A Study of Army Camp Life during American RevolutionSnuff, Mary Hazel
History
A Study of Army Camp Life during American Revolution
Snuff, Mary Hazel
United States -- Armed Forces -- Military life; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- American forces
The continental congress thought of that phase of army conditions and
on July 25, 1775, the following provisions were made. For an army
of twenty thousand men a hospital was to be established under the
direction of a Director General, his salary was to be four dollars per
day. He was to superintend the whole, furnish the medicines and bedding
and make a report to and receive orders from the commander-in-chief.
Under the director there were to be four surgeons, one apothecary and
twenty surgeons' mates, each receiving two-thirds of a dollar per day,
whose duty it was to visit and attend the sick. There was also to be a
matron who had under her direction the nurses, one for every ten sick
soldiers.[83] Then in July 1776, the resolution was passed that the
number of hospital surgeons and mates was to be increased in proportion
to the increase in size of the army not to exceed one surgeon and five
mates to every five thousand men and to be reduced as the army was
reduced.
Dr. Church was appointed by congress as director, but before October
14, 1775, he had been taken into custody for holding correspondence
with the enemy[84], and on October 17, 1775, Dr. Morgan was elected in
his stead.[85] But even after the new director was appointed there was
still room for complaint for Washington wrote to Congress "I am amazed
to hear the complaints of the hospital on the east side of Hudson's
river. * * * I will not pretend to point out the causes; but I know
matters have been strangely conducted in the medical line. I hope your
new appointment when it is made, will make the necessary reform in the
hospital, and that I shall not, be shocked with the complaints and
looks of poor creatures perishing for want of proper care, either in
the regimental or hospital surgeons".[86]
Congress had made several attempts to organize the hospitals and in
July 1776, resolutions had been passed which defined more fully the
duties of the various officials both of the departmental and the
regimental hospitals.[87] There was to be a director and under him
the directors of the various departmental hospitals.[88] But since
there were only a few departmental hospitals and those few often a long
distance from the scene of battle it became necessary to have branch
hospitals or regimental hospitals. At the head of those were persons
known as regimental surgeons, who were to make reports of expenses,
and lists of the sick to the director of the departmental hospital and
receive supplies from him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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