 
 .\lfri-d W. Elwes 4 July, i 
 
 Robert C. Wood 4 July, ! 
 
 I'hilip Minis 1 
 
 Henry A- Steinecke...31 
 William L. Wharton. .22 
 
 Charles S. Tripler 7 
 
 P.Maxwell 7 
 
 Henry L. Heiskell ... 7 
 Charles McDougall... 7 
 
 Burton Randall 7 
 
 Nathan S. Jarvis 7 
 
 Richard Clarke 7 
 
 Dec. 
 Dec. 
 July, 37 
 July, 38 
 July, 
 July, I 
 July, 1 
 July, : 
 July, I 
 July, i 
 
 Adam N. McLaren ...30 June,39i 
 Oeorge F. Turner 1 Jan. 40 
 
 Joseph J. B. Wright..26 Mar. 44] 
 John B. Porter 4 Oct. 46j 
 
 John B. Wells 24 Oct. I 
 
 John M. Cuyler 16 Feb. 47; 
 
 Madison Mills 16 Feb. ' 
 
 William Hammond .. 7 Aug. j 
 Leonard C. Mcl'lmil.. 8 Aug. 48! 
 
 Samuel P. Moore 30 Apr. 49 
 
 Chas. M. Hitchcock_.13 Feb. 51 
 Bernard M. Byrne 31 Mar. 53 
 
 Eugene H. Abadie 24 
 
 Charles McCorniick. 7 
 
 Charles H. Laub 17 
 
 Josiah Simpson 12 
 
 William J. Sloan 20 
 
 William S. King 29 
 
 David C. DeLeon .29 
 
 James Simons 29 
 
 Thomas C.Madison... 29 
 
 Joseph K. Barnes 29 
 
 Levi 11. Holden 13 
 
 Richard F. Simpon...23 
 Richard H.Coolidge..23 
 
 Charles C. Keeney....23 
 
 Robert Murray .23 
 
 John F. Head 6 
 
 Levris A. Edwards 19 
 
 John F. Hammond. ..25 
 
 Elisha J. Bailey 15 
 
 Oeorge E. Cooper 21 
 
 Ebenezer Swift .21 
 
 Glover Perin 21 
 
 P. G. S. TenBroeck...21 
 
 John Campbell 31 
 
 John E. Summers... .21 
 
 Charles H. Crane 21 
 
 Lyman H. Stone 21 
 
 Thomas A. McParUn.21 
 
 William F. Mgar 21 
 
 Joseph B. Brown 4 
 
 Alexander B. Hasonl7 
 Jonathan I>ctterman.l6 
 
 Robert 0. Abbott 16 
 
 Thomas M. Getty 16 
 
 DaTid L. Magruder...l6 
 
 July, 
 
 Dec. 
 
 Oct. 54 
 
 Aug. 55 
 
 Dec. 
 
 Aug. 56 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Apr. 60 
 
 June, 
 
 June, 
 
 June, 
 
 June, 
 
 Sep. 
 
 Feb. 61 
 
 Feb. 
 
 May, 
 
 May, 
 
 May, 
 
 May, 
 
 May, 
 
 May, 
 
 May, 
 
 May, 
 
 May, 
 
 May, 
 
 May, 
 
 July, 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Apr. 62 
 
 Apr, 
 
 Apr 
 
 Apr, 
 
 do 12 Apr. 266a ( 
 
 do 8 May, Penn.. 
 
 do 1 Sep. 28D. C... 
 
 do 30 Oct. .'JOIN.T...!: 
 
 do 13 July,32Vt j 
 
 do 13 July, Va j 
 
 do 13 July, [Ohio..< 
 
 do 24 Oct. Md 
 
 do 2 Mar. 33N.Y... 
 
 do 2 Mar. IN.Y... 
 
 do 
 
 2 Mar. IScot'd 
 
 Retired 27 
 
 Died,Saratoga,N.Y. 8 
 Died, Ft. Monroe, Va2t) 
 Dipd,Tampico,Mex.l3 
 Died, Pilatka, Fla...l2 
 
 Asst. sur. gen 14 
 
 Retired 22 
 
 Died,NewYork city28 
 
 Resigned 21 
 
 Died, Baltimore.Md20 
 Died.Port I^vacca.. 4 
 Died, Cincinnati,0.27 
 
 Disbanded 23 
 
 Died, Washington..l2 
 
 Promoted 28 
 
 Retired 1" 
 
 Died,Baltimore,Mdl2 
 Died, Maj .Gamble's 
 Fla 29 
 
 Aug. 62 
 Sep. 71 
 Mar. 44 
 Aug. 47 
 June,42 
 June,62 
 Feb. 69 
 Mar. 
 Julv,37 
 Dec. 55 
 Oct. 46 
 Ott. 66 
 Sep. 42 
 Aug. 65 
 Jul v, 66 
 Oct. 68 
 May, 62 
 
 June,39 
 
 do 23 July, 
 
 do 
 do 
 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 
 .25 Oct. 
 . 1 Dec. 
 
 . 1 Feb. ; 
 . 1 Apr. 
 . 1 Apr. 
 
 . 1 June, 
 .30 Nov. 
 .14 Mar. 
 .17 Aug. 
 
 Penn. 
 Coun. 
 
 Md.... 
 Ga.... 
 N.Y.. 
 
 do 1 June, Md 
 
 do 30 Nov. Md 
 
 do 14 Mar. 35 S. C... 
 
 do 17 Aug. Md.... 
 
 do 20 May, 36 Irel'd 
 
 do 4 July, 
 
 do 30 Aug. 
 
 do 30 Nov. 
 
 do 11 July, 
 
 do 12July, 
 
 do 29 July, 
 
 do 21 Aug. 
 
 do 11 July, 
 
 do ....27 Feb. 
 
 do .'...16 June, 
 
 do 15 June, 
 
 do 1 Aug. 
 
 do 16 Aug. 
 
 iFr'ce.. 
 |D. C. 
 D. C... 
 
 37 In. J.., 
 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 
 38 S. C... 
 398. C... 
 
 40 
 
 do 12 Aug. 
 
 do 29June,46 
 
 do 6 Aug. 
 
 do 29 Aug. 
 
 do 16 Feb. 47 
 
 do 16 Feb. 
 
 do 28 Aug. 
 
 do 30 Aug. 
 
 do 4 Dec. 
 
 do 13 Dec. 
 
 do 13 Dec. 
 
 do 13 Dec. 
 
 do 2 Feb. 48 
 
 do 13 Dec. 47 
 
 do 2 Mar. 49 
 
 do 2 Mar. 
 
 do 29 June, 
 
 do ,....29 June, 
 
 do 29 June, 
 
 do 23 Nov. 
 
 do 23 Nov. 
 
 Va 
 
 Penn.. 
 R. L... 
 
 Va 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Md 
 
 Mass. 
 D. C... 
 S. C... 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 Mass. 
 Ohio . 
 
 Me 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Va 
 
 R. I... 
 
 Mass .. Died,CorpusChri8ti 
 
 jTexas 17 
 
 Penn..' 
 
 Conn..' Retired 27 
 
 ! JDied,Coventry, Conl5 
 
 Ga |Died,Baltimore,Md24 
 
 jGa Med. insp 11 
 
 N. Y... Med. insp. gen 1 
 
 I iDied, Ft. Columbus.28 
 
 Md Died, Benicia, Cal...l3 
 
 Md Resigned 30 
 
 S. C... Resigned 25 
 
 Md jResigned 31 
 
 Md iDied, Ft. Moultrie, 
 
 1. C 6 
 
 iPenn. 
 ;D. C... 
 'd. C... 
 tPenn. 
 IPenn. 
 jPenn. 
 S. C... 
 
 ^S. c... 
 
 Fla 
 
 Penn. 
 R.I... 
 
 Va 
 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Mich.. 
 
 Md 
 
 Mass. 
 D. C. 
 C... 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 Ohio. 
 Ohio. 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Oct. 54 
 
 do 
 
 Md.... 
 Ky.... 
 N.Y.. 
 Md.... 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 Md.... 
 1 Feb. 50 Md.... 
 
 Aug. 62 
 June.69 
 July,53 
 June,62 
 Oct. 64 
 Apr. 73 
 Feb. tl 
 .\pr. 49 
 Feb. 61 
 Mar. 53 
 
 Sep. 60 
 
 Resigned 19 Feb. 61 
 
 17 Aug. 
 
 Promoted 9 Feb. 63 
 
 Retired 27 Oct. 58 
 
 Died,KeyWest,Fla.. 4 July, 61 
 
 Med. insp 11 June,62 
 
 Died, Raleigh, N.C..23 Jan. 66 
 
 Med. insp 11 June,62 
 
 Promoted. 28 July, 66 
 
 Died, Portland,Me..l9 Dec. 67 
 N.Y. 
 
 Va Med. insp 27 Feb. 63 
 
 Mass.. Promoted 28 July, 66 
 
 Vt iSeo G. 0. No. 43 22 Dec. 52 
 
 iDismissed 16 Sep. 62 
 
 Md j 
 
 Mo iRotired .27 Aug. 
 
 Mich..| 
 
 Md 
 
 Penn..' 
 
 Penn..!Died,Brooklvn,N.Y16 June,67 
 
 Va Died, Ft.McHenry..30 Oct. 
 
 Va I
 
 REGISTER. 
 
 289 
 
 Name, rank and date of 
 commission. 
 
 Original entry into service 
 and previous military history. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Surgeons Continued. 
 W. J. H, White 16 Apr. 62 
 
 John J. Milhau 16 
 
 Horace R. Wirtz 16 
 
 Charles Page 16 
 
 Charles Sutlierland...l6 
 
 Basil Norris 16 
 
 Edward P. Vollum...l2 
 
 John Moore 11 
 
 Andrew K. Smith 11 
 
 Rich. H. Aloxander...ll 
 
 Joseph R. Smith 11 
 
 James T. Ghiselin 14 
 
 John F. Randolph 27 
 
 George Taylor 27 
 
 George Hammond 27 
 
 B.J. D.Irwin 16 
 
 Anthony Heger 17 
 
 Charles T. Alexander 9 
 Bennett A.CIement8.27 
 Lewis Taylor 14 
 
 Asstsur 12 Mar. D. C 
 
 Apr. do 30 Apr. 51 Fr'ce.. 
 
 Apr. do 5 Dec. 46Ponn.. 
 
 Apr. do 2 Dec. 51 Va 
 
 Apr. do 5 Aug. 52 Penn.. 
 
 Apr. do 11 Oct. 
 
 May, do 31 May, 53 
 
 June, do 29 June, 
 
 June, do 26 July, 
 
 June, do 2 Dec. 
 
 June, do 15 Dec. 54 
 
 June, do 1 June,55 
 
 Aug. do 24 Dec 
 
 Aug. do 1 Apr. 56 
 
 .A.ug. do 28 June, 
 
 Sep. do 28 Aug, 
 
 ep. do 29 Aug, 
 
 Feb. 63 do 1 Oct. 
 
 Feb. do 4 Nov 
 
 Aug. do 3 Mar 
 
 D. C... 
 
 Joseph C. Baily 1 
 
 .lames 0. McKee 22 
 
 Joseph H.Bill 28 
 
 D. W. C. Peters 28 
 
 Charles H. Alden 28 
 
 Warren Webster 28 
 
 John Vansant 28 
 
 Charles C. Byrne 28 
 
 Clinton Waguer 28 
 
 Joseph P. Wright 28 
 
 Charles C. Gray 28 
 
 William C. Spencer. ..28 
 
 Francis L. Town 20 
 
 Abel F. Mechem 16 
 
 Dec. 64 
 
 Dec. 
 
 July, 66 
 
 July, 
 
 July, 
 
 July, 
 
 July, 
 
 July, 
 
 July, 
 
 July, 
 
 July, 
 
 July, 
 
 Oct. 
 
 June,67 
 
 do 27 Oct. 
 
 do 22 Oct. 
 
 58 
 
 Md.... 
 N.Y.. 
 Ind .. 
 Conn.. 
 Ind. T 
 N.Y... 
 
 Md 
 
 Va 
 
 Md 
 
 Md.... 
 Irel'd. 
 Aust . 
 Ch. N 
 D. C... 
 Penn.. 
 
 Penn.. 
 Penn.. 
 Penn.. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 Penn. 
 
 Va 
 
 Penn. 
 Md.... 
 N.Y.. 
 Ind .. 
 Conn. 
 Ky.... 
 N.Y.. 
 Md.... 
 La.... 
 Md.... 
 Md.... 
 N.Y.. 
 Penn. 
 Ark.. 
 N.Y.. 
 
 do 13 Apr. 60 
 
 do 15 Aug. 54IN.Y... 
 
 do 23 June,60!Penn.. 
 
 Dallas Bache 5 Aug. 
 
 Blencowe E. Fryer. ..30 Oct. 
 
 John H. Frantz 19 Dec. 
 
 Charles E. Goddaxd... 6 Jan. ' 
 
 Philip C. Davis 17 Oct. 
 
 James F. Weeds .27 Oct. 
 
 Assistant Surgeons. 
 
 George W. Maupin... 1 Jnne,21 
 
 Joseph Goodhue 1 June, 
 
 James H. Sargent 1 June, 
 
 Sylvester Day 1 June, 
 
 William Ballard 1 June, 
 
 William Turner 1 June, 
 
 Hanson Catlett 1 June, 
 
 do 23 June, 
 
 do 23 June, 
 
 do 23 June, 
 
 do 11 Oct. 
 
 do 28 May, 61 
 
 do 28 May, 
 
 do 28 May, 
 
 do 28 May, 
 
 do 11 Oct. 60 
 
 do 28 May, 61 
 
 do 28 May, 
 
 do 28 May, 
 
 do 28 May, 
 
 do 28 May, 
 
 do 28 May, 
 
 N.H. 
 
 Va 
 
 Md 
 
 Md..... 
 Penn.. 
 N.Y... 
 N.Y... 
 N.H... 
 Md 
 
 Eng'd.jPenn. 
 Penn..Md.... 
 
 N.Y... 
 Va 
 
 Eng'd. 
 
 Foster Swift ... 
 John Trevfett . 
 
 19 
 
 1 June, 
 1 June, 
 
 Sur. mate 5 
 
 Prov. ret 
 
 Post sur 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 8 
 
 Prov. ret 
 
 Gar. sur 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 6 
 
 A. A. Apoth. Gen... 
 
 Post sur 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 9 
 
 Sur.Sinf 13 
 
 Post sur 18 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 24 
 
 Prov. ret 
 
 Post sur 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 29 
 
 Post sur 24 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 26 
 
 Resigned 23 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 18 
 
 Sur. 1 inf. 
 
 Post sur 
 
 Gar. sur. mate 18 
 
 Post sur 24 
 
 Sur. mate 8 
 
 Post sur 18 
 
 Prov. ret., sur. mate 
 Post sur 18 
 
 Nov. 02 
 June,15 
 
 18 
 Feb. 03 
 June,15 
 Aug. 16 
 Mar. 06 
 
 14 
 Apr. 16 
 Dec. 07 
 Mar. 13 
 Apr. 18 
 Mar. 12 
 June,15 
 Apr. 18 
 Sep. 12 
 Apr. 16 
 Mar. 04 
 Nov 
 Feb. 13 
 Sep. 14 
 May, 16 
 Feb. 14 
 Apr. 16 
 Apr. 14 
 Apr. 
 June,15 
 Apr. 18 
 
 D. C... 
 
 Penn. 
 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 N.Y.., 
 Penn. 
 Mafis. 
 Va.... 
 Md.... 
 Md.... 
 Penn. 
 N.Y.. 
 N.Y.. 
 Penn. 
 Md.... 
 
 Penn. 
 
 N.Y 
 
 D. C... 
 Ohio 
 
 Vt.. 
 
 Mass. 
 
 Ky.. 
 
 Vt.... 
 Mass 
 
 Vt ... 
 
 R.I.. 
 Ky... 
 
 Mass. 
 N. H. 
 
 Killed at battle of 
 Antietam, Md 17 Sep. 62 
 
 See G. 0. No 48 29 June,51 
 
 Promoted 28 July, 66 
 
 Med. insp 11 June,62 
 
 Died,Galveston,Tex 5 Aug 67 
 Drow'd in Miss. riv.l4 Aug. 63 
 
 Died, Ft.Wadsw'th, 
 
 D.T 6 Jan. 
 
 1 May, 67 
 
 Died, Pleasantville, 
 
 Md 14 July, 71 
 
 Died,Ft.Benton,MT 2 Oct. 
 
 Died, Ft. Monroe.. .18 June,25 
 
 Resigned 31 Dec. 24 
 
 Resigned 22 Aug. 46 
 
 Died, Alleghany Ar- 
 senal, Penn 20 Feb. 51 
 
 ,.28 Feb. 22 
 
 N.H.. 
 
 Died, Newport, R.I..26 Sep. 37 
 Died 21 Oct. 24 
 
 Died, New London. .18 Aug. 36 
 Died, Atigusta, Ga..l8 Aug. 21
 
 290 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Name, rank and date of 
 commission. 
 
 ! Original entry into service 
 land previous military history. 
 
 e"t: 
 
 Remarks 
 
 Assistant Surgeons Con'd. 
 
 William N.Mercer... lJune,21jHo8. sur. mate 18 May, 13 Va. 
 
 Sur. 22 inf Aug. 
 
 Trans., 23 inf. 14 
 
 Hoe. sur 22 Nov. 
 
 Va. 
 
 T.J. C. Monroe 1 June, 
 
 Samuel B. Smith 1 June, 
 
 James Mann 1 June, 
 
 Joeeph Wallace 1 June, 
 
 William Stewart.. . 1 June, 
 
 Joeeph Eaton 1 June, 
 
 f 
 
 B. Delavau 1 June, 
 
 Robert Archer 1 June, 
 
 George C. Clitherall... 1 June, 
 Squier Lea 1 June, 
 
 Joseph P. Russell 1 June, 
 
 Richard Weightman. 1 June, 
 
 W.H.Livingston 1 June, 
 
 J. P. C. Macmahon... 1 June, 
 William Beaumont... 1 June, 
 EgbrtH. Bell 1 June, 
 
 William H. Nicoll 1 June, 
 
 Robert French 1 June, 
 
 Charles McCoskry 1 June, 
 
 James Cutbueh 1 June, 
 
 William S. Comstock 1 June, 
 Richard Randall 1 June, 
 
 George B. McKnight. 1 June. 
 
 Lyman Foot 1 June, 
 
 Thomas P. Hall 1 June, 
 
 S. H. Uttlejohn 1 June, 
 
 Va. 
 
 Sur. mate 6 inf. 12 Sep. 11 
 
 Resigned 20 Jan. 12 
 
 Gar. sur. mate Apr. 14 
 
 Post sur 29 Apr. 16 
 
 |Pot sur 12 Nov 
 
 Uos. sur 9 Apr. 12 Mass. 
 
 Post sur 18 Apr. 18i 
 
 Hoe. sur. mate 15 July,13i 
 
 Sur. 5 inf 18 Apr. 18 
 
 IIos. sur. mate 13 Mar. 14 Md.... 
 
 jPost sur 18 Apr. 18 
 
 Sur. mate 3 art 14 Apr. 12 Mass. 
 
 Resigned 12 Dec. 13l 
 
 I. sur. mate 15 Apr. 14{ 
 
 Post sur 18 Apr. 18! 
 
 Sur. mate 16 inf.. ...16 Apr. 14 N. J.. 
 
 Hos. sur. mate May, 16i 
 
 Post sur 18 Apr. 18 
 
 Hos. eur. mate 13 May 14!Va.... 
 
 Post sur 18 Apr. 18 
 
 Hos. sur. mate 8 Mar. 17 N. C. 
 
 Post sur 18 Apr. 181 
 
 Sur. 44 inf 1 Aug. 13|Lh .... 
 
 Disbanded June,15 
 
 Post sur May, 18 
 
 Sur. mate 5 inf. 25 May, 14 
 
 Post sur 10 Aug. 18 
 
 Post sur 21 Aug. 
 
 Ohio .. 
 
 Resigned 21 July, 21 
 
 Died, Ft. Niagara...23 Oct. 39 
 
 Died, Philadelphia.28 Nov. 34 
 Died,New York city 7 Nov. 32 
 
 Resigned .3( Aug. 27 
 
 Died, Baltimore 23 Sep. 2.! 
 
 Ma6e..Died,Ft. Hamilton..l6Mar. 6(i 
 
 Maes. 
 
 Md.. 
 
 I 
 I 
 N.J. 
 
 Va..., 
 N.C.. 
 La... 
 
 Vt 
 
 D. C. 
 
 Sur. mate lt.art.....26 Julv,14 N.Y... 
 
 Post sur 3 Feb. 19 
 
 Sur. mate 3 inf 21 Nov. 17 
 
 Post sur 23 July,19 
 
 Sur. mate 8 inf 2 Dec. 12 
 
 Post sur 4 Dec. 19 
 
 Sur. mate 10 inC....10 Mar. 12N.C... 
 
 Sur. 10 inf Mar. 141 
 
 8 inf 18 Apr. 18 . 
 
 Post BUT 28 Jan. 20' 
 
 Sur. mate 6 inf 19 Feb. 17]N. Y.. 
 
 Post sur 28 Jan. 20| 
 
 Sur. mate, U. 8. N .16 Jan. OSlD. C... 
 
 Resigned Apr. 09| 
 
 Post sur 12 Apr. 201 
 
 Post sur 12 Apr. Penn. 
 
 Asst. Apoth. Gen... 12 Aug. 14 Peun. 
 
 Prov.ret May, 15 
 
 Post sur 16 May, 20 
 
 Vt 
 
 D. C... 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Conn.. N.Y... 
 N.C... 
 
 N.Y.. 
 D. C... 
 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 
 Sur. mate 3 inf 21 
 
 Post sur 12 
 
 Sur. mate 2 inf 10 
 
 4 inf. 
 
 Post eur 12 
 
 Sur. mate 1 inf. 17 
 
 Resigned 
 
 Poet sur 13 
 
 Sur. mate 2 inf 18 
 
 Poet sur 12 
 
 Sur. 36 inf 10 
 
 Disbanded 
 
 Poet sur 12 
 
 Sur. mate 35 inf..... 3 
 
 1 It. drag 
 
 2 inf 
 
 Apr, 
 
 Oct. 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Sep. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 Feb. 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 July, 
 
 June, 
 
 Dec. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 May, 
 
 Sep. 
 
 18 R. 1... 
 
 20 
 18;Md 
 
 R. I. 
 
 Md... 
 
 201 
 17|Penn. 
 
 18 
 20| 
 ISiConn. 
 
 2(j! 
 
 Md.. 
 
 Va. 
 
 Conn.. 
 Md 
 
 Va., 
 
 Promoted 27 Jan. 'i 
 
 Promoted 9 May, 25 
 
 Died, Ft. Johnston, 
 
 N.C 10 Nov. 29 
 
 Died, New Orleans.. 5 Feb. 26 
 
 Died, Ft.Columbus..l9 Sep. 49 
 
 Wounded in battle 
 atWelika Pond.Fla 9 July, 36 
 Died,Ft.Marion,Fla30 Oct. 41 
 Died,New York city 6 Apr. 22 
 
 Promoted 5 Aug. 26 
 
 Promoted 26 Nov. 27 
 
 Resigned 16 July,21 
 
 Promoted 28 July,3() 
 
 Died near George- 
 town, D. C 13 Aug. 35 
 
 Died, St.Augustine, 
 
 Fla 16 Nov. 21 
 
 Prof of Cliemistry, 
 Mineralogy & (Jeol- 
 ogy. Military Acad- 
 emy, West Point, N. 
 Y., from Sep. 1820, 
 to Dec. 1823. 
 
 Died,West Point 16 Dec. i 
 
 Died, Canajoharie, 
 
 N.Y 13 June,25 
 
 Resigned 15 Aug. 
 
 Resigned 1 June,24 
 
 Promoted 3 Mar. 31 
 
 Died, Augusta, Ga..21 Sep. 25 
 
 Died near St. Louis. 8 Apr. 24
 
 REGISTER. 
 
 291 
 
 Name, rank and date of 
 commission. 
 
 i Original entry into service 
 and previous military history. 
 
 Assistant Surgeons Con'd. 
 
 C. A. Finley 1 June,2 
 
 Chas. Mendenhall 1 June, 
 
 K. M. Coleman 1 June, 
 
 Benjamin King 1 June, 
 
 A. P. Merrill 1 June, 
 
 11. F.Hall 1 June, 
 
 Presley H. Craig 1 June, 
 
 Charles Sloan 1 June, 
 
 John Jackson 1 June, 
 
 John A. Breretoti 1 July, 
 
 Henry Steven8on.....l6 July, 
 
 Mordecai Hale 27 Oct. 
 
 Richard S. Satterlee..26 Feb. 5 
 
 Zina Pitcher 8 May, 
 
 W. E. Langilon 8 May, 
 
 Robert McMillan 1 July, 
 
 Edwin James 27 Jan. i 
 
 .\lfred Watkins 11 June, 
 
 Charles F. Luce 22 Sep. 
 
 Sam'l (t. I. DeCamp..lO Oct. 
 
 Edward Macomb 20 Jan. i 
 
 (ieorge P Todsen 20 Jan. 
 
 James G. Percival 4 Mar. 
 
 John W. Baylor 8 July, 
 
 .Tohii Torrey 5 Aug. 
 
 P. G. Randolph 8 Oct. 
 
 Hamilton S.Hawkin822 Nov. 
 
 John Thurston 1 Jan. 26 
 
 Alfred W.Elwes 9 Mav, 
 
 Robert C. Wood 28 May, 
 
 Lawrence Sprague ...22 June, 
 
 Joel Martin 15 Aug. 
 
 Thomas S. Bryant 5 Oct. 
 
 Snr. mate 1 inf. 10 Aug. 18 
 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 
 5 inf. 10 Aug. 
 
 7 inf 10 Aug. 
 
 7 inf. 14 Oct. 
 
 8 inf. 19 Mar. 19 
 
 3 inf. 23 July, 
 
 6 inf. 12 Apr. 20 
 
 8 inf. 28 May, 
 
 4 inf. 12 Dec. 
 
 Ohio. 
 Del .. 
 Ky.... 
 Md.... 
 Mass. 
 
 do 6 inf. 13 Nov. 18 
 
 Post 8ur 13 Feb. 
 
 Snr. mate 5 inf. 4 Dec. 19 
 
 Penn. 
 Md.... 
 
 Md.... 
 Va .... 
 N.Y.. 
 N.Y.. 
 N.Y.. 
 N. H.. 
 S. C. 
 N.Y.. 
 N.Y.. 
 Mass. 
 N. J.. 
 N.Y.. 
 La.... 
 
 Ohio. 
 Del .. 
 Ky.... 
 Md.... 
 Mass. 
 
 Penn. 
 
 Md 
 
 Md.... 
 Va .... 
 N.Y.. 
 Mich. 
 N. Y.. 
 N. H.. 
 8. C. 
 N.Y.. 
 N.Y.. 
 Mass. 
 N. J.. 
 N.Y.. 
 La.... 
 
 Ky.... 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Ky.... 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Philip Minis 12 
 
 Robert E. Kerr 2 
 
 Henry A. Steinecke.. 8 
 
 Robert Archer '. 5 
 
 Thomas Lining 1 
 
 Robert H. Sibley 17 
 
 Lucius Abbott 15 
 
 W. L. Wharton 1 
 
 James B. Sullivan 5 
 
 Samuel W. Dalton ...16 
 Epbraim M. Blaine. ..17 
 
 Apr. 26 
 May, 
 May, 
 Aug. 
 
 Sep. 27 
 
 Oct. 
 
 Jan. 28 
 
 Sep. 
 
 May, 29 
 
 July, 
 
 Nov. 
 
 Va.... 
 
 Md 
 
 N.H.. 
 
 Md 
 
 R. I.. 
 Me.... 
 Va .... 
 Penn. 
 
 Asst. sur 2 Mar. 21 
 
 Ga .... 
 D. C. 
 Penn. 
 Va.... 
 S. C. 
 La.... 
 Conn. 
 D. C. 
 
 Del .. 
 Vt.... 
 Va.... 
 
 Charles S. Tripler 30 Oct. 30 
 
 William A. Berry 25 Apr. 31 
 
 Edward Worrell 24 Feb. 32 
 
 Philip Maxwell 13 July, 
 
 Henry L. Heiskell ...13 July, 
 James W. Roper 13July, 
 
 James W. Hunt 13 July, jSur. mate 43 inf ....18 Apr. 14 N. 0. 
 
 .Disbanded June,15j 
 
 Richard Wayne .13 July, ' | 
 
 Benjamin R. Hogan..l3 July, 1 1 
 
 Charles S. Frailey 13 July, ! j 
 
 Charles McDougall...l3 July, Ohio 
 
 Green W. Caldwell ...13 July, N.C . 
 
 Va.... 
 
 Md 
 
 N. H.. 
 
 Md 
 
 R. I... 
 
 Me 
 
 Va 
 
 Penn. 
 
 Ga.... 
 D. C. 
 Penn. 
 Va.... 
 S. C. 
 La.... 
 Conn. 
 D. C. 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Del. 
 Vt.. 
 
 Va.. 
 
 N. C... 
 
 John R. Conway 13 July, 
 
 Ohio .. 
 N.C 
 
 Promoted 13 July, 32 
 
 Died at sea 15 Oct. 23 
 
 Promoted 13 July, .32 
 
 Retired 9 Nov. 63 
 
 Resigned 21 Sep. 23 
 
 Resigned 30 June, 
 
 Promoted 13 July. 32 
 
 Died, Baton Rouge. Nov. 21 
 Died, Edenton,N.C..31 Jan. 32 
 Died, Charlostown.22 Apr. 39 
 
 Resigned 31 Aug. 33 
 
 Died,We8tchester .. 9 Dec. 32 
 
 Promoted 13 July, 
 
 Promoted ...13 July, 
 
 Resigned I.. 1 May, 26 
 
 Promoted 3 Sep. 32 
 
 Resigned 31 Dec. 33 
 
 Resigned 1 Feb. 24 
 
 Died, Charleston 30 Sep. 27 
 
 Promoted 1 Dec. 33 
 
 Promoted 1 Nov. 34 
 
 Cashiered 25 Mar. 24 
 
 Resigned 1 Aug. 
 
 Dropped 20 May, 33 
 
 Act.Prof Chemistry 
 Mineralogy AGeolo- 
 gy,U.S. Military Ac- 
 ademy,Aug. 1824,to 
 Aug. "1828. 
 
 Resigned 31 Aug. 28 
 
 Resigned 1 May, 29 
 
 Promoted 4 July. 36 
 
 Resigned 1 May. 33 
 
 Promoted 4 July, 36 
 
 Promoted 4 July, 
 
 Died,Ft.Ontario,NY 7 Aug. 53 
 Died, Norfolk. Va...l0 Dec. 54 
 
 Resigned 31 Dec. 35 
 
 1 lieut. 2 drag 11 June,36 
 
 Captain 26 Sep. 37 
 
 Resigned 2 Dec. 39 
 
 Ad. paymaster dur- 
 ing Mexican war... 
 
 Promoted 1 Dec. 36 
 
 Resigned 31 Aug. 33 
 
 Promoted 31 Dec. 36 
 
 led 29 Feb. 40 
 
 Resigned 10 Dec. 32 
 
 Resigned 15 July, 29 
 
 Resigned 31 Mar. 34 
 
 Promoted 22 July, 37 
 
 Resigned 31 Doc. 35 
 
 Resigned 31 Doc. 33 
 
 Died.Ogl ethorpeBar. 
 
 Savannah,Ga 13 Mar. 35 
 
 Promoted 7July,38 
 
 Resigned 19 Nov. 36 
 
 Disbanded 2-3 Sep. 42 
 
 Promoted 7 July,38 
 
 Promoted 7 July, 
 
 Ap. rev 7 Jan. 34 
 
 Died, Philadelphia. .23 May, 
 Ap. rev 9 Aug. 33 
 
 Resigned ,...31 Jan. 34 
 
 Resigned ....30 Apr. 35 
 
 Ap. rev 1 Dec. .33 
 
 Promoted 7 July, 38 
 
 Resigned 19 Oct. 32 
 
 Capt. 3 drag 3 Mar. 47 
 
 Disbanded 48
 
 292 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF TUE ARMY 
 
 Name, rank and date of 
 commission. 
 
 Original entry into service 
 and previous military history. 
 
 B S 
 
 Assistant Surgeons Con'd. 
 LnciuB O'Brien 13 July, 32 
 
 S. Etting Myers 13 
 
 Thomas 0. Dwyer 13 
 
 Burton Randall 24 
 
 Nathan S. Jarvis 2 
 
 Richard Clark 2 
 
 Adam N. McLaren ... 2 
 
 Benj. F. Fellowes 2 
 
 Josiah D. Harris 2 
 
 Charles W. Handv 11 
 
 Samuel W. Hales 23 
 
 George F. Turner .....23 
 
 John M. Gardner 9 
 
 M. C. Leavenworth... 1 
 
 J.J. B.Wright 25 
 
 Willison Hughey 25 
 
 James M. Thomas 1 
 
 John B. Porter 1 
 
 Charles B. Welsh 1 
 
 John Emerson 1 
 
 Henry Holt 31 
 
 Thomas Henderson. ..31 
 
 John B. Wells 1 
 
 John M. Cuyler 1 
 
 Madison Mills 1 
 
 William Hammond... 1 
 JohaS. Gatlin 3 
 
 Julv, 
 
 Julv, 
 
 Oct. 
 
 Mar. 33 
 
 Mar. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 May, 
 
 July, 
 
 July, 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Sep. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 Feb. 34 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 June 
 
 Aug. 
 
 George R.Clarke 1 Nov. 
 
 Joseph H. Bailev 28 Nov. 
 
 Leonard C. McPhail..30 Nov. 
 
 Lewis A.Birdsall 29 Dec. 
 
 Camuel P. Moore 14 Mar. 35 
 
 Alexander F. Suter...27 Mar. 
 John C. Reynolds 1 May, 
 
 Chaa. M. Hitchcock ..17 Aug, 
 
 Wni. W. Hoxton 24 Aug. 
 
 Erastus B. Wolcott... 1 Jan. 36 
 
 B. F. Nourse 1 Jan. 
 
 William Maffit 1 Jan. 
 
 Thomas Lee 1 Jan. 
 
 Bernard M. Byrne ...20 May, 
 
 Aug. C. Turtelot 21 June, 
 
 Thomas R. Johnson.. 4 July, 
 Eugene H. Abadie ... 4 July, 
 
 J. Rhett Mott 4 July, 
 
 Robert Southgate 30 Aug. 
 
 Isaac H. Baldwin .....30 Ang. 
 
 Samuel Forrey 3<) Aug. 
 
 Charles McCormick..30 Aug. 
 Wade Sullivan 21 Nov. 
 
 Charles H. lAub 3f) Nov. 
 
 Charles D. Maxwell...30 Nov. 
 
 Silas R. Arnold 1 July, 37 
 
 Josiah Simpson 11 July," 
 
 William J.Sloan 12 July, 
 
 William 8. King 29 July, 
 
 Francis L. Sewall 13 Oct. 
 
 Joseph R. Conrad .....21 Aug. 38 
 
 W. T. Leonard 21 Aug. 
 
 John Byrne 21 Aug. 
 
 Ellis Hoghes 21 Aug. I 
 
 Md..... 
 
 Md.. 
 
 Md 
 
 N.Y... 
 N.Y... 
 Scot'd 
 N. H... 
 N.Y... 
 Md..... 
 
 Md 
 
 N.Y... 
 N.Y... 
 .*. C... 
 N. H. 
 N.Y... 
 Md..... 
 
 Mass. 
 Ga.... 
 Conn. 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 
 Mass. 
 Ga.... 
 Conn. 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 
 Conn.. Conn, 
 Penn.. [Penn, 
 
 Penn.. 
 
 N.Y. 
 
 Va... 
 
 Md... 
 
 Ga... 
 
 N.Y. 
 
 Md... 
 
 N.C. 
 
 D.C.. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 Md.... 
 N.Y.. 
 8. C. 
 D.C.. 
 Md.... 
 
 Md..... 
 D. C... 
 N.Y... 
 
 Irel'd, 
 N. J... 
 Irel'd, 
 
 Fr'ce. 
 
 C. 
 
 Va .... 
 
 Va Va 
 
 Penn.. Penn. 
 D. C... D. C. 
 
 Penn. 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Va 
 
 Md.... 
 Ga...., 
 N.Y.., 
 Md..... 
 N.C. 
 
 D. C. 
 N.Y.. 
 Md... 
 N.Y.. 
 8. C. 
 D. C. 
 Penn. 
 
 Md.... 
 D.C.. 
 
 N.Y., 
 
 Md... 
 N.J. 
 Md... 
 
 Penn 
 8. C. 
 Va.... 
 
 D. C... 
 Del ... 
 N.Y... 
 N. J... 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 Ala ... 
 Va...., 
 
 Md 
 
 Md 
 
 D. C. 
 
 Del... 
 N.Y.. 
 N. J.. 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 Ala.. 
 Va... 
 Md.... 
 Md.... 
 
 Md.....'Md.. 
 
 Resigned 31 Dec. 35 
 
 21ieut. 3 inf. 3 Sep. 37 
 
 8inf. Julv,88 
 
 Died, Tampa, Fla... 7 .Tan. 41 
 
 Resigned 31 Mar. 36 
 
 Out Jan. 33 
 
 Promoted 7 July,3S 
 
 Promoted 7 .Tuly, 
 
 Promoted 7 July, 
 
 Promoted 30 .Tune.39 
 
 .'Resigned 30 Mav, 
 
 .[Died,Ft.Smilh,Ark.26 Sep 3:5 
 
 .iResigned 31 May, .S4 
 
 .iDied,Ft.Gibson,I.T.30 Jan. 35 
 
 .jPromoted 1 Jan. 40 
 
 .{Resigned 30 Nov. 34 
 
 Resigned 30 Sep. 40 
 
 .Promoted 26 Mar. 44 
 
 . Died n'rCincinnati.25 Apr. 3.S 
 jKilled by explosion 
 of steamer on Ohio. 
 .JDied, St. Louis, Mo.28 Dec. 34 
 
 Promoted 4 Oct. 46 
 
 Died,Ft.Gib8on,Ark 2 Aug. 34 
 
 Disbanded 23 Sep. 42 
 
 Resigned 30 Sep. 41 
 
 Died,Lexington,Va.ll Aug. 54 
 
 Promoted 24 Oct. 46 
 
 Promoted 16 Feb. 47 
 
 Promoted 16 Feb. 
 
 Promoted 7 Aug. 
 
 Killed in act'nwith 
 Florida Indians at 
 Dades' massacre ...28 Dt'c. 35 
 
 Resigned 17 June,40 
 
 Retired 27 Aug. 62 
 
 Promoted 8 Aug. 48 
 
 Disbanded 23 Sep. 42 
 
 Promoted .30 Apr; 49 
 
 Died, City of Mexicol7 Dec. 47 
 
 Resigned 25 July, 38 
 
 Sur. vol 17 Dec. 46 
 
 Disbanded 8 Aug. 48 
 
 Promoted 13 Feb. 51 
 
 Resigned 30 Sep. 41 
 
 Resigned 15 Apr. 39 
 
 Re-iip. (declined) ... June, 
 Died, Key West, Flal9 May, 36 
 
 Resigned 31 Oct. 43 
 
 Died.Elizabeth,N-I. 6 Sep. 38 
 
 Promoted 31 Mar. 53 
 
 Died, Washington _. 8 Dec. 37 
 
 Died,Baltimore 11 July, 
 
 Promoted 24 July, 53 
 
 Resigned 14 Mar. 45 
 
 Resigned 31 May, 53 
 
 Re^p. asst. sur 22 Feb. 64 
 
 Resigned 31 May, 41 
 
 Resigned 31 Oct. 40 
 
 Promoted 7 Dec. 5."? 
 
 Died, Camp Walker, 
 
 Fla 15 May, 38 
 
 Promoted 17 Oct. 54 
 
 .Resigned 30 June,37 
 
 .Disbanded 23 Sep. 42 
 
 . Promoted _....12 Aug. 65 
 
 .Promoted 20 Dec. 
 
 . Promoted 29 Aug. 56 
 
 .Out Feb. 39 
 
 .Dropped 28 June,63 
 
 .Disbanded 23 Sep. 42 
 
 .Resigned i23 Dec. 46 
 
 Re-ap. asst. sur 2 Mar. 49 
 
 .Resigned .31 July, 40
 
 RE(;i.STER. 
 
 208 
 
 Name, rank and date of 
 commission. 
 
 Original entry into service 
 and previous military history. 
 
 Assistant Surgeons Con'd. 
 
 D. C.BeLeon 21 Aug. 38 
 
 R. McSherry, jr 21 Aug. 
 
 J. Walker 21 Aug. 
 
 C. Noyes 21 Aug. 
 
 B. W. Woods 21 Aug. 
 
 G. A. Williams 21 Aug. 
 
 James W. Russell 22 June,39 
 
 Henry H. Steiner 22 June, 
 
 J. C. Glen 22 June, 
 
 11. E. Cruttenden 22 June, 
 
 James Simons 11 July, 
 
 Thomas C. Madi8on...27 Feb. 40 
 Alfred W. Kennedy..l5 June, 
 
 Wm. H. Van Buren...l5 
 
 Joseph K. Barnes 15 
 
 John Robertson 15 
 
 Levi H. Holden 15 
 
 John S. Griffin 18 
 
 Richard F. Simpson.. 1 
 William E. Fullwood 1 
 
 Charles E. Isaacs 16 
 
 Richard H. Coolidge..l6 
 
 R. S. Holmes 16 
 
 C. W. Stearns 16 
 
 W. Levely 30 
 
 Dabney Herndon 30 
 
 George Buist 11 
 
 June, 
 
 June, 
 
 June, 
 
 June, 
 
 June, 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 Aug. 41 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Sep. 
 
 Sep. 
 
 July, 42 
 
 Charles C. Keeney ...11 July, 
 
 A. S. Wotherspoon...ll Nov. 43 
 
 George Buist 5 June,44 
 
 Charles C. Keenev ...19 Mar. 45 
 William Roberts.'.. ...31 Dec. 
 
 Grayson W. Provo8t..31 Dec. 
 
 Robert Murray 29 June,46 
 
 John F. Head 6 Aug. 
 
 Lewis A. Edwards 27 Aug. 
 
 Robert Newton 30 Oct. 
 
 Horace R. Wirtz 5 Dec. 
 
 Israel Moses IS Jan. 47 
 
 John F. Hammond. ..16 Feb. 
 Josephus M. Steiner..l6 Feb. 
 
 Charles P. Dverle 16 Feb. 
 
 Elisha J. Bailey 16 Feb. 
 
 Robt. C. Wickham ...16 Feb. 
 
 Nich. L.Campbell 23 Aug. 
 
 Samuel L. Barbour.. .28 Aug. 
 
 George E.Cooper 28 Aug. 
 
 Ebenezer Swift 30 Aug. 
 
 John S. Battee 5 Oct. 
 
 Glover Perin 4 Dec. 
 
 P. Q. S. TenBroeck...l3 Dec. 
 
 John Campbell 13 Dec. 
 
 John E. Summer8.....13 Dec. 
 
 Chas. H.Smith 13 Dec. 
 
 Wash. M. Ryer 13 Dec. 
 
 Lyman H. Stone 13 Dec. 
 
 John M. Haden 13 Dec. 
 
 Charles H. Crane 2 Feb. 48 
 
 Wm. Hammond, jr... 2 Mar. 
 
 Henry S. Itewit 2 Mar. 49 
 
 Thomas A. McParlin. 2 Mar. 
 
 John Byrne 2 Mar. 
 
 Lafayette Guild 2 Mar. 
 
 William F. Edgar 2 Mar. 
 
 Thomas H. Williams. 2 Mar. 
 William H.Ballard...29 June, 
 
 Asst. sur ....11 July, 42 
 
 do do 
 
 N.y. 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 S. C. 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Ga 
 
 S. C... 
 
 Va 
 
 Ber'da 
 Mass.. 
 
 Md 
 
 Va 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Md 
 
 S. C... 
 
 D. C... 
 S. C... 
 
 Va 
 
 Ky 
 
 Penn.. 
 Penn.. 
 Del .... 
 R. I... 
 
 Va 
 
 Va 
 
 Ga 
 
 N.Y... 
 N.Y... 
 Penn.. 
 Mass.. 
 
 Md 
 
 Va 
 
 S. C...' 
 
 as 
 
 o o 
 
 Fla.... 
 Ky.... 
 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 Del... 
 R. I.. 
 Ky... 
 Va.... 
 
 Ga 
 
 N.Y.. 
 N.Y.. 
 Penn. 
 Mass. 
 Md.... 
 
 Va 
 
 S. C. 
 
 52 
 
 4S 
 
 Penn. 
 Md.... 
 Mass. 
 D. C. 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 N.Y.., 
 S. C... 
 
 Md 
 
 Va 
 
 Penn. 
 
 Va 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Ga 
 
 Penn. 
 Mass. 
 
 Md 
 
 Ohio . 
 
 Me 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Va 
 
 Va 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Vt 
 
 Miss .. 
 R. I... 
 
 Md 
 
 Conn.. 
 
 Md 
 
 Asst. sur 21 Aug. 46|Md 
 
 Ala ... 
 
 Ky 
 
 Md 
 
 La 
 
 Mich. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 S. C. 
 Mich. 
 Ga 
 
 S. C... Pi'omoted .29 Aug. 5H 
 
 Va Resigned 30 Apr. 40 
 
 111 Resigned 2 Apr. 49 
 
 D. C... Died,St.Augustine..21 July, 41 
 
 Ky Disbanded 23 Sep. 42 
 
 Va Resigned 31 Dec. 40 
 
 N.Y... Resigned 15 Feb. .").? 
 
 Penn.. Resigned 31 Jan 
 
 '< C... Died, Matamoras, 
 
 Mex 14Fel 
 
 N. Y... Resigned 25 June.4t 
 
 S. C... Out 16 Jan. 56 
 
 Reap. asst. sur 3 Oct. 56 
 
 Promoted 29 Aug. 56 
 
 Died, near Council 
 
 Grove, Ks 3 June,51 
 
 Resigned 31 Dec. 45 
 
 Promoted 29 Aug. 56 
 
 Lost at sea 20 Mav, 42 
 
 Promoted 23 Apr. 6(i 
 
 Resigned 14 Sep. 64 
 
 Promoted 23 Juno,60 
 
 Died, Macon, Ga....l7 Apr. 50 
 
 Resigned 24 Julv, 46 
 
 Promoted 23 June,60 
 
 Resigned 4 Oct. 47 
 
 Disbanded 23 Sep. 42 
 
 Died, Ft. Polk, Ts... 24 Nov. 48 
 
 Disbanded 23 Sep. 42 
 
 Disbanded 23 Sep. 
 
 Re-ap. asst. sur 5 June,44 
 
 Disbanded 23 Sep. 42 
 
 Re-ap. asst. sur 19 Mar. 45 
 
 Died, Washington... 4 May, 54 
 
 Resigned 31 Dec. 45 
 
 Promoted 23 June,6(i 
 
 Died,Cityof Mexico, 
 of wounds received 
 at bat. of Molino del 
 
 Rey 14 Oct. 47 
 
 Resigned 7 June,48 
 
 Promoted .23 June,6^) 
 
 Promoted 6 Sep. 60 
 
 Promoted 19 Feb. 61 
 
 Died. New Orleans.. 9 Aug. 48 
 
 Promoted 16 Apr. 62 
 
 Resigned 31 May, 55 
 
 Promoted 23 Feb. 61 
 
 Dropped 9 May, 56 
 
 Died, Benicia, Cal..30 Oct. 53 
 
 Promoted .15 May, 61 
 
 Died,VeraCruz 13 May, 47 
 
 Dismissed 4 Aug. 52 
 
 Resigned 31 Jan. 60 
 
 Promoted 21 May, 61 
 
 Promoted 21 May, 61 
 
 Resigned 28 Jnly,48 
 
 Promoted 21 May, 61 
 
 Promoted 21 May, 
 
 Promoted 21 May, 
 
 Promoted 21 May, 
 
 Resigned 25 Apr. 
 
 Resigned .12 Mar. 50 
 
 Promoted 21 May, 61 
 
 Resigned 25 Apr. 
 
 Promoted 21 May, 
 
 Resigned 16 Sep. 53 
 
 Resigned 30 Apr. 61 
 
 Promoted 21 May, 61 
 
 Resigned 11 Oct. 67 
 
 Dismissed 1 July, 61 
 
 Promoted 21 May, 
 
 Resigned ..; 1 June, 
 
 Resigned .30 Apr. 50 
 
 Penn. 
 Md.... 
 
 D. C. 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 N.Y.. 
 S. C. 
 Ohio. 
 
 Va 
 
 Penn. 
 
 Va 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Ga 
 
 Penn. 
 Ohio . 
 
 Md 
 
 Ohio. 
 N.Y... 
 N.Y... 
 
 Va 
 
 Va 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Vt 
 
 Miss .. 
 Mass.. 
 
 Mo 
 
 Conn.. 
 
 Md 
 
 Mo 
 
 Ala ... 
 
 Mo 
 
 Md..... 
 La^
 
 2!)4 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 NHOie, rank and date of 
 commission. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Assistant Surgeons Con'd. 
 
 George K. Wood 29 Jnne,49 
 
 Josei>h B. Brown 29 June, 
 
 Alexander B. Hassoirid .luiie, 
 Jonatlian Letterman.2d June, 
 Wni. A. Hammond. ..29 June, 
 
 Francis Sorrell 29 jQne, 
 
 Edward W. John8.....29 June, 
 Wmi. W. Anderson ...29 June, 
 
 Isaac I^. Adkins 23 Nov. 
 
 Robert O. Abbott 23 Nov. 
 
 Thomas M. Getty 23 Nov. 
 
 David L. Magruder... 1 Feb. 50 
 
 Wm. J. H. White 12 Mar. 
 
 Hodney Olison 2 May, 
 
 KlishaP.Langworthyie May, 
 Samuel W. Crawford.lO Mar. 
 
 John J. Milhau :iO Apr. 
 
 William H. 'ringley...2-t Mar. 
 
 .\quila T. Ridgley 30 June, 
 
 Charles Page 2 Dec. 
 
 .Archibald Taylor 4 Feb. 
 
 Charles Sutherland... 5 Aug. 
 
 Basil Norris 11 Oct. 
 
 Thomas C. Henry 1 Mar. 53 
 
 .\ndrew O. Foard 11 May, 
 
 Edward P. VoUum ...31 May, 
 
 John Moore .29 June, 
 
 Andrew K. Smith 26 July, 
 
 Edward H. Watson... 11 Aug. 
 
 Richard Potts 16 Sep. 
 
 Rich. H. Alexander... 2 Dec. 
 
 (ieorge Suckley 2 Dec. 
 
 Robert Southgate.....22 Feb. 54 
 
 Robert L. Brodie 15 May, 
 
 DeWitt C. Peters 15 Aug. 
 
 Albert J. Myer 18 Sep. 
 
 Nathaniel S. Crowell. 8 Nov. 
 
 Joseph R. Smith 15 Dec. 
 
 James T. Ohiselin 1 June,55 
 
 Pascal A.Quiuun 15 Aug. 
 
 John F. Randolph 24 Dec. 
 
 James C. Herndon ...22 Feb. 56 
 
 George Taylor 1 Apr. 
 
 John J. Gaenslen 16 May, 
 
 George Hammond 28 June, 
 
 WilliKm I. L,'Engle...28 Aug. 
 
 B. J. D. Irwin .28 Aug. 
 
 Anthony Heger J29 Aug. 
 
 .\8a Wall 29 Aug. 
 
 Charles Brewer .29 Aug. 
 
 William H. Babcock..2y Aug. 
 
 Edward N. Covey 29 Aug. 
 
 Richard D. Lynde 29 Aug. 
 
 R<jbert 0. Craig 29 Aug. 
 
 Chas. T. Alexander... 1 Oct. 
 
 James Simons 3 Oct. 
 
 B. A. Clements 4 Nov. 
 
 Lewis Taylor 3 Mar. 57 
 
 Calvin G. llollenbush 4 June, 
 
 Robert Bartholow 4 June, 
 
 Joseiih C. Baily 27 Oct. 
 
 James C. McKee 2 Oct. 58 
 
 Kirtley Rylaiid 28 Apr. 59 
 
 William A. Carswell.29 Nov. 
 
 Jos.ph II. Bill 13 Apr. 60 
 
 James II. Berrien 8 June, 
 
 DeWitt C. Peters 23 June, 
 
 Charles H. Alden 23 June. 
 
 WarriMi Weljster 213 June, 
 
 Fr'ce.. 
 
 Penn 
 
 Md 
 
 Va 
 
 Va 
 
 Penn.. 
 
 Md..... 
 
 S. C... 
 
 Ga..... 
 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Ind... 
 
 Conn.-jConn. 
 
 Penn.. Penn. 
 
 Md |Md.... 
 
 lud. TjKy.... 
 N.Y...N.Y.. 
 
 A88t.8ur 30 Aug. 36|Va Va.... 
 
 S. C... 8. C. 
 N.Y... N.Y.. 
 
 ,N.Y 
 
 .8. C... 
 
 iN.Y... 
 
 Md..... 
 
 iKy 
 
 Va 
 
 Va 
 
 Md 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Md 
 
 Fla..... 
 
 Irel'd, 
 
 Aus't. 
 
 Va 
 
 , Md..... 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Md 
 
 Mich., 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Ch.N. 
 
 AseLsur 11 July, 39 S C... 
 
 D.C... 
 
 Penn.. 
 
 Penn.. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 
 8. C. 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Md 
 
 Md.... 
 
 La 
 
 Va...., 
 
 Md 
 
 Va 
 
 Md.... 
 8. C. 
 N.Y.. 
 Penn. 
 Va.... 
 Md.... 
 N.Y.. 
 Md.... 
 Md.... 
 N.Y.. 
 Ark... 
 S. C... 
 N.Y.. 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 
 . Md Md 
 
 . Penn.. Penn, 
 . Penn.. Penn 
 . Mo...'..|Mo.... 
 .8. C...8. C. 
 . Penn..!Penn, 
 
 . Ga jGa 
 
 .N.Y...N.Y.. 
 . Penn..|Penn, 
 . N.H...>Mass, 
 
 Resigned 1 Jan. 61 
 
 Promoted 4 July, 
 
 Promoted 17 -Aug. 
 
 Promoted 16 Apr. 62 
 
 Resigned .31 Oct. 60 
 
 Re-ap. asst. sur 28 May, 61 
 
 Resigned 27 June,56 
 
 Resigned 22 Apr. 61 
 
 Resigned 20 Apr. 
 
 Resigned 9 Oct. 52 
 
 Promoted 16 Apr. 62 
 
 Promoted 16 Apr. 
 
 Promoted 16 Apr. 
 
 Promoted 16 Apr. 
 
 Resigned 7 June,61 
 
 Resigned 30 Apr. 
 
 Vacated to accept 
 
 ap. as niaj. 13 inf.. .14 May, 
 
 Promoted 16 Apr. 62 
 
 Resinned 2 Dec. 51 
 
 Resigned 23 Jiine,61 
 
 Promoted 16 Apr. 62 
 
 Resigned 31 Oct. 56 
 
 Promoted 16 Apr. 62 
 
 Promoted 16 Apr. 
 
 Resigned 25 Apr. .59 
 
 Resigned 1 Apr. 61 
 
 Promoted 12 May, 62 
 
 Promoted 11 .Tune, 
 
 Promoted 11 June, 
 
 .Lost at sea 53 
 
 .Resigned 7 May, 61 
 
 .:Promoted 11 June,62 
 
 .|Resigned 3 Oct. 56 
 
 . iReeigned 31 Mar. 
 
 .Resigned 7 May, 61 
 
 Resigned 1 Oct. 56 
 
 Re-ap. asst. sur 23 June,60 
 
 Vacated to accept 
 
 ap. as signal offlcer.27 June, 
 
 Resigned 17 May, 61 
 
 Promoted 11 June,62 
 
 Promoted 14 June, 
 
 Resigned 7 July, 
 
 Promoted 27 Aug. 
 
 Dropped 27 Nov. 61 
 
 Promoted .27 Aug. 62 
 
 Resigned 17 Aug. 61 
 
 Promoted 27 Aug. 62 
 
 Resigned 30 Apr. 61 
 
 Promoted 16 Sep. 62 
 
 Promoted 17 Sep. 
 
 Resigned 11 May, 61 
 
 Resigned 7 May, 
 
 Died,Uainesville,T8 3 Oct. 59 
 
 Resigned 1 June,61 
 
 Resigned .31 Aug. 62 
 
 Resigned 7 Apr. 63 
 
 Promoted 9 Feb. 
 
 Pro. to date from. ..29 Aug. 56 
 
 Promoted 27 Feb. 63 
 
 Promoted 14 Aug. 
 
 Died, McKeys Half 
 
 Falls, Pa 6 Aug. 61 
 
 Resigned 14 May, 64 
 
 Promoted 1 Dec. 
 
 Promoted .22 Dec.V^ 
 
 Died,Ft.Union.N M.22 Sep. 61 
 
 Resigned 26 Mar. 
 
 Promoted 28 July, 66 
 
 Resigned 17 Mar. 61 
 
 Promoted 28 July. 60 
 
 Promoted .28 July, 
 
 Promoted 28 July,
 
 REGISTER. 
 
 295 
 
 Name, rank and date of 
 commisBion. 
 
 Original entry into service 
 and previous military history. 
 
 Asstsur., U.S. N... 
 
 Assistant Surgeons Con'd. 
 
 John Vansant 23 .Tune,60|Asst.Bur., U. S. N 
 
 Charles C. Byrne 23 June 
 
 A. M. Fauntleroy 23 June 
 
 I. Campbell Short 11 Oct. 
 
 Abel V. M'echem 11 Oct. 
 
 Clinton Wagner 11 Oct. 
 
 David P. Ramseur 1.5 Oct. 
 
 William F. Cornick.31 Oct. 
 
 Wm A. Hammond 28 May, eiAsst. sur 29 June,49 
 
 Joseph P. Wrifjht 28 May, 
 
 Havilah M. Sprague..28 Mav, 
 
 Charles C. Gray 28 May, 
 
 William C. Spencer. ..28 May, 
 
 Francis L. Town 28 May, 
 
 Alexander Ingram ..28 May, 
 
 Peter V.Schenck 28 Mav, 
 
 John W. S. GouIey...28 May, 
 
 Dallas Bache 28 May, 
 
 Blencowe E. Fryer... 28 May, 
 
 John U. Frantz 28 May, 
 
 Webster Lindsley 28 May, 
 
 Charles E.Goddard...28 May, 
 Henry K. Silliman ...28 Mav, 
 
 Philip C. Davis 28 May, 
 
 Joseph S. Smith 28 May, 
 
 Charles I. Wilson 28 May, 
 
 James F. Weeds 28 May, 
 
 Charles B.White 28 May, 
 
 George M. Sternl)erg28 May, 
 Lawrence H. Sheldon26 July, 
 Joseph J. Woodward. 5 Aug. 
 Edward S. Dunster... 5 Aug. 
 
 Elias J. Marsh 5 Aug. 
 
 Robert F. Weir 5 Aug. 
 
 Thomas C. Brainerd.. 5 Aug. 
 
 Morris J. Asch 5 Aug. 
 
 Henry S. Schell 5 Aug. 
 
 Charles K. Winne 5 Aug. 
 
 Joseph E. Semple 5 Aug. 
 
 William H. Forwood. 6 Aug. 
 
 James H. Pooley 5 Aug. 
 
 Ely McClellan 5 Aug. 
 
 Charles A. McCall 5 Aug. 
 
 Samuel A. Storrow... 5 Aug. 
 John C. C. Downing.. 5 Aug. 
 Wm. D. Wolverton... 5 Aug. 
 
 Josiah F. Kenedy 5 Aug. 
 
 John I. Butler 5 Aug. 
 
 William R.Ramsey... 5 Aug. 
 Thomas H. Uelsby... 5 Aug. 
 
 Albert Hartsuff. 5 Aug. 
 
 Charles R. Greenleaf. 5 Aug. 
 
 Philip Adolphus 5 Aug. 
 
 Andrew I. Baxter 5 Aug. 
 
 B. Knickerbocker 5 Aug. 
 
 Lewis M. Eastman... 5 Aug. 
 J. V. D. Middleton... 6 Aug. 
 
 William Thomson 5 Aug. 
 
 John Bell 26 Aug. 
 
 John H. Janeway 26 Aug. 
 
 Henry A. Dubois 26 Aug. 
 
 Benjamin Howard. ..26 Aug. 
 
 Henry C. Parry 26 Aug. 
 
 Henry R. Tilton 26 Aug. 
 
 Samuel M. Horton ...26 Aug. 
 J. C. G. HapperBett...26 Aug. 
 Alfred A. Woodhull..l9 Sep. 
 William A. Bradley ..22 Oct. 
 
 Asst. sur. 12 N.Y.M. May, 61 
 
 Asst.sur., U. S.N... 
 
 Asst. sur. 5 Ohio V.. Apr. 61 
 
 A8st.8ur.l9N.Y.V. June,61 
 
 o ? 
 
 Va 
 
 Md 
 
 Va 
 
 Penu.. 
 
 Md 
 
 Md 
 
 N.C... 
 
 Va 
 
 Md..... 
 Penn.. 
 Conn.. 
 N.Y... 
 N.Y... 
 N. H... 
 Seot'd 
 
 N.J... 
 La.... 
 D. C... 
 Eng'd. 
 Penn.. 
 D. C... 
 N.Y... 
 Penn.. 
 
 Va 
 
 Va 
 
 D.C... 
 
 D. C... 
 
 Md 
 
 Va 
 
 Penn. 
 
 Md 
 
 Md 
 
 N.C... 
 
 Va 
 
 Md...., 
 Penn. 
 Conn. 
 N.Y.. 
 N.Y.. 
 Penn. 
 Ohio. 
 
 N. J... 
 N.Y... 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 
 Md 
 
 D. C... 
 N.Y... 
 Penn. 
 D. C... 
 D. C... 
 D. C... 
 
 Eng'd 
 N.Y... 
 N.Y... 
 Conn. 
 Penn. 
 
 Me 
 
 N. J... 
 N.Y... 
 Penn. 
 Penu. 
 Penn. 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Ohio. 
 N.Y... 
 N.Y.., 
 Conn., 
 Penn. 
 N.Y.. 
 N. J.. 
 N.Y.., 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Promoted .28 
 
 {Promoted 28 
 
 Resigned 9 
 
 Resigned 3 
 
 Promoted 16 
 
 [Promoted 28 
 
 Dismissed .17 
 
 Resigned 9 
 
 Ap. Snr. Gen 25 
 
 Promoted 28 
 
 Resigned 5 
 
 Promoted 28 
 
 Promoted 28 
 
 Promoted 20 
 
 L'st at sea by wreck 
 of steamer 'Bi-other 
 Jonathan,'Pac.0c'n3ti 
 
 Resigned 1 
 
 Resigned 18 
 
 Promoted 5 
 
 Promoted 30 
 
 Promoted 9 
 
 Died, Washington.. 8 
 
 Promoted 6 
 
 Retired 9 
 
 Promoted 17 
 
 Died,Ft.Jeffers'n,Fl 8 
 
 Resigned 1 
 
 Ap. capt. 16 inf. 22 
 
 Hon. discharged 31 
 
 Promoted 27 
 
 Julv, 
 
 July, 
 
 Mav, 
 
 Sep. 
 
 June, 
 
 July, 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 July, 
 
 May, 
 
 July, 
 
 July, 
 
 Oct. 
 
 July, 
 
 Jan. 
 
 Feb. 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Jan. 
 
 Mav, 
 
 Oct. 
 
 Sep. 
 
 Jan. 
 
 Jan. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 Resigned 1 July, 66 
 
 Penn..N.Y.. 
 
 Del ... 
 Eng'd. 
 Penn.. 
 Mex ... 
 
 Va 
 
 Penn.. 
 N.J... 
 Penn.. 
 
 Md 
 
 Penn.. 
 
 Md 
 
 N.Y... 
 Penn.. 
 PruB .. 
 Ohio .. 
 N. Y.. 
 
 Md 
 
 D. C... 
 Penn.. 
 N. H.. 
 Penn.. 
 N.Y... 
 Eng'd. 
 Penn.. 
 N. J... 
 Penn.. 
 Penn.. 
 N.J... 
 D. C. 
 
 Penn., 
 N.Y... 
 Penn., 
 Penn. 
 D. C... 
 D. C... 
 N.J... 
 Iowa.. 
 D. C... 
 Penn., 
 Md..... 
 Mich.. 
 Ohio . 
 
 Md 
 
 Ohio. 
 Penn. 
 
 Md 
 
 D. C... 
 Penn. 
 N. H.. 
 Penn. 
 N.Y... 
 N.Y., 
 Penn. 
 N.J.. 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 Kan.. 
 D. C. 
 
 Resigned 1 Feb. 
 
 Hon. discharged ...17 Aug. 
 
 Resigned 1 Mar. 
 
 Resigned 28 May, 
 
 Resigned 31 Mar. 
 
 Resigned .10 July, 
 
 Res. accepted to 
 
 take effect 15 Oct. 
 
 Died,nearMeridian, 
 
 Miss 27 Aug. 
 
 Resigned . 
 
 Resigned . 
 Resigned , 
 
 ..27 Apr. 6.3 
 .'."I'Nov.'eVi 
 
 ..27 Mar. 
 
 Resigned . 
 Dropped.. 
 Resigned . 
 I Resigned . 
 
 ..10 Oct. 62 
 .17 May, 
 ..19 June,b 
 . 1 Oct. 65 
 
 Resigned .. 
 Dismissed , 
 
 .. 1 July, 65 
 ..19 Jan. 6;^ 
 
 Resigned .19 Jan. 63 
 
 Resigned . 
 Resigned . 
 
 ..28 Feb. 68 
 ..24 June,67 
 
 Resigned 
 
 Resigned 
 
 Wholly ret. 
 
 .. 1 Apr. 68 
 ..28 Dec. ew 
 ..30 Mar. 69 
 
 Died, Pt. San Jose, 
 
 Cal 27 Feb. 69
 
 im 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Name, rank and date of 
 commieeion. 
 
 Original entry into service ~ 
 'and previous military history. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 AssUtant Surgeon* Con'd. 
 
 (ieorge P. Jaquett....^ Oct. 
 
 William T.Okie 3 Feb. 
 
 John S. Billings 16 Apr. 
 
 Samuel Adams 16 Apr. 
 
 K. T. Whittingham...l6 Apr. 
 
 Hhineas S. Conner 16 Apr. 
 
 Thos. G. Mackenzie. ..16 Apr. 
 William M. Not8on...l6 Apr. 
 
 John T. Reily 16 Apr. 
 
 E. DeW. Breneman...l6 Apr. 
 Ueurge M. McGill 16 Apr. 
 
 Jeremiah B. Brinton..l6 Apr. 
 William E. Waters ...16 Apr. 
 
 Robert B. Cruice 16 Apr. 
 
 Joseph R. Gibson 16 Apr. 
 
 Cyrus Bacon 16 Apr. 
 
 Samuel M. Horner. ..16 Apr. 
 
 George L.Porter 11 July, 
 
 D. L. Uuntiugton 11 July, 
 
 John W. Williams ...11 July, 
 Charles M.Colton 11 July, 
 
 Justus M. Brown 11 July, 
 
 Charles S. DeGraw 11 July, 
 
 Edward C. Strode 11 July, 
 
 Andrew H. Smith 11 July, 
 
 VanBuren Hubbard ..11 July, 
 
 Harrison Allen .30 July, 
 
 William P. Grier 30 July, 
 
 Thomas McMillin 19 Aug. 
 
 Udward Brooks 19 Aug. 
 
 Charles P. Russell 4 Sep. 
 
 ITiomas H. Kidgely...l6 Sep. 
 
 Charles C. Lee 22 Nov. 
 
 Samuel H. Orton 22 Nov. 
 
 John W. Brewer 22 Nov. 
 
 John Homans,jr 22 Nov. 
 
 John Brooke 22 Nov. 
 
 William K. Gardner..22 Nov. 
 Harvey E. Brown .....13 Apr. 
 
 J. Theo. Calhoun 13 Apr. 
 
 Edward J. Darken 13 Apr. 
 
 Wm. E. Whitehead...l3 Apr. 
 
 William F. Norris 13 June, 
 
 Edward Cowles 13 June. 
 
 Michael Hillary 13 June. 
 
 Edward Curtis 30 Mar. 
 
 Charles Smart 30 Mar. 
 
 Elliott Coues 30 Mar. 
 
 Wm. V. Buchanan.... .30 Mar. 
 
 Henry J. Philips 30 Mar. 
 
 John H. Kinsman. ....30 Mar. 
 
 David O. Farrand 16 Feb. 
 
 Passmore Middleton..l5 Feb. 
 William F. Smith .....28 Feb. 
 George A. Otis 28 Feb. 
 
 Henry .McElderry 28 Feb. 
 
 William M. Austin. ..28 Feb. 
 Howard Cnlbertson..28 Feb. 
 William S. Tremaine28 Feb. 
 Daniel G. Caldwell... 28 Feb. 
 
 ( barles U. Ruwe 28 Feb. 
 
 J. E. McDonald .28 Feb. 
 
 AB8t.8ar.30PennV 
 
 Penn.. 
 
 Sur., U. S. V Aug. 61D. C... 
 
 Asst. sur.l2 Penn C. Jan. 62Irerd. 
 
 IPenn.. 
 
 Asst. snr. 7 Mich V.. Aug. 61 Mich.. 
 
 N. J... 
 N.H... 
 Mass. 
 D. C... 
 Ohio . 
 
 A88t.sur.8N.Y.M. July, 61 
 
 Asst. sur. 43 N.y. 
 Sur. 94 N. Y. V... 
 
 Sep. 61 
 May, 62j 
 
 Ohio . 
 N.J... 
 m .... 
 N.Y... 
 
 Ohio . 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 
 Ky. 
 
 Penn.. Resigned .24 June,65 
 
 Ohio . 
 
 Md.....:Died,Galveston,Ts.. 9 Sep. 67 
 
 N.J... {Resigned 12 Nov. 63 
 
 Ohio ..Resigned 1 Aug. 66 
 
 Md Died, Washington.. 1 Jan. 67 
 
 Penn.. 
 
 Neb... 'Died, Helena, Ark.. 5 May, 64 
 
 Penn-.JResigned 1 Apr. 67 
 
 Penn.. Died, Fort Pulford, 
 
 Col 20 July. 67 
 
 Penn-.iResigned 17 Nov. 65 
 
 D.C...! 
 
 Penn.. i Resigned 17 Aug. 63 
 
 Penn.. I 
 
 Mich.. 'Died near Spring- 
 
 <fteld. III 1 Sep. 68 
 
 Penn.. Resigned .31 Mar. 67 
 
 Penn.. Resigned 16 July, 68 
 
 Penn 
 
 D.C 
 
 Penn..!Died, Catlett's Sta- 
 tion, Va 29 Feb. 64 
 
 Ohio..] 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 Mo Resigned .24 Dec. 64 
 
 N.Y...|Resigned .24 Apr. 68 
 
 Mass.. 
 
 iPenn.. 
 
 Asst. sur. 3 Penn C. JuIy,6l|Fla 
 
 Penn.. 
 
 N.J... 
 
 _ ,Md 
 
 Mass.. 
 
 Penn.. 
 
 In.c. 
 
 N.Y. 
 
 63AsPt.sur.70N.Y.V Apr. 61 
 
 Surgeon Aug. 
 
 JAsst. sur. 74 N.Y.V. June, 
 
 Surgeon Nov. 
 
 Asst. sur. 50 N.Y.V 
 
 Asst. sur. 63 N. Y.V Nov. 62 
 
 SuriMN.Y.'v.'.!!!;' 
 
 "o^t." 
 
 ea 
 
 8ar.'2R.I."v""".'.'.'.!" 
 
 Mar. 
 
 65 
 
 Sur. 27 Mass. V 
 
 Sep. 
 
 61 
 
 Asst. sur., U. 8. V... 
 
 
 04 
 
 Sur, U. 8. V 
 
 Aug. 
 
 
 :::":"::::"::::;;:;::!!"':::::;::::::: 
 
 Sur., U. S. V 
 
 Nov. 
 
 62 
 
 A88t.8ur.24Ma88V. 
 
 Aug 
 
 63 
 
 A8St.8r.74PennV. 
 
 
 
 AMt.8ur.l8ConnV. 
 
 Sep. 
 
 
 Sur. 79 N.Y.V 
 
 Jan. 
 
 62 
 
 At.8nr., U. S. v.. 
 
 Mar 
 
 03 
 
 Snrgeon 
 
 Apr. 
 
 
 N.J. 
 
 Conn.. 
 N. J... 
 Penn.. 
 
 Vt 
 
 Irel'd. 
 R. I... 
 Scot'd 
 N.H... 
 Penn.. 
 Eng'd 
 Mass.. 
 Bllch.. 
 Penn.. 
 Irel'd. 
 Maes.. 
 
 Md 
 
 Eng'd 
 Ohio .. 
 
 P.E.I8 
 
 Penn.. 
 Conn.. 
 N.Y... 
 
 Ohio. 
 Penn. 
 Penn., 
 
 Ky.... 
 
 N.Y.. 
 N.Y.. 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 N. J.. 
 Md.... 
 Mass. 
 Penn. 
 D. C. 
 Mass. 
 
 Resigned 8 Dec. 65 
 
 Killed by explosion 
 of steamer 'Miami,' 
 
 on Miss, riv 8 Jan. 66 
 
 Died, Camp Von 
 
 Bremer, Cal 6 Apr. 73 
 
 Died,Rockdale,N.Y.19 Apr. 66 
 
 Resigned 3 Sep. fA 
 
 Resigned 15 Feb. 69 
 
 Resigned 16 May, 
 
 Resigned 15 Dec. 65 
 
 Resigned 5 June, 
 
 N.J. 
 
 N.Y... 
 N. J... 
 
 Died, Hart Island, 
 
 N.Y 19 Jnly,66 
 
 Resigned 2 Apr. 68 
 
 Penn.. Resigned .20 Oct. 65 
 
 Vt 'Resigned 1 Mar. 72 
 
 N.Y... Dismissed 11 Nov. 67 
 
 N.Y... Resigned 7 June,70 
 
 N.Y.. 
 D. C. 
 Penn. 
 N.Y . 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Mich .. Resigned 1 July, 6d 
 
 Penn..j 
 
 R. I...|Resigned 5 Jan. 70 
 
 Mass. 
 
 Md.... 
 N.Y.. 
 Wis.. 
 N.Y.. 
 
 Died, El Paso.Ts... 9 May, 68 
 Retired 8 Jan. 69 
 
 Penn.. 
 
 Conn.. Died, aaIve8ton,Ts.. 4 Sep. 67 
 
 N.T... Died, St. Louis, M0..IO Sep. 6d
 
 REGISTER. 
 
 297 
 
 Name, rank and date of 
 commission. 
 
 I Original entry into service 
 and previous military history. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Assiskmt Surgeons Con'd. 
 
 William C. Minor 28 Feb. 
 
 Samuel S. Jessop 28 Feb. 
 
 George McC. Miller.. .28 Feb. 
 J. B. Petherbridge...28 Feb. 
 
 Theop'l's H. Turner. .28 Feb. 
 
 Edwin Bentley 28 Feb. 
 
 Henry Lippincott 28 Feb. 
 
 C. C.Dumreicher 28 Feb. 
 
 Morse K. Taylor U May, 
 
 Charles Mackin, jr. ..14 May, 
 .lohn II. Bartholf 14 May, 
 
 .Alexander H. Hoff ...14 May, 
 
 Henry M. Cronkhite..l4 May, 
 
 Egon A. Koerper 14 May, 
 
 Richard S. Vickerv...l4 May, 
 Robert M. O'Reilly. ..14 May, 
 
 Frank Meacham 14 May, 
 
 Thomas F. Azpell 14 May, 
 
 Robert Keyburn 14 May, 
 
 Charles L. Heizman..l4 May, 
 
 Robert H. White 14 May, 
 
 Calvin DeWitt 14 May, 
 
 J. V. DeHanne 14 May, 
 
 George S. Rose 14 May, 
 
 Carlos Carvallo 14 May, 
 
 F. L. B. Monroe 14 May, 
 
 Alfred C. Girard 14 May, 
 
 Joseph B. Girard 14 May, 
 
 John V. Lauderdale. .14 May, 
 
 Claudius Warfield 14 May, 
 
 Richard Powell 14 May, 
 
 Benj. F. Pope 14 May, 
 
 James P. Kimball 14 May, 
 
 Alfred D. Wilson 14 May, 
 
 Aug. A. Yeomans 14 May, 
 
 Leonard Y. Loring...l4 May, 
 Timothy E.Wilcox. ..14 May, 
 
 George H. Gunn 14 May, 
 
 B. B. Wilson 14 May, 
 
 A. B. Campbell 9 Oct. 
 
 John N. Randall 9 Oct. 
 
 William J. Wilson ... 9 Oct. 
 
 J. A. Fitzgerald 9 Oct. 
 
 Peter Moffat 9 Oct. 
 
 Charles Styer 9 Oct. 
 
 Joseph H. T. King ... 9 Oct. 
 
 Joseph K. Corson 9 Oct. 
 
 Alfred Delany 9 Oct. 
 
 W. H. H. Michler 9 Oct. 
 
 G. H. T. F. Axt 9 Oct. 
 
 Daniel Weisel 9 Oct. 
 
 P. J. A. Oeary 9 Oct. 
 
 Julius H. Patzki 11 Nov. 
 
 Frederic W. Elbrey...l6 Nov. 
 Augustus W. Wigginl6 Nov. 
 Wash'ton Mathews. ..16 Nov. 
 Wm. R. Steinmetz ...16 Nov. 
 
 John D. Hall 16 Nov. 
 
 Curtis E. Munn 16 Nov. 
 
 Ezra Woodruff. 16 Nov. 
 
 19* 
 
 N. J.. 
 Conn. 
 
 E.Ind 
 
 ;. sur., U. S. V... Sep. 64 Irel'd. 
 
 i Asst. sur., U. S. V-. July, 63 N. J ... 
 
 jSur. 65 N. Y. V June,61 N. J... 
 
 lAsst. sur., U. S. V_. May, 641 
 
 [Surgeon Mar. 65 
 
 lAsst. sur., U. S. V... Aug. 64 N. J... 
 
 Sur., U. S. V Sep. 6l!Conn.. 
 
 lAsst. sur. 6 Cal.V... July, 65N. S... Cal 
 
 I Asst. sur., U. S.V... Sep. 62;Ger ...,111 
 
 Surgeon May, 63i 
 
 67 2 lieut. 1 Mich. V... July,47jN.Y.. 
 
 Sur. 26 111. V Aug. 6ll 
 
 Sur., U.S. V. Aug. 62i 
 
 ! Mass. 
 
 jAsst. sur.lSN.Y.V Oct. 62 N. J.. 
 Asst. sur., U. S. V... 
 
 ISur. 3N.Y.V 
 
 Sur., U.S. Y 
 
 Retired 15 Dec. 70 
 
 N.T... : 
 N.Y. 
 
 Del.., 
 
 N. J...iDied, Carlisle Bar- 
 racks, Pa 23 Feb. 67 
 
 Died,Ft.Wallace,Ks27 July, ( 
 
 Cashiered .17 June,6 
 
 Iowa.. 
 
 Mass. 
 NY.. 
 
 N.Y., 
 
 Resigned .29 Apr. 73 
 
 .Jan. 651 
 
 May, 61,Penn.. 
 
 Sep. 
 
 , N.Y... Cal. 
 
 Sur. 75PennV Oct. 64 Prus .. Penn. 
 
 Asst. sur. 2 Mich V.. Sep. ilrel'd. Mich . 
 
 I Penn.. Penn.. I 
 
 Sur., U.S. V July, 63 Mass ..Mass.. 
 
 Sur., U. S. V Oct. 61 Penn.. N. J...| .'. 
 
 |Sur., U. S. V June,63Scot'd Penn.. Resigned 24 June,67 
 
 Penn.. Penn..! 
 
 (Capt. vol W. Va Penn.. 
 
 iCapt. 49 Penn V Sep. 61 Penn.. Penn.. 
 
 |A88t.sur.,U.S.V... Dec. 64 N.Y... N.Y... 
 :Asst. sur., U. S. V... Sep. 63 Can ... Mass .. 
 
 jAsst. sur. 1 Mass.V. 
 Sur. 16 Mass. V 
 
 Oct. 
 
 iS.A.. 
 
 61 ; Mass 
 
 63| 
 ;Switz. 
 
 D. C. 
 
 Mass. 
 
 JFr'ce.. Mich. 
 N.Y...tN.Y.. 
 
 Sur. 88 N. Y. V 
 
 A8st.sur.lON.Y.H.A 
 
 j Asst.8ur. 121 N.Y.V Dec 
 
 65 N.Y. V Jan. 65 
 
 -Sur. 3 N. Y. It. art. June,64 
 
 IMd 
 
 Sep. 61Irel'd, 
 
 July, 64 N.Y... 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 N. J... 
 Can ... 
 
 Mo 
 
 N.Y... 
 
 As8t.8ur.6N.Y.H.A. Jan. 65 
 Asst. sur., U. S. v.. Apr. 
 
 Sur., U. S. V Mar. 63jPenn.. 
 
 Asst. sur. vols 12 July,47iPenn. 
 
 Sur., U. S. V Aug. 64| 
 
 N.H... 
 
 .Irel'd. Mo. 
 
 Resigned 15 Jan. 
 
 N.Y... Died,Jackson,Miss..23 May, 72 
 N.Y.. 
 
 N.Y., 
 
 N.Y. 
 Atl'ge. 
 
 Mo 
 
 N.Y... Resigned 1 July, 68 
 
 Md..... Died,Ft.Quitman,T829 May, 71 
 
 Penn.. Resigned 9 July, 67 
 
 Penn.. 
 
 Asst. sur. 70 Ind. V Oct. 63Ind.. 
 
 Can.. 
 
 Asst. sur.45 Penn.V 62 Penn 
 
 Sur. 99 Penn V Jan. 63 
 
 Sur. U. S. C. T Aug. 65 Eng'd. 
 
 Asst. sur. 35 PennV Mar. 63 Penn.. 
 
 Asst. sur., U. S. V... Jan. 64 Penn 
 
 Ind .. 
 Cal.... 
 Penn. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 Penn. 
 Penn. 
 
 Resigned 17 Oct. 
 
 Md 
 Asst. Bur., U. S. v.. Oct. 62|Malta. 
 
 Surgeon Apr. 63 1 
 
 A88t.sur.l5N.Y.H.A Jan. 6iPrus.. 
 
 Va 
 
 Penn.. Penn.. .Cashiered 19 Jnne,71 
 
 Ger ... IN. Y... Resigned 1 Feb. 70 
 
 A88t.8ur.5U.S.C.A. Sep. 66 
 
 N.H... 
 Irel'd. 
 Ger ... 
 N.H... 
 
 Vt 
 
 Asst. sur. 27 Mass.V 63 
 
 Sur. 2 Mass. V Jan. 65 
 
 Asst. sur. 15 Ky.V.. 62 Ky 
 
 Md.. 
 N.Y... 
 
 Penn.. 
 N-.Y... 
 N.H... 
 Iowa. 
 Penn. 
 N.Y.. 
 Mass. 
 
 Ky..
 
 298 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Name, rank and date of 
 
 commission. 
 
 Original entry into serrice i 
 and previous militiuy history.! 
 
 jA8st.8ur.149 PennV 
 iSur. 21 Pcnn. ciiv .. 
 
 A88t.sur.9.3 Penn.V. 
 Sur. 213 Penn V ... 
 
 Ohio. 
 
 62Penn. 
 Aug. 63' 
 
 N.H. 
 
 64 
 Mar. 65 
 
 II 
 
 Iowa.. 
 Penn.. 
 
 Penn. 
 
 Md 
 
 Irel'd. 
 
 jAsst. snr. vol Aug. 63 
 
 |Sur.88N.Y. V Aug. 
 
 :A88tjiur.l82N.Y.V N.Y.. 
 
 N.Y.. 
 Penn. 
 
 Md..., 
 N.Y. 
 
 N.Y. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Assistant Surgeons Con'd. 
 
 Philip F. Harvey 16 Nov. 
 
 William H. King 16 Nov. 
 
 Stevens G. Cowdry...l6 Nov. 
 John M. Dickson 16 Nov. 
 
 Charles B.Byrne 16 Nov. 
 
 Frank Reynolds 16 Nov. 
 
 Clarence Ewen 16 Nov. 
 
 Medical Storekeepers. 
 
 Hennel Stevens 13 Aug. 62, |Penn..'Conn..lRe8igned , 
 
 H. M. Rittenhouse ...13 Aug. 
 
 Victor Zoeller 13 Aug. 
 
 Henry Johnson .13 Aug. 
 
 Robert T. Creamer...l3 Aug. 
 George Wright 13 Aug. 
 
 ..14 Mar. B 
 
 |Penn..Peun..!Re8igned 13 Feb. 65 
 
 .IGer...;N.Y... I Resigned 6 Apr. 63 
 
 .8. A...;Penn..| 
 
 .jN. J... N.Y...iHon. mnst.out 9 Dec. 65 
 
 . Penn..lAnny.|Resigned 1 Jan. 66 
 
 I jRe-ap. M. 8. K 28 July, 
 
 I pied,NewYorkcityl9May, 72 
 
 William M. Giles 20 June,63 1 1 Resigned 10 Sep. 63 
 
 George T. Beall .28 July, 66^ D. C.lN.M... 
 
 A. Y. Cherbonnier ...28 July, ' La Md | 
 
 F. O'Donoghne 3 Aug. 67 'D. C.'D. C...
 
 REGISTER. 
 
 299 
 
 IV. 
 
 MEDICAL OFFICEBS OP "ADDITIONAL FORCE FOB 
 MEXICAN -WAB." 
 
 -NOT EMBRACED IN FOREGOING LISTS. 
 
 Surgeons. 
 
 Edward II. Barton ... 9 Apr. 47i Md. 
 
 Justin E.Stephens... 9 Apr. j Mass. 
 
 Thomas R.Spencer... o May, ! N.Y.. 
 
 MiUiam J. Barry 9 Apr. ! Md.... 
 
 Robert R. Ritchie 9 Apr. j Ta.... 
 
 John T. Lamar 9 Apr. | Ga.... 
 
 Lewis W. Jordan 9 Apr. i Tenn. 
 
 James B. Slade 9 Apr N.C... 
 
 George Berry 9 Apr. 
 
 John W. Tyler 9 Apr. 
 
 Thomas Spencer 5 May, 
 
 David L. McGugiu ...31 Mar. 48 
 John R. Atliinson 16 May, 
 
 Assistant Surf/eons. 
 
 V. J. Robertson 9 
 
 Corj-don S. Abell 9 
 
 Francis L. Wheaton.. 9 
 
 Jolin D. Walker 9 
 
 John Conger 9 
 
 Jetur R. Riggs 9 
 
 John n. Weir 9 
 
 Samuel D. Scott 9 
 
 Alfred 0. Howard 9 
 
 Leonard Randall 9 
 
 Robert T. Gibbs 9 
 
 Krank J. Maloue 9 
 
 Robert H. McGinnis.. 9 
 
 Edward B. Price 9 
 
 William D. Carlin 9 
 
 Charles 0. Waters 9 
 
 Allen T. Noe 9 
 
 Shepherd Laurie 9 
 
 Aaron D. Chaloner... 9 
 
 James L. Clarke 9 
 
 .lames D. Stewart. ....11 
 
 William L. Booth 22 
 
 Alex. C. Ilensley 7 
 
 A.B.Campbell 12 
 
 Robert T. Spence 22 
 
 John B. Butler 3 
 
 Robert Ilagan 9 
 
 James Grimshaw 29 
 
 Thomas J. Chilton ...29 
 Wm. B. Whiteside ...31 
 
 Apr. 47 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 Apr. 
 
 May, 
 
 May, 
 
 July, 
 
 July, 
 
 July, 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Nov. 
 
 Mar. 48 
 
 Mar. 
 
 May, 
 
 Va.... 
 Va .... 
 Mass. 
 Ohio. 
 Mo.... 
 
 3 drag. Res 29 
 
 9 inf. Disb 2fi 
 
 10 inf. (Dec'd) 
 
 llinf Disb 14 
 
 12 inf. Disb 2.i 
 
 13 inf. Disb 15 
 
 Tenn.. Il4 Inf. Disb. 
 
 .20 
 
 15 inf. Died, City 
 of Mexico 13 
 
 16 inf. Disb 25 
 
 Voltigeurs. Disb.. .25 
 
 10 inf. Disb 16 
 
 15 inf. Disb 16 
 
 3 drag. Disb 31 
 
 Jan. 48 
 
 .\ug. 
 
 Aug. 
 July, 
 July, 
 July, 
 
 Nov. 47 
 
 Aug. 48 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Aug. 
 
 July, 
 
 Sur. vols Aug. 46 Md... 
 
 Ohio, 
 
 Penn. 
 Va .... 
 Ky.... 
 Conn. 
 Sur. vols 14 July, 46:Ky. 
 
 Ky.. 
 
 Post sur.,Ft.Mlfflin 
 
 Penn. 
 Md.... 
 Va.... 
 
 Penn.. 
 Ala... 
 Ill I 
 
 3 drag. Disb 30 
 
 3 drag. Disb 31 
 
 inf. Disb 26 
 
 9 inf. Res 26 
 
 10 inf. Disb 26 
 
 10 inf. (Dec'd) 
 
 llinf. Disb 14 
 
 llinf. Res 14 
 
 12 inf. Disb 22 
 
 12 inf. Res 3 
 
 13 inf. Disb 15 
 
 13 inf. Res 30 
 
 14 inf. Died, Vera 
 Cruz, Mex 1 
 
 14 inf. Disb 26 
 
 15 inf. Disb 7 
 
 15 inf. Res 10 
 
 16 inf. Res 7 
 
 16 inf (Dec'd) 
 
 Voltigeurs. Res ...12 
 Voltigeurs. Disb.. .25 
 
 16 inf. Res 6 
 
 10 inf. Disb 29 
 
 16 inf. Disb 10 
 
 Voltigeurs. Disb.. .25 
 9 inf. Disb 26 
 
 12 inf. Disb 
 
 14 inf. Disb 
 
 llinf. Disb 
 
 13 inf. Disb 
 
 16 inf. Disb 
 
 July, 48 
 July, 
 Aug. 
 June,47 
 Aug. 48 
 
 Aug. 
 Feb. 
 Aug. 
 Aug. 47 
 July, 48 
 Dec. 47 
 
 July, 48 
 Aug. 
 June,47 
 July, 
 
 July, 
 Aug. 48 
 Nov. 47 
 Dec. 49 
 Aug. 48 
 Aug. 
 Aug. 
 July, 
 July, 
 Aug. 
 July, 
 Aug.
 
 300 
 
 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 V. MEDICAL OFFICERS OF THE U. S, ABMY WHO HAVE BEEN 
 KILLED IN ACTION SINCE 1789. 
 
 Name. 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Date and battle. 
 
 
 Sur. mate levies of 1791_. 
 
 4 Nov. 1791, at St. Clair's defeat by Indians on Maamee 
 river, Ind. 
 
 15 Aug. 1812, in battle vrith Indians, near Ft. Dear- 
 bom, 111. 
 
 16 Aug. 1812, at surrender of Detroit, Mich, by Gen. 
 Hull. 
 
 22 Jan. 1813. at defeat of Gen. Winchester by British 
 
 troops on river Raisin. 
 22 Jan. 1813, at defeat of Gen. Winchester by British 
 
 troops on river Raisin. 
 1 September, 1813. 
 14 May, 1821, by Chippewa Indians. 
 28 Dec. 1835, at massacre of Maj. Dade's command by 
 
 Seminole Indians, Ft. Armstrong, Fla. 
 14 Oct. 1847, in City of Mexico, of wounds received at 
 
 battle of Molino del Rey, Mexico, 8 Sep. 1847. 
 
 17 Sep. 1862, at battle of Antietam, Md., while serving 
 as med. director, Franklin's Corps, Army Potomac. 
 
 
 
 
 Alexander Montgomery- 
 
 Sur. 17 inf. 
 
 
 
 Sur. 22 inf. 
 
 
 Sur., U.S. A 
 
 
 Asst. snr., U. S. A 
 
 William Roberts 
 
 Asst. sur. U. S. A- 
 
 W. J. H. White 
 
 Sur., U. S. A 
 

 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 301 
 
 C. 
 
 Recommendations of Surgeon R. S. Satterlee, U. S. Army, Medical Direc- 
 tor, Army of Invasion of Mexico, in reference to the transportation of the 
 troops on the abandonment of the country by the army :* 
 
 Major : 
 
 " MEDICAL DIRECTOR'S OFFICE, 
 
 Army* OF Mextco. 
 
 Mexico, May 25, 1848. 
 
 As I understand it is the intention of the commanding general to embark the 
 troops composing this army at an early day, should the " treaty " between our govern- 
 ment and Mexico be ratified, I deem it not inappropriate to offer a few suggestions, 
 that if carried out, it is thought will conduce much to prevent the prevalence of that 
 dreadful disease the " vomito :" 
 
 1. That ample and commodious transports are of the utmost importance, and if 
 such a class as can be well ventilated, without the obstruction of bulk-heads between 
 the cabin windows and the hatches, and that great care be taken that the transports 
 are disinfected in every possible way, and also that while they are awaiting the arrival 
 of the troops, they be moored out of the influence of tlie city of Vera Cruz and the 
 mainland. After the troops are received on board, the greatest possible care should 
 be taken to keep every part of the vessel clean and ventilated, and that the persons 
 and clothing of the men be kept clean. For this purpose they should be often (at 
 least once a day) obliged to come on deck and often wash in the water of the ocean 
 all their persons, and that proper arrangements be made to protect them from the 
 sun while on deck. 
 
 2. That in embarking the troops, in passing through the hot and low country, 
 great care should be taken to keep the troops as much from the influence of the sun as 
 possible, and that large fires be made in and around their night encampments, and that 
 the marches be cautiously performed, avoiding as much as possible the heat of the day, 
 also, that in the embarkation of the stores and baggage, the people of the country be 
 employed, (when practicable) and the troops as much as possible exempted from labor. 
 
 3. That on no account should the troops enter the city of Vera Cruz, and every 
 eflFort should be made to confine them strictly in their diet to the provisions furnished 
 by the United States. 
 
 4. That shelter at the place of embarkation be prepared to protect the troops 
 from the sun during the operation, and that no more be allowed to pass through the 
 low country at a time than the transports can receive on board. 
 
 5. It is thought probable that many of the transports may have stoves on board, 
 which are used in their cabins when they sail in the cold latitudes in winter. When 
 
 NOTB. This paper should have appeared on page 197, but being accidentally omitted is considered of 
 sufficient interest to be placed in the Appendix.
 
 302 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 they can be, it is earnestly recommended that these stoves be put up in the hold of the 
 vessels and the smoke led off by pipes and fires made in them, once or twice in the 
 twenty-four hours, which will assist ventilation, as well as serve to keep dry the 
 interior of the transport. 
 
 The above suggestions are respectfully offered to your notice and although they 
 by no means embrace all that is necessary, yet if they are any assistance to the com- 
 manding general in his arduous duties and responsibilities, my object will be gained. 
 
 I have the honor to be, 
 .Most respectfully. 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 R. S. S.VTTERLEE, Surg., U. S. A., 
 
 Med. Director, Army of Mexico. 
 
 To Major L. THOMAS, 
 
 Astt. Adft Gen., Amiif of Mexico. ^^
 
 INDEX. 
 
 303 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 A. 
 
 Abadie, E. H. 209, 280; taken prisoner. 220; appointed asst. med. purv., 250; 
 
 not confirmed, 254. 
 Abbott, R. 0. death of, 254. 
 Accountability for property 17, 18, 65. 
 Acts and Resolutions of Congress, 7, 8, 10, 13, 16, 23, 25, 26, 28, 31, 34, 44, 46, 48, 
 
 49, 50, 53, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 72, 75, 76, 79, 80, 84, 93, 98, 101, 107, 
 
 124, 126, 140, 142, 147, 155, 160, 167, 181, 182, 198, 202, 208, 209, 219, 221, 
 
 224, 226, 231, 232, 233, 236, 238, 248. 
 Adams, Samuel, Doctor elected hosp. phy., 58 : sketch of, 59. 
 Adams, Samuel, Asst. Subg. death of, 254. 
 Albany general hospital at, 45. 
 
 Alexander, Captain report of battle of Contreras, 191. 
 Allen surg. mate, 21st inf., commended, 99. 
 Allison, Richard surg. inf. regt., 71 ; gen. staff, 73. 
 
 Ambulances board to examine models for, 212 ; regulations for, 236; flags, 236. 
 American Medical Association 203. 
 Apothecaries duties of, 7 ; pay of, 7. 
 
 " Assistant appointment of, 35, 93 ; duties of, 35, 56, 97, 112 ; ofi&ce of 
 
 abolished, 126. 
 Apothecary General appointment of, 35, 77, 84; duties of, 35, 56, 65, 86, 97, 112; 
 
 uniform of, 86 ; office of abolished, 126. 
 Army, Continental at Cambridge, 3 ; at Fort George, 21 ; in New Jersey, 45 ; at 
 
 Valley Forge, 52 ; regulations for, 13 ; reduction of, 67 ; disbandment of, 67. 
 " Federal reorganization of, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 78, 79, 81, 98, 107, 126; increase 
 
 of, 76, 80, 81, 82, 179, 181, 209, 218; peace establishment of, 67, 79, 98, 100, 
 
 107, 126, 256; reduction of, 78, 79, 98, 126, 166, 197, 254; reduction of ex- 
 penses in, 141, 244. 
 " Provisional 75, 181. 
 " Standing opposition of country to, 70. 
 " of Invasion organized at Brazos Santiago, 180; assembles at Lobos Island,184; 
 
 lands near Vera Cruz, 184; sickness in, 186; withdrawn from Mexico, 197. 
 " of Occupation assembles at Corpus Christi, 175; troops composing, 176; 
 
 transferred to Brazos Santiago, 176; occupies Matamoras, 178; at Saltillo, 
 
 180 ; at Buena Vista, 183 ; withdrawn from Mexico, 197. 
 
 for invasion of Chihuahua 178, 180. 
 
 Meteorological Register 210. 
 
 Medical Museum 225, 230, 236, 237, 256. 
 
 Medical School 230. 
 
 Medical Statistics 163, 210, 213. 
 
 Regulations Steuben's, 51. 
 Artificial Limbs number supplied, 260.
 
 H04 THE .MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Artillerists and Engineei"s 74, 75. 
 
 Assistant Surgeons in general hospitals, 114 ; relative rank of, 147. 
 Assistant Surgeons General 107, 111, 126, 219, 221, 222. 
 
 Atkinson, General on organization of Medical Department, 142 ; commands 
 expedition against Sacs and Foxes, 149. 
 
 B. 
 
 Backus, Christopher assistant apothecary, 108. 
 
 Barnes, Joseph K. assistant surgeon, 181; services at Medellin, 184; at Contrei-as, 
 193; appointed med. insp., 232; med. insp. gen., 283; acting surg. gen., 
 235 ; circulars in regard to Army Medical Museum, 237; surg. gen., 238; on 
 control of general hospitals, 242 ; on hospital transports, 243 ; on services of 
 med. oflBcers, 245 ; tribute to Secretary Stanton, 247. 
 
 Bartlett, John phy. and surg. gen., Continental army, 40. 
 
 Baton Rouge general hospital at, 183, 197. 
 
 Baxter, J. H. asst. med. purv., 254 ; chief med. purv., 256. 
 
 Beaumont, William commended, 100; defence of, 131 ; resignation of, 161; military 
 career of, 161 ; physiological experiments, 161. 
 
 Belknap, General report on services of med. officers at Palo Alto and Resaca, 177. 
 
 BiNNEY Barnabas hosp. phy. and surg., Continental army, 58. 
 
 Black Hawk war 149. 
 
 Bloomfield, M0SE.S hosp. phy. and surg.. Continental army, 58; sketch of, 60; 
 resignation of, 62 ; subsequent career and death of, 69. 
 
 Board of Army and Navy Officers on rank, 202. 
 
 Bond, Thomas 11, purv.. Continental army, 58; sketch of, 59. 
 
 Boston siege of, 3 ; evacuation of, 15. 
 
 Brevets to Medical Officers 253. 
 
 Bron.\ugh, James C. asst. surg. gen., 108; discharged, 126. 
 
 Brown, Charles surg. mate, levies of '91, 72; of sub-legion, 73; surg. 1st art. and 
 eng., 74; retained in service, 79. 
 
 Brown, General Harvey account of cholera on the steamer Henry Clay, 150. 
 
 Brown, General Jacob 101, 110; orders in regard to health of army, 128. 
 
 Brown, James chief phy., southern army, 61. 
 
 Brown, William surg. gen. of hosp., Continental army, 44; promoted, 47; resigned, 53. 
 
 Brownson, N. deputy purv., southern army, 61. 
 
 Buffalo general hospital at, 83, 91 ; removed to Williamsville, 92. 
 
 Bull, Ezekiel hosp. surg. in charge of general hospital at Williamsville, 92. 
 
 Burooyne surrender of, 45. 
 
 Burlington general hospital at, 83 ; regulations of, 89 ; statistics of, 91 ; sick trans- 
 ferred to, 93 ; mortality in, 93. 
 
 Burnet, William phy. and surg. gen.. Continental army, 40; sketch of, 43 ; hosp. 
 phy. and surg., 58; chief hosp. phy., 61 ; death of, 69. 
 
 Byrne, B. M. death of, 214. 
 
 C. 
 
 ('auioun, ./. T. death of, 260; character of, 251 ; 
 Camargo hospitals and purveying depot at, 178. 
 Cam/rridge hospital at, 4; sickness in army at, 14, 16. 
 Camp, flying established at Trenton, 20.
 
 i
 
 INDEX. 305 
 
 Camp Lawson general hospital at, 198. 
 
 Carleton, General on services ofmed. staflfat Buena Vista, 183. 
 
 Carmichael, John F. surg. mate, inf. regt, 71 ; discharged, 72; in 2nd inf., 72 ; surg. 
 
 sub-legion, 73; 4th inf., 79; gar. surg., 79. 
 ('ass, Lewis Secretary of War, 138; on increase of med. staff, 138; on pay of 
 
 medical staff, 138. 
 Cerro Gordo battle of, 185. 
 Chapultepec battle of, 193. 
 (?HiLDs, Colonel on services of medical officers, 185, 194; report of sie^e of 
 
 Puebla, 194. 
 Cholera at Fort Gratiot, 150; at Chicago, 151; at Hart Island, 250; at St. Louis, 
 
 251 ; on the plains, 254. 
 (Cholera Campaign 149. 
 (Church, Benjamin elected dir. gen., 7; sketch of, 8; treachery of, 8; trial 
 
 of, 9; confined in Norwich jail, 11; expelled from Provincial Congress, 11; 
 
 lost at sea, 11. 
 (Jlark, Richard death of, 162 ; eulogy of by the sur. gen., 162. 
 (Clinch, General on reorganization of Medical Department, 142. 
 CooLiDGE, R. H. compiles army medical statistics, 210, 213 ; appointed med. insp., 
 
 222 ; death of, 247 ; character of, 247. 
 Cochran, .John plan for hosp. dept., 33; phy. and sur. gen.. Continental army, 39; 
 
 sketch of, 41 ; chief phy. and surg.. Continental army, 58; endorsed by Wash- 
 ington, 58; dir. gen., 60; discharged, 68; subsequent career and death of, 68; 
 
 character of, 68. 
 ijommissary of Hospitals 35. 
 
 Committee, Congressional on Medical Department, 26, 46 ; report of, 28. 
 Congress, Colonial meets in Philadelphia, 6; appoints committee to establish the 
 
 hospital, 7. 
 " Provincial of Massachusetts, 3 ; appoints medical board of examination, 4; 
 
 establishes hospital regulations, 5 ; expels Doctor Church, 11. 
 " Provincial of New York, 12. 
 
 " Federal declares war against Mexico, 177; acts and resolutions of, (see acts). 
 (,'onvention to form Constitution, 71. 
 Contreras and Churubusco battles of, 189. 
 CoRNWALLis surrender of, 69. 
 Corpus Christi concentration of troops at, 175. 
 
 ('ourts-Martial med. officers not eligible as members, 129 ; judge advocates of, 129. 
 Craig, P. H. surg. mate, 22nd inf., 99; commended for gallantry, 99; med. dir., 
 
 army of occupation, 175; services at Monterey, 178 ; at Buena Vista, 183; 
 
 transfers sick of the army to New Orleans, 197. 
 Crakjie, Andrew apoth. gen., 58; commended by Washington, 59. 
 Craik, JAME.S chief hosp. phy.. Continental army, 58; recommended by Washington, 
 
 58 ; sketch of, 60 ; chief phy. and surg. of the army, 61 ; attends Washington 
 
 on his death bed, 68 ; phy. gen. of the army, 76 ; mustered out, 79 ; death of, 68. 
 
 ('rank. Colonel L B. on organization of Medical Department, 142 ; member army 
 
 and navy board, 202. 
 Cbane, Charles H. asst. surg. gen., 250. 
 
 (yUMMiNGS, Colonel on organization of Medical Department, 142. 
 Ciitbush, Edward on health of troops, 82. 
 
 20
 
 806 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THK ARMY 
 
 CiTBi'SH, James asst. apoth. gen., 108. 
 
 CuTTKB, A. R. pliy. gen.. Continental army, :>'. : jsketcli of. 42; re.signatioii of, 47 : 
 
 death and character of, 47. 
 ChrYLKK, JHX M. services at (Jontreras, 19(); med. dir. at Toluca. IW : nied. 
 
 insp.. 222; acting med. insp. gen., 2:^8. 
 
 D. 
 
 Dades Masisacre 1-34. 
 
 Davis, .Tekff,k.son Secretary of War. 211 ; decides contiovcrsy between Lawson and 
 
 Henry, 211 ; 
 Day, Sti.vrster, As-st. Sin*!. appeal of in regard to rank. 147; death of. 200. 
 I)e Cami'. S. G. I. ser^'ices durinnr cholera campaign. 151 ; med, dir,. tlept, of 
 
 New Mexico, 178; in ciiarge of general hospital in Santa Fe. 19(>; death of, 22o. 
 DtMicK, CoLoNKi, report of battle of Contreras, U*l. 
 Director (icneral controvei'sy about authority of, 21.22; resolvc.i (d' <'ongrcss in 
 
 regard to, 2H ; duties of. 23; authorized to assii^n nicl. ofticei's. 4'.t; charges 
 
 against, 47. -30. 
 Disbursing Officers accountability of, 17, 48, 50, 05. 
 Dykrt-k. E. p. services in Mexico, 190. 198; death of, 200. 
 
 E. 
 Eastern Military Department limits of. 128. 
 
 Eaton, John H. Secretary of War, 141 ; report on army organization, 145. 
 Eaton, Joseph, Asst. SuRfi. appeal of in regard to rank. 147 ; death of, 218. 
 Elliot, John surg. mate. 1st inf., 71 ; surg., 2nd inf.. 72; snrg., sub-legion. 73; 
 
 surg., Ist inf., 79. 
 Epaulettes for med. officers, 164. 
 Epidemic winter, on northern frontier, 80. 
 Everett, Josiah surg. mate, 21st inf., 99; distinguished in battle at Fort Erie, 99; 
 
 med. dir. during cholei^ campaign, 149 ; death of, 150. 
 ErsTis, William hosp. phy. and surg., Continental army, 58; sketch of, 00; elected 
 
 to Congress, 68 ; Secretary of War, 08: Governor of Mass.. 08; death of, 08. 
 Executive Departments organize*!, 71. 
 
 F. 
 
 FAY880UX, Peter chief hosp. phy., southern army. 01. 
 
 Female Nurses regulations for, 97. 219. 
 
 Fi,fi()i), Doctor distinguished at battle of New Orleans, 100. 
 
 Florida War assignment of med. officers duinng, 154. 
 
 FiNLEV, C. .\. med. dir., army of occupation, 180; of dept. of Vei*a Cruz. 189; 
 sur. gen. of the army, 217 ; on services of med. cadets, 220; recommendations 
 to Secretary of War, 221; retired, 222; letter on management of general 
 hospitals, 239. 
 
 Foot, Lyman med. dir., army of Chihuahua, 179. 
 
 FoRuiE, Do(rroR surg. gen. of hospital in Continental army, 40. 
 
 F<ruv. SAMtEii edits anny medical statistics, 163. 
 
 f'orf /iroirn bombardment of, 170. 
 " Edward temporary hospital at, 44. 
 * George hospital at, 21 ; sickness in army at, 87.
 
 r
 
 INDKX. / 307 
 
 Fort Xkifjnru fent hospital at, 87. 
 
 Foster, Isaac in charge of hospitals at Cambridge, 4; candidate for dir. gen., 
 
 10; deputy dir. gen., 39: sketch of, 42. 
 Fren'h'n Milh regimental hospitals at, 8VI. 
 Pri.i.ER, Sii^\s surg., 23rd inf., 93 : in charge of general hospital at Buttalo, 83 ; 
 
 distinguished at Fort Erie, 99. 
 Kri.i.wooD, W. E. death of, 206. 
 
 a. 
 
 (iAixRs, trKXERAi, report of battle at Fort Erie, 99; on organization of Medical 
 Department, 142 ; commanding in Florida, 154. 
 
 (lAi.E, .John surg. mate, 21 inf., distinguished at Fort Erie, 99. 
 
 Gardner, Colonei, .T. L. report of battle of Contreras, I'.K). 
 
 <i VIES, Ma.ior Gexeuai, 9, 21, 23, 27. 
 
 (lATi.iN, .John S. killed in battle, l.')4. 
 
 tieiieral Hospitals at Cambridge, 4 ; regulations of. "> ; at Watertown, Mass., 4 ; at 
 Hoxbury, 4; allowance of med. officers to, o : at Williamsburg, Va., 20; near 
 Haarlem, 25; in New .Jersey, 25; at Albany, 45; at Burlington, Vt., 83, 89, 
 91, 93; at Malone, N. Y., 83, 89, 91 ; at Plattsburgh, 83, 92; at Fort Niagara, 
 87 ; at Watertown, N. Y., 87 ; at Lewistown, N. Y., 87, 88, 89 ; at Williamsville, 
 89; at Buffalo, 83, 91, 92; at St. Augustine, Fla., 154; at St. .Joseph's Island, 
 176 ; at Point Isabel, 177 ; at San Antonio, Tex., 179 ; at Matamoras, Mex., 180; 
 at "ilonterey, Mex., 180; at New Orleans, 183, 197, 198; at Baton Rouge, 188, 
 
 197 ; at Vera Cruz, 184 ; at Jalapa, 186, 197 ; at l^erote, 186; at Puebla, 186, 
 197; at Camargo, 178; at San Angel and San Antonio, Mex., 189; at Tacubaya, 
 191, 192, 194; at Mixcoac, 189, 192, 193, 194; at Greenwood Island, Miss., 
 
 198 ; in city of Mexico, 195; order regulating, 223; military control of, 288. 
 ^7/'< Treaty of, 98. 
 
 Grasson, Victor surg. mate, levies of '91, 72 ; killed in battle, 73. 
 
 (ireenhmh army at, 82 ; sickness at, 98. 
 
 Grkkne, MA.roR General 9 ; letter about hospital, 29. 
 
 H. 
 
 Hai.leck, Ma.jor General report on control of hospitals, 241. 
 
 Hammond, William death of, 206. 
 
 Hammond, William A. appointed surg. gen., 222; prest. med. ex. board, 225; letter 
 on rank of medical directors, 227 ; memorial circular on the death of Surg. White, 
 229; i-ecommendations to Secretary of War, 230 ; ordered on tour of inspec- 
 tion, 235 ; dismissed, 238. 
 
 Hand, Likutenant Colonel candidate for dir. gen., 10. 
 
 Harmau, Lieutenant ('olonel infantry regt. of '89, 71; defeat of, 72. 
 
 Harney, B. F. meil. dir. at Tampico, 181; of army of invasion, 185; wounded 
 in action, 194 ; directing hospitals at Mixcoac, 194 ; death of, 213. 
 
 Hawkin8,H. S. med. dir.. East Fla., 154; in charge of general hospital at St. .Joseph's 
 Island, 176. 
 
 Hkiskell, H. L. chief med. officer of Gen. Gaines' army in Fla., 154; acting surg. 
 gen., 168, 181 ; letter on position of med. officers on mixed boards, 168 ; on 
 rank of med. officers, 170 ; on private practice by med. officers, 175 ; on death 
 of Doctor Roberts, 193; death of, 213. 
 
 Henderson, Thomas death of, 213; character of, 213.
 
 308 THE 3IEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Hitchcock, C. M. med. dir., army for Chihuahua, 179; med. purv. iit Saltillo, 
 
 180 ; med. dir. at Buena Vista, 183. 
 HoRXEE, William E. hosp. surg. mate, 89 ; in charge of transportation of wounded, 92. 
 Hospital, revolutionary meaning of the word, 4 ; act establishing, 7 ; reorganiza- 
 tion of, 33, 34, 48, 53, 63; Shippen's and Cochran's plan for, 33; complaints 
 about management of, 46 ; organization of at the south, 61. 
 " Attendants and Nurses pay of, 7, 38, 97, 120, 209; regulations concerning, 
 
 7, 20, 35, 56, 77, 119, 140. 
 " Fund proper distribution of, 171. 
 
 Stewards regulations concerning, 94, 95, 113. 115, 118, 119, 149, 160; 
 employment of in the field, 163; appointment and enlistment of, 149, 208,209, 
 221. 
 " Stores fund for purchase of, 72. 
 " Transports controversy concerning, 242. 
 HuGA.v, Surgeon 14th inf., distinguished at Fort Erie, 99. 
 Hunt, Hexry surg. in charge general hospital at Burlington, 89. 
 
 I. J. 
 
 Infantry, First organized, 71. 
 
 Inspector General to inspect hospitals, 64. 
 
 Invalid Corps establishment of, 44. 
 
 Jackson, Davii> hosp. phy. and surg.. Continental array, 58 ; resignation of, 62. 
 
 Jackson, Ma.jor General order after battle of New Orleans, 100. 
 
 Jalapa general hospital at, 186, 197. 
 
 Jarvis, N. S. in charge of general hospital at Corpus Christi, 176 ; at Monterey, 
 
 180 ; death of, 225. 
 Jones, Doctor John on military surgery, 52. 
 Jones, Walter ^phy. gen. hosp.. Continental army, 39; sketch of, 40; resignation of, 44. 
 
 K. 
 
 Kearney, S. W., General commands expedition to California, 196. 
 
 Keeney, C. C. disbanded as asst. surg., 167 ; reappointed, 172; med. insp.,222. 
 
 Kennedy, A. W. death of, 206. 
 
 Ker, Hospital Surgeon distinguished at battle of New Orleans, 100. 
 
 Kerr, Robert E. distinguished during cholera campaign, 149, 151- 
 
 KiNG, Benjamin surg. gen. ad interim, 157, 159, 
 
 Knox, Henry first Secretary of War, 71. 
 
 L. 
 
 Laboratory of surg. gen' Is office, 258. 
 
 Latimer, Henry hosp. surg., Continental array, 68. 
 
 Laub, C. H. services during Florida war, 157 ; med. purv. at Vera Cruz, 184. 
 
 Lawson, Thomas services as hosp. surg., 100; pres't med. ex. board, 148; lieut. col. 
 of La. vols., 154; med. dir. in Florida, 154 ; recommended by army officers 
 for surg. gen., 159; appointed surg. gen., 159 ; organizes bat. N. Y. and Penn. 
 
 vols., 159; military history of, 159; letter on case of Doctor N , 160; 
 
 eulogy on Surg. Clark, 162 ; letter on epaulettes for med. officers, 165 ; on 
 hospital fund, 170; on services of med. officers at Monterey, 179 ; accompanies 
 Gen. Scott to Mexico, 184 ; chief med. officer, army of invasion, 185 ; tribute
 
 INDEX. 309 
 
 to Surg. Mower, 205 ; on the green sash for med. officers, 203 ; recommends 
 increase of Corps, 207 ; on hospital stewards and attendants, 208 ; controversy 
 with Prof. Henry, 211 ; tribute to Surg. Wheaton, 214; death and character of, 
 216; general order in memory of, 217. 
 
 Le Barron, Francis gar. surg. mate, 79; apoth. gen., 96; provisionally retained, 
 99 ; recognised as permanently in service, 108 ; disbanded, 126. 
 
 Ledyard, Isaac deputy purv., Continental army, 58. 
 
 Legion organization of, 73. 
 
 Lee, Ma.jor General Charles 9, letter to Washington on the hospital, 15. 
 
 Lee, M.\.jor report of battle of Contreras, 191. 
 
 Levies of '91 organization of, 72. 
 
 Lewistown, N. Y. general hospital at, 87 ; number of patients in, 88; broken up, 89. 
 
 Library of the Surg. Gen' Is Office 257. 
 
 Line Officers petition of, 138. 
 
 Little York, U. C. capture of, 87. 
 
 LoRiNG, Major report of battle of Contreras, 191. 
 
 LovELL, Joseph surg. 9 inf., 83; in charge general hospital at Burlington, 83, 89; report 
 on sickness in army, 88 ; hosp. surg., 92 ; on duty at AVilliamsville, 92 ; med. 
 dir., northern dept., 101 ; report on sickness in northern dept., 102 ; ap- 
 pointed surg. gen., 108; sketch of, 108; report on sickness and mortality in 
 army, 122 : on services of med. staiF, 122 ; on condition of Medical Department, 
 122 ; on expenses of Medical Department, 125 ; on assignment of med. officers, 
 135; on reduction of med. staff., 142, 144; defends administration of his 
 Department, 146 ; urges increase of med. staff, 154 ; death of, 155 ; obituary 
 notice of, 155 ; character of, 156 ; monument to, 157 ; tribute to Surg. Mower, 
 205. 
 
 Low, David asst. apoth. gen., 100. 
 
 Lugenbeel, Colonel account of Doctor Roberts, 191. 
 
 M. 
 
 McDonald, J. E. death of, 251. 
 
 McDouGALL, Charles asst. med. purv., 250; retired, 254. 
 
 McFeely, Lieutenant Colonel report of battle at Fort Erie, 99. 
 
 McGiLL, George M. death of, 254. 
 
 McHenry, James Secretary of War, 76 ; on hospital organization, 76. 
 
 McKnxght, Charles surg. gen. of hosp.. Continental army, 47 ; sketch of, 47 ; chief 
 hosp. phy,, 58. 
 
 McLaren, A. N. services in Florida war, 157, 158 ; in charge general hospital at 
 Jalapa and Perote, 186. 
 
 McMillan, Robert surg. mate, disbanded, 127. 
 
 McMillin, Thomas death of, 261. 
 
 Malone, N. Y. general hospital at, 83, 89, 91. 
 
 Malpractice trial of medical officer for, 133. 
 
 Mann, Jame.s hosp. surg., 82; med. dir., northern army, 82; remarks on 
 discipline of troops, 83 ; on sickness in army, 87 ; in charge of general hospital 
 at Burlington, 89 ; removes sick from Malonetto Burlington, 91 ; in charge of 
 wounded at Crab Island, 93 ; on pay of med. officers, 93 ; on services of 
 med. staff, 99; on organization of Medical Department, 101. 
 
 Martin, Joel death of, 213. 
 
 Mutamoras, Mux. occupation of, 178; general hospital in, 178.
 
 'iiHi THE MEDICAL DEPAHTMENT OP THE ARMY 
 
 Mmnnir ilefeiU of St. Clair on. 73 ; victory of Wayne near. 74. 
 
 .Meilical Boards of Examination 4, '28, J2, t>3, t)4. 78, 85, 87, 120. 128. 14(, 147, 148, 
 149, l.")2, 154, 155, 159, 100. 162, 163, 166, 172, 174, 179, 182, 195, 198, 201, 
 203. 206, 209, 211, 212, 217, 218, 225, 227. 230, 236, 238, 244, 247; regula- 
 tions of, 149, 152, 199. 
 
 Cadets appointment of, 219 ; opinion of General Finley on, 220; increase in 
 number of, 221 . 
 ' Committee of ('ongress 51, 53, 62. 
 
 Department promotion and appointment siispendetl in, 63, 182, 254 : reor- 
 jranization of, 76, 84, 101, 107, 126, 221, 232, 248 ; expenses of, 125, 127, 143, 
 145, 246; vacancies in, 256; Recoi'd and Pension Division of, 260. 
 
 Directors anthorized for divisions, 218 ; to appoint boards of examination, 
 218: increased rank for, 227, 232, 238. 
 Inspectors appointment of, 221, 231 ; duties of, 224, 233. 
 Purveyors 53, 56, 57, 66, 77, 124, 143, 222. 
 
 8tatt duties of, 7, 17, 77, 81 ; pay and allowances of, 5, 7, 13, 17, 38, 50, 57, 
 58, 61, 66, 67, 70, 72, 73, 74, 75, 77, 80, 93, 123, 135, 138, 140, 160 ; rank of, 17, 
 66, 108, 182, 201, 202, 221, 232; uniform of, 86, 163, 165, 203; assignment of, 
 129, 130, 141 153; charges against, 141; promotions by seniority in, 62; 
 officers of, provisionally retained, 99; increase of, 147, 155, 160, 181,182, 209, 
 212, 219, 221, 224, 226, 231; reduction of, 62, 63, 66, 67, 78, 98, 126, 167. 
 " Officers returns of, 17; choice of quarters by, 124, 128; relative rank 
 among, 124; services of during Florida war, 154, 158; position of on mixed 
 boards, 168; salutes to be paid to, 173 ; duties of on witnessing punishment, 
 173 ; po.9ition of on parades and muster, 173 ; distribution of in army of occu- 
 pation, 176; in army of invasion, 180; services at Cerro Gordo, 185; at Vera 
 Ouz, 189; at Contreras and Churubusco, 190, 192; at Molino del Rey, 193; 
 present at .surrender of Mexico, 194; on duty in Mexico general hospital, 195 ; 
 distribution of after Mexican war, 198; services of on western frontier, 212 ; 
 reports from, 210, 213 ; number who proved disloyal, 215 ; who remained loyal, 
 215 ; of volunteers, 218, 226, 227 ; captured by the enemy, 218, 220, 233 ; 
 number of during Rebellion, 245 ; casualties among, 246 ; services during 
 Rebellion, 245. 
 " Storekeepers authorized, 224; manner of appointing, 224 ; board for exami- 
 nation of, 225 ; rank of, 253. 
 Supplies manner of obtaining, 24 ; deficiency of during Revolution, 6. 12, 45. 
 and Surgical History 231, 236, 259. 
 Mexico surrender of, 193; general hospitals in, 195; removal of sick from, 197; 
 
 abandoned by army, 197. 
 Mii,i-s, Mauison in charge of general hospital at Puebla, Mex., 18ti, 194; services 
 (luring siege, 194; med. dir., Utah expedition, 211 ; meil. insp. gen., '238; 
 death of, 260; memorial circular on, 261. 
 Mixcoae general hospital at, 189, 192, 193, 194. 
 Monterey battle of 179; general hospital in, 180. 
 
 MoKCAN, .John dir. gen., Continental army, 10; sketch of, 11; obtains medical 
 supplies, 14, 16, 27; lettein* to General Washington, 16, 18; plan for manage- 
 ment of hospital, 18 ; letter to Congress, 22; dismissed, 26 ; review of case of, 
 29; controversy with Shippen, 31 ; exonerated by ('ongress, 31 ; prefers charges 
 against Shippen, 50 ; death of, 32 ; character of, 32, 33.
 
 rNDEX. Hll 
 
 MoKRis, Captain T. report of battle of Contreras, 190. 
 
 Mower, Thomas G. med. purv. in N. Y., 146, 15fi ; pres't med. boards of exami- 
 nation, 148, 152, 154, 155, 159, 162, 166, 172, 174, 179, 182, 195, 198, 201, 
 203 ; on rank of med. ofiBcers, 170 ; death of, 208 ; autobiogi-aphy of. 204 ; 
 character of, 204-6 ; personal appearance of, 206. 
 
 Murray, Robert asst. med. purv., 250. 
 
 N. 
 Nksmith, Senator resolution about general hospital, 241. 
 A>*r Orleam cholera at, 152 ; general hospital at, 183, 197, 198. 
 Northern Department during Revolution, 12, 13, 14, 21, 23, 26, 28, 29, 35, 43, 44 : 
 during war of 1812. 82, 83, 84, 99 ; after the war. 101. 
 
 O. 
 
 0-kee-cho-hffl' battle of, 157. 158. 
 
 OiiYPiiANT, David deputy dir., southern army. 61. 
 
 Otto. Rodo hosp. phy. and surg.. Continental army, 58; sketch of, 60. 
 
 P. 
 
 I'ulo .4/^/ battle of, 177. 
 
 Peuley, Thomas F. med. insp. gen., 222 ; resigned, 233. 
 
 Perote general hospital at, 186. 
 
 Physician General appointment of, 75. 
 
 Physician and Surgeon General appointment of, 84 ; uniform of, 86 ; duties of, 86. 
 
 Plaltihurgh general hospital at, 83 ; statistics of, 92. 
 
 Plymiton, Colonel report of battle of Contreras, 190. 
 
 Poitif habel general hospital at, 177, 180. 
 
 Porter, John B. in charge of general hospital at Vera Cruz, 184, 189 ; services during 
 
 yellow fever at Vera Cruz, 189; in charge of general hospital at Camp Lawson, 198; 
 
 delegate to Am. Med. Ass'n, 203; med. dir., Utah army, 211 ; death of, 255. 
 PoTTS, Jonathan surg. in northern dept., 21; acting dir. of same, 29; deputy 
 
 dir. gen., 40 ; sketch of, 43 ; transferred to middle dept., 49. 
 PREVOST, G. M. distinguished at Buena Vista, 184. 
 Price, General Sterling invades Chihuahua, 196 ; report of battle of Santa Cruz, 
 
 196. 
 Private Practice forbidden, 97, 120, 121 ; decisions of surg. gen. in regard to, 
 
 121. 174. 
 Publications of Surg. Gen' Is Office 258, 259. 
 Puehla general hospital at, 186, 197; siege of, 194. 
 PuRCELL, KowARU hosp. surg. mate in charge of sick at Crab Island, 92. 
 
 Q. 
 
 Quarters allowance of, 98; choice of. 124, 128. 
 Quebec attack on, 14. 
 
 R. 
 Rand, Isaac in charge of general hospital at Roxbury, 4. 
 Recruits examination of. 121. 
 Regulations, Medical 19, 94, 109, 110, 128. 
 Resaca d<- la Palma battle of, 177. 
 Retiring Boards 219.
 
 M2 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 Ketiirns, Reports and Requisitions 17, 19, 37, 48, 51, 54, 55, 56, 63, 65, 86, 94, 96, 
 
 97, 109, 110, 112, 118. 
 RiCKMAN, William med. dir. at Williamsburgh, Va., 20. 
 Ripley, General E. W. report of the battle of Fort Erie, 99. 
 Roberts, William wounded at Molino del Rey, 191 ; description of wound, 192 ; 
 
 services at Churubusco, 192 ; gallantry of, 192-3 ; death of, 192 ; tribute of 
 
 surg. gen. to, 193 ; opinion of Gen. Worth on, 193. 
 RowE, Charles H. death of, 254. 
 RiTSH, BEN.JAMIN criticises hospital management, 24 ; his opinion of Morgan, 32 ; 
 
 appointed surg. gen. of hosp., 39 ; sketch of, 41 ; phy. gen. of hosp., 44 ; 
 
 letter to Congress on abuses in hospital, 46 ; prefers charges against Shippen, 
 
 47 ; resignatyan of, 47 ; death of, 47. 
 RrssELL, .Joseph P. in charge of general hospital at St. Augustine, 154 ; death of, 201 ; 
 
 character of, 201 ; fund for widow of, 201 . 
 
 S. 
 
 Sackett's Harbor ai-my at, 87; protest of physicians at, 174. 
 
 San Antonio, Tex. general hospital at, 179. 
 
 San Antonio and San Angel, Mex. general hospital at, 189. 
 
 Sash, green-T-for med. officers, 203. 
 
 Satterlee, R. H. services during Florida war, 157 ; report, of battle of 0-kee-cho-bee, 
 157; senior surg., Worth's, division, army of invasion, 185, 194; report on 
 health of array, 186 ; med. dir., army of invasion, 195 ; chief med. purv., 
 250 ; retired, 254. 
 
 Schuyler, General Philip in command of northern dept., 12 ; letter to Congress 
 about hospital, 12; appoints Doctor Stringer dir., 12; objects to his dis- 
 missal, 28 ; censured by Congress, 28. 
 
 Scott, Moses hosp. phy. and surg.. Continental army, 58 ; resignation of, 62. 
 
 Soott,Ma.iorGeneralWinfield on organization ofMedical Department, 142; command- 
 ing in Black Hawk war, 149 ; organizes army of invasion, 180 ; invites Lavvson to 
 serve on his staff, 181 ; assumes command, army of invasion, 184 ; order before 
 battle of Cerro Gordo, 185. 
 
 Shippen, William 11 ; chief phy., fiying camp, 20 ; presents plan for hospital, 33 ; 
 elected dir. gen., 39 ; sketch of, 40 ; charges against, 46, 47, 50 ; brought 
 to trial and acquitted, 50 ; reelected director, 58 ; resignation of, 60 ; subse- 
 quent career of, 60 ; death of, 61 ; character of, 61. 
 
 Simons, James med. purv., army of occupation, 176 ; wounded at Molino del 
 Rey, 193. 
 
 Simpson, Josiah services during Florida war, 157 ; in charge of general hospital at 
 Tacubaya, 191; account of case of Roberts, 192; on plan of Mexican hospitals, 195; 
 transfers sick to New Orleans, 197 ; on personal appearance of Mower, 206. 
 
 Simpson, Richard F. distinguished at battle of Santa Cruz, 196. 
 
 Smallwood, William letter of on abuses in hospital, 29. 
 
 Smith, William druggist to Continental army, 24. 
 
 Smith, J. Sim death of, 254. 
 
 Soldiers detailed in hospitals, 20, 95, 96, 118, 119, 140, 208. 
 
 Spraoue, Lawrence death of, 206. 
 
 St. Auguntine, Fla. general hospital at, 154. 
 
 St. Clair, General Arthur abandons Ticonderoga, 44 ; General-in-Chief, 73 ; 
 defeated by Indians, 73.
 
 i
 
 INDEX. 313 
 
 St. Joseph's Island general hospital at, 176, 177, 180. 
 
 Stanton, E. M. services to Medical Department, 242, 246. 
 
 Stations changes of, 129, 130, 140. 
 
 Steinecke, H. a. death of, 213. 
 
 Steuben, Major General army regulations of, 51. 
 
 Stevenson, Henry services during cholera campaign, 151. 
 
 Stringer, Samuel dir. of northern dept., 13 ; letter to General Gates, 21 ; con- 
 troversy about authority of, 21, 22 ; dismissed, 26 ; review of case of, 26. 
 
 Supply Table 112, 212. 
 
 Surgeons, Hospital appointment of, 82 ; ofiBce of abolished, 107. 
 " Post duties of, 97, 118 ; transferred to gen. staff, 126. 
 " Regimental complaints of, 16, 18 ; opinion of Washington on, 30 ; duties 
 of, 95, 116 ; office of abolished, 126. 
 
 Surgeon General office established, 107 ; regulations concerning, 109, 110; ordered 
 to attend officers in Washington, 141 ; proposed abolition of office of, 145 ; 
 vacancy in office of, 158, 217, 222, 238 ; efforts to appoint a civilian, 159; given 
 rank of brig, gen., 221. 
 
 Sutherland, Charles asst. med. purv., 250. 
 
 T. 
 
 Tacubaya general hospital at, 191, 192, 194. 
 
 Taylor, George death of, 254. 
 
 Taylor, General Z. report of battle of 0-kee-cho-bee, 157 ; commanding army of 
 occupation, 174 ; report of battle of Monterey, 178; of Buena Vista, 183. 
 
 Thaoher, .James Military Journal of, 4, 45, 68. 
 
 Thomas, William in charge of general hospital at Buffalo, 92. 
 
 TiLTON, .James 36 ; in charge of general hospital at Princeton, N. J., 46 ; at Trenton, 52; 
 letter on abuses in hospital, 46 ; plan for hospital construction, 53 ; hosp. 
 phy. and surg., 58 ; advocates promotion by seniority, 62 ; phy. and surg. gen., 
 69, 84 ; on military hospitals, 85 ; makes tour of inspection, 87 ; disbanded, 
 98 ; death of, 98. 
 
 TowNSHEND, David hosp. phy. and surg.. Continental army, 58 ; sketch of, 60,69. 
 
 Treat, Malachi phy. and surg. gen.. Continental army, 40 ; sketch of, 43 ; chief 
 hosp. phy., 58 ; death of, 69. 
 
 Tripler, Charles S. on rank of medical officers, 170 ; senior surg. Tvi^iggs' division, 
 army of invasion, 185, 194 ; report on health of army, 188 ; directing hospi- 
 tals in city of Mexico, 195; services during the campaign, 190; first delegate 
 to the Am. Med. Ass'n, 203 ; death of, 251 ; memorial general order regarding, 
 251 ; sketch of, 252 ; character of, 252 ; monument to, 253. 
 
 Troops to protect western frontier, 70. 
 
 Trowbridge, Surgeon 21st inf., distinguished at battle of Fort Erie, 199. 
 
 Turner, George F. med. purv. in Florida, 154 ; director of hospitals at Camargo, 
 178. 
 
 Turner, Philip elected dir. gen., but appointment revoked, 39 ; surg. gen. of hosp.. 
 Continental army, 40; sketch of, 43; hosp. phy. and surg., 58; subsequent 
 career and death of, 69, 79. 
 
 Twiggs, General D. E. report of battle of Churubusco, 190. 
 
 U. 
 
 Utah Expedition, 86. 
 
 20*
 
 314 THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
 
 V. 
 
 Valley Forge campaign at, 46, 52. 
 
 Venereal Disease soldiers infected with, to be fined, 46. 
 
 Vera Cruz siege of, 184; general hospital and purveying depot at, 184 ; sickness at, 
 
 189 ; med. otlicers stationed At, 189. 
 VoLLUM, E. P. med. insp., 222. 
 
 Wardmasters regulations concerning, 54, 95, 112, 115. 
 
 Wareen, John in charge of general hospital at Cambridge, 4 ; hosp. phy. and surg.. 
 
 Continental army, 58 ; sketch of, 59; director of hospitals at Boston, 59; 
 
 subsequent career and death of, 69. 
 Wakren, Joseph 4, 59, 60 ; suggested for dir. gen., 8. 
 
 Washington, George appointed Commander-in-Chief, 6 ; assumes command at Cam- 
 bridge, 6 ; letters on hospital management, 6, 30, 33, 58 ; letter announcing 
 
 treason of Church, 10 ; instructions to Morgan, 15. 
 Watertoten, Mass. general hospital in, 4. 
 Waiertown, N. Y. general hospital in, 87. 
 Watkins, Tobias asst. surg. gen., 108 ; disbanded, 126. 
 Watson, Edward H. lost at sea, 206. 
 Wayne, General Anthony General-in-Chief, 74. 
 Wells, John B. med. purv. at Point Isabel, 177 ; at Camargo, 178 ; director of 
 
 hospitals at Camargo, 178 ; at Vera Cruz, 196 ; death of, 206. 
 Western Military Department limits of, 128. 
 Wharton, W. L. med. purv., army of occupation, 175. 
 Wheaton, Walter V. in charge of general hospital at Burlington, 89 ; death of, 213 ; 
 
 character of, 213. > 
 White, W. J. H. killed in battle, 228 ; report of Surg. Letterman on, 225 ; memorial 
 
 circular on, 229. 
 Whiteridoe, J. B. hosp. surg. mate in charge of general hospital at Williamsville, 89. 
 WiCKHAM, R. C death of, 189. 
 Williams, Thomas H, med. dir., Utah army, 211. 
 
 Williamsville, ^. Y. general hospital at, 89. 
 
 AVirtz, Horace R. accompanies expedition to Chihuahua, 196. 
 Wood, Robert C. in charge of general hospital at Point Isabel, 177; report on hospitals 
 
 at New Orleans, 197 ; acting surg. gen., 217 ; asst. surg. gen., 222; death of, 
 
 254 ; sketch of, 255. 
 Wool, General John E. commanding army for Chihuahua, 178 ; report of battle of 
 
 Buena Vista, 183. 
 Worrell, Edward asst. surg., 154, 167, 168. 
 Worth, General W. J. report of battle of Monterey, 178; of Cor.treras, 190: of 
 
 Molino del Rey, 193. 
 WoTHER-sPooN, A. S. Compiles army medical statistics, 210 ; death of, 210. 
 Wright, J. J. B. med. purv., army of invasion, 185 ; med. dir., Utah army, 211. 
 
 Y. 
 
 Yellow Fever at Vera Cruz, 189; on transports, 198; at Fort Monroe, Va., 198; 
 at the South in 1867, 254 ; reports on^ 260.
 
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