Show A fo it A tt en H mh alk a ro AM reval T PM 1 M W k Z C fk Z sy ELMO SCOTT WATSON W FTER more than a century of neglect of his unmarked uil marked grave tardy honors have at last been paid to a forgotten liero here of the american revolution whose services 0 were of inestimable valve value to the ille cause of liberty a man who was one of george closest personal friends and to whose lot it fell to close the dying eyes of the fallier of his country tilts tills man was dr james chalk chief and surgeon of the continental army after doctor crules death in 1814 lie he was burled in the churchyard of the old presbyterian meeting house in alexandria va with the passage of years the old burying ground was neglected weeds covered cohered it and finally all trace of doc tor chalks grave was lost several years ago a movement was started to locate the grave 0 o f ails pla patriot trio i at and d erect a suit suitable tible marker tills this was done und a small brass tablet was po provided by the alexandria chamber of commerce through an error however this tablet was placed in the wrong spot but last year the project was taken up by the presbyterian meeting house restoration nilon committee of alexandria and as a result an imposing granite monument paid for by his dd descendants anis was recently unveiled over doctor to chalks gravo grave doctor crnek had had find a distinguished career even before lie he became chief officer for the patriot army in the revolution what that career was Is shown by the following sketch of his life provided by the restoration committee upon the organization of the virginia provisional regiment in 1754 chalk was appointed surgeon the command was at the same time tendered to maj george washington who modestly declined but accepted the lieutenant col colonelcy oneley the command going to col joshua fry the regiment was not brought brou glit together until upon the death of fry at wills creek washington succeeded to the leadership and the headquarters joined him at fort necessity here was begun that lifelong intimacy between wash ington and chalk so much treasurer treasured by both chalk as medical officer of tits his regiment was present at the battle of great meadows la in 1754 and rendered surgical aid to the wounded in that action nis ills service extended also over the period of the ill fated eap exp expedition L of braddock toward port fort duquesne ond and he participated in the battle of the monongahela where he dressed the wounds of the comander of the british forces and many others of tile the injured upon that bloody field nere here he witnessed the singular impunity which attended his youth tu fur chief as he performed tits his duties first as aide and litter inter as commander of the heartened disheartened dis remnants of the british troops when then alieu on august 14 1755 1735 some isome six sir weeks after tile the operations on the monongahela washington was appointed to tilt the commend of the virginia provincial army and assigned to the duty of protecting tile the virginia and maryland Blary laud frontier from the lie french and indians chalk still remained remaIn NI aa his chief medical officer the operations thus agun continued for more than three years during which nil all the hardships and privations of tile hardy frontier broo troops Ps were shared by the young surgeon whose service ceased only upon the disbandment of the little army after the capture of fort pitt on november 25 aitos upon his retirement from the virginia provincial service chalk purchased an extensive plantation at port tobacco lu in diaries charles county maryland and erected upon it a spacious mansion which was described by his grandson daniel jenifer in 1849 as even eve then one of the largest most comfortable and agreeable residences in the country here on the of november he brought his young bride nee mariamne ewell of belle air in prince william county va and here he passed la fit active medical practice the years which elapsed until lie again followed his fala friend at his count rys call during this time the cram a and the never relinquished ed their antl intimacy neacy and the interchange ter change of visits between port tobacco and mount blount vernon were the source of the sincerest pleasure to both when the occurrences arose which culminated in the war for independence doctor chalk was an active patriot As early as 1774 le he was conspicuous in a meeting of the citizens of his county at port tobacco at which were adopted a series of resolutions in which the people pledged themselves blat it if the act of parliament to blockade the port of boston was not promptly repealed the inhabitants of the county would join with the several counties of maryland and the principal colonies of america to break off all commercial communication with great britain and the west indies chalk was a member of tle the committee of correspondence selected to carry out these resolutions so valuable to the cause was the presence of chalk in maryland and so deeply were planted the rootlets rootless root lets of tits his social and professional relations that washington hesitated a considerable time after assuming comma command nd of the american forces to ask nis his old friend to again place hla his medico mil gitary experience at the disposal of his bis country but in ID april 1777 in a most cordial letter he tendered to him his choice between the positions 0 f senior physician and surgeon of the hosPi hospital tul with pay of 4 and six rations per day and forage for one horse and assistant director general with pay of 3 and six rations per day and two horses and traveling expenses found in the middle department tile the latter position the doctor accepted and soon entered upon his duties on the arrival of count rochambeau and his forces craik was ordered to join them at newport R I 1 and to organize their hospi hospital tnt department a task which I le ie e accomplished with the most complete success on the reorganization of the medical departments department october 0 6 1780 doctor crnek was appointed the senior of the four chief hospital physicians tin and surgeons being the third officer in rank in the medical corps coroi and up dp on the resignation of director general shippen and the promotion of dr coln cochran chief physician and surge surgeon of the army he was advanced to the second place pince under tile the latter title this position he held un tit til mustered out at the end of the war in ili 1783 after personally participating in many of its most important events eventa including the capitulation at yorktown at the close of tile the war ar he returned to his home at port tobacco but shortly after at the earnest solicitation of his late chief he remove removed to alexandria near mount blount vernon vernn where here le he continued in agreeable association with the until tits his death in 1708 when war with altu france seemed inevitable and washington was again summoned to lead the army he made the appointment of chalk at the head of the medical department one of the conditions of his own acceptance of if the command remarking 1 I have already been applied to by a gentleman to recommend him for director of tte tle tt e hospital which I 1 have refused as well on general grounds as because I 1 should prefer my old friend doctor chalk who from forty years experience Is better qualified fied than a dozen of them together chalk was accordingly stoned physician general of thearty th the earmy army julyia Jul july 10 1799 17 with the pay unit and colu ments menti of lieutenant colonel ba but without rank with willi the proverbial neall gence of military legislation the act organizing the provincial army provided only for regimental sureena surgen sure enn ivi and surgeons mates fortunately Lo louever wever james the secretary of war had himself served as a tal al officer during tile revolution and in him chalk found a strong support in developing a properly organ iced medical establishment tin an act for the materialization of which was passed by congress 2 1709 the determined attitude of the united states her prompt resort to arras arms aud and the reappearance of her illustrious lust rious soldier at the hie head of the army however was sufficient to repress the warlike ardor of 0 france and pence speedily prevailing between the two nations the army wak wah disbanded physician 1 general cracks services officially terminating on june 15 1800 long before the latter late date liow jiow ever ho he had returned to tits his beautiful virginia home where in december 1709 1799 it fell to his lot to close citi his own hand the dying eyes of tits hla faithful and famous friend general washington of that solemn hour chalk himself wrote 1 I who was bred amid scenes scene of human calamity who had so BO often witnessed death in its direst tind and most awful forms believed that its terrors were too ton familiar to my eye to shake my fortitude but when I 1 saw tills this great man dle die it seemed as if the bonds of my nature were rent asunder and that the pillar of roy my coun arys happiness had fallen to the ground own testimony to the relations between them was witnessed by the clause of his will which specified that mott to my compatriot in arms and old and alte friend doctor chalk I 1 give my bureau or na as the cabinet makers call it tambour secretary and the circular chair an appendage of my study doctor chalk survived this event IB 15 years the latter portion of the time little in honored ret retirement nt remembered by his grandson at tills this period as a strut hale cheery old man perfectly erect fond of company and nf fit children and amusing himself with light work in the garden lie ie remained vigorous vgo rous to the ln ant t and passed away february 0 3 1814 at tle me age of sixty four |