««$**?.*< sea tfSK UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FOUNDED 1836 WASHINGTON, D. C. GPO 16—67244-1 I I X ^J . VINDICATIOIS OF HIS PUBLIC CHARACTER IN TKZ STATION OF DIRECTOR-GENERAL "*- ' or T H X MILITARY HOSPITALS, AND • PHYSICIAN im- CHIEF T O T H « , A M. E R I C /L N A R"U Y j a. n .■; c, 1776- -T By JOHN .MORGAN, TvT. D- F. R. S. FROFESSOR of the Theory and Praaice of PHY3ICK in the Col'^e of Philadelphia* Member of l'cvtral Rcynl Colleges ?..\d Academies . and Phiiofophical and Literary Socieu^s, in ~ u ui PE and America. y 3:-; BOSTON; Printed by POW APS an? WILLIS. »,rcc,ixnn. The MAN, in confciotis Virtue bold,- Who dare his fccret Purpofe hold, Unlhaken,-hc«rs the Crowds tumultuous Cries, And the impetuous Tyrants angry Brow defies. Francis's Horace. • To r«£ Hoksuiu The Congress of the United-States of AMERICA* And to every Friend and Well-Wisher To the Rxphts and Liberths of Mankind, THE $ ALLOWING VINDICATION OF HIS PUBLIC CHARACTER, In the Station of Director-Gbneral Ok the MILITARY HOSPITALS, And Physician in Chiei To the AMERICAN ARMY, * »» With all deference to Rank and Authority, ANP VflTH All BECOMING FREEDOM, * CHgARFULLY SUBMITTED s y Their .most Respectful * N D MOST OBEDIENT BVMIK SKBVAWT, JOHN MORGAN. ) >■ PROLEGOMENON. TH A T a mean and invidious fet of men have look- ed upon my elevation to the rank of Directot • General and Physician in Chief, with an evil eye, and long been concerting my removal, is a matter of which I have too fubftantial proof to doubt : That the un- wearied pains I have taken to fupport oeconomy, regu- larity and order, fo far as they had been introduced into the department, before it came under my management; to in- troduce, recommend and inforce them, where wanting ; and to oppofe and reform abufes that were creeping, or had already crept into it, from the infancy of the feivice, were the root of the enmity which fprung up againft my proceedings, are no lefs certain. It is equally evident that it received its growth and vigour from my inflexible jrefoluuon of being faithful to my truft, in not fufferir0, lo far as it was in my power to pi event, thv u-ifipatH« of the ftores entruftedto me, for the ufes of the iick d at Should be feat to the General Hofpital under my care, by expofing them to the wafte and depredation ofmeu whofe fchemes tended to the fubverfion of the Gene a? Hofpital, in which they laboured to raife themfelves ir. 'j, an importance, which neither *h~. General norCongreii ever intended, and from my putting a flop to thof^ abufes of which too many of them had teen guilty. That thefe are the ftock from whence have fhooted thofe cla- mours, againft me, which have .been fo carefully culti ' •vaied, with a defign to injure my character with t .e . publick, under a pretence of interefting them in the fufferings of the fick, to which the imprudences of others had given rife ; and to fhift the blame from them on me, 1 doubt not will appear to the full conviction of every impartial perfon, who has patience to attend to the fol- lowing Letters, Narrative,Proofs and IUuftration of fa:cv! dof; and without calling or* him to offer what he had to f 17, why he fiiould not be fo dealt with ; making themii'ves j;iges as well as hear- ers, pafs fentence, as if all that is fari, is proved ? Will it be believed, that oa no better evidence than the cla* meurs ( vi ) imours and mifreprefentations of interefted men, they would have difmifTed,from an office of the greateft truft, One, whofe cftablifhed character and their good opinion had called from private life, and exalted to that ftation ; One, who, neverthelefs, from his firft ftepping forth on the flag© of action, had always met with pubjic appro- bation and diftinguifhed honours, both at home and a- broad ; who had ferved his country in pofts of eminent truft and ufefulnefs, with applaufe ; that they would, on the firft application, have facrificed him to the crys of a faction ? Would fuch a proceeding be thought confif- tent with equity, or been compatible with the reputa- tion of a lefs important Aflembly ? Would it be thought an aft of common juftice, in fuch a court, to proceed to punifhment, on a charge, which might be groundlels, and that, for ought they knew, might hnve been refut- ed, as foon as mentioned ? Are the Members of Con- grefs well affured, that on a mere pretence of fomething being done that ought not to have been done, or lome- thing being omitted that ought to be done, they have not made a victim of an innocent, or even meritorious fervant, to promote the ambition of an individual, or cover the faults of many, as if that offering would make atonement for their overfights or mifconduct ? Is the difmiflion from an office of fuch confequence, a matter of fo little moment, as fo ftand in no need of even the-formality of an inquiry? Can fuch a ftep re- flect honour on the moil dignified Body of Men in America ? Is nothing further neceflary to find a perfon guilty, than to accufe him of being fo ? Could that Aflembly be certain, that they were not, by this pro- ceeding, invalidating their own refolves, weakening the obedience due to their commands, and fhaking the ve- ry foundations of their authority ? To degrade an officer from his rank, however lightly it may be thought of by vulgar minds, is an a& of the higheft rigour, as it opens the mouth of obloquy, and points the tongue of flaader with deadly venom- ... *' ( VII ) What reparation can be made for fuch a hftfty judg- ment, if it is found to be fo ? Can any future inquiry into the merits of the caufe wholly extinguifh its fatal influence ? Is there a tribunal in the world that has paft fentence without a trial, that one may pronounce .» proper tribunal, to which an innocent man may fafely appeal ? The higher the tribunal, the more fatal is th influence of prejudices. Has not the part the Congrds # has taken, in my difmifiiOH, a direct tendency to weaken and corrupt the proper evidences ? Can witntfles that might be called in be fo impartial, as to give a full and faithful teftimony in favour of the accufed perfon ? Will they readily produce fuch proofs in his favour aa they could do, that might tend t© applaud his conduct; whom Congrefs, by a refolve, has thought fit tocenfure ; efpecially when thofe witnefs have their reliance on th?.' Court, for prefent rank and future promotions ? Is ther: a more effectual bribe to ftop the mouths of evidences \v. favour of an innocent man, and to raife up enenxcv: againft him ? How unhappy then muft be the fituation of any one, which lays him under fo great an inconve- nience, that thofe who have it in their power to jiiftify his conduct, may be intimidated from doing it, fully and freely, as they wifh to do, for fear of giving offence to thofe on whom they are dependants ; fo that it is eafiec for thofe who incline to it, to do an innocent pt rioa d. mifchief, than to find many men fo jaft, as to produce a!l they know in his behalf, and, by vindicating him, incur the disfavour of thofe in power ? Under thofe circumftances a man's defence muft be liable to mifconftructions ; whereas, had an inqui,- been allowed, before difmiflion, full weight would haw; been given to the evidences on both fides ; but by this fummary and unulual proceeding, is not the door {hv.t againft impartial juftice ; and fhould the perfon be called to trial, before the Bench that condemned him, are net his Judges become a party againft him ? In whole favour they are likely to pais judgment, on reference, let the feelings of mankind determine ! Nctft id:("landing ( VIII ) Notwithstanding I was fully feniible of the force of thefe reafonings, yet fo confciouswas I of my innocence, and fuch was my opinion of the incorruptibility of the Congrefs, that, rather than lay under an imputation that affected my chara&er, dearer to an honeft man than life itfelf, on the firft notice of my removal from office, I . immediately appealed to the Commander in Chief and to Congrefs, in hopes they would reconfider what had been fo haftily done againft me. Three months are elapfed fince that appeal, nor have they thought fit to give me any anfwer. To what other caufe can I impute it but their own reflexions, that there is not a fet of men on earth, fo1 free from the influence of their own paffions, that a perfon may trufthimfelf to their decifions, unheard, and to whom it is proper to appeal from their own decifions, thus made ? For who are fo free from biafs, as not to have a fecret wifh to find, that, in paffing judg- ment, they were juft. Can it be their defire to find that man blamelefs, to whom they have behaved, aa if they thought him otherwife ?- Would it not be a reflexion on their hafty judgment, when they have treated him, as guilty, to find him wholly innocent 2 But I will not do that Honourable Body the injuftice to entertain a fufpicion fo derogatory to them, as to confider my difmiflion, and the manner of it, as a re- gular, deliberate act of the Whole Body, or what they approved. I have heard it alledged, in their defence, againft fo injurious a fuppofition, that many of the moff refpectable Members were abfent; that fome of the States were not reprefented at the time ; and that feveral of the Members were wholly opofed to it; that it was an act into which they were fuddenly forced, by the clamours of a party, whom political neceffity, at the time, compelled them to gratify. But fuch is my opinion of the integrity, and fuch my <> reliance on the honour of the Congrefs, as to believe that when they are furnifhed with the materials for judging 1 ( ix- ) properly, they will be as ready to do me juftice, as a. pari of them have been to liften to the malice and mif* reprefehtation of my adverfaries ; and to fhew their magnanimity, by allowing that they have been capable of an error, by their readinefs to redrefs it. Thefe confiderations have induced me to print fuch an ac- count of my proceedings, a may enable them, and the publick. to fee with clearnefs. and judge with conviction, on the propriety or impropriety of my conduct j and to put it in their power to condemn, or acquit rne, on fuffi- cient evidence. To fuppofe, as fome have been inclined to think, that Congrefs can object to this appeal, from their judg» rnent, to that of the publick, would be a greater reflex- ion, in my opinion, on their juftice, and do more inju- ry to that veneration we are bound to pay their virtue and'wifdom, than I think any Advocate of Liberty will dare to offer fo refptctable a Senate Would it not be incompatible with every idea of that liberty and juftice for which America is now in arms, to dif-allow an ho- rieft freedom of defence and expostulation, or to fhut up the channels of communicating intelligence, bj which the publick may be truly informed of the pro- priety of their proceedings, if they mean to maintain the confidence of thof? who have furrendered to them their power and rights, not for their own, but the pub- lic good ? Without this is allowed all our pnviledges are but an empty boaft, " the hafelefe fahrick of a vifion? to which we are facrificingthe moft fubitantial realities. Out of refpect to Congrefs, I have thus long deferred my application to the publick. I can no longer, con* fiftently with my reputation, defer it. The wounds that are given by the envenomed tongue of calumny are deeper, and more fatal than the fword ; they deftroy what is dearer than life, reputation and peace of mind ; blemifhes on a man's public character food fefter, and if not fpeedily removed, will contaminate every thing about him, and infect the very air he breathes. Hewhofij B . reputation ( x ) reputation is injured, is ever fufpected ; his focicty is fhunned; he is looked upon as dangerous, as a walking peftilence. I muft not therefore pafs over, in filence, a proceeding which ftrikes fo home at my honour. It would afford room for ingenious architects to raife a ptle of plaufible charges, which filence is no ways calcu- lated to refute. Evil reports are apt to fpread like wild fire, and even pei fons not eafily inclined to it, by re- peating and circulating a ftory fnow ball it from hand to hand, whence it cannot fail to accumulate ; and where fianders have been fuffei ed to take root, there are never wanting fome perfons, who will ufe all kinds of manure to quicken the growth. And though my Friends are difpofed to look upon me as an innocent and injured perfon.yetl do not defire that they, or the world, fhould fet down fathfied with a bare prefumption of my inno- cence, as my enemies have with that of my guilt. I ra- ther wifh them to unite, in calling on me; to perfift in dragging from their dark retreats, and chaining down thofe barking cerberi, thofe pefts of fociety, who lay in wait to prey on the reputation of others i and to pro- ceed in laying cpen my conduct, and their evil machina- tions, fo long as any doubt remains of either, and the means of obtaining and communicating evidence on the facts, are within my power. Before I enter upon the tafk, may I be permitted, with- out offence, to guard againft a miftake that fome may, perhaps, otherwife fall into. They may fuppofe, frcm the pains I am taking to vindicate myfelf from ground- lefs imputations, that I wifh, or aim to be reftored to the place from which I have been removed ; and that I ought rather, on the firft appearance of the injuftice done me, to have refigned my commiflion, by which I might have freed myfelf from much trouble, and have a- voided the public difcred it of bting removed from it. After 1 have given fuch evidence, as I have done, of the rea- dinefs with which I confented to ferve my Country, at the firft call, as a proof of my principles, and of my obedience ( xi ) obedience to their commands, I flatter myfelf I may, without offence, be allowed to acquaint the world, that, vn the very firft intimation I ever received of the cOni* plaints made to Congrefs, I called for an immediate hearing. The honourable Member who informed me of them, gave roe a hint of refignation being the moftj advifeable ftep to be taken, in the like circumftances, to quiet thofe clamours. Could I have firft vindicatad my innocence, I fhould have refigned with pleafuie, fori had not the remotefr wifh to continue in an office that was fo intolerably burdenfome, when there was fuch want of difcipline to inforce thofe regulations, which both the Congrefs and Commander in Chief thought were beft ; nor did I think a fervice that, for want of difcipline and fuitable provifion, was in a ftate of the ut- moft anarchy and confufion, fo very honourable, as to have a defire to remain in it, one moment longer, than by fo doing I could be ufeful to my Country.—But had I lefigned, before I had been favoured with an examina- tion into my conduct, it might rather have prepofleffed the world with an opinion, that there was fome ground for thofe clamours againft me, of which I was no ways confeious. I determined, therefore, to infifton an in- quiry into my conduct, and having fully vindicated it, to have clofed with their permiflion to refign, had it been allowed me to do fo. I fhould then have rejoiced to have efcaped from that fcene of confufion to which I had been fo long a witnefc, and in which I could not be ufeful, to my former fta- tion, in piivate life. On this ground I confider my difmiflion, not only as more honourable than a refigna- tion, without a previous juftification of my conduct, but than a continuance in office, under the circumftances I have been in, almoft ever fince 1 accepted that com- miflion. But I particularly rejoice in it, as it affords me an opportunity of vindicating my conduct, not only to the Whole Congrefs, but to the Whole World, and having ( XII ) having done it, I leave the event to that God who rules the world, and in whofe hands are all our ways. Every thing I deem nectflary, at prefent, for my full justification, is contained in the following letter to a. friend at Philadelphia, my memorjal to General Wafh- ington, and the letters and refolves of Congrefs, with the proofs and illuftrations that are fub- joined in the appendix. I fhall make no other apo- logy for laying them before the publick in that form and order, than that I think them the beft adapted to give both Congrefs, and the publick, full information of the nature of my conduct ; and if, in the courfe of my narrative* the facts I adduce, and the remarks which arife upon them, fhould leemto glance obliquely on any particulars, I hope I may be allowed to plead that the treatment I have met with, and the nature of my vindi- cation, requires freedom, and that I fhall be excufed in the eye of reafdn, arid with every candid mind, if I do not fmother the truth, and thereby weaken my defence, merely to avoid giving pain to any. A LETTER to a friend at Philadelphia. Bofton, April 17, 1777. " Pudet hoec opprobria nobis, *' Jut dici potuiffe, aiit non potuijfe refelli." Dear Sir, I Am obliged to you, for the accounts I have received of thofe loud clamours, which have been circulat- ing through Philadelphia, at my expcnce. I have inclof- ed, and already fent to the poft-office, the news-papers of laft week, and of this day, containing my anfwer to thofe injurious charges fo groundlefsly, and yet fo mali- cioufly propagated, by certain virulent caluminators, which, I flatter myfelf, will Open a door for a full and ample vindication 6f the whole of my conduct; a con- dud which I fhall never, fuffer to be traduced, in fo I :Z ■ vile ( XIII ) vile a manner, as hath been attempted, by a fet of weak, or defigning men, whilft I have a tongue to 1'peak, or a pen and hand to employ, to clear myfelf from thofe afperfions.* It * The news-papers, here referred to, are the Independent Chronicle, of April loth and 17, and the Bofton Weekly Advertfer, of the 17th ; from which it may be proper to acquaint the reader, that in that of April the 10th,' being in- formed of fome evil minded perfons who had taken upon them to raife and cir- culate a number of faife reports and groundlcfs clamours, at Boflon. on account of my having taken pofleflion of the medicines and flvip furniture cf Dr. SyNtller Gardner, and Dr. William Perkins, of Bi.fton, for the ufe of the army ; and to . mlledge that many of the fuffirrings of the fick, in the laft campaign, aiofe frcra my having unjuftly with held from ibem (or from theRirjiMiMAi Sur- geons) thofe ftores which they weie entitled to draw from the General Hofpital, I came to Bofton on purpofe to call upon the peifona pointed our, as the principal luthori of thofe reports, requiring (hem to make good that charge, and at the fame time inviting any perfons, who had any thing to cfler againft me, that re- garded the faithful discharge of my truft, to ftep forth, and flate their accufationf. I then pronaifed to lay before the publick, a faithful and exact account of every proceeding, relative to the difcharge of my duty in the above flatten, by which the world would be enabled to judge whether thecVarges were well founded, or only proceeded from a fpiritof malignity and detraction. In the papers of the 17th, I communicated the retuJt of that examination, with a fetter, calling upon the author of the report, concerning the rcmxva) of the medicines, to know what he had to cfrsr j to which he returned a ihort evafire a'nfwer, difclaiming the charge, which is there published, together with a full account of the transition. In that paper the public were informed, that in refpect to the removal of the drugs, medicines and fhop furniture in qutftion, I had the order of General Wafh ■ ington, in writing, for what I d.id, backed with a refolve of the Council and Aiiembly of the State of MifTichufetts- Bay, after a frqueftiation of the pioptrty of thofe perfons ;—that they were removed to New-York, for the ufe of the ar- my ,—that whatever was done by me, in th'i affair, was merely official j—that an inventory of the whole was lefVwith the Bofton Committee, that in cafe (he former owners fh>uld return to town, and be entitled to claim a reftturion of their effects, the value might be duly afcertair.cd ;—that a particular and faith- ful account of every thing done in this buiinefs, was tranfmhted to the Adjutant General, to be laid before the Commander in Chief, for which I received thanks for the matter and manner of what I had done ;—and that an inventory of every hofpital ftore, remaining on hand, being made o-t by the Apothecary of the General Hofpital, with care and exactnefs, was tranfmitted to Ger.era! Wifh- ington and the Congrefs, of which 1 kept an authentic copy ; concluding this head with an addtrfi to tht^fe perfons, to take (hams and Cinfuficn of face 10 themfelves, who, judging only frcm the corruption of their own hearts, appear to think it impoflF.ble for men, to whom much is entruflcd, to !n of hia character—I have paid LARGE SUMS for the rations of the fick, in Regimen- tal andBrigadz Mvfpitats, to many Brigade and Regimental Phyficiaos and Sur- feont, but never a faithing to faid Doftor Morgan, or any General Hofpital Phyfic'an or Surgeon whatever. Given under my hand at Hartford, 2d of April, 1777. JOSEPH TRUMBULL, Commiffiry-General. N. B. The publick are nolo informed, that Dr. Story having afterwards ht- /•■ruated—that, " whin be was prcp Rhode-lflaici Connefficut and Philadelphia papers, without any the leal reply ; from whence all men may j'.ig' bow r-:*nd!'fi, as well as miIi:iou\, tboft clamours were ; and, no doubt., rjtil, ?z beb-ifofinjured innaence, fell a juft indignaiitn at :hc jAtltir: ihtriif. ( xv ) to expect, to be free from cenfure, nor fhould they be difcouraged at the obloquies, with which iqmc men wifh to ftain their characters ; they ought to content them- felves with this remark, that men of worth, \v3;o are not only innocent, but whole conduct is meritorious, are moft liable to be traduced by ignorant and defigning men ; that not to meet -with envy and back-biting, is a frequent effeTl of compliancesy which argue a lueakncfs unworthy of confidence \ that my friends know I do not wifh to be popular at fuch a price, but have rather court- ed the flanders of the envious, by a fteady perfeverance in my duty, than lay a train for the compliments of flatterers, by favouring their dark purf of:s" You proceed in remarking, " That it is no unufual matter, in the want of fuccefs in any undertaking, for thofe who have been the authors of any public calamity, in order to fhift the fault from themlelves, to lay it at the door of others." You fay you are convinced, that v, h;:t I wrote to you of my fufpicions, was true ; " thict this cry againft me is owing to my fteadinefs to difcharge the truft repolcd in me,-according to the beft of my judgment, knowledge and abilities, and in not yielding to the repeated at- tempts of ignorant or bad men, to encroach upon my department, who wifhed that I would iiTue all expenfi^e ftores to their orders, without their Lcir,g accountable for them, contrary to my in-Vnclions, by which they would be expofed to rapine and diffip'uic!.:, without a poffibi'ity of replacing them, and my charactei juli'.y fuffcr for fubmitting to an u.-.lic^nfed prodigality and breach of duty and orders. You obferve that mine " U not the only in fiance of a maa's reputation being oficred up a victim to the ignorance or ambition of others." You tell me you no-v fee cleaily, what I bad often told you before, and have now experienced to rny coft :"' That it is no eafy matter for a perfon, placed at tlu head of any department, tint requires "a ftrijcT: and wary atten- tion, net to be borne down by ignorant or dcil^ning ( XVI } men, or to preferve the dignity of the place commuted to him, without which however, he muft unavoidably expofe himfelf to a thoufand rude attempts to difhonour his judgment, and oblige him to act inconfiftent with it.'* You wifh me to fupport myfelf under this reflexion, that, " the beft provifion thofe men can make, for all events, who are above fuch compliances with the ways of the world, as may impeach their honour, or offer violence to their confcience •, and to whom the judg- ment and approbation of the world is matter of but fe- cond confideration, is to have a firm confidence in Pro- vidence, that he will not fuffei their innocency to be ut- terly oppreffed, or notorioufly defamed,'and yet expecl the gufts and ftorms of rumor, envy and detraction ; to look on thefe as a purgatory he is unavoidably to pafs through, and depend upon time, and the goodnefs of heaven for a vindication ; and by conftantly performing all the duties of his place and ftation with juftice and integrity, prove to all men, how groundlefs thefe charges were, that men of fecret defigns have imputed to him." To thefe judicious reflexions and obfervations, per- mit me to reply-That to pafs over, in filence, a proceed- ing, which ftrikes fohome at a man's reputation,as that of his difmiflion from a public ftation, and being fuper- ceded, without a caufe affigned, will be confidered, by moft of mankind, as an argument of confcious guilt — The complaints which have been made, ought furely to have been heard before a court of war, which was doubtlefs the proper method of proceeding for offences, fuppofed to be committed againft the army, before which fuch an inquiry might be made, as would determine the validity of rhe acccufation, and how far the perfon ac- cufed was worthy of condemnation, acquital, on honou- rable acknowledgments of the fervices he had done, and particularly for his care ta avoid all thofe methods and precedents, which men of lefs fcruple would have laid hold of, for their own advantage, and thought even juftinablc. Is it not hard to meet with fuch treatment { XVII 5 £3 this, when a pcrfon's conduct, has oten highly »ieri= torious, in the facrifices he has made by entering into the fervice ; the iofs he has endured in it ; the fatigues, toils and dangers to which he hr.s been expofed ; the. thrdwing himfelf out of bulinefs, and making himfelf a v marked character to ferve his Country, in a poft where" in h>3 conntrymen conceived he could be particularly ufeful, from his former experience and knowledge in m^ litaryhofpifals,when they could meetwith none other, who had the fame pretence to experience, that would accept :>£ it; and who has iuggefted, to tbt;-i thr proper pians for impvoving.arid putting it on abetter foonig Vr:\u he found it ? ^uft he, in filence, behold others run away with fie merits of his performances and b'liid en hh fonnda-" tions, who could neither pretend to fhe iame experiences nor done the Ume duty nor run tbefameiiiks and hazard?, and quietly put up with the mifpUnd ce^fures of .the Publick ? Muft he content, himlelf with the repeated "Jic vos non vobis" o.L the Mantuan Bard ? ,- : Where is the hbnour of 2 fervice, or what the fafety of accepting a place of truft, if the mof: punctual com- pliance with the orders of his (uperiois, and in many in- itances,contrary to his o-.vn judgment,is to lay the founda- tion ©faman'sruin? If any tubule, rmlicious. or vindictive Insinuations, on the one hand ; or the AMBlTitN of: afpiring men, on the other \ fhall, at. any time, prevail againft thofe, Vho hrre made a iaoifice of their private interefts, to follow their Countiy's call, in their par- ticular ftation ; who value their integrity more that?. popularity, and cannot be brought to a'il in contradic- tion to their confeience or judgment, however powerful attempts are made to oblige them to do it 5 or if the character and reputation of one, who hr/s fer^;d the publick, in places'of rank'and truft, hithfuliy, irre- proachably, with honour and ?pplaufe, is to be immo- lated to the misrepresentations of others, or to the defignsandwifhesofa more swelling iNTr.a.'r.ST,, without any trial, or giving the party accufedthe ieaffc ' G aotke ( XVIII ) notice of what nature were the complaints laid to his charge, or who were his accufers, that he might be able to fhow to the world, how groundlefs the accufations; Were, and how far their clamours were founded on pri- vate pique, difappointed expectations, or fecret rcfent- saent ? Does not this conduct tend to overthrow the founda- tion of civil Liberty, which can only be fecured by inv partial trials, before dil'-interefted Judges, where the ac- cufed perfon and the accufers, are brought face to face, and where full weight is given to the evidence in favour of the accufed ? ,WKat line is there betwixt this and DESPO LTSM ? At this rate, who is free from the fatal • effects of influence ? Have not the States of America claimed this effential right, as one of the main pillars of .their Liberties ? Or have Americans, who contend againft what they declare to be an illegal ufurpation from abroad, on the natural rights of mankind, ho laws to fecure them from oppreffion at home ? Has the Britifh fubject a defence againft that of a King, that fhould at- tempt to violate thofe rights, and an American none againft the injuftice of his equals, when joined with power to injure him ? Is it a misfortune, eafily to be borne, that any perfons fhould' lay under a charge, which it was the duty of thofe, who are the authors of it. to have made good ? Is it not coniiftent with rhe principles of equity, that every ac- cufed perfon fhould be deemed innocent, or judgment be fufpended tillguilt is p ovfd ? \.n> all confider, what mifchief may happen to themlelves, if, upon a general charge, without the mention of ay one crime, a perfon is to be degraded from his rank and office ; for who is fecure from the confequences of fuch a precedent ? Or, if men of fecret defigns can thus fhelter themfelves, by facrificing thofe, who, from a fenfe of duty, remain im- moveable againft every effoa to draw them afide, from their duty, who is certain, that he fhall efcape the dan- To ( XIX ) To incapacitate, in this manner, is no fuch fmaU punifhment, that a man may eafily endure, though he be innocent. " It is to scourge •, it is to whip with scorpions ; it is a puniflmxents calculated only for Ge- nerous MiN-ps, thus to rob men of their Honours ;" it is to lay a ftain upon them, which, though undeferved, a whole life is too fhort to efface the impreffion, with- fc out it be fully vindicated ; and, to them, is worfe than d,eath. It reaches to innocent friends and relatives, who would rather hear of their death, than their difgrace. It is to deftroy a man's peace of mind ; it is to expoTe him to the tongue of flander, and the rude attempts of wicked men, who, by their behaviour, feem to think it a merit to load him with reproaches, as one without th$ ihadow of a virtue, " Nulla virtute redemfiam ** a vitiis." But if I am proved guilty of mifconducc in my office, let rry guilt meet with its defert j but on me, on me alone, let the public indignation fall: Let not one friend ever pity me : Let every trace of fympathy and compaffion be obliterated from the tender breaft of every relative j of every dear and tender connexion ! On the other? hand, if I am found innocent, I muft inilft upon my right, of publickly afTerting and maintaining that innor cence, although hofts of evil-minded men fhould opp6fe themfelves to the attempt, and I truft in Heaven, that it will come forth, on the teft, as gold tried in the furnace, without mixture of alloy. Nor fhall I reft, at eafe, till my vindication is as weli known, and circulated as far as the malice of my accufers has fpread, and the difreputation fully wiped away, which the Congrefs has caft upon me, by fo fhameful a difmiflion from office, on a mere accufation, without proof, and without an hearing,although repeatedly called for before that took place ; and I apprehend it will be found, upon proper inquiry, that at the rifk of my re- r>;uation;fo grofly and fhamefully ipfultedjand of popular favourV ( XX ) favour, which I might eafily have acquired however, at the trifling expence of honour, and of the trvfl repofed in tne by Congrefs^ whihft I was fighting in their caufe, Slaving efcaped the fecret ambufhes of latent enemies, I was placed, Uriah-like, in the forefront of battle, amicrft enemies fet in formidable array againft roe; then defei ted, and left to fall, unfupported, by thole who placed me there ; and whofe duty it was to have protected me. If one,who being only accountable, by his commifilon, to the Congrefs and Commander in Chief, and who was xno're particularly under their wing, could not be fhel- tered, even by them, fiom fo furious an onlet, fuch ^ violation of the common rights of mankind, till he could be brought to trial, and his guilt Or innocence eftablifhed on undeniable evidence, I afk, oncemore, who then is fate ? You have gone on, Sir, to tell me, " that on the firft irumour of my difmiflion, and the manner in which it ii. ft took place, yo"u felt all that indignation that might Jje expected from frierdfhip, on fo interefting an occa- iion j but that you fuffered but a few m'oments of re- flection to take p ace, before you were convinced of the falfity of the charges, which you fay, you are fure I can clear up to the entire fatisfacfion of an impartial world j as you proceed, you enter into the feniibilities of my own jbe-'T on the fiift news of my being treated fo unwor- thily." As you difcover a defire to know what reception thefe rumours met with from myfelf, I muft inform you of certain circWiftances that prepared me, in fome fort, to think that ill offices had been done me, by unknown perfons; which I was determined, if poffible, to find out< I acknowledge that I feltrefentment rifing in my breaft, on occafion thereof, the firft emotions of which I could not fnpprefs ; I was refolved to reftrain them, however, till | had fet on foot an inquiry into the caufes of fuch treat- ment,^ I met with, and.if matters were not explained to my fatisfaftioo, to refign. my commifEon, aad bid adieu to ( XXI ) ro a fervice, in which an injury was offered to my fcrJe' of honour liy the votes of Congrefs, October the 9th, it feems I was, in effect:, degraded from the rank of Director-Ge- neral and Phyfician in Chief, to the rank of Dicrctor only, and refh idted to thedepartment on the Eaft fide of HudfonV River ;—whilftthe Director of the flying camp, who had been appointed, after the campaign began, to the temporary fervice of that campaign, without waiting the iffue of his fervices, was put on an equal, or, to fay the truth, a preferable footing, contrary to the rules an4 difcipline of war * Inftead of making his reports to me, as Director-General, as had been foimerly ordered, by a Refolve of Congrefs, July 17, we were both to make c|ixr reports to Congrefs. I was ordered to eftab- lifh an Hofpital, at a proper diftance from camp, for the army potted on the Eaft fide of the North-River, when th.Te was no convenience fordoing it on thatfides at any fuitable diftance, being hemmed in by the two rivers, and the enemy's forces, on t.ithri fide. He was _to eft.iblifh an Hofpital in the Jerfeys, on the Weft of Hudfon's-River, and to direct it, where alone any fuita- ble accommodations could be provided for the fick, with any the leaft regard to the convenience of tne army, or the prefervation of the fick.. Here almoft the whole of the Hofpital ftores and medicines were lodged, ?nd near one half of the Hofpital Surgeons and Mates of my de- partmeat were ; as well as all the wounded brought f re its Long-Ifland, and the fick of the General Hofpital at New-York, * That I might not miftakr, I wrote to Mr. Gerry, iM.aker of Co^cf:,foi an explanation of that refolve : His anfwer is as follows. Philadelphia, November to, 177.6. ««I have received your favour of the 7th inftant. With ref;>e£t to the meaning of the refolve of ordering the" Directors" to takreare of the fick,as they may be on the Eaft or Weft fide of the river ; it appears to me to be this, «lat what- ever fick of the army ftall happen to be on the Eaft fide, they fhall be under the care of your ftlf; and the others under direction of Dr. Shiphn." I am well informed, by a gentleman of unqueftionable honour «rd veracity, and who had feen his letter to Dr. Shippen, about the fame riir.e, that his addrefs co hira -.vaj,to Qu i: h 11 p 1N,« Dijeftor-Gcneial, #e." « A word to ihabridgement of rank and authority in i,;y perfon, whilft I continued in office, that was hecefiary for th<£ head of thedepartment, in the perfon of my predeceflbr, and was confiftent with real ufefulnefs, to which I expreffed it to be my defire, that every other confideration fhould give way, as it would imply a re- flexion upon me, which I was unwilling to fuppols I ^nmted." f alfo wrote to the Secretary of Congrefs, on a double a count-, firft, to .know the extent of my power, and that of the feveral Directors, for the fake of conducting bufinefs in its proper channel -, and next, to get that rank, which was allowed me by Congrefs, properly re- cognized by the feveral Directors, to avoid miftakeV. Dr. Stringer, one of the Directors,_ had not only dis- puted it with me, and refufed to make his returns to me, as Director-General, as Congrefs required ; but appealed to Congrefs for its decifion, which was given in my favour. See appendix, page 30. Although my application to him was refpectful, and as I informed him, only made with a view to know my ftation, and that of others, that I might perform the du- ties expected of me, without interference with any * in- ■ftcad of favouring me with any extract: from the refolves of Congrefs, to which I referred for information, he jfaw fit to ibbftitute his own dictates, in place of thofe of Congrefs. See page 149, 150, &c. My rank and authority being fecurely fenced in, by repeated acts and refolves of Congrefs, there was no poffibility for the Director of the flying camp, or his friends, to accomplish their fecret purpofes. without firft breaking down the feparating wall of diftinction- By this means, the perfon, who would not fubmit to be de- graded from his rank, would be obliged to rcfign, and, to infure fuccefs, it waifcafy tor artful perfons to ex- t cite or encourage complaints, and to bring them before Congrefs, to%afford a pretext for difplacing him. But then it was of confequence, that he fhould be kept ig- norant ( XXIX ) ,,u.ant of thofe complaints, and of his accufers.'and t» prevent his obtaining an hearingdeft he fhould vindicate himfelf, and thereby difappoint their hopes. Nothing could anfwer their purpofes better, than to pufh for ob- taining his difmifiion, without a trial, which might enable him to clear himfelf from all afperfions.and juftify his conduct i» the face of Day, to the confufion of his » enemies. Aftergthis detail of facts, compared with the feveral refolves of Congrefs, and the proceedings thereon, with the relation I am about to give of the particular beha- viour of the Director, in confequence of them ; let every impartial man lay his hand upon his heart, and afk himfelf, ingenuoufly, what he thinks of the whole matter, and of the feveral appearances, which concur, in an uniform feries to point to one object ? Will they view the refolves of October 9th, and the manner of wording them, after all that had paffed, as a mere ac- cidental mode of expreffion, in men fo wife, fo much. accuftomed to weigh, and fo well acquainted with the import of words and the force of language, and as©n- ly intended to re-iterate, and renew foimer appoint- - ments, without arty defign, in thofe who framed the re- folve, I will not fay to throw duft in the eyes of the Members of Congrefs, in general, but to draw them :slo a meafure, of which they might not confider its tendency, not only of affecting an alteration in one de- partment, but of making fuch an entire innovation upon another, as was not generally thought of, and would , lead to the_g icat changes that have fince taken place ? Can it be faid that utitherthe Secretary, who, though no Member of Congrefs, has an intereft with many of them, witho ut doors ; nor any of the membeis them- felvec, were apprized of the difficulties that would, un- avoidably, ari fe from a refolve of Congrefs, calculated to throw down the foimer fettled diftinctions,of July 17, 1775, and 1776, and Auguft 20, laft; in which my rank wasfo clearly re cognized and cftabiifhed. One part of my errand ( XXX ) errand to Philadelphia, laft June, was to confer with the Committee of Congrefs, on the nc.-eff.iry eftabliihuients for keeping up a clear and regular fubordination in the General Hofpital; through all its various departments, and this was the fubject of feveral letters,x to different Members. If auj of the Members of Congrefs haddif- covered, in me, any want of abilities, for fo important a „ poft ; is it not reasonable to imagine they would have openly, and avowedly, affigned it as a caule of difquaii- fication ? But did they ever do it ? Nay ; wh JWays the Secretary, himfelf, in his letter, of Auguft 14, by way of making fome acknowledgment for the miftake he hud committed, in his formert/of Auguft W. It is the teftimony, not of a friend, but an enemy, and one, whom * believe to be a deep agent in my removal. I will therefore quote Ins very words ; for " fas ejl ah hofle doc era" . " There is no man, Sir, acquainted with you, who can doubt of your abilities. All the world bears wit- Tic is of them , and the learned in Europe, who muft be allowed to be the belt judges, have given ample tefti- - mony, by the honotlrs they have heaped upon yoct. While you exercife your great talqnts, for the benefit of thofe entrufted to your care, your Country" will honour you, and pofterity will do you juftice-, even though Dr. S----, when you chance to meet, fhould refufe to give you precedence." -. I proceed to the relation ofwhat happened, in con- * Sequence of thofe refolves of Congrefs, of October 9th, ruid the ftrange behaviour of Dr. Shippen, the weftern " Director, thereupon. ( Being at Hackinfack, foon after this *' new aravge- vient," as he was pleafed tortile it, took place, I employ- ed myfelf, with ail poltihle induftry, to put the hofpital affairs in fuch a train," at Hackinfack, that Dr. Warren might conduct them, without rny prefence afterwards, that I might, without hjnderance, be able to proceed to the W*i::e Plains, to which place, General Wnfhington, V.'.- * ( XXXI ) And the army underhim, had marched, a day or two be- fore -, and the Britifh troops were taking the fame rout. I called, therefore, onjGeneral Green, at his camp, neafi Fort-Lee, jo reprefent to him tlie fimation of the fick, at Hackinfack, and to requeft his orders for procuring , Dr. Warren fuch affiftance, from the Qmirter-Mafter- - General's, and the-Commiffarial departments, as he re- quired. I met the weftern Director there, who, with ;i peculiar freedom, becoming the elevation to which he itemed r.o confider himfelf as already railed, or to be raifed, demanded why I was aot at my poft, on the other fide the river ? AccuflomeU to receive accounts from others, and to give orders myfelf, in the nlHKrs rjr my department, I cou'd not but feel the indignity'^f feting thus taken to tafk by him ; and anfwered him ac- cordingly. I difcovered his defires and aims, tut con- * eluded he had more lee-way yet tp make, than to en- title him to avow his fentimtms fo openly ; but in this, it'feems, I was miftaken. The day following, Dr. Fofter, to vvbofe charge I had left the direction of the hofpital, and cert of the hofpi- tal ftores, at Newaik, came ov^r, in hafte, and dtfirect a private converfation with me, on a fubjtct < f fome c'u-.h- cacv. As I had vifited Ntwaik, within a very few days, ancf every thing was reported to me to be in good ordt-r, and T had left all the directions I thowght necefiV.i y f.r future regulations, preyious to my return to Ifeac-i* Quarters, I could not conceive the occafion ef this v.,t- ' expected vifit. But my-foreboding mind t \-. the alarm,, of which I was yet ignorant of the caufe, for lie inform- « ed me it w.is of fuch a n;HU: c, as made him V'.'.k it im- proper to communicate, i v letter. After this preparation, he informed me, ir.r. ; >f Di- rector had called on him, and propofed. but v hh pic..." art and addiefs,the fiu; rendering up of the hofpitrds a-.d (tores to his Dilution \ the care of the fick to rem?.;-! tinder the fame pcifons whom I had fent h'y-'. re/ de- partment, but to act under hic ;vnbo\'r.j- fie rep'1; J. ( XXXII ) that he confidercd himfelf as under my direction only, in hofpital matters •, and that he did not think himlelf at liberty to deliver up the ftpres to any perfon, without a written order from General Wafhington, or the Di- rector-General. To this the Director made anfwer, that Whatever like, or diflike, I might fhew to this pro- pofal, I fhould find myfelf obliged to acquiefce in it. The conftruction which the gentleman put upon this proceeding, was, that the appointment ©f the Director, being, to form and !iiperintend the hafpital of the flying camp, would terminate in a little time, as the troops, compofing the army, raifed for that fervice, were en- lifted h*H for a few months, unlefs he could carve out fome place that he could be pleafed with, in the mean while, that would put hina on a better cftablifhment. I commended his prudence, in declining to deliver up the ftores, without proper orders, and defired, that, if any further demands, of the like kind,' were made by Dr. Shippen, to refer him to me, for an anfwer. The Director had exprefied himfelf to me, about a month before, in a manner that correfponded with the above idea. He told me, frankly, that he fhould like, well enough, to continue in the fervice, as he thought it a more gentlemanny life, than that of a drudging private practitioner. I was truly defirous of his continuance in that ftation, if he could remain in it, without elbow- ing me out of any thing that appertained to my place ; for I did not then imagine he had yet aipired to the place itfelf. Having ferved in the army, the whole of laft war, and 1iad pretentions, on that account, to fome years ex- perience in military hofpitals, which he knew nothing of; and having been appointed to the chief direction of the hofpitals, the preceedingyear, and having borne the burden of the day, ever fince, it had not yet entered in- to my imagination, that I was foon to give place to the- very man, who, hut four months before, not four months, nay, fcarcely three, had written to enounce >V6 ( XXXIII ) his appointment, as Director of the hofpital of the fly- ing camp, and that he had enliited himfelf in the fer- vice of the American States7, confeffed his being a mere novice in th» management of his (fubordinate) depart - ment,and applied to me for inftru^tions in the etiqucttc,i\\s. word by which he chofe to exprels his notion, of the go- ^ vernment of a General Hofpital; a ad who promifed,fi o"m time to time to report to me the ftate of the hofpitals: under him, agreeable to an order of Congrefs for the purpofe ; but which, however, he never did. Perhaps; he judged, from better information than I could ever obtain, that fo foon as he had learned the " etiquette" of military hofpitals, his elevation would render it un-» neceffary. But what furprized me, in his late conduct, was, that having an opportunity to acquaint me, the day before, in perfon, at General Green's, v.ith his expectations and demands on the hoipitals I had eftablifhed, he did not chufe to fay any thing to myfelf on the fubje£t, but to apply to fubordinate officers, to accomplifh his wifhes, rather than treat with me as a principal ; I thought this portended no good -, but then f knew it was of a piece with fcery many other inftances of his conduct, on dif- ferent occafions. I went over, in a day or two after, to the White- Plains. A letter foon arrived fiom the Director to General Wafhington, complaining that hisfituation was uneafy, for he could not obtain the command of the ftores at Newark, and of courfe of the hofpitals I had "* eftablifhed there, and of the officers I had detached from my particular department, unlefs by the General's orders for the purpofe, or by directions from me ; for which, however, as I obferved before, be had never ap- plied. The General was pleafed to communicate this letter Come. I reprefented to hirn the inconveniences of de- priving me of thofe ftores, and that I had no others, in any fufiicient quantity, to anfwer the continual calls E upon ( 'XXXIV ) .pra me ; that the reft of the ftores, which, at his com- mand, were ordered to Stamford, (and from thence were removed by the Stamford Committee, without my knowledge, and with his approbation, as I afterwards learned) could be of no uic to me, at that time ; that the only medicines, which could be got at, were thofe at Newark, which I had fnatched as a brand out of the fire,at the retreat fromNew- York ; and that I had appoint- ed an Apothecary on purpofe to afTort and difpente them out to Regimental Surgeons at Newark, as there was no poffibility of doing it in an army, conftantly moving from place to ^lace, under all the inconveniences we suffered. To be bnrne down, with "inceflam demands from all qua t:s. w>> hard indeed ; and to be depriv- ed r ■: the only refources I had left me, thofe of my own pro-'"ding, and of my own faving, with extreme d'.ffi- cu'ty and hazard, to beat the lole command of ano- ther, a junior, and inferior officer, appeared to me to be an Unreasonable demand. I had, already, detached near one half of the Surgeons and Mates, of the Ge- nc-al Hofpital, to Newark and Hackinfack, and by the 'G^erafs command, eftablifhed hofpitals there, at the very--time-1 had pointed out the probable confeqwences that would uifde from the extraordinary refolves of Coigitfs. Octobei 9th. There were, at'his time, above fifteen hundred fick. at thofe two places, under ii-if cmc of fny own Surgeons I had juft rtctived let- ters cmm them, whicii fhewed they were gradually wo'ikh,.; rhf i.gii all their foimer difficulties, by fteadi- ly pu'Hidna the directions I had left them : With thefe advantages and their own experience, they were more Kkeiy to compleai the woik, than they would be, if in rie nii'dft of it they we-e to receive new directions from one, who, with all dtie deference *o his abilities, was lefs acquainted, than themlelves, with the arrange- ments or a General Hofpital I ' obferved, that to deli- ver up the hofpitals, fit.res and officers, would be to ftrip-ine of all pov:er of being ufeful j and it was nor ( xxxv ) in the power of the director to fupply their places, it the ftores, hofpitals and fick, were to be committed to his care, and my proper officers were to return under nay command, on the eaft fide of the River j whence the fick muft fuffer ; and if the ftores were delivered up, we ourfelves muft become deftitute and helplcfs, and yet expofed to greater clamours than ever. 1 had, in no inftance, interfered with the Director of the Fly- ing Camp, but offered to give him every affiitance in my power, that he waspleafed to call for. But to beftiipptjj. of the rank of a Director-General, and the power of my-ftatioh, and to Be left teut the fhadow of a Dbet- tor, and yet to be accountable for every accident, or mifconduct: of others,as well as of my owndepa; tmere^snd, from the higheft poft, to be rendered the mere depen- dent of a junior and fubordinate officer, was what I ne- ver would fubmit to. Sooner than be Subject to fuch COntroul, or give up the ftores and hofpita's, which by the General's orders I had eftablifhed for the fick of his own army, when I had no convenience ^or providing others, I would give up my commiffion. The General proinifed he would, and I doubt not but he did write to the Director, in anfwer to his let- ter, " That the hofpitals I ha-! eftablifhed, and the Furgeons and ftores I had fent to Newark and Hackin. fack, were to remain under my direction." What was my furprize to hear, after fome time, from fome of the officers of the hofpital that were under m-., in the Jerfeys, [for it feemed proper that I fhnild ne- ver know, but in a circuitous manner, what moft im- mediately regarded myfelf, ] that thofe ftores whHi had been provided for General Wafhington's army, and which I had faved at New-York, and fent to ihe Jerfeys for fafety,and for the convenience of iffuingour to the hofpital fick.under my own care, and to t'u. Regi- mental Surgeons, were now actually order, I, b/ a late vote of Congrefs, to be delivered up to the jjirector of the Flying-Camp ; and that he received letters, at thiV ( xxxvi ) this very time, from fo\ne of the Members of Congrefs, addreffed to him by the title of William Shippen, Fiq; Direftor-General of the Hofpitals, &c. of which I took notice before. Whether this too could be mere acci- dent, or an unintentional, unmeaning compliment, time wiH foon, I believe, reveal * My Clerk, fome time after this, but before my dif- miflion, produced me an order, in Doctor Shippen's hand-writing, formally demanding an exact lift and furrender of all the hofpital ftores that did belong to ine, and which were in his poiTcffion, as if I were alrea- dy degraded from my rank. What is more, Mr. John Adams, a Member cf Congreis, I am told, above a month before, actually called on Dr. Fofter, with whom I had left the care of all my ftores, advifing, or coun- fiilling Lim to deliver up the ftores to Dr. Shippen ; but an all this tranfaction, I never had one line from any c£ them, to that purpofe ; on the contrary, Mr. Gerry gave it as his opinion, in the letter he wrote to me, that the ftores and officers were to remaija under my ©wn direction only. When I'Tound it neceffary, for the good of the fer« vice, to deliver up a part of my medicinal and hofpitr.l ftores, to one of Dr. Shippen s furgeons ; he refused, till repeatedly required, to give any Other receipt for the delivery of thofe ftores, fo infolently demanded, than one which carryed infult in the ftile of it i and the demeanour of moft of his officers at Bethlthem, when I was there, was that of men who knew my difmiflion to be pre-determined, and looked upon themfelves there- fore as authorized, by the example of their fuperior, and juftified for difpenfing with every call of good breeds ing, if ever they had any. Quidfaciant Domini,audent cwn tali a Fures ? Whilft I was fixed by the General's order, at the lines, near the White Plains ; Fort Wafhington, Fort Lee, * Dcflor Shlppin, frnce writing thf above, It «pointt4 to my plaCi z? Dircft3,yC«fi«al «jd-Fhyficiaa M Chief. ( xxxvn y Lee, Hackinfack, Newark and Brunfw'ck, fell mtc the hands of General Howe. In the mean time I pro- cured from Bofton, to which place I had fent exprcfs, as well as to Newport, Rhode-Ifland, Providence and Norwich, and from Hartford in Connecticut, by the af- fiftance of Governor Trumbull, afrefh fupply of medi- cines and hofpital ftores. I appointed hofpitals at Stam- ford and Norwalk, aad Surgeons from the General Hofpital to receive and take care of the fick and wound- ed : I went in perfon to both places : Near two thou- fand men were received into them : Not a fingle one was refufed : They were well taken care of : The great- er part of them recovered : All clamours and com- plaints on that fide, ceafed -, they were only heard :u the weftei n department, where the fick fpread through the Jerfeys, Pennfylvania aud Maryland, in a tiact of 200-miles, amounting to near one half of the army ; - Thefe fell under the care of the Director of the Fiying Camp •, but he was unequal to the tafk, and retired to Bethlehem, with a final! handful of fick ; and the defi- eiences of his dev;n imcnt, over which I had no con- troul, were afciibed to me. As if, unafiifted by 'any deputy, or proper aids, I was in my own* perfon, to go through all the drudgery, alone. Had 1 the eyes of £.n Argus, their vigilance would have been inlufficient. or hadTthe hundred hands of a Biiareus, 1 could not, of myfelf, have performed all the labour tb?t was required, to be accountable for the defects of others, buiaened with fogreat a charge, whilft alt proper fubordination was wholly difregarded. Being anxious, however, to give what affiftance I was able to General Washington, and the troops which bad croffed over to the Jerfeys, I followed them, fo foon as J had taken the proper fteps for providing hofpnals at North-Caftle, and 'Peek's-Kill, for the troops left in thofe places, and haftened to join General Wafhingtm. Icrofitd the Delaware, and reached Head-Quarte.-s juft * .. as ( XXXVIIi ) is the enemy came in fight, at Trenton. I waited on his Excellency, and thus, with the refpect due to the Commander in Chief, but with firmnefs, addrefTed him : 1 Had I been confcious of guilt, may it not be prefumed I fhould have fought to fhelter myfelf, by a refignation, rather than infift on a trial ? Could a better pretext have been afforded ? The Congrefs, contrary to every known rule, by a refolve of theirs, had reduced me from the rank of Director-General, removed me from my right, of attending the army under the Commander in Chief to give place to a tf mporary Director,who,before, was made accountable to me, as head of the department \ clamours ( LXt ) clamours wer« raifed againft me, (groundlefs indeed !) I afked for an hearing, and was refufed. Refignation was intimated to me, as what alone would quiet thofe clamours. What temptation was there for a perfon. confcious' of guilt, to wifh a continuance in office, till his conduct could be examined into ? On the contrary, every thing was to be apprehended under that circum- itance. The moft imminent danger that the caufe itfelf was loft filled the minds of many. I faw the black clouds gathering on the margin of the political horrifon, threatening, on every fide, to over-wRelm its abettors in a general deftru.ction, on one hand ; and myfelf ia private ruin, on the ether* unlefs I could make my re* treat from the approaching tempeft. Did I, coward* like, bafely fly ; nay, the very appearance of danger de- termined me to face the ftorm, and prove the falfity o£ the charges againft me. I met two of the Georgia De- legates. I acquainted them with what had happened; *hat I would ftand by the caufe, during the prefent dan- gerous onfet; but when that was over, I would infift on an immediate hearing, and, if not granted, then refign. I repaired to the fcene of danger, but was ordered to the eaft fide of Hudfon's-River. Submiffion was my duty, for the prefent moment ; redrefs my hope and expectation, fo foon as Congrefs hadliefure, and wasia a fitoation to attend to it. I purfued my bufinefs, as* though I had received no caufe of complaint, till I could obtain an hearing. But inftead of redrefs, the firft ac- count I received, but through an indirect channel, was that of my difmiffion. I had prepared, in haftef a nar- rative of my proceedings, in the department committed to me. I immediately fent it to'the General, with a de- fire of its being laid before Congrefs, for their reconfi- der.at.ion of what was done, as I th-ought with precipi- tancy, and did not doubt that, on better information, they would quickly retract from the meafure, or, at leaftf give me an audience, and judge on the evidence of facts, compared with their own ffcfolves. and the General's or- ders, ?' At ( XLII ) w' A* swr rate, it they were determined to deliver me ur> to the cries of a faction, I thought Congrefs, for its own fake, would have let me do-vn gently If the fa- ciiri-e muft • mad- to giar.-y it, I thought Crngrefs wou'd fuppo;:e tha. fornerhing was due to the character 31 hid luftained in life, to the rank 1 ^d held in my pro- fdTijn, to the general reputation, which public honours from the ieiiWd locieties in Europe are luppofed to con- fer Upon occafion of fuch unworthy treatment-as I Lave met with, J flatter mylelf. a rain may be allowed to fpeak the truth, in his own favour, without an impi-ath- xnent of vanity I thought f me confideration would bave been Ka& for that devotion ofmyheft abilities, which 1 had fhewn, fuch as they are, to the impi' v ment of li- beral arts r,nd fciences in this <:rw world ; fome regard manifeftcd to an early ami zealous attachment to the caufe of American liberty , to the faoifice I had made of my p*ivave intereft and fafety ; tcY my own ftation, and that of fome of my neaceft relations and friends, both in and out of Congrefs, and of the army. And % could not all thefe procure fome fhadow of lenity, where a victim was to be offered up j fomething likecompaffionj fome anfwer to my humble memorial, in my vindication, and my petition only "to be heard" ? I muft fay none. Three months are nearly elapfed, whilft I have not re- ceived one line or meffage in anfwer. In the mean while, as if that \ efuUl was theiignal •, theflarm fpread ; xiews-papers bear witnefs to my degradation. Bafe and malicious men the pefts of every fociety, have given free vent to their flanders. Bofton has been filled with cla- mours to my prejudice. Villains there are in every place, to coin ana circulate reports prejudicial to a man's character. But why fhould I pretend to enumerate the evil confequences of (uch a feverity of conduct to- wards me ? If" it would have anfwered any valuable puipofe ; if the facrifice of my life would have faved, my Country, I could havt cheirfully offered it up. I foil! «ot fay fo vi my hoaour. -)!;■. ^° v ( XLII2 ) To the imparjial publick I thercfoe mean to appeal. . At this tribunal, no innocent perfon need fear to make his defence, nor to allow free fcope to be given to that defence ; where a man's conduct, and the motives ot it being known, he has reafon to hope for a candid Judg- ment, free from prejudice or party. If I can but ob- tain this indulgence, I hope to evince, to eveiy common underftanding, the rectitude of my conduct and if the moft laborious and fteady application to the difchaige of my truft, and perfevei ance in the path of duty, can give a claim to hope, I flatter myfelf, that I fhall not • only efcape their Cenfure, but meet with the warmeft, approbation of the publick, which it ever has been, and whatever may be the luccefs, ever fhall be my ftudy to obtain. I am, my dear friend, theirs, and your moft devote#, humble fervant, JOHN MORGAN, I * ( I ) To his Excellency GENERAL WASHINGTON, Commander in Chief of the American Army. The MEMORI a L and RLTi\£bEN t A HON of Doctor John Morgan, reflecting his Care of the Sick, and Manner of conducting the Department of the General Hofpital committed to his Care. inw mini mm iwiiiiii— iMi—■in 111 ■■■ wiitimi■■■■iMwiimminiiB SIR, WHEN I was called by the choice of my country, to the ftation of Director-Genera: of the hofpital and Phyficianin chief, I left a rcfpectable and lucrative pr.ct ice againft the judgment of fome confidcrable perfons in my native city, whs, from regard to me, and what they conceiveel to be my intereft, endeavoured in vain to dii- /bade me from accepting the poft, truly honourable as the* allowed it to be. Their advice had no influence o\\°ftr.e. Without hefitation, I facrificed it, with every future profpect of better expectations from continuing with them to the fat is faction of ferving my country, at THE HEAD OF THE HOSPITAL, IN THE ARMY, I'N- ULR YOUR ExCSLT-EKCY's IMMEDIATE COMMAND. Having had fome experience, in times paft, of the nature of the department, I have, ever fince I took charge of it, made it my conftant ftudy, to make myfelf mafter oF the fubject, and to acquire a thorough inlight into it. With what fucceis, I do not think can be judged off, from the cutfide appearances of laft campaign, and the caufes which prevented the feveral regulations I propofed, from taking place agreeable to my wifhes. It would be te- dious to enumerate them all ; yet it cannot be amifs to point at fome of the principal, (a) The I ( 2 ) j The firft of thefe which I fhall mention was, the want of fuflicient time and opportunity before the opening of the campa'on, to have all the regimental Su'geons properly fumiihed-by Congrefs, and made acquainted with their duty, of which many of them were very ig- norant, and the error of having them look to the Gene- ral hofpital for thofe fupplics of medicines anel initru- ments, e:c. which it woidd have been better to have lent r-> them by Continental Druggilts, who might have the means of collecting anel preparing every article in a fui- table manner, which it is vain to attempt in a moving army. Another caufe was the want of a fuflicient num- ber of certain hofpital officers and ailiftants, and the means of procuring them when allowed by' Congrefs, which was late, as Commiffirics, Storekeepers, Stewards, Ward-Mafters, Scc.(b) I his difficulty was iccreafed from the nature of the campaign, in which, conttary to expec- tation, it became necefT.uy, to ihift the places of the Ge- neral hofpital frequently, and to branch it out in fuch a number of hoipitals widely diftant from earh other.(c) To thefe may be added, firft, the want of fyfficiciat help from other departments, which it was impoifibie to re- medy in the ftate our aimy then was.(.7) S^- 2.dly, The neglect of the regiment d Surgeons, to re- port the fick of their regiments in feafon, and in an or- derly manner to the General hofpital, though often re- quired in General orders, Pvefolves of Con^i\fs and otherwife, to elo it ;(e) and fomctimes keeping back their fick from enteiing-into it at all, or .till they became very numerous -, thendifchargingthem all at once into the Ge- nera! hofpital, at the time of an engagement who di-ene- my, and when the attention of the whole body of hofpi- tal Surgeons was necrii'uy to take card of the wounded. And h-idly. the frequent an-4 long i.bience of :'uc regi- mental Surgeons jiom their regiments, who, iuftec.d of fendi.ig the fi(k,-as they ov.-elu to have done, to the Ce- nerr\i Isofpitid.'ii.ul diem conv<-\ td iv f".us remore regimen • tal hofpitals,'where they neither i,-..d. i-.or roidd obi:-, in fed- ta-'le n.-Cw-liit-it.-i for ikdr piovdi r. aid e:;.re '/, -.dn (. 3 ) ©t my firft arrival.t Cambridge, I fet about to eftablifh rules for the General hoTpital Surgeons. I had heard of many abufes being practifed by enormous draft? of - expenfive ftores from the General hofpital, to which, \ with your Excellency's approbation, to whom I made re- port thereof, I put a ftop "and limited the demands of regimental Surgeons to fuch articles, as Indian meal, oat- meal, rice, barley, molafTes, and the lik-, and required that fuch fick as wanted others, fhould be fent to the General hofpital, that thefe things might be difpenfed out under my own direction, (g) The next reformation I attempted was to call upon all the Mates in the hofpital to undergo an examination of their abilities, in order to felect from the number thofe who were beft qualified for the fervice.—This was fol- lowed by your Excellency's erdors, to fee that all the re- gimental Surgeons and Mates fhould pafs a like exami- nation. I began the tafk, but the movements of the ar- my, the averfion of Surgeons to undergo thefe examina- tions, from which too they were often fcreened by their Colonels, and by pretence of ficknefs, Sec. and the in- creafing bufinefs on hand prevented ray proceeding far in k.(h) When the army lay before Bofton, the fmall-pox fre- quently made it's appearance in it, owing to the number of perfons who came out of that city with the infection upon them, which endangered the fpreading of the con- tagion amongft our troops. By the eftabl fhment of the fmall-pox hofpital in a fuitable place, with proper perfons to take care of the fick, and the precaution of fending all infected perfons to it, fo foon as known to have the dif- eaft, and to cut off all communication betwixt it and the troops, the army was preferved from ever receiving any injury from ic. When the troops marched from Cambridge for New- York, all the fick were left behind in the General hofpi- tal, amounting to upwards of three hundred men. In lefs than fix weeks, during which time but few died, I % w#$ ( 4 ) was able to difcharge the hofpital of every man, to rettle and pay every account* infomuch as never to have had any further demands from that qunrter. . f During thia time, with little or no expence to the pub- ; lie but for package and tranfportation I collected medi- cines, furniture and hofpital ftores, worth many thoufand pounds, and fent them on to New-Votk. The like quan- tity, 1 apprehend, could not be procured in any part of America. Nor were thefe obtained for the ufe of the army, without much trouble and affiduity. owing to a ftrong oppofition that was made to prevent it. (k)---- Belides thefe, I was able, by means of the fubaiiern officers in the hofpital, fome of whom I employed continually at the work, fikewife to collect to the amount of near two thoufand rugs and blankets, nea< as many bed lacks and pillows which were taken up from docks, and were ga- thered-from hofpitals and barracks, &c Thefe being wafhed anel aired ferved the laft campaign when none f others could be got, and many of them are yet in good prefervation.— \t New-York I,collected fome hundred fheets, fracture boxes, and other u eful articles. It may be thought perhaps that I place a higher value 'upon thefe acquifitions than they merit ; be that as it may, I am perfuaded the like could not be obtained now for much lefs than thirty thoufand dollars, which is equal to the whole amount of what I have ever drawn or ex- pended for the General hofpital, in thefpace of a twelve- month, including the pay of all the officers and all the hofpital expences of every kind, which have fallen with- in my department to fettle, and for the faithful expendi- ture of the fitme, I am ready to produce my accounts, receipts and vouchers, whenever called upon for a fct'.le- ment. Yet tne General hofpital has had the conftant charge of a number from two or three hundred to a thoufand fick and upwards to provide for and attend. Nor have any articles of the public ftores been embezzled' or mif-applied,northefickfullered intheGenera' hofpital forwantof anything I thought them entitled to drawfi om the hofpital, and that I could procure for them. The { 9 ) The medicines and ftores provided,as abovemcntioned, have been appropriated with equal faithfulnefs and ftrict autonomy to the ufe of the General hofpital ; or iffued fi om thence to regimental Surgeons, or remain on hand, fubject to your Excellency's order. I have never bur- dened the CViarter-Mafter-General's department with * any unnecefhuy demand fiom thence. And as to the Cornmilfii'-y-General, he will do me juftice, as he has oft'm declared himfelf on that head, that my drafts were within the molt reasonable bounds. " -I ium perfuadeel ihit of t\.z lick who h ive been drawn for in the General hof- pital, if none of themhave beendrawn forat thefametime with the well men in their regiments, the ftoppage of their rations will go a great way towards paying the whole of the expences the ho'pi al has been put to, on their account, for provifion and ftores of whatever kind.(/) In avconference 1 once had with your Excellency at Cambridge, on the fubje*ct of hofpital expences, you told nie, and I took it as a hint of caution and advice t» ob- ferve the ftifcteft cecOnomy in my department (from which I have never deviated) that you were fearful the expences of the Geneial hofpital would exceed the efii- mate that hael been made of them, by a perfon of ex- perience in General hofpital matters. If I rightly recol- lect, your Excellency thought the fum mentioned to be ten thoufand pounds fterling per annum. I was fur- prized, and concluded the gentleman was miftaken ; I refolved however, if poffible, to employ fuch ftrict cecon- omy in the depaitmenx, as to keep within thofe bounds, yet was fearful it could not be accomplished, on account of the advanced price of every article of living and hofpi- tal ftores. Defirows of knowing what were the princi- ples on which he founded the calculation, I wrote to the perfon that was mentioned, on the fubject, in anfwer to which he informed me, that the eftimate, he had given in to General Gates was ten thoufand pounds fterling, for every ten thoufand men, for fix months, and fo h\ proportion, which is equal 1040,000/. iter. per. annum, for 20,000 men, the number then kep on foot. At ( 6.) At the fame time, as one qualified to give me full in- formation, 1 wrote to him with a view to clear up all doubts, or to confirm my fentiments in regard to the manner in which the regimental Surgeons were fupplied in the Britifh fervice, with medicines and inftruments, and to know what right they had to draw ftores fro r> the General hofpital ;\o which his anfwer aor re 1 ponded with the opinion I had ever entertained of the nature of the fervice. Till Congrefs, or your Excellency fhould give orders for a different mode to be purfued, I confidc-red myfelf to be bound in duty to keep the Biitilh eftablifh- ment conftantly in my eye, as a directory, making allow- ance for-the nature and difference of the fervice. (m) Moreover, I was afterwards favored with your Excel- lency's opinion on the fubject, contained in thofe obfer- vations you was pleafed to beftow on the plan of regula- tions, which, by your command I fketched out, for get- ting again into a proper train, after we bad, by one acci- dent or another, been forced from the original plan of a General hofpital, and got into confufion, on account of the opp«fition, fonae of the refolves of Congrefs, of July 17 laft, met with from many of the regimental Surgeons, tmd the impracticability of complying with others of them, in the fituation we were then placed. Your words were, " What is the practifc in this cafe In the Britifh army ? Why fhould we think of improving upon their fyftem, founded on long experience ?" Upon firft entering upon the duties of my ftation, ap- prehending that the General hofpital was not amply fup- plied, as I could wifh, with bandages, old linnen and other implements of furgery, that would be required, in cafe of an action, I fet myfelf to fupply thofe wants im- mediately, which I effected with little expence of money, but with great labor, in which I had all poffible affiftance from tfiejiofpital Surgeons and Mates. I collected large quantities of old linnen, lint and fheets, made up fix thou- fand bandages, and fix hundred tourniquets, for the ufe ©f the General hofpital, &c. which, though fuflicient,for a ( 7 ) fl prefent exeigenry, I did not think mere than might be wanted for fix hofpitals, which I managed at that time. Being then defirous of knowing how the regimental Surgeons were fupplied, I picpofed the calling upon theni in general orders, f-ur that purpofe, and with a view to learn whether their pffiftance could be depended upon in the field, and whether they were properly fur- nifhed with medicines. Except Mr. Magaw, Surgeon of Col. Thonifon's regiment, and a few others, they had fcarcely the flr.vdow of a fupply—I gave in a report there- of, with a weekly return of the iick ; I alfo ftated to your Excellency what I conceived to be my duty, and t! it if w/is limited to the care of the fick in the General hofpi- tal. , This inquiry into the wants of regimental Sur- geons, made them turn, as it were, on the General hof- pital. They wifhed to furnifh themlelves from it, with thofe articles ofdreffings, which the hofpital Surgeons had collected, anel made up for themfeives, which thofe gentlemen thought an unreafbnablc demand. Farther, the regimental Surgeons wanted, contrary to all ufage, to draw from the General hofpital, all they fhould call for, in the way of ftores, whether diseteiic or medicinal, for the ufe of the fick retained under their care, in re- gimental hofpitals, and to be provided by me with in- il: uments and bandages, or to dx the odium of their in- fufliciency at my door. I therefore recommended in my *»port the nectffiry of providing (not in'the army or General hofpital) but from Continental Druggifts (lor that was what I intended) " a capital fet of medicine', inft> uments, Sec. as foon as poffible. and advifed that portable clicks fhould be furnifhed from every regiment for a whole year, at once, and each cheft be pmvidee'. with inftruments and bandages."—I did not expect, vre^k handc-d as I was, with refp.ct to oflla ri. ;;nd afliltauts in the General hofpital, from its vc»y eitablifiimcnt by Cong) els,that this tafJc would be enjoined on me,!thought .-.ay duty pointed out by that cll,-ibi aliment, as much as I could could well execute, and which only related to the Gene- ral-hofpital iifelf; although with an carneft defire of pro- moting the good of the fervice, I early pointed out the wants of the regimental Surgeons, aneLin time for hav- ing them fupplicd with neceifu ies after the manner that has always been practifed in the Biitifh army, I wrote to inform your Excellency, " that my commiffion only ex- tended to the care of the General Mofpital -, the plan of eftablifhment by Congrefs, of July 28, 1775. The lift, number and arrangement of officers, and my inftructions from Congrefs, which weir wholly filent concerning re-. giments, their Surgeons or fupp'ies confirmed this opin- ion," not to fay any thing of the low eftimate, which I had undei flood was formed for the fupporf of the Ge- neral hofpital. I then gave it as my opinion, grounded on the cuftom ot the Britifh army, of fuppiyiiig the medicine thefts by ftoppages, "that if the fick. remaining in rcpimrh's, were to be fr.pplied at a public expence (and not by (ton- pages) that expence ought to be made a reedmeutnl charge, and might be delivered in with an abftr.i-et oi the regiment, (or any other better way.) that the Genet al hol- pital, having nothing to do with the affair (void its \\\y nature, ought not to be burdened with their fuf plies ; for then, on the number of fick admitted in the Gcrural hofpital being known, the expence iieceffaiy for their fupport could, after a while, be better tfiimattd from experience." ' ~" I then called on your "Excellency, in the fame Lttcr, **foc inftructions what to do ?' 1 informed you "that t h e nature and defign of the General hofpital, being little uncjerftood, and the nature 'of my duty fo much mif- taken, both by the regimei.urlSirrveom and officers, and many things expected from me, impoffible to b,- complied with. I apprehended it. to be ahlolui-:ly ncctitiry that certain regulations fhould be fixed upon, toalccrtain my duty, and thofe of the Su e-°'--' -tnd oificers under me, qs well as'hole of the re^ue^ Siu-geors, which all r..M(i»-.t ( 9 ) ought to know, and not hofpital and regimental Surgeons only, but in general, every officer of any rank in the ar- my, to prevent interference and miftakes."— Befides giving this information, in order to bring about a farther explanation of the matter, and with a view to accomplifh the end propofed by it; when I came to New- York, I laid a plan before the regimental Surgeons, to afcertain their duty, with a draft for a memorial to be laid by them before Congrefs ftating their prefent diffi- culties, of which they approved j and I wrote preffitighy myfelf on the fubject, to the Doctors Committee of Con- grefs ; and at various other times I have delivered my opinion on the duties of regimental Surgeons, which may be feen in the general orders, particularly of July 3d, and July 28th, 1776. But although the fentiments con- tained in thofe orders Were enjointd by your Excellency to be made the rule of conduct, and I think they were well calculated to anfwer the purpofe, yet they were little regarded by many of the regimental Surgeons, and openly oppofed by others, (n) With refpect to the manner in which I came to have the charge of fupplying all the regimental Surgeons with medicine chefts, &c contrary to what I had always conceived to be. the proper method, or ufual for a Gene' ral hofpital, as I had always declared, I beg leave to re- mark, that the furrender of Bolton having put us in poflefiion of a large, though unaffbrted ftock of medi- cines, hofpital furniture, &c your Excellency was pleaf- ed to order me, by the Quarter-Mafter-General, to put * up medicine clefts for five regiments, at Bolton, Sa'era and Marblehead, &c. about the time the reft of the army moved to New-York. This i cannot but look upon as the beginning of all my fubfequcnt difficulties. When I , arrived afterwards at New-York, your Excfellency was at Philadelphia, and I was repeatedly called upon by letters, * and in the way Of perfonal applications from regimental Surgeons and officers, to furnifh feveral regiments that were at New-York, and others gone to Canada, with v. B medicine ( io ) * I* . medicine cherts. My hope and expectation had been, that out of the whole ftocfc I had collected, I might be permitted to take fuch as were wanted for the General hofpital, and then to deliver the remainder to any Com- miffary or Continental Druggift, appointed by Congrefs, or by your Excellency, to receive it, for the ufe of the public, and particularly for furnifhing regimental Sur- geons. I received feveral intimations at'this time, from different perfons, that Congrefs expected from me to fupply the northern army with medicines arid hofpital ftores. Having received no orders, however, for that purpofe and *he campaign then opening, I thought it highly ex- pedient to receive clear in ft ructions on that head, and applied for leave to go to Philadelphia, to have a confe- rence with fome membei s of Congrefs to know what I had to depend upon. Your Excellency gave me leave of t abience for ten days, and although it proved too fhort a time to fettle the bufinefs of my department, yet I return- ed punctually on the day appointed. Before my arrival at Philadelphia, I learned that the Congrefs had purchafed a valuable ftock of medicines, which were in the hands of fome druggifts in town, ©ut of which (n a fuppofition I imagine that they had more than would be wanted for public ufe) fuch confiderablefales had been made by per miflion of Congrefs,andlarge quan- tities fent to the Southward, that it appeared tome there w;is danger, from the great reduction that was made in ir already, left the beft collection of mediates I had ever fee i in America for an army, might flip out of the power of Congrefs from fuch fale, &c. which might provealofs riity might not have it in their power to retrieve in the . v'bole year (©) I therefore prefumed to caution the co-nrnitt*e againft it. Upon conferring with them on the ■(-■bje:^ as I ha:!, though contrary to ufage, been obliged to i; up medicine chefts for fome regiments, I under- *-.- tf I might be ajlowed fuch a fhare of what was on i.m. as might be wanting from time to time to affort thofe ( II ) thofe in my pofTeffion, to ufe my beft endeavours to fuj* ply regimental chefts to the regiments at New-York un- der your Excellency's command, for one campaign by way of trial; for I did not want to fhrink from any labor, affigned me, whether my proper duty or not, by which I might ferve my country, as far as it was practicable for . me to do it. • I did not conceive from all I was able to 'earn that there would be more than forty or fi ty regiments affem- bled at New-York ; no-- did I fuppole that one half of thole would come deftitute of medicines and chirurgical apparatus, when I heard that the Southward regiments were fupplied by the Continental Druggifts ; and I had taken pains atCambridge, occafionally, to acquaint Gene- ral officers, Commanders of regiments and regimental Surgeons, with my idea ihat they were not to look to the General hofpital for thofe fuppli.es, but have their regi- ments furnifhed, where raifed, as being the moft eafy and natural method ; nor did I expect fuch numerous de- tachments of militia, all of which came unprovided, and looked to me for fupplies of every thing they wanted, not chufing to fend their fick to be under the care of the Surgeons of the hofpital. I fupplied from 40 to 50 regiments with medicine chefts by the end of Auguft,befides all the branches oftheGeneral hofpital at New-York, in the bowry and neighbourhood, , and at Long-ifland, which reduced many of our capital ' articles to .01 iufufficiency for the General hofpital for the remaining ;ce*t of the campaign. And thefe I was obliged , to collect eliewnere as well as 1 could ; for although there was a great fhow of medicines and furniture left, yet many of the n ineip.il medicines being exhaufted. and other ar- ticle? . >i being duly prepared, nor fuch as were ufual'y eailed 'or of wanted for regimental ufe, that fhow availed but inle^t To g;ve what were at hand and oould be {r -• i -d from hofpital ufe, which the regimental Surgeons wcu'd neither accept of nor be anfwerable for. would be as fcripture expreffes it, to give one that afked for \ bread, a ftone j or for an egg, a ferpent. It ( 12 ) It was by your Excellency's command that I fhipped f>fFpart of the ftores, as I did, to Stamford, to prevent the w> ...c being loft, in cafe the enemv fhould poffefs them^v s of New York. From theme they were fent i.uo the country, as fome frigates 'ad got into the Sound, and it was eafy to land near Stamford, whereby- the ftores might be defboyed. (/>) It was by a like com- ^ rnand that I vifitcd foppon, Haverftraw and Orange, to look out for a fuitable pi. ce foi aGemraiho'p tM; and ty your orders, in writing thit I went over to Newark a day or two before the evacuation of New-^ ork, to xjKikc piov.iien foi abou' a thouiand fick hichi'.eng thofe wou. oed at the laft e.ct-.on ci: t oog-Ifb>d who were *, there comr-od :o >'. ca-e of D\ cV-- {nfte.- and Bur- in ec, Surgeon vi he Gencrai ho'pi.al, with uVen or ^'ght Mares to t: ke care of therh.(^) Part of the u>ed.anes remaining at New-Yen k, were ordered over by the Ad- jut iHi-General, to whole perfonal act vity and the affif- t/ tance he gave to the Surgeons, it is owing, that they were faved. The moft valuable part, however, was ftill left jn New-York, when the enemy had effected a landing, drawn a line acrofs the ifland, and were fuppofed to be then entering New-York, (r) .. At this critical juncture, I went over with fome of the hofpital officers and brought off all that had be-n left, in a pettiauger, which was filed therewith. I had or- dered two chefts, for hofpital uie, to be put up and fent to Kingfbridge, it being impoffible to get more up there^ in a retreat. The fick and wounded above-mentioned were landed in hafte and diforder, at Hobuck. Wehock, &c. Some of our Mates fell into the hands of the enemy, and many of the Nurfes and Waiters fled, and the militia ran off and irnprefted every waggon they could find in the neighbourhood. It therefore required feme days to get On all the fick and wounded, through many difficulties, from the fright of the inhabitants, and their reluctance to admit of the hofpitals being ftationed at that plate. ( '3 .) X had provifions to collect, a CommhTary and Ward- Mafter toTeek, and Nurfes and Waiters to procure, with every thing neceffary for the comfortable accommoda- tion of the firk and wounded. I had but little affiftance enough to perform this tafk, your Excellency having en- joined me to leave the moft confideiable number of Sur- geons and Mates at York ifland, in cafe of need. I made all poffible I afte, however, to put the hofpitals at New- Ark on a fafe footing, which I accomp'iifhed in about ten days, and then returned to head-quarters. Aft-.-r this, judge, Sir. of my diftrefs.. to find how much this affair had been mifreprefented to your Excellency, as i perceived it was by a letter jvift written to me by your Aid-de Camp, fetting forth the miferabie fituation to •r'uch the fiek were teduced, and the clamour for want of median-s abrolutely infifting on an immediate and fuflicient fupp'y. for " whilft I was refervHg the medi- cines for cafis of emergency, the fick were dying in num- bers for want of a neceffary fupply." I had juft fent to an eminent private Jjruggeft, as well as to Mr. William Smith, the Continental Di uggift, at Philadelphia, pray- ing for a fupply of fuch articles as either I had not or could not be got at, enclofing each of them a lift for the •purpofe (/) Inftead of ten pounds of Tartar Emetic, I fent tor, four ounces were all I could obtain for the whole army, fcarcely equal to the demaeds of a fingje re- gimental Surgeon, or for one day's confumption for the army I prevailed on the Surgeon of a regiment to go ex- prefs to Hartford,Norwich,Providence.Rhcde-Ifland and Bofton, to procure medicines, which places were fo bare of the articles that we principally wanted, as to occafion a great difappointment. What is more worthy ©f remaik, they never came to hand till a fhort while be- fore the retreat from Hackenfack. I had applied to Governor Trumbull by letter, for fome affiftance, which, thoughitwasfentasexpeditiously as poffible.took time.(v) I alfo applied in perlbn tt> the State of New-York, at Fifli-Kills, hearing they had part of a ftock of medicines purchafed ( 14 ) purchafed for the ufe of that State on band, and found if had been ordered to Albany for the ufe of jhe Nor- thern department. What made it more aftonifhing that the number and clamors of the fick fhould be fo gxeat at that time is, that in a confultation which your Excellency, General Green and General Parfons had, a few days before the evacua- tion of New-York, it was there propofed to fend off the fick and all unfit for duty in brigades, with fome careful officers out of each brigade to attend them, and money to defray the expences of fuitable accommodations and refrefhments; and a Surgeon was ordered a long with the fick of each brigade, that they might not fuffer for want «jf medical affiftance.{iv) I am ftill of opinion, it was the beft ftep that could have been taken to pi event the fick from falling into the enemy's hands, unlefs what I once mentioned to your Excellency as my wifh could have been accomplifhed, vfz. That protections might be granted to the hofpitals on both fides, and the fick not become prifonersof war, but their perfons and attendants might be piiviledged and fafe, as was the cafe betwixt the French arid Englifh in the wars of Europe. Yet all the confequences of the fick fullering for want of neceffaries----fad fpectacles of human woc^ prefenting themfelves in towns, villages and on the roads, and ftraggling through the country, thereby exciting the terror as well as the companion of the in- habitants ; have been afcribed to my department and the officers under me, at a time when we our-elves fuf- fered, and called in vain for affiftance from other depart- me ts, and fo far as we were able, became fatigue-men and laborers to the fick and wounded, as we could pro- cure none from the*army, and, as I mentioned before, many of our attendants and nurfes fled. At the time of my greateft difficulty to procure aruaf- fortment of medicines, I gave orders to the Apothecary at Newark to affort what he^had there, which was all that could be got to difpenfe ; to ifTue to all applyera for C 15 ) for regimental fick, what could be fpared at any rate from the hofpital practice, and referred fuch as called Upon me for medicines, to him.(jf) That did not fatisfy all, many expecting, as it feems, wherever they happened to be ftationed, or wherever any part of the,hofpital was open for the reception of the fick and wounded, that they had a right to draw any medicines they wanted, and to be furnifhed from thence with whatever they called for, though that part was only provided for its own con- fumption, and the Surgeons of the hofpital were willing' to take care of the fick fent to them for that pur- pofe. In the midft of this fcene of perplexity and confufion I received a note from Col. Grayfon, Aid-De-Camp to your Excellency, defiring to know from you, whether* I could, or whether I thought it in the line of my duty to fupply the regimental Surgeons with what they wanted ; to which I returned for anfwer, " that I never had con- ceived it to be prtperly in the line of my duty, though I had done every thing in my power to perform that fervice, for want of a better eftablifhment, the prefent being in that refpect contrary to every known practice, as I had always declared, and if it was ever fo much expected from me I had not the means." It was then by your order that I drew up the propofed regulations for a better eftablifh- ment, which I forwarded to Congrefs fo foon as it was returned to me, and herewith fend your Excellency a copy, (y) It was to no purpofe that I made the fame de- claration to Officei s anel Surgeons in general, as I had done to your Excellency. Their importunities continued as great as ever. Immediately after this, I received a charge to eftablifh farther hofpitals, to be fituated more conveniently for the ftation of your army at that time. I recommended Hackenfack. Every General officer to whom it was mentioned, approved of it, as the moft fuitable place of all others for the fick of the army on York-Iflaud, -there being no fuch convenient place on the ifland itfelf, and the ( 16 ) the enemy had juft made a defcent above Kinglbridge. 1 was ordered over the river to view Hackenfack, anil to report What numbers of fick could be provided for at that place. On my return, I did accordingly report that if a fuflicient nurhberof carpenters and malbns were fet to work immediately* to fit lip the church, court-houfe, manufactory and a ftore houfe or two, Sc. fix or feveri hundred inert, and perhaps more might be accommo* dated in the town and neighbourhood ; but it would re- quire many workmen, and fome time to prepare place* for their convenient reception. I was then Ordered back tticarry theplari into execution with ail poffiblediligence. I went accordingly, and next day no lefs than 300 men Were brought into the neighbourhood for me to look after, though I was quite alone in refpect to help, f/hey daily increafed in numbers, fo that within a few days they-amounted to upwards of a thoufand. I had left in- ftructions for Dr. Warren, and a number ©f Mate* and other hofpital officers to follow and attend thci fick. (z) At firft we had neither bread, flotlr, nor frefh provi- fions in readinefs. nor were CommfTaries at hand, from whom I could obtain any help. General Green, to whom I fent to fort Lee for affiftance, was gone over to York-ifland. So foon as my hands were ftrengthened with DrJVarren'sandMr.Zabrifky's help, and the appoint- ment of a Commiffary aid (Quarter- Mafter, difficulties abated by degrees ?.\cvv day, and our affairs got into a more promifing train In the mean while the two armies having marched towards the White Plains, a battle was expected. I therefore haftened 'a join your Excelleny. On my arrival I found the Surgeons of the General hof- pital, in confequence of orders from head-quarters, to look out for a place for the wounded at a convenient diftance, had pitched upon the church atNorth-caflle, as the moft fuitable they could meet with. I went to view it. and to p epai e matters if the enemy's troops fhould come to action. Wkilft i 17 ) Whilft we were getting in readinefe, a firing of can- non was heard anew, for there had been a firing heard, the day before* at fort Wafhington. On learning it was at the White Plains, every Surgeon of the hofpital then prefent fet out with me, immediately, for the Plains, feveral Mates following, with a waggon, to bring the in- ftruments and dreffings. We fixed near the lines, and I never ftirred from thence till the enemy retreated, which was about a week after; nor till you: Excellency croffed the river, to haften to the fupport of fort Wafhington. In the mean time, the fituation of affairs would not permit your Excellency to give meleave to return to North Caf- tle, but for a few hours, to give directions, and to affiffc in providing for the fick and wounded; an hofpital Surgeon, and fome times two or more, with three or four Mates,attending the whole time, at the Plains, in expecta- tion of a fecond action . Here I cannot but feel for the Hofpital Surgeons, who before they could obtain any quarters, except fuch as a few houts induftry enabled them to do, in a country which was not well calculated to afford any good, were Suddenly overwhelmed with numbers of fick. lent to them, as well as the wounded, in time of an engagement, and whilft many of the regimental Surgeoas were abfent in the country, having left their corps in the field.without affiftance, contrary to orders of July 3d, at a time when an engagement was confidered as inevitable, there were few at hand to give any aid. Hence, whilft the hofpital Surgeons were preparing matters at their proper ftations in the hofpital, clamors were excited againft them for not being with the troops, and when they were detained at the lines, to fupply the places of regimental Surgeons, who ought to have been there ; the wounded, who were conveyed to to the hofpital, naturally demanded the at- tention of the whole body of Surgeons, to adminifter aid to them. (&) When I was at liberty to repair to North-Caftle, all nay applications for workmen, to put the hofpital in or- C dcr, ( i« ) det, to eonftruct chimneys, and fecure the fick anti wounded fror* cold, the effects of which were feyerely felt at that time, and of which it is thought fome died, proved abortive. Such then as could not be accomo- dated here und care of Doctors Adams and McKn;ght, were fent to Stamford and Norwalk, to the amount of above * t \oufand, under the care of Doctors Turner and En is, Surgeons of the General holpital, and every accommodation poffible was provided for them. Before I go on with this narrative of General Hofpital proceedings, I fhall juft obferve, that in part of a day and night's time, feveral hundred fick and wounded,were tranfpprted from Long-Ifland to New-York, amidft a heavy rain, which fell during ourretieat. They were landed at different wharves, and carried into different houfes, whilft myfelf aad thofe about me ufed all our endeavours to collect them together, into barracks, and hofpitals I had provided for them -, and although all p©ffible care was taken to prevent it, yet may of them unavoidably fuffercd, though we were up great part of the night in this lervice. So foon as I was able to attend that duty in perfon, I gave my affiftance in dreffing the patients, fo that there was not a fingle one, of thofe wounded in thejaction on Long-Ifland, who were brought to the General hofpital at New-York, that I did not drefs myfelf} and I affifted in all operations that I knew of, wherever I was prefent and could attend j for I always vifited as many fick offi- cers and others, out of the hofpital, by myfelf,andin con- futation, as was any ways poffible forme to do, confif- tent w th my other calls of duty, (aa) How much pains I took by writing and c©nverfati(5T! to affift in getting the regimental Surgeons on fome footing, fatisfactory to them, and ufeful to the army, I couid adduce many proofs, if required j that I never could effect it, is what I have to lament. The caufes I fhall not take up your time to inveftigatc. If the plan, now before your Excellencyjfhould take pleace either in whole, £ '9 ) whole, or part, it may perhaps effe& that defirable pur". pofe, where my endeavors muft reft, (bb) The orders and inftructions I have given to the Surr geons of the General hpfpital, at different times, are numerous; fome of them your Excellency read, approved, and fubfcribed yourfelf. Sometimes when houfes for hofpitals have been afllgn- ed me by public authority, I have met with grsat op- pofition in getting poffeffion of them, from protections in favor of the proprietors and occupiers, ®r others, as in the cafe ofStuyvefants, and in thofe intheBowry,where a brigade of militia difpoffeffed the fick of the houfes, affignad forthat purpofe.by the New-York committee.(cc) To bring this narrative of my conduct to a conclufion. So foon as I heard of the lofs of Fort Wafhington, Fort Lee, Hackenfack and Newark, judging your Excellency W>utd require my prefence, I left the beft directions I could, for the Surgeons of the General Hofpital oh the eaft fide of Hudfon's-River, and haftened to join you, which I did.the day after you croffed the Delaware. I was diftreffed to find your Excellency entirely deftitute of Surgeons, at hand, to take charge of the wounded; in cafe of battle. With your Excellency's approbation I proceeded to Philadelphia, to lay this matter before Congrefs, and get an explanation of the meaning of their refolves of October e;th, refpecting my being ftationed on the eaft fide of Hudfon's-river. I applied to feveral members, and requefted an audience, but, on account of the fitua» tion of affairs at that time, it was impoffible to obtain it. The Congrefs was fully employed, and adjoured within a day or two afterwards, to Maryland. The fick were brought daily to the city, in"great numbers, objects of pity. For the care of them, I gave the beft advice I could, to Dr. Potts, who was employed by the Council of Safe- ty for that purpofe. Several waggon toads of medicine-s and hofpital articles, which had been preferved from fall- T ir>£ intoth^e enemy's hands, and fent from New-York to Wswark^ ( 29 ) Newark, and from thence to Philadelphia, were broughj to the college, in bo good condition. It was my care to collect from them, what was of moft value, and cniefly Wanted for hofpital ufe,and fend to Bethlehem. The reft, by o.d r of Congrefs, were fhipped to Wilmington and Chrifb r.n, where I fent a Surgeon to review-, and fee them repacked, in good order, and to make out an Lvi/icc of tie fame, and fend it to Congrefs. f returned to head-quarters, and that day received a letter U om an honorable member, which I fhewed to youi Excellency, giving it as his judgement, that it was the defign Of Congrefs, I fhould attend to the care of the fick on the eaft fide of Hudfon's-river, and be reftricted to that place ; which I could not but confider as a fingu- lai reftriction for a Director-General. In obedience, however, to this refolve of Congrefs, I determined torepairtothatftation, but found it neceffary t take Bethlehem in my way, as my papers and baggage, and moft of the hofpital Surgeons and Mates of my department were at that place, and to deliver over to fome proper perfons, for the ufe of your Excellency's army, the chief articles of the medicines I had ftnt there. Of thefe however, I referved a few. and comparatively but a few, of fuch as were wanted, with fome few ftores, like wife wanted, for the fick on this fide, together witk my inftrnments and bandages. But your Excellency having fetn fit to fend for thefe, by exprefs,they were ac- cordingly difpatched by the fame meffenger. Of ten thoufand Bandages I had prepared for ufe in the beginning of the campaign, what with the confump- tion lofs,fupplies to the General Hofpital and regimental Surgeons, few are left. The difficulties of attending to the wants and demand** of fo many fick, fpread through fo great a tract of coun- try, and the clamors which have been raifed, in confe- rence thereof, have induced me to trouble your Excel- lency with this long and particular detail of facts, and %q requeft your Excellency's order for a court of Inquiry, how I**, r. ;txs..-. ■ .» i..*. - ( 21 J how the fick have been tiken care of, in the Oneraf Hofpital ; composed of officeis beft acquainted wu.t -he ru'es- an J difcipline of war, and of hcip-tal meters; by which it may be known in what manner, agreeable to the eftablifhmentof our General Hofpital, by auth.>ny of C ngr I , and the instructions i h.vve received, from time to time, from Congrefs and your Excellency, md the information and affiftance I have repeatedly applied for, p'ovido: has'bren made for the fick; that the na* ture of military hofpitals.in general; and of ours in par- ticular, may be afcertained; and if the fick have fuffered more than was inevitable, from the nature,peculiar hard- ships and difficulties of laft Campaign, the caufes may be known, and a feafonakie remedy applied, and thofe on whom any imputations have fallen, either of neghft 4>r mifmanagement, may have an opportuniy of vindicat- ing their proceedings, before a proper tribunal, which is A what I intreat for myfelf, and for the department under me. 1 have requefted Dr. M"Knight to take charge of theft #difpatckes,and hope for your Excellency's anfwer, when leifure will permit; being with the greateft deference^ Your Excellency's moft obedient and very humble fervant. JOHN MORGAN. Fifh-Jfiils, February ift. 1777. ( 22 ) FISH-KILLS, February z, ijif. To His Excellency General WASHINGTON* SENSIBLE of the great difficulties, which have at: tended the department of Director General, owing to a ^reat variety of caufts that were not in my power to govern, by which the fick of the army fuffercd very much laft campaign ; I had juft finifhed the memorial, which accompanies this, containing a narrative of my conduct in that department, with the hope and expectation of ob- \ taining, from your Excellency's known humanity, and lOve ?f juftice, a counof inqiiry refpecting it -, that thofe caufes might be examined into, arid rightly underftood, anciT might have an opportunity of vindicating myfelf, before a juft and candid tribunal, from any allegations that might be laid at my door, of neglect, or raiiconducl in the difcharge of the duty of my ftation, according to the beft of my judgement, knowledge and abilities, . when Dr. Folter called to fhew me? your Ex ellency's order to him, of January 22d. It informed him, that as I was dilmiffed from the Director-Generalfhip by Congrefs,- he was called upon as eldeft Surgeon, to take charge of the hofpitals on the eaft fide of the river, till a fin ther no- mination to that p.>ft. This difmiflion has taken place, without my being ever notified by Congrefs with the rea- fons for it, or having been called upon, to anfwer for my conduct, though | had heard from a member, that heavy charges had been brought againft me, for the fufferings of the fick -, on which I defired him to inform Congrefs, tfnt I was ready to ftand the teft of an examination, ' and requeued an audience, immediately, which! could not be favoured with. This I did verbally, and afte; wards applied to Congrefs, through him, by letterj to which I never rece:ved any anfwer. Qn this account I drew up the prefent memorial, flat- tering myfelf I fhould obtain the wifhed for inquiry, from your Excellency. A ( 23 ) A difmiflion by Congrefs from my ftation, without ;heir having acquainted me'with the nature of my lup- pofed offences, and allowed me a previous hearing, ap- pears to me a very fevere, if not unulual proceeding. *\ am obliged,thereiore.ftill to trouble your Excelltncy, to requeft your perufal of the memoiial, and to exprefs my defire that it may be laid before Congrefs, for their con- fiderarion—It is not, Sir, that I difpute the authority or that auguft Body,to appoint at pleafui e. as well as to re- voke their appointment of perfons, to offices of rank and truft ; but when a revocation is made in fuch a manner, as not to leave the perfon removed an opportunity of juftifying his proceedings, in cafe any accufaiions are" brought againft him, it cannot fail of operating to his difadvantage, in the eyes of the world. It is natural, therefore, to expect, and what every man has a right to hope for, that he may, though late, be heard with candor and impartiality, and to wifh that a true ftate of his conduct.in any public department,may be known, that according to the evidence of facts it prefents, he may be condemned or acquitted. I propofe to go from hence to Stamford and Norwalk, to deliver up the hofpital ftores, with which I have been entrufted, to Dr Fofter's charge, and then proceed, as I have opportunity, to Philadelphia or Baltimore, for the fettlement of my accounts. As I fhall ftand in need of affiftance for tranfporting my books, papers and baggage, f flatter myfelf your Ex- * cellency*will be pleafed to give fuch orders as may enable me to get them removed,without which I may fuffer great delays and inconvenience.*—Wifhing you fuccefs and hap pinefs,equal to your exalted merit,I have the honour to fubferibe myfelf, with all poffible veneration, Your Excellency's moft obedient and very kumb'e fervant. JOHN MORGAN. His Excellency Gen-fr^l Wasi-unctox. C *4 1 * JForwantoftheaffiftHnce.Iafked for all thofe articles; "whichwere carried with the hofpital ftb- stoDanbury were entirely confumed by fire, in the late fefti uction or that place, April the 25th, by th> iora»fion of the troops under Governor Tryon. The moft coftly of my houfhold furniture, Italian hifto y paintings done by the beft maf- ters, a choice collection of F ench engravings, a cholen * Library (exclufive of my own mariufcripts, the laboui of ten yeais) a number of rirhies and fpecimens of natuial hiftory, to the amount of mo- e 'han a thoufand pounds fterling, in value, were alfo delt^oyed at Bordehtown, or carried off by the enemy, at Chnftraafs, a few weeks before this my fo fhameful difmiflion, yet whilft I was actually engaged in the fervice Of my country. I had removed them to that place, for fecurity, when I was firft invited by Congrefs into the army. For fuch loffes' and fervices as I have fuftained,irt my country's caufe; whilft others, of inferior rank, wfco have made no fuch lacrifi- ces, nor fuftained any loffes, forleffer fervices, meet with p;o notions,and diftinguifhed rewards $ my only returns from a grateful country, are difgrace and infults. But t fet down quiet, under this confolatory reflection, that if h be the Will of Heaven, all thefe things fhall, indue time, work together for good. APPENDIX, ( 25 ) APPENDIX, COPY of the RESOLVES op CONGRESS, relating to the General- v Hofpital, and the Duties of the Director- General, Dire&ors of Hofpitals, Surgeons of Hofpitals and Regiments, and to the Provifion for the Sick, &c. In CONGRESS, Thurfday, July 17, I775** RESOLVED, That for the eftablifhment of an Hofpital for an ARM Y, confifting of 20,000 'men, the following officers and other attendants be ap- pointed, with the following allowance and pay. A Director-General a»d Chief Phyfician, his pay 4 Dollars per day. 4 Surgeons, per day, each - one and a third, do. 1 Apothecary, - o»e and a third, do. ao Mates, each per day, - two-thirds, do. 1 Clerk - two-thirds, do. % Storekeepers, each - 4 Dollars per Month. 1 Nurfe to every 10 fick, one-fifteenth of a Dollar per day, or 2 Dollars per Month. Labourers occafionally. . The Duty of the above Officers, viz* Director and Chief Phyfician to furnifh medicines, bedding and all other neceffaries ; to pay for the fame j fuperintead the whole ; and to make his report to, an^ receive orders from the Commander in Chief. jy Surgeons* ( * iURGiN's appointment." , p C GNGRESS, Auguft 20, 1776*. ; J 7 Committee appointed to confider of Doctor C!; .'JISP^s petition,, report as follows : ,.n\ MORGAN was appointed Director -i and Phyfician in Chief of the American Hof- hat Do^or STRINGER, was appointed Di- ^ 5' or and Pnyfician ©f the Hofpital, in the Northern iepur Excellency will be pleafed to obferve that I have never had " any mention made to me of," nor received the leaft inftruaions concerning either regimental Sur- geons or regimental fick ; and yet there is not p rhaps a fingle regimental Surgeon, and even but few officers who do not fuppofe they have a right to infift upon my furnifhing every regiment, a% well the eftablifhed fotdiery, as the militia, with whatever articles they are plealed to demand from the hofpital, as though it was a ftore x. ho ufe, ( 34 ) houfe, or magazine for the whole army, (< and not con«- fined, in the intention of its eftablirament,to the purpofe cf taking care of thofe fick and wounded, that might be reported to it as proper objeas, and admitted accord- ingly." - Thus, befides what medicines are allowed, as "vvell to the militia as to every other regiment in the ar- my, regimental Surgeons have a cuftom of making de- mands on the General hofpital for inftruments ef fur- gery, bandages, linnen, tourniquets, wine, rum, fugar, molaffes, chocolate, coffee, butter, candles, foap, brandy, raifins, rice, flour, Indian meal and frefh meat. They fuppofe I am obliged to comply with any order figned by a " regimental" Surgeon or Mate, for thofe articles, in any quantity they fee fit to demand.3 I have been in- formed, that fome officers have taken it much amifs, if they wanted veal or mutton,that they could not have it from the hofpital, " on fending for it for their own tables." What is more unaccountable, no regimental Surgeons ever thought it their duty to make any report to me of the ftate of their fick, to leave me room to judge of the propriety of iffuing, or of refufing to iffue out whatever ftores they were pleafed to call for. To fhew ia what light the hofpital is viewed, and my duty as Direaor of it, accounts of foldiers that I know nothing of, and who have never been reported to me ibr direaioBS about them, are fent to me for payment, and from all quarters, near and afar off. Officers who are fick in the country, at a diftance from the army.under coisn- ' try praaitiooers, fend in their accounts by thofe Doctors for me to difcharge.* So numerous and unreafonable are the demands of officers, regimental Surgeons, " and others, direaed by them to the Direaor-General of the hofpital for payment," that were all thofe demands gra- tified, the expences oft the fick, as the Commiffary-Ge- neral hath often remarked, would exceed all the expences of the whole army befides. " To give a pretext for the propriety ©f iheir claims, ■ <-. . they ■>'* W. M. Phillps'a account-, fubjoined to this letter. ( 35 ) they plead their inability of being furnifhed elfewhere with what they want j" the cry of the regimental Sur- geOKs is, there is no provifion made for us. ** My an- fwer is, nor have I any orders to provide for anv but what are under my own direaion in the General hofpital. They, afk where they are to get inftruments and dreffings, and what they want for the fick under their care, or of what ufe are they,' if left unprovided. I refer them to their commanding officers, and to make rcprefentatioiis of their fituation to them, to apply to _ Congrefs to eftablifh means of furnifhing what they want ; whatever orders are given me, they fhall be obey- ed, but I cannot go beyond my inftruaions." Do they imagine that 4 Surgeons and 20 Mates (which are all the S.urgeons allowed me in the General hofpital, for an army of 20,000 men) employed in attending all the fic^ and wounded that are fent to them from the whole army, and as they can find, or make liefure from that employ, conftantly bufied in preparing lint, bandages, compreffes, fplints, tourniquets and other dreffings for hofpitals uic in cafe of any confiderable aaion, muft be fubjeaed to their demands, :inc! obliged to unfurnifh the hofpital, and give up ;he 'at cur of their hands, to three or four fcore of regimental Surgeons and Mates, who were to have no trouble themfelves, in making any preparations for their own ufe. Has not your Excellency " recommended the ftriaeft oeconomy, and" informed me that from the eftimates given in to Congrefs, it was computed that/. 10,000 per ann. was fuflicient to anfwer all the demands of'theGen^ral hofpital, " and that you were apprehenfive the expences already exceeded what was imagined a fufficiency ?" The filaries of all the officers in employ,the nuif-s and atten- dants.nearly equal to half that furn,without taking into the accouat the expence of hofpital furniture, bedding, blan- kets, medicines and inftruments. From fuch limited funds, for the fupport of the General hofpital, can it be expeaed that between thirty iv.d forty regiments fhal? draw ( 3* ) draw fupplics intended only for the General hofpital In this fituation, I humbly requeft your Excellency s inftruaions. 'Be pleafed to confider that" my Commis- sion only extends to the care of the Hospital itfelf ; and yet every regimental Surgeon, apptrently, expeas me to fupply him with whatever he wants,and to prepare every thing to his hand, or to lay the odium of his defi- ciency at my door. This application of mine does not proceed from any defire or inclination to fhrink from any fervice I can * render them; but, if this fervice (contrary to my prefent duty) is required of me, the means muft be eftablifhed, and I muft receive pofitive inftruaions for it, left I be deemed guilty of negleaing, or not fufficiently providing for my own department, for the fake of thofe who are not comprehended within it. On the whole, I think it my duty to reprefent to your Excelleney, that I have thought it incumbent on me, to give directions to the ftores-keepers of the General hof- pital to iffue no ftores from thence, on the bare order of any regimental Surgeon, except Indian meal, rice or oatmeal, and if they want wine, rum, lugar, or other the like ftores, they muft produce an order for thefe, counterfigned by me, and take a receipt for the fame, to make them accountable for the difpofal of what they thus receive, if called upon I have direaed the apothe- cary to iffue out medicines to them* for the ufe of each regiment, in fuch quantities, as their prefent occafions may require, but fo as not to unfurnifh the hofpital, or exhanft the ftock„ fafter than I can get a frefh fupply. To enable, you, Sir, to form fome judgment of what is neceffary for the purpofe, I muft obferve that fuch an army as is now on foot, will require an additional fum of two thoufand pounds fterling per annum at leaft fsr the ufe of the regimental Surgeons, over and above what as neceffary for the fupply of the General hofpital itfelf. .And it will be for ever needy, and even deftitute of capi- tal ( 37 ) tal medicines, if not fpeedily furnifhed with a frefh fup- ply, to the amount of two or three thoufand pounds j medicines being very fcarce and dear. Another obfervation I beg leave to make is, that every regiment ought to have a fmall portable cheft, for the whole year at once, and be provided with inftruments, bandages and dreffings. It is not with any view to reftea upon the regimental Surgeons, but for the better purpofe of procuring them relief from their difficulties, that I am obliged to inform your Excellency, that there are but very few of them, as far as I can learn, who have what can be called even a tolerable fupply of any, evea the moft effential articles for regimental Surgeons, inftruments or bandages, and that they are deluding themfelves with a falfe opinion, that in cafe of aaion, every regimental Surgeon will be immediately furnifhed with thofe articles from the hof- pital, I fear, from «this circumftances, moft of them would be extremely at a lofs what to do, or be even ufe- lefs in a battle. I would therefore recommend to your Excellency, that " a perfon be appointed for the purpofe," and inftruaions given for furnifhing a regimental cheft of medicines, with inftruments, lint, tow and bandages, &c. for each regiment; that orders be iffued, that every . regimental Surgeon make out a report of what he has of thofe articles in readinefs, and a reprefentation of what he may further want, to be colleaed together, in order to judge of their prefent deficiencies ; and that the re- gimental chefts be infpeaaid from time to time. As con- tinual complaints are made ®f the ignorance and unfit- nefs of many called regimental Surgeons and Mates for that poft, and I find them generally unacquainted with what duties are to be expeaed of them, in that ftation ; I would advife, " if it be thought praaicable under pre- fent circumftances," that fome kind of examination be made of their refpeaive abilities, by a chofen committee; being a praaice obferved in all countries, which is effen- tial c.aflltefti,.. ( 38 ) tial to the feryice, and is now eftablifhed in the middle colonies. . * "J have been amazed to hear it faid, and that it fhould have been thought, "even by fome members of Con- grefs, that little ufe was expeaed from regimental Sur- geons, where there was a General hofpital; and this has been given to me as a reafon for their being fo much ne- gleaed, or fo ill provided with the means of being ufe- ful, and is, perhaps, the beft reafon that can be given that there are comparatively fo few amongft them, at prefent, of any tolerable education, experience or know- ledge in the bufinefs and duties of the ftation." Before I p«t an end to this letter, I muft beg your indulgence whilft I trouble your Excellency with two obfervations more. The firft is, that regimental hofpitals and regi- mental Surgeons, Under proper regulations and fubor- dination to the General hofpital, are abfolutely Receffary, and, in my opinion, may be made extremely ferviceable in an army ; fecondly, were matters fo well regulated tkat whenever any foldier was taken ill, whether fent to the General hofpital, or whether he continued with his regiment, under the care of his proper Surgeon ; if his rations were ftopped for the time, and paid for in money, it would, in my opinion, be fufficient or nearly fo, pro- vided he was dieted as he ought to be for a fick man, and as he is direfted to be, in the General hofpital, not only to pay for his diet, but to fupply him with every neceffary refrefhment without any, "'or with little" addi- tional expence to the publick,from the ftores of the Ge- neral hofpital. To prove this, may require an explanation, which I fhall willingly give wHfen called for.* Permit * General Parfons, 1 am informed by the Commiffary- General, has, to bis great credit, fince tried the experiment, and on this plan the fick of his brigade were provided lad fummer with every thi*g neceffary and comfortable to men in theirfituation, and there was afaving afftxty pounds lawful, after every article was paid for, from the (loppa^e of the fick mer?s rations, and receiving the amount in cafb, m lieu of rations. ( 39 ) Permit me, Sir, to conclude with this remark that if the fick in regiments are to be fupplied at a public expence, that expence ought to be a regimental charge, and may well enough be included in the abftraa of the regiment. The General hofpital having nothing to do with regi- mental fick, till they are reported to, and admitted as proper objeas, ought not to be burdened with the ex- pence. In this manner, the expence of " main- taining the fick in regimental hofpitals will be known," and that of fupporting a General hofpi- tal, unmixed with the former, may be pretty exaaiy af- certained from experience ; nor would it be charged with enormous accounts, which the General hofpital, proper- ly fpeaking, has nothing to do with. I remain, Your Excellency's moft obedient humble fervar.t, JOHN MORGAN. (b) P. S. I would obferve to your Excellency, that the furn allowed by Congrefs for the payment of the ftore-keepers is fo infignificant as four dollars a month ; about half the wages of a common foldier ; though it is a place of great truft, and requires talents and ^plicati- on to bufinefs. as well as integrity to perform it well. The pay of nurfes is fixt by Congrefs at half a dollar per week. Whilft it is fo low, we fhall never be able to I furnifh pood nurfes,or in fhort any nurfes, in proportion to the number wanted for the fick. Xhey complain of their ( 40 ) their pay, and are jealous that more is allowed, but that partof it is flopped: Moft of them fay they were promif- ed a dollar per week. I have only paid them what is allowed by my inftruaions. There is a neceffity for having otcafional officers in the General hofpital, of whom no mention is made in the eftablifhment by Congrefs. Some fuch I have found here on my arrival. They remain without pay, nor is their pay fettled. I have neither confirmed their ap- pointment, nor have I difmiffed them, inftruaions being wanted. It is neceffary that I report to your Excellency the dif- miflion of five Mates from the General hofpital, as, by order of Congrefs, they were only employed by the day j and they have refufed to fubmit to any examination of their qualifications. N. B. oO The above Letter is printed from ihe original rough draft of it, wrote in hafle, and delivered to General Wafhington, and which he returned for a fair copy, in which the lines and words, comprehended betwixt inverted comma's, are interlineations, perhaps a few of them addi- tions, but none others are. I think proper to mention this as I would not willingly incur the charge of altering the fenfe of the original, or making an addition, but of a few words, to render the fenfe more obvious, or compleat,for the eafe of the reader. (O It is proper to remark here, that this- very letter was read two feveral days before the medical committee of Congrefs, in the inference I had with them in Junelafl when I went to Philadelphia for that purpofe, and I then laid be- if- lTj f°r thdr conftderati°n> ^e feveral regulations, which 4 ;d not appear in thsir refolves till near a mouth after. Amongft ( 41 ) Amongft other accounts I had before me, at thfc time of writing this letter, 1 fhall feka one, as it is un- derfigned by perfons in a public ftation, who are well known, and I doubt not, if neceffary, will atteft the truth of the copy, of which I ftill have all the original accounts in mypofieffion. William Meserve Philips, being a foldier in • Col. John Glover's regiment, to the Seleamen of the town of Marblehead, Dr. To fundries fupplied him by fundry perfons while fick with the fmall-pox, viz. £. s d. %i S775, Aug. Cspt.Jantit Mugforcfs Bill fir Amount, i iz 4 Benjamin Nctdbam's Bill do. 13 Elizabeth Srnib's Bill do. 1 8 Richard Tarr's Bill . do, | 3 4 Thomas Hartjbern's Bill do. 811 Williim Wait's Bill do. J I O i N. Dement's Bill do. 3 16 b Jeremiah Proffers Bill dc. 89a » Cornelius Philips't, do. 11311 Mjrlhhead, \ub of December, 1775. 17 Errors excepted. James Mugford, Edward Fettyplacc, -j . St. Philips, Jeremiah Pro&er; > SeU&mch! Wm. Doliber, Robert Hooper, tcrt. ^ Marblehead, Dec. 14, 1775. Sir, Pleafe to pay Deacon Wm. Doliber or order, feventeen pounds foUr fhillings and fix pence, it being the amount of the charges of Wm. Mefeive Phillips's, having the fmall-pox in this town, as per account above, and you'll oblige your humble fervants, James Mugford, Edward Fettyplace, ? geicftmcn< St. Phillips, William Doliber, $ To John Morgan, Director-General. . ¥ To ( 42 ) 2 8 0 5 3 4 n 7 4 i 11 10 3 f 8 11 K 3 16 ' 4 £ • i7 4 6 To gratify the curiofity of fuch who may wifh to know fome of the principal articles of thofe charge*, I have fe- leaed them from the feveral accounts, and claffed them as follows. To N. Dtnvn for 10 Day'* Attendance in Nurfing, at 2-thlrds of a Dollar pet Day, & 3 '6 To El sabeth Sinirh's Account of ditto, To Richard Tarr's for do. at Peft-Houfe, i. e. S. P. Hofp. £> To Beef, Lamb, Mutton and Salt Pork, at 7d. I. m. p> lb. To the D-)£ror for 4 vl(it3, a »omit and fix fever powdera The othei Articles, including New-England and other Rum, (to tht amount of fixtesn Quarts) Wine,BnAD for TH Mulpocx and Sjnup of Skkfen, Candles, &c. Total amount (equal to 57 Dollars 2-6.) £, From the Doaor's vifits and accounts (which muft be confeffed to be very low) compared with the diet, fait pork, wine and rum, &c. it muft appear how neceffary fuch an expenfive attendance was for a private fbldier, in the fm ill-pox, and what idea' was entertained of the duty of a Direaor-General, if liable to pay fuch ac- counts. I had alfo before me, at this time, a copy of the drafts of one regimental Surgeon at Cambridge, upon the ftore of the General Hofpital, for above an hundred gallons, or an hogfhead of rum ; wine, loaf and brown fugar, and molaffes in proportion ; and to fhew the extreme neceffity, one pint of oatmeal was added to the lift, being for one regiment only ; all within the fpace of about fix weeks ; and yet there was no return made of the fick, but all de- manded on the faith of an order, figned by a regimental Surgeon or Mate. I fhall here likewife, remark, that, when after regi- mental Surgeons were repeatedly called upon, by general orders, to make reports of the ftate of the fick, although many of them never complied at all with thofe orders, amongft ( 43 ) amongft thofe who did make their returns, fome indivi- duals reported above an hundred, each But when Doaor Fofter, then Surgeon in the General hofpital, attended, by my direaions, to vifit, in paiticular, Col. Parfons's regiment, of which the Surgeon was fiiddenly taken ill, in order to receive fuch :-.s were proper obj»as, into the General hofpital ; on calling ever the lift- by name to examine their cafes, there were but few of then?, who were not found, and did not cknowledge them- felves, to be fit for duty. In fome returns, of which I took care to keep the ori- ginals, forty waiters and upwards were included on the fick lift, to exempt fo many from duty- .Some regimen- tal Surgeons made a praaice of felling recommendations to furloughs and discharges ; for which only one, out of the number fuppofed to merit that diftinaion, was drummed out of the army, for fuch mean and fcanda- lous praaices Had all who deferved- it, met the fame rewaid, it would have reduced the liftvery confiderably. Cordials and refrefhments were drawn by others, from the ftores of the General hospital, which by the parts fome of the officers took in fupporting the unreafonab'e demands of thofe men, gave room for many to believe they fhared in th? plunder themfelves. Is it my wonder, on being repeatedly informed of thefe particulars, that! put a total flop to the unauthoriz- ed praaice of the regimental Surgeons drawing flc s from the General hofpital, without obliging them i: be accountable for the fame ? Is it a matter of furprize that regimental Surgeon* and officers of that caff, fhould manifeft a declared enmity againft one, who contravened their fhameful meafures •, or that tHey fhould have in- fluence with fome of the privatss, in concert with whom they preyed on the vitals of the publick, to declaim againft the General hofpital, whilft thofe who were pro- per objeas for it, and had once experienced the benefit of that inftitution, were glad to have lecourfc to it, as often as they flood in need I __ When ( 44 1 When the eftlmate of hofpital expences was fo very low, and iuch ceconomy. fo' I may not call it parfimony, was manifcfted in the pay allowed to the hofpital officers by former refolves of Congrefs. fo different from the generous munificence of the prefent day.that four dollars per month, was then thought a fufficiency for the hofpi- ta; ftore-keepers.. fGreat proof of its being the inten- , tion of Congrefs, that they fhould iffue ftores, to the amount of many hundred thoufand dollars per annum, to i egimemal Surgeons ;] is it any wonder that I would not fuffer regimental Surgeons to draw, ad libitum, for whatever their unbounded appetites and fancies craved from the General hofpital; or, when I difcovered fo many arts put in p aaice, to defraud the publick, that I would pay no accounts of foldiers, out of the hofpital, contraaed without my knowledge, and out of the fphere of my department I Had I allowed myfelf to be drawn 3nto this fnare, who can tell what limits they would have > fet to their growing demands I Some largt; accounts of private pra^itioners, were brought to me ; from more than an hundred miles diftance. Some of them, had charged near five pounds, a day. for attendance on com- mon foldiers, who ailed but little. Had I paffed thofe accounts, would it not have been at the rifk of my own reputation ? but whv mention reputation ? Have I not fuffered more obloquy from the malignity of fuch men, on account of faving prodigious fums to the Continmt, with great toil, but no p ffible advantage to myfelf. th; n fome others for engulphing the public monies? Such are the rewards of care and exaanefs in bufinefs to fe>ve ^ pne's country \ glorious pledges of liberty ! when offi- cers of rank are to be forced from their ftations, to make way for undermining and ambitious men, on their partial reprefentations, without any hearing ! oh fortunate^ thniumt fuafi bona no'int agrico'a ! {b) The ( AS ) (b) The want of fuflicient affiftance from other de* partments was attended with many and gieat inconve, hiences. Foi example, When it was thought neceffary to eftablifh a General hofpital abovt Kingfbridge, in the neighbourhood of that wing of the army commanded by M joi-General Heath in Oaober, after the proper places were pitched upon for that defign, I called upon the Dr-puty-Quarur Rafter-General for workmen and matet ials, to put the feveral houfes in order, to build chimnies, to conftrua births, and to make fuitable apart- ment? for the Tick and wounded The Q. M. General being then at Philadelphia, the D. Q.M. General in- formed me that every catpenter and mafon under his direction in the army were engroffed, and could not be takco oft from th.ir prefent employ. He advifed me to m .ice application to General Heath, for an order, to obtain as many of the militia, or other foldiers who were proper workmen, to be drafted from their refpeaive re- giments under his command, as would fuffice for the prefent occafion. I fent to General Heath for this purpofe. The anfwer I received was, that t!.e General did not chufe to meddle with any thing to be done in the Quarter-Mafter-Gencals department. When General Mifflin, Quarter-Mafter-General, returned fome time after from Philadelphia, where he was then gone, I pro-? cured an order from him on his Deputy, fora dozen carpenters and mafons ; but they could not be fpared from other bufinefs ; and not one was fent to me all the time I remained on York-Ifland, from the biginning of Oaober, to the time of my going over to Hackinfack, aftcv the middle of the month, when the army began to retreat to the White Plains. The fame tbini> happened frequently at other times and places particularly at North Caftle ; when,after ear- neft applications made by myfelf and the Surgeons of the sV General hofpital, to that department, and orders were given by the Quarter-Rafter-General himfelf, or hi? Peputy,' on the Commander of the Artificers, they could < 46 ) not be procured,-it being always declared that all hands were engaged by prior orders, for other purpofes of the army. I do not mention thefe difficulties with a view to reflect upon, either the Quarter-Mafter-General, or his Deputy. Men of greater aaivity, or greater abili- ties for the refpeaive potts, I do not imagine can be produced : No;- were they wanting in inclination to give me all the affiftance they were capable of affording. But if they had it not in their power, ftill the inconve- niences were no lefs on account of that inclination -, yet was I to fuffer, and be blamed for wants which neither the whole army, nor perhaps the Congrefs itfelf; at lcaft noother perfons were capable of making a timely provifion for, and to be anf werable, as it would feem for all the misfortunes of the campaign ? When I was at Hackinfack I wasexprefsly forbidden by the General, to dra>t any workmen from the army. My whole dependence was placed on fuch as I could meet wich in the country, and which I ought to have had from the Quarter-Matter-General's department ; few were to be found in the neighbourhood of the army, when affairs went on otherwife than profperoufly. Nor had I any company or guards allotted to m-?, for any purpofes of the General Hofpital, when I fir ft went to Hackinfack, and men were wanting to go after provfions and for other neceffaries, befides waiting on the fick and wounded, that were hourly brought in great numbers, without any per- fons whatever to attend them. Once, indeed, when the fick became very numerous, about ten days before the retreat from New-York, and when I flood in greater need than ufual, of an increafe of labourers and waiters in the General Hofpital, and there were no men to be had in the city, who were will- ing to engage in that fervice, after repeated applications for that purpofe, it was given out in general orders, that fifty men fhould be drafted from the line, who were al- lotted to that duty. No day paffed without making per- gonal application myfelf, to the officers appointed to di- ( 47 ) rea the performance of this order, yet a week pafTed be- fore it was complied with. When the men were parad- ed^ and marched to the New-York college, to receive their orders from me, at what hofpitals they were to be employed, and how to be difpofed of, they declared they would not remain there. They faid they were cheated, having been told they were ordered for quite a different duty. I reafoned with them, and fhewed the neceffity there was of their help, promifed to make their fervices as eafy and agreeable to them as poffible, and to allow them each a gill of lum per day, if they behaved well, and threatened them, if they left me, to report them as guilty of difobeying the General's orders. They feigned acquiefcence. Yet, by next day, moft of them had de- ferted from the hofpital, and returned to their companies, although, befides the fick, there were near one hundred wounded to attend. Such was the difcipline of the army at that time. Before I could take any ftep to have thefe ■ men called ttf account, I was ordered over to Newark, to provide accommodations for the fick at that place, in the midft of which, great part of the remaining Waiters, and fome of the Nurfes left the hofpitat. AS the following letters, feleaed from a number of others, written by me, to different members of Congrefs, on the bufinefs of my department, bear teftimony to the pains I took to give full and timely information to that Body, of the ftate of the fick in the General hofpital and the army, of the deficiencies and inconveniences both la- i boured under, for want of fuitable regulations, and of what fupplies were wanting, in time for affording more effeaual relief, at leaft in many inftances, had that in- formation been duly attended to by Congrefs, I need not make any apology for publifhing them in this place, at full length, and in their original drefs. I am not fure, if I were to give only cxtraas, or an abridgment of them, that it would be fatisfaaory. If they appear rather pro- fix to the reader, I muft beg leave to inform him, that it was for want of leifure they were not more cencife j nor r 48 ) nor did I expea at the time they were written, that I fhould ever think it neceffary to print them Befides, in bufinels of fo much importance, I imagine it will be confidered as a lefs fault, to be minute and particular* and even to repeat the fame things, in the hurry of writ- ing, than to give fo curfory a relation, as to fail of an- fwering the defign of affording full information of what- ever falls under the writer's notice, that may inform thofe in office of the true ftate of his department, and be any further inducement to them, than they already have, to exert themfelves,in giving all the timely affiftance that is needful, to remedy every want, or remove every incon- venience under which it labours. On my arrival from Cambridge;, at New-York, the latter end of May, 1776, I found feveral Orders, drawn upon me, from the Northern Army, for fupplies of medicines and inftruments, and particularly for a large fupply of medicines from Doaor Stringer, Direaorin that department. I heard from a number ©f officers, of great rank, who were juft returned from Philadelphia, that Congrefs expeaed me, as Direaor General, to or- der the neceffary fupplies of Hofpital ftores> for the Northern department. I had received no fuch orders. As I thought proper regulations were wanting, to ascer- tain the refpeaive limits of authority, intended by Con- grefs to be vetted in myfelf, and the feveral Direaors* I requefted leave to go to Philadelphia, to obtain an audience of a committee of Congrefs, on that fubjea, which I obtained. I left propofals Of feveral regula- tions with that committee, for introducing order into the different branches of the General Hofpital depart* rnent. Amongft others, I propofed that the feveral Direaors and Superintendants of Hofpitals, fhould be ordered and impowered to provide their refpeaive de- partments w th Hofpital ftores, without depending on me for fupplies -, it being impoffible for me, circum- ftanced as I was, to anfwer their demands. Nothing was determined till a month afterwards. In the mean while, ( 49 ) while, upon my return to New-York, Doaor Potr^f who had a feparate charge of certain Hofpitals, which were to be eftablifhed to the Northward, applyed to me for the appointment of Surgeons and other Hofpital officers to aa under him, and for a farther fupply of medicines, than he had yet obtained. He expreffed it as his opinion, that he was obliged, in duty, to look to me for affiftance, and faid he fhould depend upon me only, as head of the department, for every thing of which he fhould ftand in need.- At the fame time* Docltor Lind, applied to me for medicines, for General Sullivan's army, on which, I wrote the following Le^ ter. New-York, June 25, 1775* T© the Honorable SAMUEL ADAMS, Efqj, Member of the Medical Committee of Congrefs. S I R, TH E ftate of the army in Canada, according to> Dr. Lind's account, (who is juft arrived from thence, by order of General Sullivan, lor a fupply of medicines,) is truly deplorable. I have feen no return of the fick, but he affures me, that in the beginning of this month, there were no lefs than 1800 men down with the fmall-pox ; and the total of fick and unfit for duty, amounted to 3,300 men ; and ho- lays, they have no medicines : Such a report is fcarcely credible, but you may learn the particulars, yourielf, from him, as he intends going to Philadelphia. General Gates fets ort to-morrow, to take the com- mand of the army in. Ca.vuia. Dr. Poets will accom- G pany ( 5° ) pany him. I have therefore given orders to fupply him, from, the General Hofpital, with a large cheft of fuch medicines as I can beft fpare ; and which can be got ready to-morrow before his departure. Upon looking into Dr. Potts's commiffion, I find he is appointed Phyfician and Surgeon in the department of Canada ; but whether it be of a regiment, or in the Hofpital, is not fpecified ; nor does it fhew whether it is the inten- tion of Congrefs, to veft him with the power of a Direaot, in the General Hofpital : Nor can I learn, what appointment Dr. Stringer has, or what is the na- ture of his commiffion. From all I am able to learn, every thing in the medi- cal department, in Canada, difplays one fcene of con- fufion and anarchy : Nor have the Congrefs taken.upon itfelf, to eftablifh. or vefted any perfon whatever, with a power fuflicient to eftablifh a General Hofpital in Ca- nada. The Congrefs cannot, in my humble opinion, be too fpeedy in determining what fteps are to be taken for this purpofe, and for fettling a due fubordination amongft the Surgeons there. It would be of particular ufe, that the intentions of Congrefs were made known in re- fpea to Dr. Stronger and.Dr. Potts, whether either of them is to be confidered as Director, by appointment of Congrefs, and which of them ; or whether they are both to be looked upon as Surgeons depending on, and aaing by inftruaions from me. I have never feen Dr. Stringer's commiffion. In either cafe, they will require more help than they have at prefent ; and in the latter, I fuppofe I ought to have the appointment of three or four more Hofpital Surgeons, aa Apothecary, and a fufficiency of Mates in that department, without dimi- nifhing the number I have allowed me for the army at New-York, as I have none here that are fuperfluous. Other officers, as a Storekeeper, Stewart and Matron, are alio wanted in Canada, with Nurfes and occafional Labourers. Whatever is determined on, in refpea to thefe ( 5i ) thefe matters, I fhsuld be glad to know immediately - Till then, my hands are tied up, and-the army fuffering for want of help. I am not fure that our difgrace and misfortunes in Canada are not owing, in a great mea- sure, to the fhameful proceedings of the Surgeons, in ipreading the fmall-pox by innoculation, amongft the fol- diery, in face of the enemy. Inftead of innoculating the foldiery, under like circumftances before Bofton, General Wafhington, upon my reprefentation, conti- nued to keep in pay a Surgeon and Mate, to attend all that fell ill A the fmall-pox. A Hofpital was fixed for their reception only, in a retired place, and a guard fet round it, and all communication betwixt it and the ar- my was cut off j and fo foon as any one was feized with the infeaion, of whatever rank, he was fent to the fmall-pox Hofpital. By this means, every inconvenien- cy, arifing from th» appearance of the fmall-pox, was prevented, and the army effcaually fecured from dan- ger, from tIi«kL .gutter. Had there been a General Hofpital in Can da, there would have been better orders, and fome lubordination obferved, which is now wholly wanting ; and it is to be feared, that whilft the Congrefs, occupied in a mul- tiplicity of weighty concerns, can proceed but fiowly on this matter, the opportunity may be loft. Rather than poftpone, however, fo important a concern, would it not be right to place full confidence and power in a pro- per perfon, capable to arrange thefe matters, as they ought to be, with ample authority for the purpofe, ra- ther than fuffer a lofs of men, to the difcouragement of the whole army, for want of a due provifion bein" made for the fick and wounded. If the Congrefs will fix on the means and manner of eftablifhing a General Hofpital at Canada, it will eafemc of much trouble ; but if they are not at leifure, or not fufficiently acquainted with what is the proper manner . and will order me to do it for them, giving me fuel: power as they think adequate, I will do the beft I cans u h ( S* ) to eff »a this defirable end immediately. Excufe, Sir, my dwelling fo carneft'y on this fubjea ; it is of the ut- moft conlequence to the fervice, and delays are danger- ous. I cancot expea to receive inftruaions, on this matter, from General Wafhington ; he fuppofes, that I Underftand the affairs of this department, and relies wholly on me for rvery thing which relates to it. But J neither durfi. nor will I prefume, to meddle in affairs, cut f my province, or that are beyond the fphere. in 'which J juppofe.. I was defigned originally, by Congrefs, to move.------Such, I imagine, is the arrangement of Hofpital affairs, in Canada, and the undertaking to fupply the Surgeons therewith what is neceffary for a General Hofpital, without frefh inftruaions, or more ample power than I now have, either from the Con- giels or Commander in Chief, as my commiffion direas me to look to them, for orders. I wait, impatiently, for an order from Congrefs, to empower me to demand fuch a proportion of the Con- tinental medicines, left in the care of Meffieurs De Lan- cy and Smith, as they may think fit to Jlot for this de- partment. In determining that proportion, they will pleafe to confider (ifwc can truft toDr. Lind's account) that there is not an article of medicine in Canada, in *he hands of any Surgeon on that expedition. June 26, 1776. Since writing the above, Dr. Potts having received a fupply of medicines, from the Gene- ra! Hofpital ftore, Dr. JLind has fet off with General pates and him, for Canada. I remain, with great efteem, \ ..... SI R, Your moft obedient, and very humble fervanr, JOHN MORGAN. K> This ( 53 ) CCj* This may certify, that I remember t* have heard Doaor MORGAN read the foregoing letter, in July, \nn6, together with feveral others, upon the fubjetl of the General Hofpital and Regimental Surgeons, all inculcating the immediate nccejjity of putting them upon a proper foot- ing. JOHN WARREN, Hofpital Surgeon. BEFORE I proceed to exhibit a copy of the next letter, which I wrote to Congrefs, it will not be im- proper to inform the reader of the occafion of it. Having been returned from Philadelphia, about a fortnight after my conference with the Medical Com- mittee of Congrefs, in which I had fet forth my inef- ficiency, without farther powers and inftruaions, to anfwer ail the calls daily made on me, in an extenfive and unfettled department •, and, having received no or- ders or direaions from Cpngreis, all this while, in an- fwer to my application for that purpofe : A powerful fleet and army from Great-Britain, intended for th» rc- duaion of -New-York, being likewife already arrived on the coaft ; and having prepared every thing in my de- partment, that was in my power, I then confidered the unfettled ftate of the regimental Surgeons. In or«!er to bring them, by degrees, into greater regularity, and to make them more ufeful in cafe of action, as many of them had but newly entered the fervice, and moft of-them, from want of experience, were yet novices m the duties of a military Surgeon, I thought it advifea- bl-to give them fome-inftruaions, which might open their minds to a fenfe of what duty was required of them, as regimental Surgeons, in time of aftion, which t cSild not be fuPPofed,was very diftant. I, ^reupon drew up the following direaions, and communicated fhem to the General.-He approved of them in the or ta of the day j and commanded the fevoal Surgeons ( 54 ) of Regiments to wait upon me for copies, and to regu- late themfelves according to the propofed plan. Each Surgeon was allowed a copy, and commonly, at the fame time, I gave him an order on the Apothe- cary, of the General Hofpital, for a medicine cheft, for every Battalion, which he alfo obtained, if he was not already provided, together with a number of bandages , and tourniquets, and a quantity of lint, tow, and old linnen, for chirurgical dreffings. A COPY OF THE ORDER and INSTRUCTIONS, Given to the REGIMENTAL SURGEONS, In cafe of ACTION. New-York, July 3, 1776. I T is propofed by the Direaor-General, and or- dered by his Excellency the Commander in Chief, That the Regimental Surgeons and Mates may be the better prepared for the difcharge of their duty, in cafe of aaion, to hold themfelves in immediate and conftant j^J readiaefs for fervice 3 and, in the firft place, to make a return to the Direaor General of the Hofpital, of their '' names and ftatiens, and of the inftruments and ban- dages, &c. they have at hand, agreeable to the follow- ing FOR M, viz. A C ss ) A REGIMENTAL Return of Surgeon's Inftruments and Bandages, &c. now in Readinefs for immediate Service, belong- ing to Colonel-------'s Regiment, in Brigadier General------'s Brigade, en- camped at ~.....---, July 3, 1776. Names of the Sur- Number & kind geon and Mace, Inftruments fr of Bandages,&c. Old L'nnen and other. and the dates of lor ufe. Ligatures, &c. Implements. their co am-ffinr. Amputating iSirnplc Roliers.. (^jai.t t) 0; oiu Linnen Surgeon. Iiltruments. D.mbie do. or weight of Rags. Mate. Trepanning,do. Foliated ban- Weight or Quantity lacifion knives. dages. of Lint, Pocket Inftru- Splints. Tow, &c. ments. Tourniqncts. Spunge. Bullet Forceps. Ligatures. Crooked needles Tape. (Place to be figned bj Strait da. Thread. the Surgeon.) Pins. A S the General Hofpital will not admit of the Hof- pital Surgeons and Mates being divided, or detached from the places where the General Hofpital is fixed, and • may require occafional affiftance from the Regimental Surgeons, in cafe of many wounded being fent to it, in order that the Hofpital and Regimental Surgeons may concur, at this time, to render their mutual ser- vices more effectual and extenfive, the following regu- lations are to be obfeivedforthe prefent, and nil any change of circumftances may require an alteration. Part of the General Hofpital is now fixed at Long- Ifland, for the reception of fick and wounded perions, whofe cafes may require it j which John W.kren, Efq5 Surgeon in the General Hofpital, " appointed to fup 1 intend and dire*, with the ^^c^* e3 ( 5<5 ) Hofpital Mates, and fuch other Regimental Surgeons and MatcS, belonging to that part of the army ftatipned at Long-Ifland, as may be required. v In cafe of evident ' neceflity, arifing from an attempt being made on Fort Defiance, (afterwards called Fort Wafhington,) two of the Hofpital Mares, with Doctor M'Henry, now at Montrefor Ifland, and whom fie is to fuperintend and . direct., are to repair to that' poft, with a proper aflbrt- ment of inftruments and bandages. The remainder of the Surgeons and Mates of the General Hofpital, are to continue at King's-College, and New-York Hofpital, for the reception and care of fuch wounded as are fent -to thctn, from what ever part. "* It being the duty of the Regimental Surgeons and Mates, in cafe of action, hi the field, to attend the Corps to which they belong., in order to drefs the wounded in bit tie ; ihey are to take poft in the rear of the troops engaged in action, at the diftance of three, four,, or five hundred yards, behind fome convenient hill, if at hand, there to drefs the wounded, who require to be drefied, on or near the field of battle. If the Regiment or Corps to which they belong, are engaged within a fort, or lines thiownup for defence, that fort or place of defence, is then the proper ftation for the Regimental Surgeons : But as a Regiment may be divided, and diftributed into different pofts, fo as to render it impracticable for the Regiment- al Surgeon and Mite, belonging to that Regiment, to be near fome parts of their Corps, it is neceffary that, an account of the numbe» of Surgeons and Mates, in any Biigade, or any d'vifion of the army, that occupies one or more detached p .'t~> be taken, and delivered to the Commanding Officrr of faid pofts or divifion. It is to be confideied as 'he dury of each Regimental Sur- geon and Mate respectively, wherever ftationsd. to re- gard himfelf, as having a joint charge of the whole Bri- gade, with the reft of rhc Surgeons of that Brigade, rather than as if his care was to be confined only to thefe officers and foldiers who are of the Regiment to which ( 57 ) which he belongs. It muft unavoidably happen, at times, that both officers and foldiers may be wounded in action, and their particular Surgeons be elfewhere employed, fo as not to be able to attend them. The amputation of a limb, or performance of any capital operation, cannot well take place in the heat of a brifk action : It is feldom poffible, or requifite. What the Surgeon Kas chiefly to attend to, in cafes of perfons be- ing much wounded in the field of battle, is to Mop any flux of blood, either by tourniquet, ligature, lint and comprefs, or a fuitable bandage,as the cafe may require; to remove any extraneous body from the wound.; to re- duce fractured bones ; to apply proper dreffings to wounds j taking care on the one hand, not to bind up the parts too tightly, fo as to injure the blood's circu- lation, increafe inflammation, and excite a fever ; or fo loofely, as to endanger the wounds bleeding afrefh, or to allow broken bones, after they are properly fet, to be again difplaced. The wounded being thus drefTed by the Regimental Surgeons, are next to be removed to* the neareft Hofpital belonging to the Brigade, or to the General Hofpital, as may be moft convenient. As the General Hofpital may at times, be fully croud- ed with fick perfons, or in the time of action, fo many wounded may be fent there,■ as to require a greater number of hands, than that part of the General Hofpi- tal, where many of the wounded are fent, is furnifhed with, it may be abfolutely neceffary for the fuperintend- ing Surgeon, befides the proportion allowed him, from the General Hofpital, to call for the affiftance of,a num- ber or Surgeons and Mates, from the Brigade, divifion or part of the army where he is, either before an en- gagement, or, when the number of wounded perfons fent to him becomes very great, making fuch affiftance needful. For this purpofe, he is to apply to the Com- mander of that Brigade, or part of the army, who is hereby ordered to fend him as many Regimental Sur- jrl geons ( 58 ) geons and Mates., for that purpofe, as are required, and can be fpared from sheir pofts. To prevent confufion, and that the Regimental Sur- geons may know the better what part of duty is expect- ed from them, fome one, at leaft, of the Surgeons, ef- pecially thofe fixed at out pofts, are directed, as foon as poffible, to call upon and arrange matters, in time, with the Hofpital Surgeons neareft at hand, in behalf of the Brigade, or Corps acting together, that no diforder may arife, in time of action, for want of fo neceffary a pre- caution. The Regimental Surge®ns ought to call on the officers of the Corps to which they belong, to fettle with them, what perfons are to be employed in carrying off the wounded, and for a fupply of wheel-barrows, or other more convenient biers, for conveying them from the field of battle, to the place appointed for reception bf the wounded, or General Hofpital. Each Regiment- al Surgeon and Mate ought to have a portable box, with fuitable divifions for containing bis lint, bandages, in- ftruments, and other implements of Surgery, which ought to be well provided with every neceffary. In applying a common tourniquet to ftop the flow of blood, from any principal artery in a limb, till it can be Otherwife properly fecured, care muft be taken not to twift it too tightly abnut the limb ; and to prevent the tourniquet from flipping, fo as to endanger a frefn lofs of blood, it muft be faftened with a ligature of thread or tape. JOHN MORGAN, Direaor-General. \ I N confequence of the foregoing plan and orders, fome reports were made, although they came in but IlOwly. Near a fortnight paffed over, before 1 received * them from more than fifteen Regimental Surgeons : It is to be afcribed, if not to that backwardnels wh ch the Regimental Surgeons ever fhewed to complying "with General ( 59 ) General Orders, perhaps, to a confcious fhame of being entirely deftitute of any neceffary articles, but what they had been previoufly indulged to draw from the General Hofpital : Some of them, whom I afterwards met, and inquired into the caufe of their neglect, con- feffed this to be the truth. As my intention in deliring thofe reports to be made to me, was, to lay them be- fore the General and Congrefs, with remarks on their infufficiency, that the Medical Committee might be in- cited to ufe more diligence, than heretofore, to fall on fome meafures for fupplying the Regimental Surgeons, with every neceffary to qualify them for greater ufeful* nefs in their ftation. I drew up, from the feparat;e re- ports delivered to me, one general return of the ftate of the abovementioned fifteen Regiments. All the in- ftruments were reported to be private property, and amounted to fix fets of amputating inftruments, two of trepanning ditto, fifteen cafes of pocket inftruments, feventy-five crooked, and fix ftrait needles. Amon:nz the whole fifteen Surgeons, there were only four fcaip- els or incifion knives, for dilating of wounds, or any other purpofe ; thxee pair of forceps, for extracting bullets ; half a paper and feventy pins •, and but few bandages, ligatures or tourniquets, and as little old lin- nen, lint or tow, but what they had procured from the General Hofpital ; and on-'.y two ounces of fpunge in all. Amazing deficiency for fifteen Surgeons, and as many Mates ! Upon inquiry how they could think of marching with their Regiments,, without providing, at leaft, old linnen for dreffings •, or of joining the army, without the ne- ceffary inftruments, as, if ever they reflected at -11, they muft be fenfible of the impropriety of fo doing, and of its being much eafier for each man, to procure thofe ar- ticles, within the fphere of his acquaintance, connex- ions or neighbourhood, than to obtain them in an ar- ■ my, in general, deftitute of neceffary fupplies, of what was not to be procured in America, but with great dif- ficulty. r 60 ) Acuity. Their conftant anfwer was, whenever they applied to their fuperior officers for thofe things, thty were always told, they would be furnifhed with eyciy thing they wanted, fo foon as they fhould have joined the army. Upon being informed that I had only a fuf- ficiency of thofe articles for the ufe of the General Hofpital, and that I would by no means unfurnifh it, Ho fupply them, tbey appeared quite confounded, and expreffed great uneafinefs, at having no proper eftab- lifhment ; and faid, they knew not how, or where to obtain the neceffary articles, to be any ways ufeful in the armv, if I did not affift them. As I was not ignorant of the many inconveniencies, under which they had hitherto laboured, from a want of attention in the Congrefs to relieve, or place them on a better footing, and as I felt for their diftrefs, I af- fure'd them of my readinefs to affift them, all ii my power, confiftently with my proper duty, and the or- ders 1 had, or fhould receive from Congrefs. I advifed them to meet in a body ; to converfe on the matter with each other ; and then chufe one or more Deputies, from each Bi igade, to ftate their helplefs fituation, and pray for relief ; in which I was willing to fecond their application, with all the influence of which I was xnafter. As they complained much of not being allowed pro- per Regimental Hofpitals, and, as I had, in oppofition 10 what always appeared to me to be the fentiments, both of the Congrefs and General, ever uniformly given it as my opinion, that Regimental'Surgeons and Regimental Hofpitals, under proper regulations, and due fubordination to the General Hofpital, might be ve- ry ufeful, I took that matter under my confederation. I likewife drew up a memorial,and propofals,to be fhewn to the General, for his approbation and concurrence, to be laid before Congrefs. At the fame time, I penned for the ufe of the Regimental Surgeons, a form, and directions for keeping a proper regifter of the fick, and for ( 61 ) for making every kind of neceffary returns of fick, provifions, &c. alfo tables of the various kinds ofdiet^ ufcd in the General Hofpital, as an example for them- felves, to copy after, under the heads of full diet, half diet, low diet, milk diet and fever diet, with the me- thod of calculating the differences'betwixt thefe, and the amount of tin well rations ; to enable them to draw the value of the difference, whether in cafh or refrefh- ments, but for the ufe of the fick only : And I fhewed them a lift of what inftiuments, bandages, ligatures, lint, tow, old finnen and other articles, I efteemed ne- ceffary for a Regiment • which I fhall fubjoin to the fubftance of the memorial and petition to Congrefs, and the propofals 1 had fketched out for their con- siders'ion.' At the firft meeting I had with them,by appointment, to confer .n thefe feveral particulars, before 1 produced the p^p is referred to, I addreffed them in thefe words, which I h?.d written, and of which I kept the original. ADDRESS to the SURGEONS. Gentlemen, I HAVE, with all the care and attention in my pow- er, taken into confideration, the ftate cf the Regi- mental Surgeons, with a view to getting them provided with Regimental Hofpitals, and pointing out the means for their being, in future, fupplied with the ufual requi- fites, for the more eafy, more regular, and more exten- five difcharge of the duties annexed to their ftation. To anfwer this end, I have confidered what is within our power, as matters now ftand, and what we are to aim at, for further improvement • and have, by a train of reflexions on the fubject, been led, in the firft place, to propofe certain regulations which appear to me to De both falutary and practicable, if they meet with your concurrence ; ( 6z ) concurrence j for which I fhall fubmit them to your heari-ng and ftrictures, for correction and amendment. If we can agree in them, it will be one ftep gained, and may ferve as a foundation, on which to proceed, in fmoothing every difficulty that may ftill remain, to- wards forming a more*perfect plan, or model of cecono- my, in the conducting of Military Hofpitals, and pro- viding for the fick and wounded. The next ftep which I apprehend we have to take, is to apply to Congrefs for an immediate fupply of chi- rurgical inftruments and bandages, for the Regimental Surgeons, and for its approbation of the propofed re- gulations, as well as that of the Commander in Chief; that thofe regulations may have a proper authority to reft upon, for their fanction and fupport ; and, 3dly, to fuggeft fuch others, as may be ftill more ufeful, in iFuture, fhould the continuance of '^the war make any further regulations neceffary. July, 1776. J. M. The MEMORIAL of the REGIMENTAL SURGEONS, To CONGRESS. Sets forth, rT"^ HAT when troops were affembled Jl in haftc, at the firft breaking out of the war, Regimental Surgeons were appointed to ac- company-them, provided with medicine chefts, from the different parts of the country, where they were raifed, at a Colonial expence.—That when it became a common caufe of the whole continent, and provifion ,was made, by Congrefs, for the care of the fick and wounded of the army, by the eftablifhment of a Gene- ( *3 ) ral Hofpital,with a Director General, four Surgeons and twenty Mates, there was no mention of the Regimental Surgeons and Mates, nor any provifion made for them, cither of medicines, inftruments, or other neceffaries ; yet they were kept in pay.—That, in this fituation, al- though it might be prefumea the Hofpital Surgeons and Mates, appointed to take care of the fick and wounded, were fcarccly fuflicient to attend fo great a number of patients as an unhealthy feafon, or an active campaign might produce ; yet the Regimental Surgeons and Mates, for want of a fuitable provifion, muft, in their prefent fituation, be very ufelefs j although they were fo much more numerous than the Hofpital Sur- geons and Mates, and always profeffed an ardent de- fire of being properly employed, and of anfwering the defign of their appointment.—That not knowing where elfe to look for relief, they had applied to the Director- General, who affured them of his inclination to ferve them ; but having no orders to iffue out fupplies to them, and it being unufual for Regimental Surgeons to depend upon the General Hofpital for all they wanted, he had advifed them to make application to the Com- mander in Chief, or Congrefs, for eftablifhing a proper method to obtain fupplies, promifing to fecood their applications, with the warmeft reprefentations from himfelf—That it%was with his advice, the prefent me- morial was drawn up, to lay before Congrefs.—That he had given them feveral meetings, and a let of propofals were agreed upon, as regulations, provided they met with the approbation of Congrefs, which were inclcftci for confideration ; prayi g for fuch relief on n. 6th'. That they make proper reports, extracted from faid ( 65 ) faid regifter, to accompany every perfon they recom- mend to the General hofpital,- with an account of ihe patients cafe, and previous treatment, and what cloath- ing is fent with each patient, certified by the Surgeon or Mate, and figned alfo by a comraiffioned officer. 7. That they make daily returns to theQuarter-Mafter or Adjutant of the regiment ; of the fick belonging to ' that regiment, who are unfit for duty, whether remain- ing under their own care, or fent to the General hofpi- tal, that no foldiers may be exempted from duty, as fick men, that are not borne on the Doctor's lift ; and that no rations be drawn for them, amongft the effective men, whilft they are drawn for with the fick, whether in the General or regimental hofpitals. 8. That they make weekly returns of the fick from their regifters, both in the General hofpital, and regi- mental, or brigade hofpitals, as well to the Director- General, as to the Commandant of the regiment or bri- gade, that a true ftate of the fick of the whole army may be made out, to lay before the Commander in chief, and to be tranfmi^ted to Congrefs, weekly. . 9. That agreeable to the fick lift returned to theDirector General, the regimental Surgeons be in titled to draw from the General hofpital, for the fick remaining un- der their care, any articles they may chtife, agreeable to the various diet tables made ufe of for the patients of the General holpital ; and whatever' other ftores or re- frefhments they chufe, with which the General hofpital is fupplied, to the full amount Of their rations. If they ( require more from the General hofpital, the fick are to be fent to the General hofpital 10. That the Colonels of regiments be allowed to draw monies for defraying any extraordinary or incidental charges of regimental hofpitals, and for fuch articles as are not to be got in the ftore of the General hofpital, nor in thecommiffarial or Quarter-Mafter's department-, and an account of the diiburfements to be fettled, with the weekly or monthly abftract of the regiment. I That ( 66 ) i r. That the ftate of the feveral regimental or brigade hofpitals, of the fick, and of the medicine chefts, be fub- ject to examination, from time to time, of the Director- General or fuch hofpital Surgeons as he fhall appoint to that duty. 12 That in all things.not particularly afcertainedin thefe regulations, the ufage of the Britifh and other armies be followed, till otherwife directed, as far as is confident with the good of the fervice. THE foregoing,as nearly as I can recollect,is the fub- ftance ot the memorial and propofals agreed upon. I remember the import well, if it differs materially, it is in the power of the regimental Surgeons to fhew the difference, by printing the orginial papers. I gave my drafts thereof to them, which they confidered, and pro- pofed fome alterations, that I convinced them could not be adopted. They acquiefced in the reafons I gave. I then made fomefmall emendations in the copies, which,. with the alterations and interlineations in my own hand writing, are ftill in poffeffion of Doctor Story, late Sur- geon of Colonel Little's regiment ; one of thofe who were prefent at the conference. It is not long fince I called on him for a copy of both the memorial and propofals. He promifed to let me have them ; but af- terwards, being void of honour, brok^ his word, for which he would affign no other reafon, than that he did not know what ufe I fhould make of them to his difadvantage, though I told him, before my defign of , publifhing them, and that I wifhed to have the original papers before me, or exact copies of them, that I might not be charged with any mifreprefentation to the pub- lick ; which, by communicating them to me, it was in his power to prevent. But this is not the only inftance of meannefs, joined with infolence of behaviour, which I have had occafion to publifh to the world, and which I have yet to produce, to delineate the cha- v&rtcv of this fhamelcfs man. Letter ( <7 ) LETTER SECOND. New-York, July, 1775". To Messieurs SAMUEL ADAMS, Efquire, And the reft of the Medical Committee of Congrefs. GENTLEMEN, HAVING put the General hofpital on a good footing at New-York, and provided it with a pretty confiJeiable ftock of what it may ftand in need of (as a general hofpital) I have thought it my duty to turn my attention to the regimental turgcons. Their fitu ttion, ever fince I have been in the army, has been fuch as to require a great deal of regulatioB. If 1 were to confine mvfelf to the true and proper bufinefs of Director General of the hofpital, 1 fhould have very little concerns with them as regimental Sur- geons, according to the plan of the Britifh eftablifhment. It would be principally confined to the receiving fuch fick from them, into the General hofpital, as they cou-ld not take care of themfelves ; to affift in the examination of fuch as offered themfelves candidates for the places of Surgeons and M.itjsj and to give orders to them to fup- ply themfelves with proper medicinal chefts, for each regiment, and all the inftrnments and implements necef- fary for them to be provided with, and fee it done. The making provifion of thofe articles fhould depend on themfelves j but they ought to be fupplied with the means, whether by an allowance of money adequate to the provifion, or by a ftoppage from the mens pay. I found them, upon enquiry, deftitute of every arti- cle, whether of medicines, inftruments, bandages or other implements of furgery ; and not knowing where to provide what was neceffary, or who to look to f<*»: affiftance. WitL .(' 68 ) With a view'to promote the fervice all that lay in my power, I have attempted to bring them together, to exa- mine into the ftate of their wants ; to point out what they ought to be furnifhed with •, to direct them where to look for fupplies ; and to bring them under fome proper regulations. To anfwer thefe feveral purpofes, I began, by re query- ing the General to iffue out Orders for each Surgeon, to make a return of what medicines fie had on hnnd.- To my forrow, I muft fay it, excepting two or tluee Regiments, the ftock of all the Regiments at Cam- bridge put together, would fcarcely have made one good cheft I procured all I could get atBofton,and have, from thence, and from fome purrhafes of fhops at Sa- lem, and fome articles I got at Newport, Norwich and New-York, furnifhed Regimental chefts to all the Re- gimental S.urgeons, who have hitherto applied, to the amount of near twenty ; and am ftill furnifhing all the new regiments that daily come in^ In the next place, I fketched cut a plan of conduct, for the Surgeoils of Regiments in cafe of action, of which the General approved, and gave out in orders, that they fhould attend, and take directions from me, on that head *. At the fame time, I defired a re- port to be delivered in, of their Surgeons inftruments, and bandages fit for ufe, agreeable to a form given them for the purpofe. Fifteen Regimental Surgeons made their returns accordingly ; from which I have drawn up one general return, to fhew the amount : I fuppofe them to be, at leaft, as well provided as any others, that have neglected to pay due attention to the or?!er ; and do find, that the Regiments now coming in have Surgeons and Mates, but not one article of medicine, or any thing in the way of Surgery, but all depend on me for fupplies. ^ I have fketched out, what in my opinion, every Re- giment ought to be fupplied with, in the way of inftru- ments. £ See that plan and orders of July 3d, P»ge 54. ( tfo ) ments. By comparing this fketch.with the returns made for fifteen Regiments, the great want of every thing effential to thtun, as Surgeons, will be evident. To make amends for their defect, lam well off in the Gen. Hofpital,except in a few particulars. I have provided 10,000 bandages, have fome hundred old fheets, and a flock of medicines (tho' unafforted ; ) I have of capi- tal inftruments nearly enough for Hofpital ufe. But, in the mean time, what is to become of the Regimental Surgeons ? Should I divide my ftores amongft them, they would be diffipated, and ourfelves left deftitute. To obferve a medium. I have ordered to be iffued from the General Hofpital ftores, 60 bandages, 2 fheets, 4 tovirniquets, a quantity of lint and tow, and a cheft of medicines, out of what I have collected with the af- fiftance of the Hofpital Surgeons and Mates, who bare no proportion, in number, to the Regimental Surgeons and Mates, ^rhere being, perhaps, 40 Regiments here,) referving the reft to fupply that particular part of the army which may ftand in moft need : But of inftru- ments, I have none to fpaie, and I begin to want fome capital medicines.— Moreover, fymptoms of a putrid fever begin to appear. In this fituation, I have called many of the Regi- mental Surgeons together ; have had a conference with them; defired a deputation from each Brigade; have given them a plan of regulations for Regimental Hof- pitals, and a form of a memorial, or reprefentation to Congrefs. They all look to me, for fupplies of every thing they want : I have no authority for that purpofe. It is contrary to my judgment t© fupply them with all they want. To prove this, I refer you to all who know any thing of the matter. I refer you to Dr. Bafs, in Philadelphia, who knows thele matters as well as any man : I refer you to a copy of a letter, on this fubject, from a man of experience, which I enclote *. I muft not, I durft not tranfgrefs orders, or exceed my * r»-r the next \t"»r- ( 70 ) line of duty more than difobey, or go contrary to them. It is the fame thing. I call for orders. I fhall llirink from no fatigue : Say what is my duty, and to the beft of my power, I will obey : But leave me not without orders. Every General, every Colonel of a Regiment, every furgeon in the army think I have full power, and ample inftructions, and know not where to apply for the relief of their men, if fick or wounded, and needing uncommon fupplies, if I cannot afford them. It is a cruel fituation. My errand to Philadelphia was to reprefent thefe things ; to fettle the channels of fup- ply •, to obtain fuflicient means, or authority fufficient jo procure them. I am bound to a fpot : Scarcely could I obtain permiffion to leave this place, for a few days, to come to Philadelphia, and lay thefe matters before you. Again, I am preffed on the fide of Canada. I have wrote preffingly oh this fubject. I have fent you a let- ter from Dr. Potts He fays, there are 3000 fick, coming to Albany. I have not received the leaft an- fwer, or inftrudtion from Congrefs ; nor can I give any affiftance to that part of the army, without oiders or power. Let them give me orders, whether limited or ample, they fhall be obeyed. I will anfwer for my conduct. But do not make me nominal Gen. Direct- or, and leave me, at the fame time, a deftitute, a help- lefs one. I have requffteel my proportion of the medi- cines in the hands of Meffieurs Delaney and Smith, to' be kept farced, untouched, fubject to my order : Per- haps it is too late to repeat the requeft. I will inclofe this, wirh a plan obferved by the Bri- tifh, in the conduct of their General and Regimental Hofpitals ; and papers to illuftrate and fupport what 1 have written ; fufficient to compile fome rules, or form fome orders. 1 beg inftruments may be fent us, par- ticularly amputating ; crooked needles and fpunge. The enemy are at hand : The campaign is opening : I have done all my limited power will allow. I hope, though ( p ) though late, almoft too late, yet that it is not altoge- ther fo, either to receive power, inftructions, or means to regulate the affairs of my department. I have done my duty, in giving the neceffary information for what is connected with it, and iq preparing for the faithful difcharge of my truft. I now reft the matter on your determinations, being, with all poffible regard, Gentlemen, Your moft dutiful and obedient Servant, JOHN MORGAN. Norwalk, February 12, 1777. CC/* I rtmembcr to have heard Doctor MORGAN read this letter, about the month of July lafl, with feve- ral others on the fubjebl, to fhew what he was then doing, •to put the Regimental Surgeons on fome better footing. W. Eustis, Surgeon in the Gen. Hofp. THE only letter I received from Mr. Adams, is dated Auguft 5, in which he fays : '* I have received feveral letters from you, which I fhould have fooner acknowledged, if I could have found leifure. I took, however, the neceffary fteps, to have what you re- quefted, effected in Congrefs." THE letter from a gentleman,originally confulted by Congrefs, on the eftablifhmcnt of the General Hof- pital, mentioned in the note, page 69 ; being the fame with that to which I referred General WASH- INGTON, in my memorial page 6, is as follows : To ( 7^ ) To Doctor JOHN MORGAN, Director-General of the Continental Hofpitals, At CAMBRIDGE, &c. Philadelphia, February 24, 1776. SIR, LAST week, f received yours, of the ift inft. The Regimental Surgeons were never allowed medicines from the Hofpital, unlefs their own happen- ed to be expended, from being long encamped in a part of the country, where none could poffibly be got: And to prevent their being out of medicines, as much as poffible, previous to their taking the field, their medicine chefts were always examined, by order of the Commander in Chief, by the officers of the Hofpital; to fee they were provided with their proper ftores for the fervice they were going upon, and a report was made to the Commander in Chief, acco* d-n^iy. When it was found proper to deliver them medicines, they were no more than might ferve them till they went into quarters, or could be fupplied from any neighbour- ing place. As to any other stores, I never knew them once thought of, or demanded. Every Regiment had an Hofpital to itfelf, for flight cafes, which the Surgeon and his Mates took care of; the charges of which were always defrayed by the Re- giment. The medicinal and cliirurgical ftores for the Hofpi- tal were, for every campaign, fixed and ordered, the preceeding winter, by the Phyficians, Apothecaries and Surgeons, in a joint confultation. To give you our long lifts of medicines, &c. ( " on any expedition lafi war, as you requefl," J would avail you little at prefent, as many of the articles are not to be ( 73 ) be had; nay, lam certain, one half of them might, at any time, be left out : When you come to town, you fhalf fee them : They are too long for a letter. We always made our own bandages, fpljnts. tourni- quets, &c from old linnen, leather, Sec. we fent out on purpofe. We had never lefs than five hundred old fheets, and two or three hundred fkins came ©ut at once, which the Hofpital Mates made into the different kinds of bandages, Sec. in common ufe. General Gates can inform you, that the eftimates I gave in for the Hofpital, including the pay of the offi- cers, were ten thoufand pounds for the firft fix months, for ten thoufand men, and in the fame proportion for a larger number. I am, Sir, Your moft humble Servant, &c„ The following is a report of v. hat initra- ments, bandages, ligatures, tow, &c. a Regimental Surgeon and Mate ought to have in readinefs, for fervice, in cafe of action, for a Regiment, confiding of a thoufand men ; and fo in proportion. Inftruments for Surgeon and Mate. Eanda»ei, &c. Linnen, &:. A fet of amputating Inltru-ments, confifting ef at leaft A large knife, a faw with ifto bladei, Of Bandages, Rol-leu, &c. of various kinds, at Icaft 300. One or two dozen fets of fpiints, 1 % dczen cemmcri tear] Six pan 01 cid fheet», cr rags equi-valent, for comp.-cfl*-es, &c. Linr, a or 3 pounds at leatr, K 12 crooked ( 74 ) XI crooked needles, and a fcrew tourniquet. A cafe of 6 incifion knives, 2 fets of pocket inftruments, 4 bullet forcipef, an artery forceps, z dozen ft rait needles, a paper of pins, a cafes of lancets. n'quetj, 3 ounces of thread, foi ligatures, a peice or two of inch wide tape, 16 or 18 inches fquare of fadler's- leather, and a piece of fadler's inch wide girting. Bandages, tourni- quets, fplints, &c. ftiouH be made by the Surgeon and Mate. 6 pounds cf fine tow, 6 ounces of fponge. J. M. ». c. IN the fame packet, with the foregoing letter to the Medical Committee of Congrefs, page 67 ; I in- clofed a variety of papers for their confideration, name- ly, copies of the inftructions given to the Regimental Surgeons July the third, page 54 ; of their intended memorial to Congrefs, page 62.; of the regulations propsfed and agreed upon with them, for the allow- ance of Regimental Hofpitals, page 64 •, of the pre- ceeding letter, from a gentleman at Philadelphia, very converfant in the fubject, to fhew what were the ufages and cuftoms of the General Hofpifal, in the Britifh fer- vice ; and particularly to declare what kind of ftores, and under what circumftances, the Regimental Sur- geons were allowed to draw from the General Hofpi- tal in that fervice, page 72 ; and of the foregoing re- port of inftruments and bandages neceffary for every Regiment, page 73 ; together with copies of the dif- ferent diet tables, and other regulations of the General Hofpital. Thefe were feverally indorfed and numbered, being calculated for the purpofe, and intended to an- fwer the prbmife I had made his Excellency Ge- neral WASHINGTON, in the beginning of my let- ter to him, of March, page 32 ; by explaining the na- ture, both of the General and Regimental Hofpitals; pointing t 75 ) , ' pointing Cut the ufes and proper g'lrerrur.'8,-1 of esch ; their feparate and diftinct defigns •, the means of fsp- plying the Regimental, and rendering them more ufe? ful, by placing them in a due fubordination to the Ge- neral, Hofpitals. I did not doubt the works being ac- ceptable, both to the General and the Congrefs, as it might be fuppofed, they were not much verfed them- ■ • felves, in thefe matters •, with which, however, it was neceffary for the good of the fervice, they fhould be acquainted. f o underftand the better what were the ufes of the copies of the different diet tables, and of other^ regu- lations of the General Hofpital, which accompanied my letter to the lu dical Committee of Congrefs ; and to demonftrate, at the fame time, what pains I was at, to introduce method and exadtnefs into every branch of the department eotrufted to my care, as I have omitted to mention the particulars before, it will be very proper ' . to take notice, in this place, of the fteps I had taken for that purpofe, when at Cambridge. So foon after my arrival in the army as to have been. able to take a review of the ftate, in which the General Hofpital then was, I appointed a meeting of the Hof- pital Surgeons, to take under confideration the proper fteps to be purfued for the better government of the Halpital. I, therefore, in the firft place, fhewed them my commiffion, with the inftructions from Congrefs for the eftablrfhment of the General Hofpital •, I ex- plained to them my idea, of the duties of the feveral officers, and gave them a form of the various returns which I expected to be made, on the various occafions of the Hofpital. I laid before them the different diet tables that were in ufe, in the General Hofpital of the Britifh army, la ft war, as well as thofe in the different Hofpitals of London and Weftminfter, with all the re- gulations obferved, in each diftinct part and office, for the government of St. Thomas's Hofpital, which I had pictured at the time I was pupil there, under the cele- • bi^teti ( 7* ) ferated Phyficians, Milner, Akenfide and Ruffell, and brought with me to the army. With thefe.regulations before us, compared with the nature and difeafes of the climate, and thofe incident to an army, with the provifions of the country, and manner of living, as well as the nature of our eftablifli- mentj' feveral fets of niles were drawn «p for the bet- ter regulating of our own Hofpitals, and particularly for ascertaining, and enforcing the duties of the Sur- geons, the Mates, the Apothecaries, the Stewarts, the Matron and Nurfes, the Waiters and Attendants ; and alfo rules for the obfei vance of the Patients. It would protract this piece, to too great a length, were I to in- d'ert them here : Itb.erefore content myfelf, with taking notice, that the perfecting them was a work of time and of mature reflexion, which would do no difcredit to any of the gentlemen that were concerned in the performance, were I to pubiifh them-at large. And I Hiuft, to do juftice to this tafk enjoined them, which was fubm'itted to my own corrections, oblerve, that it was tfie means'of introducing that, exactitude in duty,. . and that better ceconomy and difcipline into the Ge- neral Hofpital, that were wanted; as might be naturally expected} by means^of whi-.h, all the pioper bufinefs of the Hofpital was afterwards conducted with more regularity, eafe and farisfaction to the officers, and greater benefit and advantages to the patients ; all which were much wanted, in all the r:ranfactions I have ever had with the Regimental Surgeons. This I thought a proper employment for a Director ' General, and deferving the attention of the Congrefs and Commander in Chief. I therefore difpatched them to the General, by return of one of his fervants, fent to engage me to come to Head-Quarters, for his peru- fal it fit ft, and then to be forwarded to Congrefs; hoping he would be pleafed to fecond my letter to Con- grefs, with fome reprefentation from himfelf, of the neceffity of adopting thefe, or fome other regulations -■ to ' ( 77 ) to anfwer the intention, for which thefe papers might ferve as a proper foundation on which to proceed. They were accompanied with a note to Colonel Reed the Adjutant-General, in which I wrote as follows : S I R, I imagine the annexed regulations, Sec. for the eftablifhment, management and fupplies of the Regi- mental Hofpitals, will be of great ufe in the army, and tend to remove the frequent complaints of Regimental Surgeons, ' reflecting the want of fome better provi- fion for the fick under their care, and enable them to difcharge their duty with more chearfulness, and advantage to the fervice. They are fubmitted with the Memorial &ro to Con- grefs, to General Wafhington's perufal, if he has time to confider them, for his approbation it will appear on reading them, that thofe, or fome fuch regulations, are much wanted, and cannot take place, unlefs they have his fanction in General Orders. Perhaps you may have fo much leifure as to examine the feveral encloled papers, and communicate the fub- ftance of them to the General, if he is not iufficiently difengaged to look over them, himfelf. 1 intsnd, agreeeable to your defire, to be at Head-Quarters early, to come at two o'clock, that there may be fome time for converiing on this fubject, before dinner." I requested, that after the General had latisfied him- felf in refpect to the contents of thefe papers, they might be forwarded with his difpatches to Congrefs. WHEN next I had. ■?.» opportunity of fpeaking with thf General, and fuppofed he might have acquainted himfelf with the purport and efign of thofe papeis, I took the liberty of afking his opinion of than.' He had been greatly hurried, a< I could perceive by the 'number of applicant? to hvvnfVlf, on a vaik-'y of bufi- ( 78 ) nefs, of different departments. His anfwer, therefore, was fuch as might be expected, couched in the follow- ing interrogatory : How can you think, 1 have time to read over fuch a bundle of papers ? I told him I was fenfible of his fituation, and how precious his time was ; that the reafon of my troubling him with fo much writing, was that he might not be interrupted by long confultations, though on the moft neceffiuy matteisj - but be able to make himfelf mafter of the fubject, when moft at leifure to confider it, with the means be- fore him : I informed him as briefly as poffible, of the general contents, and what I had written to the Adju- tant General, in whofe abilities he placed great confi- dence ; and concluded with a requeft, that if he fhould not have leifure fhortly, to read them over himfelf, that he would refer them to Colonel Reed, or any other perfon he chofe, to give him an account of them, that fome orders might iffue in confequence : They related to important matters, and nothing could be done in them, withqtit his orders, on which he let me know, that I fhould hear from him foon, on the bufinefs they were intended to recommend to his notice. I think it was that very day, the refolves of Con- grefs, July 17th, came to hand, and were communicated to me, of which I obtained a certified copy from the Adjutant-General, and another, about four days after- wards from Colonel Robert H. Harrifon, Secretary to the General, which bears date July 26, 1776. In the mean time, the Regimental Surgeons, who Y>'cre impatient to know the General's mind, that they ♦ might take their meafuies accordingly, for making a perfonal application to himfelf, which they judged would anfwer as well as applying to Congrefs ; or for forwarding the memorial and petition to Congrefs, as might appear moft fuitable, on knowing his mind •, were made acquainted with the beforementioned refolves. Thefe refolves produced a general difguft in the Regi- mental Surgeons, as they anticipated, and might pre- vent C 79 5 vent the fuccefs of any application to Congrefs at that time ; and cut them off" from all prefent hopes ©f car- rying into execution, their favourite fcheme of having Regimental Hofpitals under their own management, furnifhed and fupplied to their wifhes ; and from the expectation of handling public monies. The chagrin and bitternefs of fpirit which they ma- nifefted on this occafion, is inexpreffible ; and every mean artifice that could be deviled, was carried into execution by fome of them, to cwanteract, and, if pof- fible, to evade thofe refolves. They gave proof indeed, that, for the infamy of it, deferves to be recorded, to what degrees of weaknefs, blindnefs and folly, men deftitute of the principles of honour and honefty will ,be tranfported, by a falfe pride, and the difappointment of fecret and ambitious views, when they prefer the gratification of their own defires, however unjuft, to the intereft of the caufe they are engaged to promote, if oppofed to each other. But I fhall defer giving the p rticulars, till 1 have firft communicated a letter, which with a view to ferve thofe ungratefal men all in my power, I wrote to General Wafhington, and is as fol- lows : New-York, July 25, 1776. To his Excellency General WASHINGTON, S I R, '"jp H E Congrefs having cora? into a number of re- folves reflecting the General Hofpital, &c I find that one of them, as it now Hands, gives great uneafi- nefs to the Regimental Surgeons. It is that which pro- hibits ihem fiom diawing upon the Hofpital of their department for any ftores, except medicines and inftru- ments ; and orders, that when any fick perfon fhall r *° ) - require other rtore.% they fhall be received into the Ge- neral Hofpital, and the rations of the faid fick peifons be flopped, fo long as they are in the faid Holpital. The Regimental Surgeons feem to think, if this re- folve fhould remain as it now" Hands, without any pallia- tive co* iliuction in fi.vor of fupplying the fick, under their caie, with neceffary articles of diet, &c. (for no provifion is maele by any of thele refolves for changing the diet of the fick, and their rations would be very improper diet ) they have nothing left, but immediate- ly to order the whole of their fick into the General Hofpital. What would be the confequence ? Inftead of about three hundred, which is the prefent number of the fick in the General Hofpital, it would imme- diately amount to two thoufand or upwards, and the numbers increafe every day. Cut where we fhall get room for them, is the difficulty ; and in cafe of an ac- tion, and many perfons being wounded, that difficuj|f^ would increafe : The General Hofpital would be crowd- • ed, and the Regimental Surgeons, who profefs their ar- dent defire of being ufefully employed, would complain of having nothing to do. Rut what is the worft part of it, as the dyfenteiy, and fevers of a putrid kind now prevail ; the crowding fo many together into the Gene- ral Ho(pital,would certainly engender a malignant, ptfti- lential fever, that would threaten the ruin of the army. Thefe difficulties, in my opinion, might for the pre- fent, be got over in one of thefe two ways, the choice of which is left to your Excellency. The firft, is by adopting a fet of regulations, drawn • up and agreed upon, betwixt the Regimental Surgeoris and myfelf, (if it met with your Excellency's approba- tion,) and which I laid before your Excellency, a fort- night ago,for your confideration. Otherwife, let the Regimental Surgeons be fullered to keep fuch men in their own Regimental Hofpitals, under their own care, whofe cafes would endanger the fpreading of putrid and infectious diftempers Let them ( «i ) *hcm be reported to, and born on the lift of patients1 admitted into, the General Hofpital,but remain with the Regimental Surgeons, under their care : Then t^eir rations will be itopped, difcounted with the Commiffa- ry-General, and in lieu thereof, they will receive fup- plies of fucb articles, as the General Hofpital can fur- nifh them with ; of wine, vinegar, molaffes, meal, &c. which I believe would not far exceed the amount of thofe rations : fhis would anfwer to a plan I propofed to your Excellency lafi winrer, and which was approv- ed : Y©ur Excellency Only wifhed then, that fome me- thod might be taken to prevent the rations of the fick being twice drawn. I apprehend that matter is' fully guarded againft, by the method pointed out by the 6th refolve of Congrefs, of July 17, on the fubject of the G. Hofpital. The firft method would give the greateft fa- tisfaction.riot only to theRtgimentalSurgeons.but to tlie officers, and to the men ; and an experiment would be made of the real expence attending Regimental Hofpi- tals, and every caufe, or even madow of complaint. vanifh : It would encourage the foldier in his duty,, and if it is found, on trial, fubject to any abufe, £ imagine that abufe could be eafily remedied, by future regulations, or a ftoppage in the men's pay, at, the timet of a new enliftment. The prefent increafe of the fick is a ferious matter, and requires a fpeedy remedy. I regret the calling for your Excellency's attention (for ever fo fhort a time) to my department ; but, I flatter myfelf, the importance of the fubject, and the advantages which may accrue to the fervice from it, will evince the neceffity, and' be a fufficient apology for it. I remain, Your Excellency's moft obedient, and very humble Servant, • JOHN MORGAN. L ANY ( ^2 ) ANY man of the leaft knowledge of the world, that reflects ever fo little, will readily own, how difa- greeable a piece of bufinefs it muft be, for any gentle- man, to break in upon a Commander in Chief, circum- ltanced as General WASHINGTON was, with fo great a burden of managing an army of undifciplined J men, in which the nature and extent of the vaiious * departments were fo unfettled, and fo few officers knew their duty, and therefore teized . with numberlefs applications, which rnuft make him, at times, un- avoidably, more difficuk of accefs ; and to importune him repeatedly on bufinefs, which is fuppofed to be already fettled, cither by his own orders, or thofe of Congrefs, muft be very irkfome. After reading the' foregoing letter, can there be a perfon found, who will not allow that I exerted J myfelf to the very utmoft in favour of the Regiment- J al Surgeons, to ferve them to the extent of my abi- 1 lity; and after thofe repeated exertions, and fteady .'«£ perfeverance at all times, to promote their reafonable wifhes, as far as was confiftent with my duty, even in opposition to the fentiments of the General and Con- ' grefs, when theirs did not agree with my own fenti- ments ; was not the ingratitude and wickednefs of thofe Regimental Surgeons of the deepeft dye ; becaufelwould not facrifice to their importunate craving, the duty of my ftation, and the truft repofed in me, as well as the com- mands of my fuperiors ; to be guilty, as they were, of private cabals and fecret confpiracies, (of which I have lately received full proof,) to injure my cha- racter, and mifreprefent my conduct, with a view, if poffible, to ruin me, for ever, in the public efteem ? , ' THAT none may imagine I wifhed to reduce the .Regimental Surgeons to any improper -dependence on •; myfelf, which might be affigned as a reafon for their oppofition to me, I think fit to declare, that 1 never fought ^ ( 83 ) fought for any authority over them, inconfiftent with their true intereft, or upon any occafion, that J was not compelled to affume On the contrary. I declined thofe occafions that frequently offered, of making therh more dependent upon me, than I knew would be agreea . ble to themfelves, ever fince they had fcakm exceptions to the General's public order at Cambridge, that no Regimental Surgeons fhould receive commiffions in the army to be raifed,for the time to come, till they had fubmitted to fuch examination of their abilities, as I thought neceffary ; and had found means to evade it, by prevailing with their Colonels, who {I have been informed) had blank commiffions by them, to fill them up with the names of the former Surgeons, without any regard to that order. Yet if I had ever made any reprefentation of this matter to the General, I am con- vinced, he would not have fuffered his own orders to have been difpenfed with, in fo extraordinary a man- ner. So far was he from defiring to enlarge their pow- ers, or to leffen my authority, that he was pleafed to propofe it to me, himfelf, in one of the laft confer- ences, T had with him, on the fubject of regulating the Regimental Surgeons, in order to make them more abfolutely dependent upon me, that they fhould receive warrants at my hands only, for acting in that ftation. This propofal I declined, on purpofe to avoid the envy that would attend fo much power, and the confequent mifconftructions that, I was confident, wojld be paffed on the moft perfect and upright ufe, that any man, in my poft, could make of it. I was defirous. to avoid giving room for jealoufies to a fet of men, of fuch tur- bulent and refractory tempers, as I difcovered fome of them to be, and of which I experienced the ill effects in the inflances 1 have already, and am further to re- late, of Mr. Story. He once called upon me, on bufinefs of Colonel Little's Regiment, foon after my arrival from Cam- in ( 84 ) bridge to New-York, when I had not yet laid afide all thoughts of finifhing the tafk began at Cambridge, on the genera 's order, to examine the Regimental bur- geons, with a view to confirm thofe who were qualified for the office, and to report fuch as were deficient in education, or abilities. . He bad been previoufly re- prcfent<;d to me, as a mere firebrand ; and as one that was not thought to be properly qualified for a Sur- geon's place j whether juft.ly, or not, I fhall not pre* fume *o fay, ,as I never proceeded to any examination of his abilities I afked him whether he acted as Sur- geon to that Regiment: He told me that he did. On reminding him of the General's order, for examining.. N the Regimental Surgeons,'he behaved in a very info- lent,and impertinent manner,giving me to know, ** that • he had his commiffion already no thanks to me, ivhich was as Viiiid, and of as good authority as my own, and that, truiy, he never would fubmit to any examination * .of mine " . >. . < " - '■ . Had I been difpofed to treat him, as he merited on that occafion, I imagine he would have found that I could eafily have obliged him, to it, or to quit the fer- vice : But peace was my object. ,„This made me pafs • over his prefent ludends of behavibur ; and encourag- ed him ik thofe-' fubfequent acts of infblence, and dif- IionouraWe conduct, which,I believe,took their rife from th- above cm ft- ; and if be. was not always at the bot- tom, yet he .'always fhewed himfelf to be one of the moft violent ag!ta;orsi "and fomentors of difturbances,>jr t'iVdt i have ever met with..., : . : * If i may be ad-owed to mention, in this place, what I fake »o b" 'he true caufes of the malevolence of the Re- ; follUJOIli , ( 86 ) folutions of Congrefs : And again, their infufing jea- losies and groundlcfs fufpicions into fuch otficeis as they could influence by their reprefentations, and at- tempting, by that means, to miflead the General Offi- cers and Members of Congrcis, to my prejudice. Whatever mifchances happened to the ficlc riom their own perverfencfs, or ignomnce, were laid by them at my door, as one fo wedded to his own plan, as not to yield to the united voice of all the Regimental Sur- geens, to come into their meafures. And, true it is, my perfeverance in what 1 conceived to be my duty, and for the good of the feivice, was unfhaken ; nor could any confideration "induce me to deviate from the commands of my fupei »ors ; although, had the Con- grefs leeri fit to alter tntir refolves, in fome particu- lars, I fhould have thought it would have been for the better, as my letteis fully prove. I am now led, in the order of events, to lay before the public,fome fpecimens of the wickednefs of that fet of. men, in counterfeiting, caballing, and endeavouringwto make impreffions upon General Officers and others, in their favour, and to my prejudice. And firft, as to their acto counterfeiting, and pafling what they had counterfeited as a refolve of Congrefs. Having already mentioned the chagrin and bitternefs of fpirit, which many of them difcovered, on knowing the refolves of Congrefs, July 17 ; wlvch cut r,ff all their immediate hopes to effect their favorite fcheme,, of having Regimental Hofpitals allowed them, on iuch a footing, as to enable them to accumulate ftores at „ pleafure, and to give them fome difpofal of puhic mo- 'fj nies ; it is to be remarked, that what compleated their chagrin was, the determination of Cengiefs, which had before raifed the pay of themfelves and Mates, to increafe that of the Hofpital Surgeons and Mates, which was always more than theirs, in fuch proportion as they ,. thought proper •, but what above all things kindled - their malice and refentnaent was, that the Congrefs, in the i s7 ) the fame vote, had alfo refolved, that the Hofpital Sur- geons and Mates fhould take rank of Regimental Sur- geons and Mates, as beforementioned, lee page 29. Let it be remembered, than, to the perpetual infamy of the mean fcandalous fet who were guilty of it, that , upon my furnifhing them with a copy of thofe re- folves, for the information of all the Surgeons in the army, they made an alteration in the copy of the eighth refolve, by leaving out the particle cf, and fubftituting Ihe word with in its place, which mad^e an entire Change of the meaning of that refolve, into another of an oppofite fignification thus foifting in a brat of their own begetting, to uftVp the authority of a vote of Congrefs, they difcovered what their fecret machi- nations tended to continually, as if this filly device could ferve the purpoie of their wifhes, to lower the eftimation of the General-Holpital, and raife them- felves into imaginary copfequtnee. After paffing this counterfeit lefolve, and circulat- ing it brifkly, two of their champions, the famous Doctor Story, and an affociate of his, with a view to infult the gentlemen of the Hofpital, went about, ex- ulting in imaginary triumph, to vent their reproachful language againft them, and thereby had nearly accOm- r plifhed what they were intent upon ; which was, to make'their fituation fo difagreeable, notwithstanding they never interfered with them, as to induce them ra- ther to quit a ftation that was rendered fo irkfome by them, rather than be fubject to fuch infolence of con- duct. One of thofe gentlemen was Doctor Warren, • (brothei to the deceaftd General Warren,) a gentle- man, who was fo happy, as to gain the ,tfteem of all who knew him, by his unde: (landing, his humanity* his affable and police behaviour, and bis gieat afiiduity and attention'to difcharge the duties of his ftaiion: He was at hat time acting in the place of a Director of « the Military Hofpitals af Long-Ifland, (where, among others, .Colonel Little's Regiment \1r2sported;,) with the r sa ) title arid pay only of Surgeon in the General Hofpital, in which hs had given great fatisfaction to General Green, and every officer of rank at Long-Ifland, who always fpoke of him, to me, in high terms of appro- bation. On which, it may not be amifs, tranfiently, to confider this, as a full proof how falutary thofe orders were, which I had given, for providing for the relief and comfortable accommodations of the fick at Long. Ifland, as well as the efficacy with which they were car- ried into execution, by the wifdom and prudence of the officer who managed the Hofpital department there, by my inftiuctions. Disappointed in theif malicious defigns, in the firft, they defifted not from other, attempts, to perplex the officers of the General Hofpital •, and till their aims were accomplifhed, a party of them determined to leave nothing undone, which they could have hopes of effecting, to produce a prevailing uneafinefs ^nddif- eontent in the General Hofpital. In confequence of my letter to General Wafhing- ton, of July 25th, in1 favour of the Regimental Sur- geons, the Adjutant-General called upon me, by his Excellency's command, to confider how far theirs and my requeft could be granted, confiftently with the in- tention of Congrefs, without fetting afide their re- folves. On which, fuch General Orders were iffued out July 28, as I thought would afford them fome fa- tisfaction, if the good of the fervice was what they had in view, and not their own private advantage and ' emolument. But I was greatly miftaken in this fup- pofition : They were allowed Regimental Hofpitals under certain reftrictions ; amongft which one was, a power given me to fend Hofpital Surgeons to vifit their Hofpitals, to prevent crowding them, and keeping more fick on hand, than they could take good care of, who were to be judges what patients were proper objects for, and directed to receive them iato the General Hofpital. They clamoured exceedingly, drew up an appli- cation . ( «9 ) cation to the General on that head, which was laid be* fore a Council of General Officers ; and fome farther points given up to them, by a General order of Auguft the third. The-infolence of a party of the Regiment- al Surgeons rofe, in proportion, as they were gratified in any conceffions made to them, by the officers of the Hofpital, for the fake of peaGe ; who never vifited their tfick, on that account, but fubmitted to receive > them', as they faw fit to report, and fend them to the General Hofpital, rather than give room for fuppofing thty had any, contentioq;with the Regimental Surgeons 3 ""H In truth they had not ; unlefs the fire which was kept .Jfeup, on one fide only, b/ a factious part of the Regi- ment il Surgeons, could be called a contention, and to the keeping up of which, the Hofpital Surgeons only ' contributed by their patience, and fuffering for a while, for the good of the fervice, thofe men to fport them- felves, without interruption, in their unreafonable pur- fuirs, or by oppofing them only, with gentle remon- ftrances. If this is contention, itis of that fort of which • Juvenal, in his fatyr, gives a lively defcription, " ubi tu calcas, eeo vapulo tantum" or in which one fide re- - ceives, and the other gives all the blows. At length, the fenfe of what was due to themfelves wrought fo far upon the two eldeft of the Hofpital Surgeons, Dr. Fpfter and .Dr. Warren, who princi- pally experienced the infolence of thole men ; that, be- ing unwilling to endure it further, and equally un- willing to be concerned in any difputes with them,, thev chofe rather to quit their prefent .ftations : The former let me know his intention to leave the fervice ; and the latter, in a genteel, manly and fenfible letter, made known' to me his fituation, and the refolutions into which this conduct: of theirs, had forced hira : ' He reprefented to me, what he had experienced from the rude and ungovernable temper of this fet of men ; that, not content with the determination of Congrefs and the General orders reflecting them, they ( 9° ) were ever reftlefs, and ever making new and unautho- rized demands, inconfiftent with the peace and good government of the General Hofpital 5 that they were feeking continual occafions for difpute and differences; and as they found the gentlemen of the Hofpital did not chufe, on every occafion, which they knew how to call forth for matter of difputation,to ti guble either me or themlelves with frequent references of their dilputes, they would gradually gain one point after another, till all their encis were, atlaftanfweied, in the fubverfion and ruin of the General Hofpital In this fituation, as there were daily expectations of the enemys landing at L-ong-Ifiand he flattered himfelf, he could be> more ufeful in the military, than in the hofpi- tal department, thus circumftanced-; and requefted my permiffion, that he might refign his place in the General Hofpital, and be allowed to act as a volun-, teer, upon the approaching action. To have been deprived of the affiftance of thofe gentlemen, at fo critical a time, whofe places I could not have fupplied, with others of equal experience in the conducting of Military Hofpitals, on 'he plan of the Congrefs, would have thrown the 'department into that confufion, which a defigning party were bufy to excite, in hopes, by fifhing in troubled waters, to de- rive thofe advantages to themfelves, in the accom- plifhment whereof, their wifhes feemed to center. By explaining to the gentlemen of; the Hofpital, the mis- take into which this perverfe conduct of the party had led them, and by fupporting their authority, in a proper manner, on every occafion, they were con- tented to continue in their ftations. The next meafures thofe men chofe to take, as I have fince learned, from information that I can depend upon, was to intereft fuch officers, over whom they had, or could acquire any influence, to make repre- sentations, in their behalf, to Members of Congrefs, and ( 91 ) - and to the General. I have caufe to believe this was often done to the former, without my having the leaft intelligence of their proceedings : Of courfe, I had it not in my power to explain matters, that ought to bo known, or to obviate objections, however ill founded. I muft, in juftice to the General, acknowledge, 1 have no fulpicion that his Excellency ever fuffered me to re- main long ignorant or any reprcfentations, that were made to impeach my conduct, by which I was, in .all the infta-.crs I knew, enabled to anfwer in my juftifi- cation to him, and i hope fatisfauorily. But I cannot fay fo. nf the Congrefs ; for, fo far firom giving me any information of any fuch tranfaftioo, the Members of whom I have made enquiry, carefully evaded it : Of which I fhall have occafion to make more particular mentipn, in its propei place. The reprefentations, in favour of Regimental Sur- geons, which were calculated to injure me; befides dwelling on the difiatisfaction which the Regimental Surgeons had infufed into many of their men, on groundlefs pretences, and which made fome, who knew nothing of the General Hofpital themfelves, exprefs •* their diflike againft being fent to it; commonly fet forth, that it would be highly prejudicial to the fervice, when a new army was to be raifed ;—that the fick could not be comfortably accommodated in Regimental Hof- pitals. The fact is, many of the officers had been chofen,as it were, by the men, who had not a regard to, or any confideration of merit, in that choice, or any love' of difcipline, but were attached to the perfons of the officers they chofe, in proportion to the knowledge they had of their being men of the fame mean, fordiel, grovelling difpofition, with many of themfelves •, void of the fentiments of brave foldiers, love of honour and of liberty on principle, but ready to affociate with thera on a footing of equality ; who would dunk drams with them, allow them to plunder, or exempt them from duty, when they did not feel themfelves, « ho*i tofght, " ■ ■ ana ( 9\ ) &nd* who had no objection to fill the army with malig- perers, public extortioners and cowards. Here a fhocking group of difagreeablc facts prefent tb my remembrance, in reflecting upon the expedients that have been made ufe of to raife troops, and the fhameful confequences. it is a fact, I believe too ge- nerally known to be dTputed, that in order to engage -. then to enter more readily into the fervice, officers coni- rnilfions were allowed to men, whole ranks were to be determined by the number of levies they could -raife. Prudence, courage, conduct, education, experience, ta- lents, or fitnefs to command, were not the requifites for officersi No wonder, then, that fuch kind of men were cholen officers, as many of them were ; men of the meaneft figure and capacity, fuch as .hey termrd civil fellows, but in ftrictnels of meaning, Major Sturgeons-, Or errant Jerry Sneaks, with nofts of wax, fo very pli- ant as to be governed by the privates, and many of • thofe, if we may judge of caufes by eff.cts, had little in View by entering the fervice but to make money, by fas- tening themfelves,as lceches,on every thing, from which - they could draw pelf. And therefore it was no unu-"-jt fual thing, as I have been often told, when a company m. Was forming, for the men to chufe thofe, from amongft themfelves,for officers, who confentedto throw their pay .' into joint flock with the privates, frc)m which, coni- rniffioned and non-commiffioned officers ; Captains, Lieutenants, Enfigns, Serjeants and Corporals, with drummers and privates, drew equal fhares. Some of thofe, who confented to be privates for one fix weeks, three months, or fix months, as it happened, expect- ing to hare their turn to command, on a new. enlift- ment, and perhaps to command thofe v.ry men who were now their officers. - What was to be expetted from fuch men and officers, under no difcipline, but to run away, by whole compa- nies, at -the appearance of a handful of the enemy. Will any man deny this to be a fact ? I will appeal to one ( 93 .) A'- |' one inftance, out of many. At the approach of an ad- vanced party of the Britifh troops, after the landing at £ York Ifland, about three hundred of the men, who $.; were advantageoufly ftationed for oppofing them, re- treated,without giving fire,with great precipitation ; or, in common language, ran-away : They were met by Glover's Regiment, which flopped their flight : As was '■ » no unufual thing, on being charged with cowardice, the 'common men eaft the reproach from themfelves on their officers, declaring it to be tlieir faults, who, inftead of putting themfelves at the head of the men, and leading them on to the attack, or there fuftaining the charge like foldiers, weic the firft to fcamper off, leaving their company, to fly to fuch places of fafety as they could. The officers of Colonel Glover's regiment, one of the - beft corps's in the fervice, and who v.reis indeed gentle- men, immediately obliged the fugitive officers and fol- diers, equally, to turn into the ranks with the foldiers of Glover's regiment, and obliged the trembling wretch- es, to march back to the ground they had quilted. I have been an eye-'witnefs, myfelf, to whole battalions running off from PowleVHook, and the heights of Bergen, upon the firing of a broad fide from a man of war, in her failing down the North River to join the fleet below, when obliged to remove from her ftation, to avoid a fire-fhip, although not a man was hurt by that fiie. Thefe douglvy champions never flopped till they came to Second River, but forced away the very waggons that were impreffed to tranfport the fick,-and * thole wounded at Lonp;- Ifland, to Newark ; to carry off themfelves and baggage, for m.my of them chofe to ride, to fave their legs, in cafe of being more nearly purfued. A cannon being planted in the caufeway, that commanded the ferry at Second River, was point- ed towards them, by an officer of artillery, who com- manded there ; and who threatened to mow them down, if they did not return to their pefts. What was their next fhift ? They betook themfelves to a ferry a mile above : ( 94 ) above : The boats happened to be on the other fide, ■> but within reach of their-fhot ; on which, being fear-, t ful of any delay, they called gut to the ftnymen to haften over with their boats, or they would difcharge. a volley upon them j and thus, they made good their ! retreat ! , When fuch were the efficers^ is it to be wondered , at, or rather is it to be' believed '? But how incredible 4 foever it may appear to thofe :it a diftance, it is an in- ■» difputable truth, that a Captain was tried and broke,by a Court-Martial, for flealm? his foldiers blankets, the minutes of which Court-Martial are not only publifh- ed amongft ourfelves, but reprinted in the New-York or Newport papers ; and one officer, in the face of the- ' General's family, and many officers of diflinction, was found fkaving his men-, acting in fo menial a capacity, long after the retreats from Long-Ifland and New- York, whether for the pence he could collect, or that he might ftand a chance of intereft and preferment, and " that he might not he prejudicial to the fervice. when a new army was to be raifed" let cafuifts determine. ' Whether giving ear to the unreafonable clamours of fuch men as thefe, and the gratifying them, by indul- gences in their fenfelefs demands, difmiffing an officer of diftioguifhed rank and truft, for non-compliance* ..". with them, againft the exprefs commands of' Congrefs, was the moft likely means of promoting the fervice, or procuriag refpect and veneration for the Congrefs it- felf, time will manifeft, credat Judaus, non ego. WIim inftances of thieving, plundering _and oppref-„ fion, both in officers and men, have come to my know- ledge, that would difgrace the lawlefs Arab, the barba- r rous Scythian, the rude Goth, or wild and favage Tar- tar ; who fpare their own, when they war on their ene-'' mies ! • ?^ " Birds prey on birds, fifli on each other prey, . i " But man alone, does kindred man betray." I C 95 ') I was prefent when a lady from Weft-Chefter, lodg- ed a complaint with a General Officer, ag-.inft a Captain of the regiment of artificers, who had got into her houfe, and. under pretence of protecting her, as a friend, from the incmfions of the enemy, robbed her of a trunk, containing many coftly articles ; filks 'and other wearing apparel, to the amount or fourteen hundred pounds ; ana difpofed of her cloaths at a pub- lic fa!e, which being proved upon him, he was juftly cafhiered. FrOm my own knowledge, and indeed my particular lofs, having been a great luff rer, I can declare that what the enemy have fpared to our own people, lefs companionate men, from amongft ourfelves,, have car- ried off and deftroyed ; and Heffian cruelty to an ene- my, has been exceeded by the more favage cruelty of the very men, paid by us, to defend our property. An injured man has a lighrto complain ; and truth will force conviction on the minds of fellow-men, however Iwrfh. and ungrateful it may be, to fome, to hear the tru th But that I may not pafs beyond the limits of my own department, and wh.it has a connexion with it, I will confine myfelf in the inltances I fhall now exhibit of diforderly conduct, to thole facts,-of which I came to the knowledge, in the difcharge of my duty, and the oppofition I raet with in the difcharge thereof. I pafs over other examples of oppreffing helplefs women, and .families of the beft fortune and diftinction, on whom fick and well, indifcriminateiy, have been forced, or men that ought to have, been, reported to the General Hofpital, tor my directions" ; hi which no regard has been had, whether the pes ions were well di'pofed, cr cherwife affected, to the caufe of American Freedom ; btat " itros rutilufvc fuit, nullum difcrimen babetur" The object was to get poffeifinn of their hbnfes and pro- perty, under the pretext of accommodating, the fol- diery, and particularly for Regimental Hcfpit:'^, I fhall ( 9* ) fhall fekct one cafe, in which were complicated, dif- regard to Congrefs, diirefpect and breach of the Ge- neral's orders, oppofition to the General 'Hofpital, which fuftained great injury from fuch pi-occedings, and great inhumanity to the fair and weak part of the creation. The circumftances of which are well known to fome, who aie officers of rank in the army,* and of irreproachable honour, to whom, if neceffary, I can appeal, in fupport of what I advance. About the month of Auguft, 1776, having made frequent reprefentations at Head-Quarters, that 1 could not obtain regular reports from the Regimental Sur- geons, of the ftate of their fick ; but that they were feizing on thofe very houfes for regimental fick, that were affigned to me, by the State of New-York, for the ufe of the General Hofpital ; an order was ilTued, ** requiring the Regimental Surgeons to deliver in the re- ports I had demanded, &c and to inforce it, all Colo- ' nels, and Commanders of Regiments were called upon, to make it known to their Surgeons, that they might not plead ignorance, and were directed to fee that the order was duly obferved. Juft at that time, a Brigade newly arrived from the Maffachufetts-Bay Government, under command of General Fellows, was ordered to be ftationed along the river,from Greenwich to Chelfea and upwards, to 'hrow up lines, and defend the fame againft any attempts of the enemy to land there. Moft of the notjfes fit for the accommodation of the officers of that Brigade, r.nd, for quartering of the men, being previoufly feizod up- on by the Regimental Surgeons,for themfelves and their fick ; Colonel Moylan, then Quarur-mafter General, defired we might ride out together, to t ike a view of the fick, and of the houfes in that quarter. He ord^r- * ed a large dwelling houfe, on the eftate of the deceafed Admiral, Warren, then in poffeffion of certain Regi- , mental fick, to be evacuated, and clean fed for the ac-"i commodation of the officers of the Brigade, pofted in* ths . * .1 C 97 1 the neighbourhood, to whom therefore it was very con* venient, as it adjoined the works thrown up for defence of the landing, but a very impTOper place to contain fick perfons, as it was clofe to the bank of the river, and particularly expofed to the firing of the fhips, that might pafs up or down the fame. The very mention of difpoffeffing the Regimental S»rgeons of their Hofpital, gave great diffatisfaction, though I undertook to receive their fick into the Gene- ral Hofpital. That propofal met with oppofition. That the Surgeon might have a place for the accommodation of his patients, I informed him of a large commodious barn of Mr. Campbell's at Greenwich, with two Ipare rooms on the back part, and lower floor of the houfe, at a fmall diftance, adjoining the kitchen, being rooms the beft fheltered from the fhot of pnffing men of war, and moft retired from the river. Such fpacious, airey barns a9 the above, well floored, and fecure from rain, yet cool, and pervious to the wind, anfwer to the pla- ces, recommended by Sir John Pringle phyfician to the Britifh army, in a former war, as proper for hofpitals. Such, affuredly, are better calculated for the recovery of dyfenteric and "putrid difeafes, that prevailed at this time, to any of the dwelling houfes, with plaiftered walls, and fmall or confined chambers, which, though convenient for a private family, are not proper for the crowding of fick into them.. But fine houfes were commonly preferred by the Regimental Surgeons ; and this gentleman let me know, that he fhould expect to be broke, if he confented to accept of a barn, however Commodious, for the reception of his fick. The houfe itfelf, he. could not have, it belnr pre- occupied by another Surgeon, for the ufe of a Beri- me->tal Hofpital. On looking into the rooms.they were found to be filled with the fick, and the Surgeon who. had the care, panting for breath, in the midft of them, It was amidft the fulrry heats of fummer : In vain I re- nrefented to him the danger of engendring a putrid jvj malignant ( 9« ) fever, from crowding fo many fick, in confined roores, in that hot feafon. He had near a hundred fick in the houfe : I forbad him then, as I had uniformly prohi- bited -every Regimental Surgeon I converfed with on the fubject, from taking charge of .more than thirty or forty fiik, on the outfide, at any one time, bvinga larger number than they could well attend ; as I defir- ed to know how they intended to manage, r called to the field of battle, or on any fudden removal of their regiments, an event daily expected, and they encum- bered with fo many fick. As the other Surgeon had refufed to occupy the barn, and fhady rooms on the grouud floor, back of the houfe, i recommended it to him, to fend at Ieaft. one half of his iick to the Gene- ral Hofpital, and remove the greater part of the men into the barn : He difregarded my advice, a putrid fe- ver prevailed, he caught the infection, and paid the for- feiture of his rafhnefs, with his life. I then went to General Heath, who commanded that divifion of the army, and reprefented the matter to him ; and as it was but a fmall diftance from his quar- ters, requefted him to give himfelf the trouble, of fee- ing with his own eyes, and judging himfelf of the truth of the facts I related. The General, in polite terms, 'declined my moft importunate folicitation, upon this unanfwerable objection, that it might look, as if he made himfelf a party againft the Regimental Surgeons. As the Surgeon had never made his report, and the order had been iffued a week, I had waited on the Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment, in perfon, before I faw the Surgeon, and complained ©f his neglect, in not reporting his fick, and in not fending fuch as exceeded the number he could take care of, to the General Hof- pital. I reminded him that, by the General Older, he was required to fee that the Surgeon complyed with faid order. The anfwer he gave me, was in thefe very words : " That the Regimental Surgeons could read the orders for themfelves ', and it not, he fhould give him- felf f* 99 ) felf no trouble about it ; adding, that, if it was in his power to prevent it, none of his men fliould ever be carried to a General Hofpital." Perhaps it may be imagined from fuch a reply, he had reafon to affert, that the General Hofpital was not kept in a clean and proper ftate, and that the Regi- mental Hofpitals were : The reverfe of which was true: The former were always kept clean and airey, and, in the won- grefs, the General's Orders, and the very nature of things, to transfer all the property and power of the General Hofpital, to Regimental Surgeons. Colonel ^doylaB then and often, told me, that by the repeated conceffions 1 was making to thofe men, he fhould not wonder if they Succeeded, in what he faw they were aiming at, to fubvert the Geneaal Hofpitid, and plant themlelves on the# ruins, to the contufion of all order and difcipline. But to return from this relation, which being con- nected with, and part of the fubject I am upon, is net an improper digreffion, I now re fume the narra- tive of that particular inftance of brutal conduct, which I have had in view, to illuftrate my declaration of en- croaching on my department, by an outrage upon all military order and difcipline, and on humanity itfelf. Mr. Campbell, who had purchaled a leafe of the lioufe aforementioned, at Greenwich, from Mr De- lancey, was a ftranger, and with hij lady and family of children, of whom he had leveral, all young, and fome mere infants, came into America to fettle, about the time our unhappy difputes, with Great Britain, be- gan, or foon after they began to be attended with fuch confequences, as civil war and bloodfhed. Congrefs i being ( ioi ) being fatisfied that he had not come over to America, with any inimical intention of taking part in the dif- pute, againft this country, faw fit, as 1 am informed, to grant bim their protection •, on the faith of which fie determined to become an American, by fettling here with his family : He chofe the neighbourhood of New- Yoik,foi hisrcfidence.and haled the houfe,with theeftate, already mentioned, at Gieenwich.. where he conducted himfelf inoffeufively and irreproachably. fhe luftful eye of fome of the Regimental Officeis, or Surgeons, marked it out for a Regimental Hofpital. I had the account from Mr. Campbell's own mouth, with cir- cumftances that gained my crtdit to his relation : He informed me, that without any previous notice, to de- part, and refting on the afiurnces of the Quarter- mafter General, that he fhould not dilp'ace him, (for he faw no o.cafion for it •,) a gallant officer came up one day to the houfe, followed with a -long train of fickly foldiers, who were ill, with dyfenterys, putrid, and other fevers, and put them irip'Jif ffion of his houie, without any regard to the owner, or to the circumfl.inces of hic family, as if on purpofe to drive them out frern tlieir habitation. This he t-ffeft-;'1 •, but not immediately, as Mr. Camp- bell had n.) o her houfe in which he had a right, or that he could hope for liberty, to fhelter himfelf, his wife and h< ip.tfs children •, nor before the'e, who were of a deficatf frame were feized with the infection, and ne~riy ^tftroyed by the filth of the fick, which had diove th.m from room to room, till they had no far- ther ret r at. On att< mnring mildly to expoflulate with the officer and'to know, ir he ?cted by any authority, or c mmand of the Quartcrmafter General or other fu- pc - u- officers, this heroic man, juft deigned, with a maipiicaal air, to fpend as much precious breath, as to acquaint him, he wanted not to exchange converfation, or to.throw words away, unneceflarily, upon him ; and triumphantly turning on his heel, faced to the right about : ( 102 ) about; and left him aftonifhed at fo unfeeling and bar- barous an infult. Btfet in this manner, with objects of terror, and difguft, which were hourly increasing, he haftened with his family, from their own houfe, to feek cover elfewhere : The moft of the family, to my own knowledge, as I had occafion to meet with them in one of the houfes in the neighbourhood, affigned to me for an hofpital, for they applied to me for relief, very narrowly eftaped, if they did all efcape, perifhing, in confequence of the putrid dyfentery, contracted as above. It is, with great averfion, at the recollection of this diftreffing fcene, that I but faintly delineate it, not with- out throwing a veil over fuch parts, as fhock me, ac- cuftomed, as I have ever been, to hofpitals and fick, when I connect the ideas of delicacy in breeding and manners, and what protection is due to female dignity and helplefs infancy, with fuch more than lavage treat- ment, not of enemies, but of friends and ftrangers ! $hiis taliafando temperat a lachrymis ! As I cannot prevail on myfelf to dwell longer on fcenes,whereof this is but one of many that have offer- ed to my notice, and not leis diftreffing, I haften, from them, to try if I c»n recover fome lefs offenfive grounds, on which to proceed- A man that can enter into minute descriptions of particulars, fo difguftful and diftreffing, may feem to have loft his finer feelings ; but if any man can have any gratification in wading through the dirty puddles of fuch bufinefs, he muft have a ftrange perverfenefs of tafte indeed : Are there men that would take delight in painting a Demon, in all the fhocking picture of black deformity ? Let them do it, I cannot ; but being compelled in my vindication, I have touched the lubj' 61 flightly. The maay things that have intruded upon my memory, on this occafion,- I have endeavoured to rcfufe admittance, wifhing to bury the whole in oblivion, to rife no more in judg- ment againft us. Of C 103 ) Of the Regimental Surgeons and Mates, I will only obferve this once, that as I have done juftice to thofe of them, who merited it, by declaring there were fome amongft them of liberal manners, education and abili- ties i ,1 muft be permitted to declare, there were many, very many of them, unlettered, ignorant, and rude to a degree lcarcely to be imagined. Some of them, I have been informed, and from what I oblerved, could readi- ly believe, were never educated to the profeffion of phyfick, nor had ever feen an operation ©f Surgery : Many of them had but fmall appeaianccs of either li- terature or breeding, in which refpect they fell fhort of fome of the privates. It would dilplay a farce of the moft ridiculous kind, to give the public an account of the learning and attainments, which fome of them, whom I have had an opportunity of examining, have difcovered ; or to give a tranfeript of their reports. And that this ignorance was pretty general, may be fafely inferred from their repugnance to ftand the teft of inquiry, fo contrary to the p> actice of thofe, who are men of talents, improved by education, who fhun no occafion, of giving proof thereof, by their compli- ance with thofe laws and regulations, which the wif- dom of States or the good policy of feminaries, and corporations of the learned in the profeffion, d^vife, to encourage genius and merit, and to put a flop to the rapid growth of empyricifm : And I obferved, that it was generally the moft ignorant, the moft opiniated and the moft diforderly, and irregular in their conduct,who were the moft troublefome, and loudeft in their cla- mours. Thefe were the mm, from whom I found the greateft oppofition, to every regulation for introduc- ing method, difcipline and irnprcv..inent, into the de- partment of phyfick and furgery. It is with much regret I have yielded to the nfceffity I have been under, in clearing up my own conduit from the imputations of a let of wicked men, to dif- play the true character and behaviour of thofe, -alio were ( i<>4 ) larere my accufers, and from the many famples of ra- pine, diforder and oppreffion of wnich they have been guilty, to (elect fome of theii nefarious pi.ictir.es, and of fuch amazing prodigality, as, if it were allowed to pafs without notice, would have been fufficient to in- jure deftruction to any army, or people, f am fully perfwaded that we owe many of the misfortunes and mifcarriages of laft campaign, to thofe men, who were guilty of them. I have but barely fkimmed over the furface of them. A reluctance to enter deeper into fuch a fink has reftrained me : Were I to attempt an enumeration of them all, time wotld fail. It is fufficient to fhew their deftrudtive tendency, in general ; to make a remark on the mean and fordid practice, which wasjpurfued by fome of the Regiment- al Surgeons, of Idling certificates for furloughs and difchaiges, at a lefs fum than a fhilling a man. At this rate, a number equal to a regiment might be dif- charged for a much lels fum, than has been fince givenr j[J to raife a fingle recruit. At a moderate computation* fo many men have been born on fome fick lifts of Re- gimental Surgeons, including waiters, fit for duty, that if the practice was common, the ftrongeft Brigade in the army was not equal to the number thus maintained in idlenefs. I am willing to hope that thofe inftances of mal-practice I have adduced, are fufficient to fhut the door againft the like abufes in future, and to introduce better discipline, and better men into flations of public truft: \ndth:.troen of better principle, as well as of more knowledge and humanity, are engaged in the prefent fe■* General Green in two dangerous fits of ill . m wlvich he had proofs of my attention to him, _■-.'. iiiduity to the bufinefs of - my ftation, that mti ited.. tar different return, fhe laft was at a time,when Gen-rd Green had the command at Long-Ifland, and abeut the time when the enemy were landed not many miles below. Although I was then inceffantly engaged on New-York Maud, I made all other bufinefs give way to my daily attendance on him ; and finding his life en- dan^i d, by a putrid and billious fever, under which he bbnured, prevailed with him to leave the ifland, and provided him with one of the moft healthy, airey, fafeft and beft accommodated habitations, in the center, betwixt the two rivers, two miles diftant from the ciy of New-York. My place of duty changed, hkewftc, and " ■ • - *iflta* C 108 ) snd my prefence was demanded every day at L-.-.n^. Ifland, to attend to the care and removal of the wound- ed. iret I viiited him, daily, once, twice or oftncr, u.. ! ;r a variety of difficulties, and watched over him . -:-h the ftricteft attention, and an affection little lels than fraternal, till his recovery was fo far compleated, '.that he "-'as out of all danger. I fliould not have giv- en ibis scc.unt of matters, but for the following rea- » foi-s : The trK. is, becaufe it was at General Green's ti ;fire, I eftnM: n d a General Hofpital at Long-Ifland, for the benefit -,-. .ii,'t part of the army under his com- mand, which vas ib wsh conducted by Doctor War- ren, v.; to cotupell him ■ o pals high encomiums on its znaoagemenr, h> a Gov cd of General Officers, held on the complaints mad \-ry the Regimental Surgeons, ' that v/ere found to ■ oundlefs and unreafonabk. '. • If t\i<:rt \«r:r an) uennency in either that part of the Genor?! !' .ipital.itfelf, or any want in the accommo- : -'••■ > r the fick of the regiments ftationed there, ' . xA be obtained, the fault muft be laid at his .j'" and his only, becaufe he had expreflly engaged, . my firft confenting, in compliance with his requeft, to p.-o'vide a "General Hofpital there; to build or far- nifh fufficient quarters for all the fick belonging to that divifion of'the army under his command ; and becaufe fey my orders to Doctor' Warren, my inftructions to the Regimental Surgeons, July 3d, and General Wafh- in-ton's order, matters were fo regulated that the fick jmu-Li remain under the care of their own Surgeons, in fuch quarters or hofpitals as General Greefi himfelf might order for them j and be confidered ns parts of one General Hofpital, of which Doctor Warren was to be efteemed the Director and Head : They wei e to be allowed all neceffary refrelhments, and the Regimental Surgeons and'their fick might naitake of every advan- tage, which the fick in the General Hofpital enjoyed, tinder the immediate care of the Hofpital Surgeons, if ihj Regimental Surgeons would confider themfelves as acting ( 109 ) acting under the direction of the General-Hofpital, with this only reftriction, that every demand was to be made, and granted under the acknowledge!1 authority of Doctor Warren, to whom I had entruiud all my own power for their good, for which he was to be ac- countable: And I forbad him to deliver out any ftores, of any kind, to the Regimental Surgeons, for the fick, not reported to, and confidered as in the General Hof- pital. A fecond reafon, is the following letter from Gene- ral Green to General Wafhington, of Auguft nth. A third reafon, is my having been cenfured, for de- laying to communicate to the Congrefs the plan of re- gulations I had promifed to draw up for their confider- ation, fo long after I had undertaken it, during all which time it was left with Gen. Green, for the benefit of his obfervations and remarks, viz. fromaboutthe mid- dle or end of October to the 20th of December, al- though I repeatedly applied to him by meffage and let- ter, to expedite it for that purpofe ; and it was then returned to me in the ftate 1 delivered it, without any remark to accompany it. And laftly, the libci iy which Doctor Story took, of making ufe of General Green's name, to fanctify his- affertions, that the fuffeiings of the fick lay at my door. On thefe feveral accounts, I now call on General Green (in a more efpecial manner) and on any, and every other officer, of whatever rank, whether Gene- ral or Field Officers, or thofe of inferior rank, who have thought fit to make any reprefertations, either to Congrefs as a body, or to particular Members of it, or to the Conaruander in Chief, concerning the caufes of the fuffei ingi of the fick, if they c*.n lay uny thing to my charge, whether relating to the difpofal of Hofpi- tal Stores, the difpofition of public monies, or any other article entrufted to me : I defire to know if they :an accufc me of any uegkft of duty, of indo- lence, ( "o ) lence, inactivity, inattention to the calls of my ftation, or of any breach, either of General Orders, or of the Refolves of Congrefs: If they can do any of thefe, I fhall be glad they will publifh it to the world, in a man- ner that will afford me an opportunity to reply, in print. Did ever any General, Field Officer, or other, on any fuggeftion of the fick fuffering for want of care, vifit the General Hofpital, and judging with his own eyes, report to me a fingle inftance of the fort ? I de- clare they never did : So that the complaints of the fuf- ferings of the fick, are not of thofe under my care, but of thofe that were hindered from coming, or who were never reported to the General Hofpital, for admifiion. On the contrary, the complaints ever were, that ( 6f New-York, and the City Committee, aiid to be as his difpofal only : I fay, were not all thefe fufficient for their reception and accommodation ? If noti he had the choice of moft of the country feats, for the fpace of feven miles from the city, to anfwer that purpofe. And,were not thefe enough ? But fuppofe it to have been neceffary for the fick to be accommodated on Long-Ifland : Wkat reafon can be affigned, if they were to be permitted to draw ftores and furniture from the General Hofpital, why they fliould not range themfelves under the direction of Doctor Warren, which was the Only poffible method, that, with much reflexion, could be devifed to entitle them to the neceffaries and comforts, which it was allowed the General Hofpital was well provided with ? Could the Regimental Surgeons, who were fo earneft for hav- ing feparate and diftinct Hofpitals, have any thing in view, bv remaining unaccountable for their fupplies ? What other reafon. could they have forrefufing to have the ftate of their fick infpected by Hofpital Surgeons, with a power to order fuch fick, as appeared to be pro- per objects, into the General Hofpital, but to,retain as many fick, or nominal fick, as they-pleafed, on their lifts, till the time of an action, and then to pour them all into the General Hofpital, and to receive the wounded under their care, for the fake of trying ex- periments, and of performing operations, which fome of them had never feen performed ? From" all their actions, it is plain this was an object they had much at »'heart. And what would that be, but to reduce Gen- tlemen, of the firft clafs in their profeffion, to be fubordinate to all their purpoics, and meer minifters of j their pie afore ? For what purpofe are fuperior rank and greater pay tllowed to Hofpital, than to Regimental Surgeons, if »0t to engage men of the^firft ability, education, and a?-experience, to take that charge upon them ? w- And af.sr all, is there anv thing propofed in Gere- 8 P ral C 114 ) ral Green's letter, that I had riot urged before, both to General Green himfelf, as well as to General Wafhing- ton and the Congrefs, for the relief of the Regimental Surgeons, who might be fituated at fome diftance from the General Hofpital? Wherefore, if there could be any exception made to the plan, it muft be to except thofe on Long-Ifland, where it was unfit there fhould be Regimental Hofpitals, when the enemy were expect-, ed to land there, and when there was a General Hofpi-' tal at hand, of which they might have the fame bene- fits, with thofe under the immediate care of the Hof- pital Surgeons and Mates ; if they would fubmit to the fame regulations. Upon the whole of this inquiry ; when the Congreff who, for ought General Green knew to the contrary," might be fuppofed^to have weighed matters deliberately".* had fixt upon a plan, which, by every fubfequent fet of refolves, reftridted the Regimental Surgeons", within narrower limits than before j or, at leaft, enforced the former, with hew and additional weight : Where was the neceffity, expedience, or propriety, of fupporting the Regimental Su geons in their clamours ? They were ever backward to fend their fick to the General Hofpi- tal, to have a plea for Regimental Hofpitals, and to draw ftores at dileretion, which never was allowed in any army, and which Congrefs had art feen fit to allow then ? Would it not have been more confiftent with the idea of fubmifiion to the commands of our fnpe- riors, if General Grefn, inftead of giving that weight to the prejudices, and ignorance in point of duty, and in the proper management of the fick of ah army^ which the Surgeons laboured under, had feen fit to have enjoined their making weekly returns of their fick to the General Hofpital, for admiffion, agreeable to the orders of Congrefs ; and thereby helped to cure or re- move thofe prejudices ? This might have checked them in their career, of afperfing reputations to accomp'ifh ( "5 ) their aims, and muft have contributed to their own cafe, and the great benefit of the fuffering fick. But whilft Regimental Surgeons were fo intent upon the eftablifhment of Hofpitals for their regiments, and .General Green was fo earneft in feconding their defires, *£y his application to the Piefident of the Congrefs, and Commander in Chief: What was the opinion of Ge- neral Wafhington, if we are to judge by his orders ? They agreed with the refolyes of Congrefs: And as to the Members of Congrefs, all that I ever heard fpeak of them, exactly correfponded with Mr. Gerry, who wrote me his opinion of the matter, in the following words : " With refpect to fmall Regimental Hofpitals, t cannot but think them an unneceffary and dangerous inftitution ; for, upon every removal of fuch regi- ments, thofe Hofpitals are a dead weight, and muft be removed, or be expofed to the enemy. The latter, you will agree, is by no means admiffible ; and the remov- ing fuch Hofpitals, is attended with hardfhips to the difeafed, and prevents them from an early recovery." Let us attend to what he next writes, of Regi- mental Surgeons: '< As to the Regimental; Surgeons, fays he, being otherwife wholly useless, I have always fuppofed, that they were never intended to anfwer any other purpofe, in time of war, than to cure, in camp, flight wounds and difeafes, by which the patients were not confined, and to attend the regiments, in time of action ; to drefs the wounded foldiers, un- tiT they can be removed to the General Hofpital." Where perfons of rank and influence, as General Officers and Members of Congi efs, draw fuch different ways, is it poffible for any man, to conduct in fuch a manner, betwixt them, as to give fatisfaction to every pne ? But that it may be feen, how I endeavoured to dif- charge my duty, by adhering exactly to my orders, where they reftricted me to a point $ and yet in pruden- tials accommodated myfelfi as well as I could, to the reafonable ( "6 ) reafonable defires of others : I fhall here publifh a co- py of my directions, to Doctor Warren, for eftablifh- ing. and for the manner of conducting the Hofpitals, Under his care, at Long-Island. INSTRUCTIONS TO JOHN WARREN, Efquire, SURGEON of the GENER \L HOSPITAL, Sir, New-York, June 12, 1776. ^7" O U are defired to go over to Long-Ifland, and _*j_ to cmfult with General Green, about the proper houfes for the forming of an Hofpital (to be part of the General Hofpital) for the reception of the fick in his Brigade. For your affiftants, you will be pleafed to take over three of the Hofpital Mates, of which Mr. Glover is to be one, the ether two as you agree with the other Surgeons. Make out a proper affortment of medicines, fuch a lift as you think needful, after confulting with Doctors Fofter, Adams and M'Knight, and order it fo be put up from the Hofpital ftores : If you have occafion for fur- ther affiftants, make a requifition from General Green's Brigade, of as many Surgeons and Mates as you fhall fiand in need of. Keep a regifter of the fick, in which you are to make an entry of the times of their admiffion and difcharge, as well as of the difeafes they labour under, and require of the refpective Surgeons of the different regiments, ' weekly returns of the fick in the Hofpital belonging to their regiments, in order to compare with yours : From svhich, once a month, a roll is to be made out for re- ceiving the ration money, from the Commiffary Gene- ral ; which you will get figned by the Brigadier-Gene- ral, after you have compared it with the return of fick born on the rolls of the Regimental Surgeons : From the time they are admitted into tne ©eneral Hofpital, their ( "7 ) their rations are to be flopped in the regiments : The lift of the Regimental Surgeons, compared with yours, ought to be delivered by them to the Adjutant, or Qnaitermafter of every regiment, in order to prevent rations being drawn for the fick, in the regiments, fo long as they remain in the hofpital. You will be pleafed to fix up, in the hofpital, the re- gulations already agreed upon by the Surgeons-of the Hofpital, for th'e government of the officers, nurfes, attendants and patients; and appoint feme perfon to have them read in every ward : The rules of diet, ought to be fixed up in the fame place, and a ftrict at- tention paid to the fame. You are to take over Mr. Weld, to act as a Store- keeper, who is to obey your commands in all things relating to his oepartmewt : Whatever ftores you have occafion for, in the department of the Commifiarv- General, or Quartermafter-General, you will apply for by an order under your hand, figned by order of the Dircdtor-Gcnei ai, with your name, of which di- rect the Stor? k eper to keep an exact account, and of the distribution of the fame. What nurfes you require for. the fick,you will engage at the price of half a ciuiiar per week ; the number not to exceed one for every ten perfons, fick or wounded ; the neceffary labourers to be employed, by the day, as ulual, in which avoid engaging a greater number than is abfoiutely neceffary. Deliver out no ftores of any kind to the Regimental Surgeons: When the fick require further aids-than they can give, let them be reported to you, and if their cafes require, receivs them into the General Hofpital. Take with you at leaft^co bandages, and a quan- tity of tow, with a fit of capital inftiuments, and all fuitable dreffings, in cafe of an action. Ufe your belt endeavours to make the Surgeons and Mates of the regiments attentive to their duty. For any debts contracted for the ufe of the General- Hofpital, ( "8 ) Hofpital, agreeable to the above rules, dratf on me.- You will emp'oy the fame perfon to fupply frefh meat, and at the fame prices, as in the hofpital at New-York. -Weekly returns of the fick to be fent over early eve- ry Monday morning as ufual. Be pleafed to call on Mr. Dtlamater, for ioo addi- tional blankets, for, the ufe of the hofpital in Long- Ifland, and as many beds, applying to the Quartermafter for ftraw, from time to time, and order the nurfes, wafher women, &c. to clean them from time to time. An orderly Mate is to take charge of the blankets, and bedding, &c. and of, the Hofpital furniture every week ; to enter into a book for the purpofe, what ftores of this kind are given out, to examine what each fick brings with them, and to fee that nothing is carried out, on their difmiffion, not belonging to them. An orderly ferjeant, ©r corporal, or careful foldier, (if the General will allow) ought to be ftationed at the hofpital, to take charge of the arms, &c. of the fick, whilft in the hofpital, and to give them up on his death or difmiffion. A Carpenter, ought to attend conftantly, to make coffins, or perform other work, for which you will ap- ply to the Quartermafter-General. No blankets, or other effects of the Hofpital, to be expended at the funeral of thofe foldiers, who die, in the hofpital. I remain, Sir, your moft humble fervant, JOHN MORGAN. To JOHN WARREN, Efquire, Surgeon in the General-Hofpital. The above is a true Copy, from the original. J. Warren. WHEN General Green, as already related, re- moved from Long-Ifland, on account of the dangerous ftate ,( II9 ) ftate of his health, General Sullivan was appointed to fucceed him' in the command ; on which I thought it my duty to communicate to him, the plan obferved in the government of the General Hofpital, and for the regulation of the Regimental Surgeons, and to acquaint ifim with the above inftructions to Dr. Warrert, and the mode in which he managed his department ; and wrote him a letter on the fubject, that he might the bet- ter retain the principal heads of the proceedings, in his memory, fhould he have any occafion to refer to them, in iffuing out oiders, refpecting the fick and wounded, as the enemy were already on Long-Ifland ; and fome important engagement with them, expected daily. To which I received the following anfwer : New-York, Auguft 21, 1^76. SIR, J I Received your favour of yefterday ; am much pleafed with your plan, refpecting the Surgeon:- 5 fhall take care that it is in every refpect carried into ex- ecution ; and am, with refpect, Your moft obedient Servant, JOHN SULLIVAN. To Doctor MORGAN, Lirecior-Ceneral of the Hofpitals, &c. And now, whilft I am on the fubject of orders iffued by me, ro the"different Gentlemen, for the better ma- nagement of the General Hofpital, on wo ufe :.;.re 1 „v;u. to depend principally, for their being carried info exe- cution, I muft t:d:e the liberty to obfuvv, that were 1 to tranferibe all I have delivered to th"m. in \v 'ring on- ly, for that pin pofe, it would requue ;; iepaiate vo- lume. To Doctor Fofter, as b:ing the deleft Surg-cn, I wrote much and often ; and have now -before me, co- pies of various ovJsrs to him, in a fsries of lettcis, <>.c. C: ( 120 j which I will only mention dates, and occafions, without detaining the reader with particulars. The firft /with- out date) was on his fetting out from Cambridge, about the latter end of Ma*ch, or beginning of April, 1776, to eftablifh a General Hofpital, at New-York, the next, likewife from Cambridge, April 22d: The next was at New-Yoik, on my fetting out from thence, for the management of the Hbfpital in my abfence, whilft I proceeded to Philadelphia, to apply to Congrefs for further inftructions, though I came away without ob- taining them, but not without application, and as long time of attendance, as the General would allow me. The next, were dated at New-York, Auguft 5th, the 19th, the 23d, and 27th ; and September the 9th. The next, was alfo at New-York, September the 13th, far the intended removal of the fick and wounded, to Newark, refpecting the manner of their removal, and the provifion to be made for them,on that occafion,and for taking care of them, by the way. The next are dated September 24, October 18, and 20 ; November 3d, and 6th ; whilft he had the care and fuperintendance of the fick at Newark; and of December the 10th and 31ft ; and January the iorh, at Bethlehem, for remo- val to the eaft fide of Hudfon's River. Numerous and particular are the directions, which* in like manner, I have delivered in writing, on various occafions, as well as verbally, to Doctors Warren, Adams, M'Knight, Turner, and Euftis, Surgeons in the General fiufpital; on their being detached to dif- ferent places, for the eftablifhment of Hofpitals, for the conveniency of the fick, in parts diftant from each other, in which my directions were drawn up with con- fideration, and not in a careleft, negligent, or perfunc- tory manner \ for that was neither the way, in which I chofe to do bufinefs myfelf. or to require others to perform it, who were fubject to my authority. I fhall now explain another difficulty, to which I was often fubjected. It ( «2I ) I T was no unufual thing for Officers and Regi- mental Surgeo s, on detached pofts, whoever th.y happened to be ftationed, though ever fo diftant from the main body of the army, whether on a march, or a retreat, to expect a General Hofpital to accompany, Or follow them in the rear ; as if it were poffible, like the Polypas, though ciat up into ever fo many pieces, that each p;.:rt fhould inftan.ly repuUulate, and become an entire Hofpital, properly furnifhed with eveiy ne- ceffary accommodation, attendants, and conveniences,, although amidft' Highlands, alps, or a forfaken fftid wafted country, without any help or affiftance frorri thofe who had the command ;' or, as if it were poffible to fave, or remove the weighty :;nd cumberfome appa- ratus, everywhere,, with as much expedition as they could retiea:, and without any regard to the unfitnefs of the place for a General Hofpital. , I hope no intention of difrefpect will be imputdd to me, when I am fometimes necefiarily obliged to make ufe of the names of Gentlemen of rank, for whom I have a perfonal and due refpect, in the courfe of relat- ing facts, which the vindication of my conduct requires I fliould" difcufs, with all becoming freedom, I think it proper to guard againft fuch a wrong fuppofiucn, on the prefent occafion. . At a time when I had formed General Hofpitals at Newark, Hackinfack, North-Caftle,. Stamford, apd Norwalk, all crowded T" ith fick, to the number of n .ir 4000 rrcn •, and of cevrfe, the Hofpital Surgeons. \. ho were not numerous, ftationed at various uiitanccs, through a foacs ofnear:m hundred miles, were hi'liy em- ployed, I received a letter from General Keith, at. PetkVKill 5 or r. 1 p'aces I h;.ve fi-rn on-* of the won , thu c uld bt ihcui/hr of for a Gertet.d Hofphal. > well for want of accommodations as of a pit per '•' try, to fupport it : It bore dare, N 'v-mlvr ;b ■ on which he obfcrve-l, thru there was nei-h^ Hofpital, nor any one General Hofpi'.ft - ( 122 ) that poft ; that he received daily complaints from the Colonels of the feveral regiments, of the fufftrings and diftreffes of the Regimental fick ; and that " the neg- lect of them, was likely to prove very prejudicial to the inliftment of a new army." * From the fimilarity of language in this letter,- the complaints of officers concerning the fufferings oftheficjc, and the evil confequences that were p geons : And that this was their idea, will appear far- ther probable, if it may be fuppofed the mind of Con- grefs was known to one of theirMembers,who, fome time after this, in a letter he wrote to me, expreffes himfelf as follows : " With refpect to fupplying the Regimental Surgeons with medicines, 1 am fuliy of opinion thitr I the Directois cannot well attend to it, but the applica- tion ought to be to'them,' in the fiift inftance, and they to fign orders on the Continental Duggift for fo ma- ny chefts as they fhall judge neceffary, and have the medicines affirted, as they fliiM think proper." 11* regard to instruments . •, anxious to have it in my powtr to fu> nifh the hofpitals more plentiful- ly, as I had found it neceffary to incieafe the number of Hofpital Surgeons and Mates, and to reciuit my flock 6f medicines, which was almoft wholly exhaufted of capital articles. I fent DctorBinncy to Philadelphia, ' a gentleman of the hofpital, in whofe zeal and activity I pl.ced great reliance, to forward to camp, with all.difpatch, what medicines I had there of my own, and as much as he could procure from Congrefs, for I could not be fufficiently fupplied at Neiv-Yerk. I enjoined him to ufe the ntmoft diligence to purchafe inftruments, if to be had, ready made, or to engage a woikrnan t > make a great number of fets, on my ac- count. He f >osi informed mr, by letter, that there were no inftruments to be purchaf d at any rate ; and that the oniy "workman in the city that could make fur- geon's inftrum nts was engaged by Mr. Marfhall, for the Congref? ; and that he could not undertake any work for rne, for a long time to come. Is not this ab addi- tional proof that Congrefs, in theii refolves of July 17th, did not intend to make me anfwerable for the ' fupplying of Regimental Surg-ons, either with medi- cines or inftruments ; or, if it was their intention that I fliould fus nifh them ; why did they nor enable" me to do it ? Or why did they deprive me of the means ? By ( "f ) By much afliduity. Doctor Binney, who was detain* ed near a month in Philadelphia, at length fent for* ward fuch a fupp'y of rriedicines as he could piocure, which was very different, however, from the lift I had fent for. which arrived at Newark but a fliort time before the retreat from Long-Ifland. It was then un- fafe to attempt, if not imp< acticable to get them over to New-York ; on which account, till the army abandon- ed the city, and the hofpital ftores were all removed to Newark, they remained there, where they had been left, except fome articles which weie wanted to fupply the General Hofpital. foi hied at this time near Kings- bridge, towards which place the army had reti eated. I fixed Mr. Cutting, ^ffiftant Apothecary, at Newark, v/hich I confidered as the moft convenient and proper place at the time, for ftoiing the medicines I had col- lected there, and referred fuch Regimental Surgeons, as applied to me for medicines, to him. This being my magazine of all that were moft valuable, or meft in de- mand, I felt the lofs more fcnfibly, when they were ta- ken out of my hands, in fo irregular a manner, as I have already defcribed in the firft part of this work. I N no part of the vaft variety of duty and fatigue that I went through, have I been fo fenfible of ill 'treatment, as in what related to the fuppnVs of medicines and hofpital ftores, except the more fhame- fnl and injurious manner in which I was deprived of them. It is nexr to impoffible, to defcribe the toiis that * myfelf, and moft of the Gentlemen of the hofpital, have endured in that bufinefs } and the injurious reflex- ions that have been call upon me, for conducting this affair, in a way the moft meritorious, is truly m.-rter of aftonifhment, and only to bo equalled by the treat- ment [ met with from Congrefs, in return for all thofe fervices. To judge of this matter clearly, it is neceffary to call i~ mind the difficulties under which I laboured for want R of ( ij« V cff fufficient help, to confider the fcarcity and value of medicines, and how troublefome or impracticable to ppocure them, in' quantity, in America. I found no large flock on hand, when I firft took charge of the hofpital, to fupply the vaft demands of an array, in Which generally more is wafted than ufed : The ftr^itcft teconomy was alfo enjoined me, in fupplying the wants of the hofpital, however much the plan of Congrefs is mow changed. It is worth obferving here, that the firft piece of bufinefs the Congrefs employed me in, af- ter my appointment to the Director-Generalfhip, was to look over a lift 6f medicines made out by my pre- deceffbr, and not a large one, to fupply the immediate wants of the hofpital : A Committee of Congrefs put * h into my hands, not fo much, as I could underftand, to add to it, if I thought neceffary, as to curtail it; . What was faid on the occafion, at leaft, looked that ' Way. With fuch views, fuch wants, and fuch ceconb- my, demands were made on me, from all quarters of the army, and out of the army, to diftant parts of the country. All the affiftance Congrefs allowed by their original eftablifhment to procure, affbrt, prepajeand difpenfe medicines, was one aposbecaiy It being im- poffible to perform this f rvice, without further help, a mate had been emp'Oyed be'e're my arrival, and an affiltant with little more than foldiers pay, whom I alfo found here on my arrival,and continued him in hisp'ace, without being allowed ary othei help, till the yeai was almoft over j when the Congrefs by their third iefolve of October 9, 1776, at once, cjoined me to furnifh fuch further quantities of medicines and bedding, as I might judge expedient, and impowered another, at the fame time, to deprive me of what! had, with toil and fatigue immenfe, collected, and faved from deftruction. To be ordered by the General to collect medicinal flpres, in the mariner already mentioned, and to be abufed and calumniated for performing that duty j and after fupplying chefts to five baualions at Bofton. near fifty v ( r3< J fifty at New-York, and fent twenty more to the nor* the >n department, and furnifhed the hofpials at Lpng- IfUnd, New-York, Newark, Hackinfack., and Kings- biidge ; and when I made demands on the Continental Druggift, for a fmall fupply, to afiort what remained on hand, not to be furnifhed with that neceffary fupply, was hard to be born : And yet to be baited like a bear at the ftake, with inceffant demands, and made refpon- fible for the clamours of the Regimental Surgeons, for all the wants of new troops daily arriving, without fup- plies, and for the fufferings of the fick, arifing from tlieir oppofition to General Orders ; and fo artfully excited that if I was at the General Hofpital, crys were raifed becaufe I was not at camp, and if at camp, that they could not meet me at the General Hofpital, was not lefs intolerable. The fame nojfe pervaded fromthe remoteft towns in the neighbouring States, to which the Regimental Surgeons had conveyed the fick, beyond the reach of relief, to terrify and alarm the country. Nor were thefe circurrfftaaces fufficient to fill up the m-afure of my diftrefs. The moft affecting reprefent- ations were made to the General, from the diftance of feveral hundred miles, afcribing the misfortunes of the army, ready to mutiny at the northward, to me, when I had early acquainted Congrefs with their fituation, and prayed for relief for them in vain, although no part of my care. And notwithftanding I had fent them what I could fpare from my own flock, and officers to affift them, at the earnefl requeft of the director ; I never met with the leaft acknowledgment for thefe fer- vices from the Congi efs, but, on the contrary, the ftrangeft and moft uncival returns from the Secretary^ pnly for prduming to inquire of him, concerning the nature of the appointments Congrefs had made in fome other departments, for the care of the fiVk, that | might the better underfi.md, and undeiftanding, better perform my own duty. Can there be a more ftriking Inftance of ingratitude than I have met in the whole qf m 1 ( »S2 ) mv treatmsnt^ where the obligations to fhew me a very ] "differsit one. for my attention to, and for the manner o •..ucharging my truft, were neither fmall nojr ; few. • fhall he and that when he left Norwaik, in .Al.-.rch, th'. number re- maining *vas reduced t eight or ten. The Governor of Connecticut has alfo fa- voured me with the follow;n3 teftimoni'l of mv " r : cation to him for affift. net, a..U or. ihe t- of it. B-E IT KNOWN, That in the beginnng of October. 1776, Th ctor John Morgan, then Director-General of the He'ph ds, of the American Army, made application to me, by letter.TFor my affiftance, in fupplying the troops of the State of Connecticut, with medicines and other nec.-f- fiuies for their fick ; mentioning the pcr.-ral want there- of, and his inability (without fome aid of this ki* d) to anfwer the numerous demands dai'y n:sde m Mm, and the confequcnt diflrefs of the fi k and wounded of the army-. Incompliance with which requeft, I im- mediu-^v fent Doctor Phi'ip "i uner, who a quantity of neccfi'jry articles to his affiftance, and by this means the complaints of the foldiery were greatly lefllnt:d. JONATHAN TRUMBULL, Govei- ror if the *: te of Connecticut. .Lebincn, A^ril 7, 1777. 5 V.r"RL ( 138 } WERE it neceffary to produce other evidences of the pains I took to acquaint Congrefs of the fuffering condition of the fick, I could refer to a number of let" ters I have written to feveral of the members, contain- ing a particular hiftory of the movements of the hof- pitals and fie k, during the whole campaign, particu- larly to Mr. Gerry, Member for Maffachufetts-Bay, and Doctor Rufh, of Philadelphia, and efpecially in a letter I wrote to the former, October 6th. In that letter I informed him " of the great cla- mours that prevailed, at the time, amongft the Regi- mental Surgeons, becaufe they could not be fupplied With every thing they wanted, from the General Hofpi- tal, of which I gave him a full and juft reprefentation. It contained, likewife, a long and particular relation of all my proceedings in the care of my department, from the time I entered into the fervice, to that period, con- formable to what 1 have delivered in my narrative to General Wafhington. I pointed out to him the ftate of the Regimental Surgeons, ever fince I entered into the fervice,and the deftitute condition they were in,at my firft arrival in the army, in refpect to all forts of ftores, in- ftruments and medicines. I acquainted him with the pains I had been at, to fttrnifh them with neceffaries, and the extent to which I had done it, with my appli- cations to the General and Congrefs to fettle the chan- nels of fupply, and with the applications to me from Ca- nada, for that purpofe. I let him know, that I had fent off to the amount of twenty regimental chefts, for the troops at Lake George and Albany, befides what I had fent to General Gates at Ticonderoga, (exclufive of be- twixt forty and fifty regimental medicine chefts, fup- plied to the forces under the immediate command of General Wafhington,) and acquainted him with what had been fent by the General's order to Stamford." , " I further gave him as exact a defcription, as it was in my power, of the ftate of the fick and wounded, and of the unufual complaints amongft the militii; of the ( 13* ) the continual vieiftitude in the ftate of the fick, from the various movements of the army, and confequent fhiftings of the hofpital; and of the difficulties to which* this reduced the officers employed in attending it ; of the neceffity we were under to remove tha ftores and. fick to Newark •, and the obftacles we had to overcome, under many inconveniences, to convey them to a place of fafety, and to provide them with quarters ; and with- all, I told him of the unruly behaviour of the furgeons of the militia regiments, and their tumultuous appli- cations for medicines ; and informed him how widery they were fcattered through the country ^ of the defer- tion of fome of the Regimental Surgeons, and the calls on the Mates of the Hofpital to fupply their places." f< I concluded my letter to him with the following obfervations : " Upon the whole, matter, it ap- peared to me, that a general miftake prevailed concern- ing the duty of the Regimental Surgeons, and the man- ner in which they ought to be furnifhed with inftru- ments, medicines and neceffary ftores. I gave it as my opinion, in the moft exprefs terms, that they ought not to depend on the General Hofpital for them, be- caufe, in its prefent exhauftcd condition, and the loofe ftate in which every thing was, from the fcattered con-. ^ition of the fick, and the vaft variety of duty, and infinite fatigue of the department, it was impoffible for me to furnifh the Regimental Surgeons, and not effen- tially injure, or totally overthrow the General Hofpi- tal. And obferved to him, that whilft there was fuch a limitation in the number of furgeons and other offi- cers in the hofpital, and the Regimental Surgeons could v claim any right to depend upon it for fupply of what they required, it muft foon be entirely exhaufted of the means of anfwering its defign, and be rendered wholly ufelefs. I therefore recommended to Congrefs,.the ap- pointment of proper perfonss1olook out, and purchafe medicines fufficient for a ftore to he formed at Phila- delphia, froai whence what ir.i^tt be wanting for regi- -( 1.1- ) r^rta! ufe. coald be fent up in proper c.h~&% <.* every , • Regimental "Surgeon, as his occafions required." ** fhus, 1 obferved, being fomewhat more difengaged fa from the prefent innumerable calls on me, that were foreign to my duty,"! fliould enjoy more leifure for What were p oper to my ftation, and then would fketch - out fome fonher plan for the better government of the G neai Hofpital and Regimental Surgeons, and the *■ beft means of furnifhing the needful fupplies." And,' foon after, I fent fuch a lift of medicinal ftores and fo' ki ns inftruments, &c. as I concluded would be ne- ' ccii,i■■ \ for an army of 20,000 men, for a twelvemonth, including both hofpitals and regiments. I according 7 drew up the above mentioned plan 5r a few days after, by ths General's Orders ; which being .firft fubmitted to his remarks, and thofe of Lord Ster- ling, and of General M'Dougall, as it was agreed up- on, was then forwarded fliortly after, by General M'Dougall, to General Green, that his remarks being * added, it might be returned to me, with all difpatch, to compare the whole, and revife it for laying before the Congrefs. As General Green had fhewn fo much zeal in the pffair, and had made fuch warm reprefentations, fuc- ceffively, to General Wafhington, and to the Prefident of the Congrefs, on the fubject, fetting forth, that If the prefent evil was not quickly remedied, it would fa- tally injure the fervice : 1 did not doubt, that he would give it all poffible difpafch, and fend it to me, fo loon as he could examine it. But although I wrote, and , fent meffa;.:<: after mefilg-3. I could never get it again, till a few diys before Chriftnvis, when I called on,him for it, in perlbn, anel received it,without the benefit of a fing'.e obfervation of his, to ^ccoupany its letuin. However, I fat down, fo foon after as 1 could, and re- ducedlhe whole into eight, articles, which I cnclofed to Mr. Samuel Adams, to lay before Congrefs, wuh two flieets of paper, containing rtr:..r;ks> and rchfons in fup- port ( I4« ) .port of them. Of thefe. f-gather with what I had communicated to the Committee, at my conference with them in Junr, and to feveral of the Members, in my letters to the Prefident and others, I find they have not difdained to make great ufe, in the arrange- ments which have fince taken place, on a very large fcale, and efpecially in what related to the arrangement of the fuperior officers, and the fubordination they ^ have traced out in the department. I have not mentioned Gen. Green's omiffion to per- form what he undertook, from believing it to be volunta- ry ; but as fome perfons, who having no better reafon at hand to affign for my removal, have, it feems, charg- ed me, with having promifed to l?y fome plan before Congrefs, for better regulating the department, and having then neglected it for near three months, during which time, many of the evils complained of, continued without redrefs, 1 thought it became me to give a true re- lation of the caufe of that delay, fofar as it refpected mvfelf. I doubt not General Green's being able to give fuch fubftantial reafons for his delaying to peiform his'prot.kie, as will be fully fafisfactory : But as that regards him more than myfelf, I leave it to him to ftate this matter as he pleafes, if he fhould chance to think the taking notice of it at all, to be worthy of his attention. BESIDES the afore-defcruxd letter to Mr. G\. written with a view to give Congrefs all necef- i v nformation of the ftate of my department, r.nd ( y thiflg that had a relation to it, to awaken their retention to the ftate of the fick and Regimental Sur- geons, as well as the hofpital department, to make what reformations and amendments in it they thought pro- per, I wrote a letter to Dr. Rufh, a Member of the Medical Committee ; and from the fame motive, my anxiety on account of the offerings of the fick, to roufe the attention of Congrefs to make this matter a ferious ( 14* ) ferious fubject, before they fhould be compelled to do it, from being overtaken with thofe calamities which too foon afrer came on, and, with the rapidity of a tor- rent, fwept away many hundreds, if not thoufands, in- to the ocean of eternity. Although it is a long letter, and contains repetitions of matters, fome of which I have already mentioned, more than once •, yet on that very account, of their be- ing repetitions, they have their ute ; and the length of my letter, at a time when I had fo much to claim my attention, is a proof that my mind was deeply engaged in the fubject: They carry with them the moft convin- cing evidence, that if the fick fuffvred, as they indifputr ably did, more than might be expected, had the Con- grefs done their part, either in making the neceffary provifion, before the campaign began, or underfttod how to regulate matters rightly at firft *, or had been as attentive, in applying feafonable remedies, as I was, to point out the diforders and means of redrefs, it was net owing to any neglect of mine, or any fault that I have yet been reproached with, from want of expe-"'- rience or abilities for the tafk, or of zeal and activity in difcharging my duty : But of this, let the impartial judge. The letter is as follows : To Doaor BENJAMIN RUSH. Member of the Medical Committee of CONGRESS. S i R, Hackinfack, Oct. 20, 1776. BY command of General Wafhington, all the fick and wounded, both in the General Hofpital, and thofe remaining under the care of Regimental Sur- geons, are removed within thefe two days, to this fide the ri^er, and chiefly in this neighbourhood : They amount to feveral hundreds, in addition to about 300 who were before removed to Newark, and 4 or 500 in Orange County. I have neither Commiffary near at hand, nor Quartermafter, and brought with me only three ( M3 3 three Mates : Ortc Surgeon who was to follow, is hourly expected. The General's commands were to leave a rc- fpectable body of Surgeons and Mates above Kingfbridge, a general action being daily expected, as the whole force of the enemy is drawn to that quarter. So foon as I get this part of the General Hofpital into order and re- gularity, I am to return, and provide accommodations *t the White Plains, for which indeed I gave the necef- fary orders before I came over,4hat in cafe the commu- nication by the North-River fhould be cut off, for a while, which no doubt the enemy mean to attempt, fiiitable provifion may be made for the wounded, fliould there be a general action, which is daily expected. I wrote to Mr. Gerry, giving an account of the ftate of the hofpital, fince the affair of Long-Ifland which Z wifh you to fee. My anxiety to preferve hofpital ftores occafion ed my removal of the heavy articles to Stam- ford, which I effected, juft in time to prevent their fall- ing into the enemy's hands. Great part of what re-; mained at New-York, were again divided, part to be removed to Kingfbridge, with the Hofpital Surgeons and Mates, who remained with the army *, the reft to be fent with the fick to Newark. In packing and unpack- ing medicines, and dealing them out, with other hofpi- tal ftores, to Regimental Surgeons and Mates, near one half of our mates of the hofpital have been employed the whole fummer and autumn, to this time, to the mere fubverfion,and almoft total de'ftructiori,of the Ge- neral Hofpital. We are now fcarcely any thing more than collectors and retailers to Regimental Surgeons and Mates ; and the ftores are fo divided, -yc'ted. anddiffi- pated, that without a new arrangement, ana abundant more affiftance than we have, or can have, or the hof- pital continuing fixed in one place, we fhall fhonly be incapable or" yielding any affiftance at all. The greateft difficulty is the fupplying medicines to the wide, army. Think how I came to have that charge, in eddkion to my duty as Director-Genera!, Sec., and that'it v.-as only ( M4 ) defigned as a tempo.cry expedient ; and confider th: difficulties and inconveniences of continuing to execute it, and you muft foon be convinced how impracticable it is for me to anfwer the intention. When ' firft ar- rived in the army, I found the Regiment?.l Surgeons de- ftitute of medicines, inftruments, and bandages ; theic- fore a ufelefs fet, in ca'.e of action. I reprefented this to General Wafhington, and pointed out tohinvthene'- ceffity of every regiment being fupplied, the enfuing campaign, with a medicine cheft for the whole year : But where to get the medicines was the qutftion, or who was to fit out the Surgeons. I recommended an application to Congrefs, to employ fome one in Phila- delphia, to provide chefts for each regiment. Whilft matters were under confideration, Bofton was evacuated by the Britifh troops : By dint of unwearied affiduity, I collected a great number of blankets, beds and rugs, which had been left, by the Britifh a; my, in hofpital?, barracks, and in the river : I had ihem warned, and made fit for ufe. By the General's Orders J took pof- feflion of a large Dcuggift's fliop, and a finall one of a private practitioner, after they were gleaned of capital articles, as camphor, rhubarb, bark, opium, &c. The General concluding it would be a means of fupplying" the regiments, as well as General Hofpital, ordered me to purchafe fuch articles as were wanted, and as I could . get, and make out chefts for every regiment, in the ar- my which he commanded : This made it late before I could get to New-York, and above half the mates Were employed, in packing and accompanying the medicines to New-York. Hearing, on my arrival, that the Con- grefs had a.large affortment of medicines at Philadel- phia, and being called upon by the furgeons,iri the nor- thern department, to fupply them, I haftened to Phila- delphia to confer with a Committee of Congrefs, and have my duty better afcertained : I found that of a va- luable affortment of capital articles, which the Co. r: efs had pucchafed, there had been confider?ble dedu. tract of 30 miles and upwards ; only onr apothecary being allowed ', ho leifure tor either hirn or me to leave the army, a.nd look out for fupplies ; and none to be got for writing, or next to none , the wounei- ed requiring our care •, deftitute of help from Quarter- maftert and Commiffarie*, u-hen removed to a diftance y All concur to fhew that the refolve of Congrefs, that the Directors fhall fupply medicines to the Regirr~.nta? ( 14* ) Stirgeons, is alhing impoffible, at leaft in my depart- mentx for any length of time, unlefs I am allowed to leave the camp,and range through the different States,er rather to employ a variety of perfons for that purpofe. I have represented the matter to the General, and now hope the Congrefs will take it into confideration. I have been reduced to the neceffity of fending a furgeon to proceed through New-England, to collect medicines,' as Doctor Stringer is gone in perfon, for his depart- ment. I have wrote to Governor Trumbull and the Aflembly of Connecticut, for their affiftance ; to the State of New-York for help ; fent for and iffaed out all my own ftock of medicines; purthafed from public bo- dies, and private practitioners; wrote to Mr. Bafs, Mr. Smith and others : All is infufficient. I fr\all make out another lift, and fend to Mr. Smith •, but I fear much that I fhall not get what I want, in Philadelphia : It is diftreffing to the laft degree, to be harraffed with fuch unceafing clamorous demands, for what I neither have, nor can get 5 and if 1 had them, I have not help fuffi- r.ient to iffue them out, it being as much as two or three perfons can do to prepare, and iffue out medicines for •he fick in the General Hofpital, diffufed as ours is, and ueceffkrily fo. General Wafhington has ordered me to draw up a plan for the government of the General Hofpital, and of the Regimental Surgeons, fuch as I think practicable in the execution, and beft calculated to anfwer the de* fignof both: I prefented him with a rough fketch, which he has examined, and made his remarks : Lord Sterling has done the fame ; and it is now in the hands of General M'Dougall; and it is to pafs through General Green's , then to undergo corrections and a- mendments, to lay before the Congrefs, for which this may prepare you. This minute 1 learn, that the Britifh troops have with- drawn from FrogVPoint } are landed at New Ilochell; a ( '47 ) a ^ner'/ action is hourly expected ; an important event, on which much depends. The defign of this letter is, principally, to prepare the attention of Congrefs to the* affairs of my department. We want rags, old linnej^fck.oandages, lint, tow, thread, jncedies and pins, &c. "^«K sre not to be got here. Would it not be worth tL? mention of a Committee of Congrefs, or fome active Membere, to fet fome inhabi- tants of the city to collect thefe, and other neceffary articles, and fend off with difpatch. They cannot come too foon, or in larger quantity than fufficient. The hofpital has been drained by fupplying Regimental Sur# geons. We muft depend on the public to furnifh frefh fupplies : They are not to be got here : I am over- whelmed with bufinefs j I cannot leave the hofpital to gq in fearch of thtm. * I now give notice of my difficulties, zvhile lean, in time, that in cafe of falling fhort of the quantity of thofe neceffaries, I may not be blamed for the impoffibility of collecting them. I fhall inclofe you a lift of medicines wanted for fuch an army as General Wafhington's, which I conceive to be rather moderate than extravagant. Without fo ca- pital a ftock is provided in time, we fhall be unfurnifhe4 for another campaign : Nor do I think it fufficient for more than fixfuch months as the laft. Judge then whether it will not be necefiary to employ Conamiffaries to pur-; chafe medicines ; to prepare them before they come to the army ; to provide a place of faftty, at a proper dif- tance from danger, and not fubject to continual move- ments' ; to have an Apothecary for the army or regi- ments, diftinct from the Hofpital Apothecary, and mates and labourers to affift in iffuing thern out, when Wanted, to the refpective Surgeons. I remain, Sir, your moft humble Servant, JOHN MORGAN. , The Public may defire to know what was the effecTi af the above reprefentatioa and earneft application for forne ( 148 ) fome relief There are few, perhaps, but readily con- clude, that this notice of my difficulties produced im- mediate and powerful affiftance •, or, that the Cong* efs did me ample juftice, in exculpating me from all cen* fare and blame for want offlfe Quite the contrary of all this is the fact. No rnjK^iotice was taken of this information, that ever came to my knowledge, than if $t were a tale of what happened in ages pail, that did bo ways concern ourfelves. When the remnant of the army that retreated from Brunfwick had croffed the Delaware, I proceeded to Philadelphia, to wait on Congrefs, and to lay matters before them in perfon, for fuch regulations for the bet- ter care of the fick and wounded,as were fuitable to the occafion, and to obtain an explanation and amendment of the refolves of Congrefs, October 9th. I met Doc- tor Rufh in the ftreet, and attempted, for a moment, to detain him, till I could acquaint him with the prefent circumftances, and fituation of affairs : He gave me no timej All he faid was, that *' he was glad I was come ; it would take a great burden from his fhoulders," and paffed on. When! afterwards called upon him, at his Jboufe, to repiefent matters to him there, as a Member of the Medical Committee, for relief ; the" fum of his anfwer was, that " he would not, for ten times the con- fideration,' go through the amazing toils and difficulties ©f my ftation." But inftead of relief from the difficul- ties and hardfhip of my fituation, all the returns I rc-^ ceived from Congrefs, are complaints difregarded, griev- ances unredreffcd,and, without an hearing, and without affigning a reafon, a difmiffion from my ftation, as if Congrefs intended to fix a ftigma on my character. But however hidden the motives for fuch conduct are, a day may come, when thefe will be fully underftood. fhe fame Gentleman who then felt, or feemed to feel for my fituation, having fince accepted a place, near of kin to that which he then fo earneftly deprecated, may perhaps remember it. I can truly fay, fliould he afpire to. f «49 ) to, or hereafter enjoy, that very place, I do not with him the ill-treatment and ingratitude for his fervices in it, which I have cxperienqed. TO SHEW how difficult it was for me to re- ceive any exact information from Congrefs, on fuch particulars as I conceived it neceffary to know, I need only acquaint the reader with the following particu- lars. Being applyed to by Doctor Potts, who acted in the character of Director in a feparate branch of the nor- thern department, to fend him proper perfons, to affift him, otherwife it would not be in his power to dif- charge the truft repofed in him, I nominated two gen- tlemen for that purpofe, in the quality of a Surgeon, and Apothecary to that part of the hofpital. As other demands of that fort might be made upon me, I wrote to Mr. Charles Thomfon, Secretary, re- queuing him to acquaint me, from the Journals of the Congrefs, wherhef the nomination of Surgeons to fill up vacancies, in any part of the General Hofpital of the northern department, refted with me, as Director-Ge- neral and Phyfician in Chief of the American Hofpital It appeared, that Doctor Stringer had been impowered to take charge of the northern department, the nature of which I did not fully underftand : But I thought the refolves of July 17, laft, warranted me to call upon him, as one of the Directors, for returns of furgeons, mates, and other officers, &c. but then he had wrote word to me, that he conceived himfelf to be a fenior of- ficer, and upon a fuppofition of our ever coming toge- ther, expected precedence, from that priority, or to take rank of me ; and had given me to underVnd ia exprefs terms, that he never would be accountable to ine, or to any perfon, but the Commander of the parti- cular department where he was, or to the Commander in Chief : And referred me to the votes of Congrefs, September 14, for the particulars of his appointment. r Havir.g C 15° ) Having r.o accefs to thofe votes otherwife, I informed the Secretary, in the letter which I wrote him, of my dtfire to avoid interfering w'^th Doctor Stringer, in hit department, from any mifc©nception of the intentions of Congrefs ; and afked as a favour, that he would be plc.fed to let me have a copy of the votes, relative t» Doctor Stringer's appointment and inftiuctions, and to Doctor Shippen's appointment and inftru6lions, that I might know whether it was the duty of thofe Gentlemen to m^ke me the fpecified returns of July 17th, or not. Didhe comply with my requeft ? Or what anfwer did this polite, obliging Secretary, return me, and two other Gentlemen, Membeis of Congrefs, to whom I alfo wrote to requeft they would fecond my application to h'vxi for copies of the votes and inftructions, &c ? He fent them not, but in place thereof, in a poffove ma- gisterial way, give me to underftand, (in which hov- ever, he v.;as greatlv miftaken)tbat " undoubtedly, at .e appointment of thofe Gentlemen, they had the fame po-vers given to them, in all refpetls, of nominati*.-.; rhdr own furgeons, nurfes, &c in their departments,, ar I h~.d myfelf in mine ; and as to rank and pre - dence, and all that nonfenfe (as he called it) there ' ; nothing in the Journals to eftablifh it.*" By this time, I had obtained from Doffor Stringer himfelf a copy of his appointment, and ot the powers vefted in him by Congrefs, Sept. 14, r 775 (fee ,oage 27) which enabled me to point our his m:it«kc, f •• Viewing him that Doctor Stringer had n^* power giv 1 him, by thofe refolves, of non-fin.-; 'rig a iingle furgeon, Of any officers whatever, exct p- < nurr.h -' of ma'.e3, not to exceed four ; a power not c:, al ton; ; given to any of ch. * rgeons, appointed by n' as *-i'ch of them h~d a power of nominating five mates -, and having ta^cu 'he liberty to tell this GRE A T MAN ! 'hat In what it con- cerned me to be well acquainted whh, for :]. ■■ d'v. -P on of my conduct, I preferred a ftate of facts 'o his 'ioff- e>, on which I could form a judgment cf rr.y own. on ff.e evidence they afforded j and that bid "it been pleafed ( i5« ) pleafed to have examined thefe refolves of Congrefs, his difebliging obfervations on rank and precedence, mignt have been fpared ; 1 further told him, that men bred up in the army, had different notions from what he feemed to entertain, and that fuppofing their rank and their pay were to come into competition with each other, every oilicer of fpirit and honour, would rather facrifice his pay, as of lefs confequence, than his rank ; and then afked him, if it was a matter of no impor- tance, how it came to pafs that the Congrefs, in their late refolves, had determined that the furgeons and mates of the hofpital fhould take rank of regimental furgeons and mates. His letter, in reply to this, contained in it feveral ex- preffions fo rude, ?nd impertinent to the matterin hard-, that I chufe to omit them j but he vc y cynically ob-1 fcrved, that " having never been conv^rfant in courts or camps, he doubted not that his way of think'mg, (as if that were to be the ftandard, and fuperctde the vorcs of Congrefs, of which he ought to have confidered him- felf the fervant, and not the mafter) might appear zs old fafhioned to them, as their proceedings, at times, appear ridiculous to him, where rank ftands for r.;ierii, and that fantaftical thing ca'led honour, (with which, :-f his invectives on it,he gives room enough to fuppole he is little acquainted) fupplys the place of virtue ;•' and con- cluded with a rhapfody on Commonwealths,that I :o"> ceived to be very foieign to the fubj. ct, as i never f \k;C. for a difplay of his piinciples, havirg barely rtqucfted fuch information cf the refolves of Co.^ois rs n.hht enable me to know,and to discharge my duty, the better, I only wifhed to gna.'d againft breaking cfown *.h;.fc bar- riers, which were moft iike:y to feture my i:mk and authority from innovations up;.n them ; and v/hnh.,per- haps, fh'is very Gfi,t!eman night be infti ur.-.enra'i '\r- i.v- iroducing, afterwaids, into the votes of October 91b, which 1 conceived I hadfo much reafon to con.]'ain of, "as the firft approach that v.-■■ j m^co to undermine- rr.? corn niftion. ( *5* ) commiffion, which however could not be thoroughly effected, without attempting likewife to blow up my reputation, though anfuccclsfully. T H A T I may at length bring this detail and exa» mination of facts to a conclufion, I fhall make fome abftracts from feveral certificates and teftimonials, pre* fented to me by the Gentlemen of the General Hofpi* tal who have accidentally fallen in my way, fince the affair of my aifmiffidn happened, which has enabled me to obtain their fentiments on the fubject. Thefe abftracts fet forth, that on being called upon for the purpofe, and confidering themfelves in honour obliged to certify facts of which they are acquainted, refpecting the condudl and management of JOHN MORGAN, Efq; late Director-General of the Ame- rican Hofpital, and Phyfician in Chief, from being officers in faid hofpital, and therefore falling under their cognizance. To ALL WHOM IT MAY concern They teftity,----That the faid JOHN MORGAN, gave orders to the different Surgeons of the General* Hofpital, to receive under their care all patients belong- ing to the army, whether fick or wounded, that were duly reported and found to be proper objects, without diftinciion, with full power to draw on the faid depart- ment for whatever medicinal and other ftores could be procured—That the faid Director-General was ever at- , t-nth'e to any calls which they made upon him, for the fupply of the hofpital, and for procuring comfortable accommodation, prsvifion, neceffaries and refrefh- ments for the fick—That in particular inflances, on the breaking up of Regimental Hofpitals, and routing of the fick, by the approach of the enemy, the fick being poured upon his care in vaft numbers, without either Surgeon, Mate, Quartermafter, or anyone officer to accompany: Doctor MORGAN having but little affiftancs ( the juftice that is fuppofed to be due to Gentlemen of unexceptionable characters, that havesll.ved them faithiul'y, and with approved' ability, from the begin- ning of the war ; and have deferved well at their har.ds, for what they have done and fuffered, from being con- ftantly engaged as Surgeons in th^ Gereral Hofpital, fince :v C *55 ) i>.ce its firft eftablifhment; to pafs them by, and to I place over their heads fome who were never before ir* F the fervice, and others who were their juniors ; they f have, however unintentionally, done great honour to f my appointments. Of three Gentlemen whom I .no- minated, and who have ferved under me, as Surgeoas, » who are all I ever appointed, and wefe the youngeft in" ! the hofpitals of my department, two of them are pro- moted, by Congrefs, to the ftations of Phyfician Gene- ral, and Surgeon General, in the Army. Can a ftron- ger proof be given of the care and fidelity with which k I exercifed that truft, than in employing, ts officers tra- der me, Gentlemen whom the Congrefs itfelf has feen fit, fince, to diftinguifh in fo extraordinary a manner ? . And when one of the beforementioned Gentlemen, ^ who had juft reafon to expect to be noticed amongft the firft appointments in the department, was for fome time, at Jeaft, wholly overlooked, by them, as he was to my knowledge, probably, becaufe he could not con- fent to be troubling Congrefs, either by himfelf or friends, with folicitations in his behalf, though they were not ignorant of his fervices ; and though brother to HIM, who laid down his life in their CAUSE, and I whofe memory is held facred by them ; but who, with- out deriving merit from any extrinfic or adventitious circumftances, has conducted himfelf in a manner that reflects honour upon his talents and humanity ! If Congrefs could be capable then, of fo long neglect- ing the known, but modeft worth of Doctor JOHN WARREN, the world may lefs wonder they fliould'* fo eafily get over the obligations they owed to myfelf, and to their.^wn reputation. As to the Mates, many of them are raifed to the' rank of Surgeons of Regiments, and I doubt not, thafc by their fuperiorknowledge in the duties of their fta- tion, above whaf many of their predeceffors enjoyed^, they will reflect credit on the General Hofpital, under my direction, as a School to qualify them for fup:no? fervices. As ( ?5* ) As *o myfelf, and the' unworthy treatment I have met wi:b ; I call it unworthy! for fo-it is, in refpect to me, how.'Yfr worthy it rmy be of the authors of it; wnatever credit and growing faihe fome may imagine they have acquired by it, I confider it not as any difho- nour to me, but to thofe only who have procured it. Trine, the great revealer of Mens motives as well as aftions, will perhaps, one day, unmafk the private and difguifrd defigns of men, who cover them at prefent, with a pretext of public good, but which are vifiblc by their actions to the quicker fight of difcerning men, who judge of a tree, not by its appearances, but its fruits. I do net envy them, but rather wonder, and Wifh them to enjoy the juft reward of their devices. " Nee Drances potkis, five hcec eft ira deorum, " Mo te luat ,- f.vs eft virtus aut gldria, tollat." I doubt not, but they will fail, however, in one part of their*'defign, and by endeavouring to throw an ■ odium on my character, fix an indeliable mark on their own ; and, perhaps, find that injuftice fo fweet to their ' tafte, may, before it is digefted, bring forth gaul and bitternefs, and what they have foxied in deceit and folly, they may reap in remorfe and difappointment. Leaving them, therefore, to the opinion which the rafter and wifer part of mankind may have of than in this proceeding, and to the operation of that inward monitor in their own breafts, I amfatisfied in having hung out lights to thofe embarked in the fame bottom , v/ith deigning men, who fleering amidft rocks-and quick-far;ei, *'hold themfelves in readinefs to plunder the veffel the; .r.omto wreck." I have t; dcaivciird to difcharge my duty in what I undertook iiaam principle,'according to my degree of knowledge and capacity, with faithfulnefs and diligence ; ?md what I value more than knowledge or capacity a- , lone, with humanity, from whence refults the approba- ■ iljii cf a good confcience^ which as my enemis';, with ( 157 ) all their power, cannot give, fo neither can they take away. Why then fhould I repine at the portion of difficulties, that, in times like thefe, hrve fallen^to my • lot, and which I have neither coveted, nor been able to fhun ? Having been born'in freedom, I claim it, in commQn with every other freeman, as an indifputable, unalienable right, which I have never furrendered to any one, to defend my good name from the attacks cf infidirjus men, of whatever clafs or. denomination. Be it ever, therefore, my part to declare, without fear and without referve, that true Freedom is my " unconquer- ble delight," and that lam equ-Ky a foe to falfe preten- ces of liberty, and " to every fpecks of bondage," but moft to " that of the mind." As to thofe who have made themfelves bufy to reflect on my character, I confider their envy to be rather a proof of merit, than dread the power of their malice to ^ affect me, fince, in every age, " Envy dees merit, as its fhade, purfue, ' , ft And by thefhadow, proves the fubftance true." But neither pretp;:ding, nor wifhing, to derive any merit from that fource, I willingly fubject the validity of the preceeding narrative, and exact reprefentation of facts, to the ftricteft fcrutiny of the impartial and dif- intercfted part of the common*- To their equitabje and candid decifion therefore, this Defence of my pub- lic conduct, againft all the fecret arts and impotent ma* 1 lice of a fet of invidious and plotting men, who have fought to eftablifh their power ai .1 H^luence, on n y injured Innocence and Reputation, is chearf J.ly fub- miued. . POSTSCRIPT. t *S* 5 P O' S t S C R' I P T. f*4- The Jtalici Letters (in fartnthefs) in the Memtrial rP General WASHINGTON, were, atfrfe intended to point out to tbofeparts of the Ap. fsndix, which more particularly regard the faBs, there mentioned , but it birg hfer-iva-J- found neceffary to change the order of the protfs and illujirations, Ik- rs;'"eh:tswere afterwards dropped, for the fake of conneilirg them icitb /If'faffs, and others tobicb were omitted in the Memorial, in the Jl'tle of a a.u;%td Narrative) far (bt gnater taft of tbt Reader*, ■*fr ** 6F*V MecL. Hist. 1777 <- i