OCR Text |
Show rj f 3 B ft J8 I f lis !k!a , ",-!.c . r zL .,.. ..v Xi .. p i. . . .. T By ELMO SCOTT WATSON lg FTEU more than a ren-jfcks.. ren-jfcks.. tury of neglect of liis Jffpiii2k unmarked grave, tardy Wmfj honors have at last been pnIcl t0 a forott?n bel' of the Americun Revo- . OV. lution, whose services v were of Inestimable value val-ue to the cause of liberty, a man who was one of George Washington's closest clos-est personal friends and to whose lot It fell to close the dying eyes of the Father of His Country. This man was Dr. James Craik, chief physician and surgeon of the Continental army. After Doctor Craik's death In 1814, he was buried in the churchyard of the old Presbyterian meeting bouse In Alexandria, Va. With the passage of years the old burying ground was neglected ; weeds covered it and finally all trace of Doctor Doc-tor Craik's grave was lost. Several years ago a movement was started to locate the grave of this patriot and erect a suitable marker. This was done and a small brass tablet was provided pro-vided by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce. Through an error, however, how-ever, this tablet was placed In the wrong spot. But last year the project was taken up by the Presbyterian Meeting House Restoration committee of Alexandria, and as a result an Imposing granite monument, paid for by his descendants, descend-ants, was recently unveiled over Doctor Doc-tor Craik's grave. Doctor Cralk had had a distinguished distin-guished career even before he became chief medical oflicer 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 Vir-ginia Provisional regiment in 1754, Craik was appointed surgeon. The command was at the same time tendered ten-dered to Maj. George Washington who modestly declined but accepted the lieutenant colonelcy, the command going go-ing to Col. Joshua Fry. The regiment was not brought together until, upon the death of Fry at Wills Creek, Washington succeeded to the leadership leader-ship and the headquarters Joined him at Fort Necessity. Here was begun that lifelong Intimacy between Washington Wash-ington nnd Craik, so much treasured by bolh. Craik, as medical ofilcer of his regiment, regi-ment, was present at the battle of Great Meadows In 1734 and rendered surgical aid to the wounded in that action. Ills service extended also over the period of the Ill-fated expedition expe-dition of Praddock toward Fort Du-qucsne, Du-qucsne, and he participated In the battle bat-tle of the Monongahela, where he dressed the wounds of the comander of the British forces and many others oth-ers of the Injured upon that bloody field. Here he witnessed the singular singu-lar impunity which attended his youthful youth-ful chief ns he performed his duties first ns aide nnd later as commander of the disheartened remnants of the British troops. 1 When, then, on August 14, lT.'io, some six weeks aftur the operations on the Monongahela, Washington was appointed to the command of the Vir-plnla Vir-plnla provincial army and assigned to the duty of protecting the Virginia and Maryland frontier from the French and Indians. Doctor Craik still remained as his chief medical ofilcer. The operations thus begun continued I jh : "V - j! s-j. i S S . - ' , k y 'wi . . -Il ' for more than three years, during which all the hardships and privations priva-tions of the hardy frontier troops 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 Novem-ber 25, 1758. Upon his retirement from the Virginia Vir-ginia provincial service, Craik purchased pur-chased an extensive plantation at Port Tobacco, in Charles county, Maryland, and erected upon It a spacious mansion man-sion which was described by his grandson, Daniel Jenifer, in 1849 as even then one of the "largest, most comfortable and agreeable residences in the country." Here on the 13th of November, 1700,' he brought his young bride, nee Marlamne Ewell of Belle Air, in Prince WiHiam county, Va., and here he passed In active medical practice the years which elapsed until lie again followed his friend at his country's call. During this time the Craiks and the Washingtons never relinquished re-linquished their Intimacy, and the Interchange In-terchange of vrsits between Port Tobacco To-bacco and Mount Vernon were the source of the sincerest pleasure to both. When the occurrences arose which culminated In the War for Independence, Independ-ence, Doctor Craik was an active patriot. pa-triot. As early as 1774, he was conspicuous con-spicuous in a meeting of the citizens of his county at Port Tobacco, at which were adopted a series of resolutions reso-lutions In which the people pledged themselves that If the act of parliament par-liament to blockade the port of Boston Bos-ton 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 communi-cation with Great Britain and the West Indies. Craik was a member of the committee of correspondence selected se-lected to carry out these resolutions. So valuable to the cause was the presence of Craik In Maryland and so deeply were planted the rootlets of li is social and professional relations that Washington hesitated a considerable consider-able time after assuming command of the American forces to ask his old friend to again place his medico-mil-itnry experience at the disposal of his country. But in April, 1777, In a most cordial letter he tendered to him his choice between the positions of "senior "se-nior physician nnd surgeon of the hospital with pay of $4 and six rations ra-tions 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 ex-penses found" In the middle department. depart-ment. The latter position the doctor accepted ac-cepted and soon entered upon his duties. du-ties. On the arrival of Count Roch-ambeau Roch-ambeau and his forces Craik was ordered or-dered to join them at Newport, R. I., and to organize their hospital department, depart-ment, a task which he accomplished with the most complete success. On the reorganization of the medical medi-cal department, October 6, 17S0, Doctor Doc-tor Craik was appointed the senior of the four "chief hospital physicians and surgeons," being the third officer In rank In the Medical corps, nnd upon up-on the resignation of Director General Gen-eral Slilppen and the promotion of Dr. John Cochran, "chief physician and surgeon of the army," he was advanced ad-vanced to the second place under the latter title. This position he held un- til mustered out at the end of the war, in 17S3, after personally participating partici-pating In many of Its most Important events, Including the capitulation at York town. At the close of the war, he returned to his home at Port Tobacco, but shortly after, at the earnest solicitation solicita-tion of his late chief, he removed to Alexandria, near Mount Vernon, where l.e continued in agreeable association with the Washingtons until his death. In 1798, when war with France seemed inevitable and Washington was again summoned to lead the army, he made the appointment, of Craik at the head of the medical department one of the conditions of his own acceptance of the command, remarking, "I have already al-ready been applied to by a gentleman, to recommend him for director of ti e hospital, which I have refused, as well on general grounds as because 1 should prefer my old friend, Doctor Craik, who, from forty years' experience, experi-ence, Is better qualified than a dozen of them together." Craik was accordingly commissioned commis-sioned physician general of the army, July 19, 1798, with the pay and emolu ments of lieutenant colonel, but without with-out rank. With the proverbial negligence negli-gence of military legislation, the act organizing the provincial army provided pro-vided only for regimental surgeon and surgeon's mates. Fortunately, l.owever, James McHenry, the secretary secre-tary of war, had himself served as a medical officer during the Revolution and In him Craik found a strong support sup-port in developing a properly organ ized "medical establishment," an act for the materialization of which was passed by congress, March 2, 1799. The determined attitude of the United States, her prompt resort to arms and the reappearance of her Illustrious Il-lustrious soldier at (lie head of the army, however, was sufficient to repress re-press the warlike ardor cf France, and, peace speedily prevailing between the two nations, the army was disbanded, dis-banded, Physician General Craik's services officially terminating on June 15, 1800. Long before the latter date, however, how-ever, he had returned to his beautiful Virginia home, where In December. 1799, It fell to his lot to close with his own hand the dying eyes of li s faithful and famous friend, General Washington. Of that solemn hour, Craik himself wrote: "I, who was bred amid scenes of humnn calamity, who had so often witnessed death in its direst and most awful forms, believed that its terrors were too familiar to my eye to shako my fortitude; but when I saw this great man die It seemed as if the bonds of my nature were rent asunder, asun-der, and that the pillar of my country's coun-try's happiness had fallen to the ground." Washington's own testimony to the relations between them was witnessed by the clause of his will which specified speci-fied that: "To my compatriot in arms, and old and Inlimlte friend, Doctor Cralk, I give my bnreau (or as the cabinet makers call It, tambour secretary) secre-tary) and the circular chair, an appendage ap-pendage of my study." Doctor Craik survived this event 15 years, the latter portion of the time in honored retirement, being remembered remem-bered by his gramlsou at this period as "a stout, hale, cheery old man perfectly per-fectly erect, fond of company and "f children and amusing himself wlrh light work in the garden." He remained re-mained vigorous to the Inst and passed away February 0, I SI 4. at tl.e age of sixty-four. |