The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1780-10-07 00:00:00, page 4

DOCTOR M 0 RGA N's Continuation.
DOCTOR BROWN further declared, that
a itrange cuflom prevailed at one time to
issue our a gallon of wine per day to every hos
pital, and no more, whatever might be the differ
ence of circumfla ri ce. Thus, for example, to a hos
pital containing several hundred patients, and a
mongfi whom putr'd fevers prevailed that made wine
more necessary; if a distribution had been made, it
would not have amounted, perhaps, to more than
a few fpoonuls a piece ; and on tiiat account was
often not distributed, being perhaps used by those
who were well. Other hospitals, that contained only
convalescents, had a g lion of wine ordered for them,
who were comparatively few in number: but as they
were on the recovery, they were supposed not to need
it; a milk diet being ordered, and for that reason it
too was used by the well.
Such were the curious regulations under Doctor
Shippen's management of the hospital department,
tiiat, most fatal and malignant diseases prevailed
in the different hospitals, the latter end of the year
1777 and beginning of 1778, then under the direction
of Dr. Shippen, by which many lives were loft ; and
Dr. Brown deposed that in his opinion, " the lives of
“ one half of the men that were loft in the hospitals
" might h@ve been saved by means easily procurable
“ with money, and quite confident with a military
“ life /' that Dr. Shippen was omnipotent in his de
partment, and those to whom he delegated his autho
rity, which was to Cothmiffaries and stewards, and
not to the phyficiatr general or physicians and surge
ons till the issues were taken out of his hands, by or
der of Congress, and entrufied to the prescriptive
branch of the hospital department.
Dr. James Hutchinson, physician general of this
date, acting at that time as a surgeon general in the
Flying Hospital, does, in his deposition, describe the
fufferings of the sick in strong terms, which he Dys
was owing to the want of system in the hospital de
partment, and the want of a proper communication
betwixt the general and Flying Hospitals ; that, " by
“ order of the director general, no dores were at that
“ time issued to the regimental surgeons ;'' that the
Flying Camp was in want of instruments, and when
at White-Marsh, t: ere was reason to expert an en
gagement, there was not a fufficiency of infiruments
to employ those who were present; which it was the
duty of the dire&or general to furnifh; that during
the whole winter there was such a want of Lancets,
that numbers of the regimental surgeons and some of
the Flying Hospital were without one --that in June
1778, when the army left Valley-Forge, the sick in
Camp amounted to near three thousand: and it fell
to the deponant's lot, to remain with those, with one
junior surgeon and a few regimental surgeons and
mates :--That the director General was at the depo
nent's quarters when the army moved, and the depo
nent remained with so heavy a charge, on assurance,
of receiving speedy abidance from him, that he might
be relieved and proceed to Camp, where operating
surgeons were wanted : That federal of the regimen
tal surgeons left the deponent to join their refp-ftive
regiments, and no further assistance was received from
the General Hospital : - That about eight or fen days •
after, being in the situation described, the director
General sent him orders to proceed immediately with
the surgeons under his direction to the army ; --That
hd he complied with this order, which Colonel Cort
right, the commanding officer, deemed flrange and
impracticable, he thould have left seventeen or eigh
teen hundred sick behind, without a surgeon to take
care of them ; --That the director General commonly
resided at Manheim, which was too diflant to be ap
plied to personally, so that he could not give assist
ance immediately in cases of emergency — That al
tho' Dr. Shippen was several times at Camp, he does
not recollect ever to have seen him in the inside of an
Hospital, but once at the White-Plains, and he thinks
once at the Yellow-Springs ;--Th it the deponent once'
asked him to take the rounds with him to visit the sick,
when he came to Camp, in March or June, but he
declined it.
P. S. In my firft paper of appeal I obser
ved that my attempts to bring Doff r Shippen to
justice had not failed of being ascribed, as is the usual
practice of the guilty, to unworthy motives. lam
not at all furprized. therefore that'Dr. Shippen should
attempt to shelter himfelf under the pretended plea
of perfecutmn thereby attempting to excite pity for
him and to conceal his crimes, and should honour my
endeavours to serve the community, with the appel
lations of wickedness malice and fallhood. But
neither those marks of good breeding, nor his bare
assertions that I am endeavouring to impose on the
public by partial testimony and misrepresentation of
fads ; or that he is earnefy soliciting Congress, (in
which I as earneftl, join) to pnblifn the whole pro
ceedings of the court martial, will, unless Congress
is plea fed to comply with those solicitations, in
duce me to desist from continuing to lay before the
canded public, specimens of the proofs I laid before
the court-martial, of Dr. Shippen's mil practice and
criminality in office, under the several charges I
brought again ft him, supported by the depositions of
faithful, competent, and disinterested witnesses. This
the inteteft of my country and my own honour re
quire. Ween Dr. Shippen, in place of asserting, is
pleased to point out in what instances I have mis-re
presented fads, I shall be enabled to reply more par
toila ly.
In tire mean time, I rest assured that the difeerning
public is now too well acquainted with the fads and
the character of the deponents to be diverted from its
passing judgment according to evidence; or to be im
posed upon either by inve&ives or assertions ; and
that the declaration of dif-interefled witnesses upon
oath, will be considered as the pillars of truth, not
PHILADELPHIA: Printed and Sold by JOHN DU NLA P, in Market-street.
to be fhsken by cavil, or intemperate abuse thrown
out, either upon the witnesses, or the prosecutor in
behalf of the public.
Whenever Congress shall think proper to comply
with the proposal of publishing the trial at large,
sure I am it will open such a feene of iniquity, and
of fatal mis-management and negled of Hospital du
ty, as cannot fail to Arike the virtuous with abhor
rence and to shock the humanity of every tender and
compassionate reader, who can feel for the loss of
brave soldiers, or sympathize with the distresses of his
countrymen and fellow citizens.
As Dr. Shippen is pleased, on his own authority,
to declare that he deserves not the censure but praise
of his country, yet is lilent as to the grounds of that
claim, I make free to ask, whether it is for specu
lating with public money, and affumiog a fictitious
name to conceal his clandefline trade? If so, let his
worthy conveniences John and Thomas Brown who
have been so ferviceabie to him therein unite in weav
ing a chaplet of praise. If it be for pressing public
waggons to carry on his trade let the framers and
guardians of the Pennsylvania waggon law decide
upon the magnitude of his deserts. If it is for the
five hundred well rations, drawn in a day for one
hundred and sixty-two sick, by one of the Hospital
Commissaries, anting under his authority, Bill kept
in employ by Dr. Shippen, let the fraternity of Hos
pital commissaries, Rewards,affiftants and deputies of
all kinds, relate his laudable deeds. But if it be for
the fatal contagion that prevailed in the Hospitals,
for want of fufficient room, freih air, and Madeira
Wine &c. which the sick and wound d' wanted, and
he monopolized, then let the bereaved parents, dis
tressed widows and orphans, of those numerous brave
soldiers, who ded in the Hospitals under his direc
tions, wiiilft he foil the Hospital wines and fugers,
compose the eulogy-
Dr. Benjamin Rush confirmed the following decla
ration before the court uion oath, viz:
In the elofe cf the year 1776, fail Dr. Ruflt, (being at
that time himfelf a Member cf Congress) I was ordered
by the Hon Congress to affiflin taking care of the sick
soldiers, belonging to the flying camp, in the city of Phi
ladelphia; they came to town in .waggons, wi bout offi
cers, surgeons, quarter-crafters or commissaries. Man,
died in the open air with hunger and cold. They were
received by the inhabitants, and for a while they were fed
by the hand of charity alone. Most o' the physicians of
the city afli fled in taking care of them for several weeks.
Most of those who could be accommodated in private
houses, and who had the benefit of good nurses and pro
per food recovered—Their disorder was a putrid fever.
There were buried in the potters field from November
1776 to March 17,7, betwixt a thoufand,and eleven hun
dred soldiers, the chief of whom belonged to the flying
camp, and all of whom, I underftood/zm a Refold if
Coxgrfs, wereuader the exclusive direction of Dr. Ship
pen, to whom the Care of all the sick troops on the weft
fideo. the North-River had been committed.
Dr. Rush further deputed, that he was appointed Sur
geon and Physician General of the Military Hospitals of
the United States, in the middle department, of which
Dr Shippen wa<, at the fame time appointed Director
General in April 1777. That in May or June 1777, a
putrid fever broke out in the hoofe of employment a
hospital then belonging to that department, otcaiioo&d
by the sick being too much crouded together; that the
deponent applied to the Director General tor another
hospital to accomodate the sick, but was answered by
him, '' that he, (Dr. Shippen,) was the 0^ judge what
room was necceffary for the sick," ard he pofitiyely re
futed to procure another hospital; that a considerable
number of the soldiers died with the above fever, together
with three of the Surgeons ; that the Director General
refufed to allow a fufficient quantity pf wine, (one of the
most powerful medicines in tie above fever) to the sick;
that the sick fuffered greatlytrom the want of wine, at the
very time Dr. Shippen fold large quantities of it out of
the hospital Acres, and that no account was then taken
of the expenditure of public ft ores; that the deponent
having oicafcn to visit an hospital at Reading in October
1777 after the battle of Germantown found the wounded
soldiers in the most deftreffed condition, and in wantofmoft
of those necessaries, which the Congress had al
lowed them, that most of them lay, for several weeks
in the fame shirts in which they were wounded ; that the
deponent in visiting (that brave and valuable officer,)
Lieut. Col. Smith, who was wounded in carrying a flag
to Mr, Chew's house, in the battle of Germantown, found
him in a low condition, his leg being mertified ; that the
deponent ordered the fai'd Col. Smith to drink large
quantities of Madeira wine, but was answered by the Sur
geon who attended him, that there was no wine belong
ing to the hospital, but port; that the deponent said,
he was sure there ought to be Madeira wine enough in the
hospitals, for thaflie had heard that the Direhor Gene
ral had bought a large quantity of it from Mr. Nelbut
for the use cf the hck ; that the Surgeon replied, there
were five or fix pipes 0 Madeira in the hofpital.Acre, but
that tuey were the private property of the Director Ge
neral; that the deponent was much fhecked at this in
formation, and asked it the above wine was brought to
Reading in public waggons, and was answered in theaf
firmative; that the deponent was unable to procure any
of the above wine for his patient; that the unfortunate
Colonel would have wanted Madeira wine altogether had
nor the Hon. Mr. Searle and General Mifflin, very gener
ously (applied him with a few bottles of it from their ta
bles. That the sick, in all the hospitals that the deponent
visited, after Odober 1777, were too much crouded, and
died in great numbers with the putrid fevers brought on
by impure air, and the total want, or scanty supply of
necessaries of all kinds for sick people; that most of the
Surgeons caught the above fever, and that eight died of
it, within thefpace of 12 months. That the deponent who
visited the hospitals nearer to him daily, never saw the Di
redor General within a hospital, during the space of the 9
monthsheaded under him; that the deponent applied fre-
quently to the Direflor-General for blankets and other ne
cessaries for the sick, but seldom obtained them, in such a
quantity, or in such time, as to be of any use to the sick;
that the deponent applied to the Director-General fre
quently for a guard to each of the hospitals, (without
which no military hospital can be governed or conduced
properly) but could never obtain them Upon one occa
sion the Director General told him as an excuse for not
procuring a guard, "that the officers who commanded
upon these occasions, were generally very impertinent, and
did more mifehief than good ;" that the Dire&or had told
a Committee of Congress, as a jollification of this piece
of criminal negligence, that hehad applied to the Com
mander in Chief, and most or the general officers of the
army, for guards, but could never procure them ; that
the deponent had good reason to doubt the veracity of
this declaration, a, the Commander in Chief ordered
guards to be mounted at every hospital, as foen as he
heard by a letter from the deponent, that they were ufe
ful and necessary ; that the deponent often attempted to
introduce order and method in the hospitals, agreeably to
the plans laid down by the best authors, and adopted by
all the military nations of Europe, but was conflantly
prevented from carrying them into execution, by
the Director-General; that from the want of system,
no regular returns were ever made of the number
of sick or deaths, and hence the reports of the Direftor-
General to Congress, were for the moftprt ialfe—The
report for December, 1777, in a particular manner, did
not contain above one half of the number of deaths, that
happened in the hospitals in the faid'month. That the
deponent feeing with great distress the waste and unfair
consumption of hospital stores, ordered the Commissaries
of the Hospitals to issue no stores of any kind to the sick,
without an order from a prescribing Surgeon, which or
ders he requested might be kept as vouchers for the ex
penditure of hospital Acres, to be produced by the Di
redor General, when he fettled his accompt,, agreeably
to the practice of all military hospitals ; that the Direc.
tor-General opposed this regulation, until ke was com
pelled to adopt it by the practice and influence cf Dr.
Brown, and several of the Senior Surgeons of the hospi
tals; that from the negligence of the Dieftor General
in introducing order and oxenomy in 'he hospitals, great
and unnecessary expences were contracted, aid rom the
scanty allowance or total want of blankets, Hurts, hospi
tal room and Acres of all kinds, the array loft above a
thousand brave soldiers during the autumn and winter of
1777, and 1778, whole lives, it is probable, might have
been saved by humanity, induffry, and justice in a Di
redor General ; —that the deponent heard from a varie
ty of people, tavern-keepersand others, that the Direc
tor -General had taken large quantities of wine and sugar,
both loaf and brown, from the hospital Acres, and fold
them upon his own account, at a lime when the sick fuf
fered and died from the want of them ; that the depo
nent had been informed by the Hon. George Bryan,
Esq ; then Vice-President of Pennsylvania, of Dr. Ship
pen's filling, or employing a friend to fell loaf sugar for
him *; that during the time the deponent remained in the
hospital department,Dr Shippen lived in a constant round
of pleasure and dissipation, regardless of the cries and dis
tresses of the sick committed to his cate, and altogether
unbecoming the importance of his flation, or the then
critical and alarming fixation of his counry. Tnat the
letter written by Dr. Shipper to the President of Con
gress, January 19, 1778, reporting that the hospitals
were then in good order, that few died, and that no fa
tal disease prevsited at that time, was falfe, for that the
sickness, mortality and contagion were then at thegreat
eft height f.
[ To be continued. ]
* That the public may underhand, when the proceed
ings of the Court Martial come to be printed at length,
the meaning of the following question, propefed to a num
ber of witnesses : Do you know any thing of loaf-fugar
being used for the sick in the hospitals ? I think proper to
inform there, that four of the thirty deven hrgfh'ads cf
brown sugar, the firA purehafe of hospital floras at Bofion,
mentioned in Messrs. Barrett's account, were bartered a
way for three hogsheads of loaf sugar, and there s very
little account of any being used in the hospital bu* flrong
evidence of its being fold. When Dr. Brown was sick at
Lititz, te was obliged to fend and purehafe it for himfelf
at Lancaster. No wonder, therefore, that Dr. Shippen
opposed the regulation proposed by Dr. Rush, of keeping
orders and receipts as vouchers for the expenditure of
hospital dores, for that would prove any embezzlement
of tnem : It was also firiftly agreeable to his policy, not
to produce his books; they might have made still further
difeoveries,
+ There cannot be a stronger proof of the truth of
this affections tl an Dr. Brown's letter from near Morris
town, already quoted, viz. “ Fewer bave died in twen
" ty months since the purveying business was taken ©ut
" of Dr Shippen's hands, in February, 1778, than usu-.
" ail) died in twenty days before."
+l+o*4-$ %(*X++++* ?goo+*++
FOR SAL E,
A CYDER-PRES S,
An Iron Screw 7 inches diameter, with °r with-
One ditto, 4 ditto. > out the
One ditto, 3 ditto, 3 Presses.
Two Iron Doors and Bars for Furnaces, and a number
of Iron Plates. Enquire of Richard Wells, in Arch
ft reet.
BROKE into the pasture of the fubferiber iving in
Little Britain Township, Lancaster County, the
151 b cf June last, a large Strawberry Roan HORS E,
paces and trots, shod all round, has neither braid nor
ear mark, he is about 6 years eld The owner is desi
red to come, p'ove his property, pay charges, and take
him away. JOHN A TCHISO N.