Landmarks of Albany County, New York, Part 19

Author: Parker, Amasa Junius, 1843-1938, ed
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1374

USA > New York > Albany County > Landmarks of Albany County, New York > Part 19

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Several prominent Albany county physicians took part professionally

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in the war of 1812. Among them was Dr. Platt Williams, a graduate of Williams College and just beginning practice when the war com- menced. He was promptly appointed surgeon of the Second Regiment of Riflemen and served through the war. Returning to Albany he was appointed surgeon of the Greenbush Cantonment, before mentioned, and served there until it was abandoned in 1822.

Dr. Henry Greene, a native of Rhode Island, graduated in 1814, and was immediately made assistant surgeon of the 25th Regulars, saw hard service in Canada and remained in the army until the war closed. He settled in Albany in 1828, was conspicuous in the cholera epidemic and one of the faculty of the Medical College when it was established.

Dr. Joel A. Wing practiced in Albany thirty eight years. He was appointed surgeon in the army immediately after his graduation, but declined and was made post surgeon of the Greenbush barracks in 1844.

The army record of the medical officers of this city and county who honorably served their country during the most trying times of the Rebellion, would write, if space permitted, a series of biographies show- ing broad patriotism and a devotion to duty that does honor to the American physician. To mention the names of those who distinguished themselves on the field of battle, who unflinchingly accompanied the forlorn hope, who for meritorious conduct were named in official orders must be delegated to the writer of individual biographies. The list is a long and honorable one and includes the following :

Dr. S. O. Vanderpoel held the office of surgeon general at the out- break of the war. He served as such on the staff of Governor King from January 1, 1857, to 1859. He was appointed a second time on January 1, 1861, and filled the office during the administration of Gov- ernor Morgan. His was the responsible duty of organizing the med- ical corps of the early volunteer regiments from this State, and upon his recommendation over 600 medical officers were commissioned and assigned to regiments. During the peninsular campaign he served as a volunteer surgeon, and during the latter part of the war was inspector of hospitals for the Sanitary Commission. After the war Dr. Vander- poel was for eight years health officer of the port of New York. For many years he was a member of the Medical College Faculty, and at- tending and consulting physician to the hospitals. He removed to New York city in 1881 and died on the 12th of March, 1886.

Dr. J. V. P. Quackenbush was surgeon-general during the administra- tion of Governor Seymour from January 1, 1863, to 1865, For a period

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of thirty-five years Dr. Quackenbush was a leading physician in Albany, was a member of the Faculty of the Albany Medical College and a pop- ular teacher and lecturer. He was a prominent citizen and attained a high reputation in the special field to which he devoted most of his professional life. He died at Albany in 1876.

Dr. Sylvester D. Willard was appointed surgeon general on the staff of Governor Fenton January 2, 1865, and died during the same year. Early in 1862 he volunteered his services as a surgeon and was assigned to duty with the Army of the Potomac. The hardships of the penin- sular campaign undermined his health and hastened his death. He was foremost in advocating the founding of the Willard Asylum for the In- sane, was possessed of vigorous intellectual qualities, and a man of a large fund of general and professional knowledge.

Dr. James D. Pomfret was appointed surgeon general April 6, 1865, to fill vacancy on the staff of Gov. Fenton caused by the death of Sur- geon- General Willard, and served as such until January, 1869. July 24, 1862, Dr. Pomfret was appointed surgeon of the 7th N. Y. Heavy Artillery (afterwards the 113th N. Y. Vols). February , 1865, he tendered his resignation, was discharged from the service and returned to Albany to resume the practice of his profession. Dr. Pomfret served with his regiment in the defences of Washington and during this time was assigned to duty as brigade surgeon. Later on he did service in the field and was assigned to duty as one of the division surgeons of the 2d Army Corps. He was a conscientious officer and popular with the officers and men of his regiment. Dr. Pomfret died in 1869.

Dr. Jacob S. Mosher was surgeon-general on the staff of Governor Hoffman from 1869 to 1873. He also served as a surgeon of volun- teers in the field and in hospitals at Washington. During his stay at Washington he was assigned to duty as assistant State medical director and served until 1867. In 1870 he was appointed deputy health officer of the Port of New York and remained in office for a period of six years. Dr. Mosher was a member of the Yellow Fever Commission appointed by Congress, a member of the Faculty of the Albany Med- ical College, registrar of the Faculty and connected with the hospitals. He was prominent as a citizen, gifted as a physician and eminent as a chemist. Dr. Mosher died in Albany, August, 1883.

Dr. James W. Moore was commissioned as assistant surgeon in the vol- unteer service of the U. S. navy early in 1861 and was in active service for a period of nearly two years. He was assigned to duty as fleet sur-

SAMUEL B. WARD, M. D.

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geon of the flotilla cruising in the Chesapeake Bay and North Atlan- tic. He was surgeon of the frigate Florida, fitted out and commis- sioned to cruise for the privateer Alabama, and subsequently assigned to hospital duty. After the close of the war he returned to Cohoes and continued in the practice of his profession until his death in 1886.

Dr. J. Savage Delevan was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 169th N. Y. Vols. in 1863, but was not mustered owing to the minimum number of men in the regiment. After serving in general hospitals at Washington, D. C., he was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 1st Connecticut Artillery and served during the war, participating in many of the artillery engagements during the siege of Petersburg, Va. He was also with his regiment at the taking of Fort Fisher. After the close of the war he resumed practice in Albany. Dr. Delevan was vice consul at Geneva, Switzerland, for a period of two years, for sev- eral years U. S. pension examining surgeon at Albany, attending physician on the staff of the Homoeopathic Hospital, and member of the State Board of Health. Dr. Delevan died in 1885.

Dr. Herman Bendell entered the service as hospital steward of the 39th N. Y. Vols., May 28, 1861; was appointed acting assistant sur- geon U. S. A., September 1 of the same year; was commissioned as assistant surgeon of the 6th Regiment of New York Heavy Artillery February 23, 1863; promoted to surgeon of the 86th N. Y. Veteran Vols. January 3, 1865, and served till the close of the war. He was brevetted lieutenant-colonel for meritorious services May 18, 1866. Since 1886 he has been surgeon of the 3d Brigade of the N. G. N. Y.

Dr. Samuel B. Ward was appointed medical cadet in the U. S. Army in September, 1862. In 1863 was commissioned as acting assistant surgeon U. S. A, and subsequently commissioned as assistant sur- geon U. S. Vols. After the close of the war Dr. Ward began the practice of his profession in the city of New York. In 1872 he was elected assistant surgeon of the 7th Regiment of the National Guard, and after his removal to Albany, in 1876, he was commissioned as sur- geon of the 5th Brigade, N. G. N. Y., in which position he served until the reorganization of the Guard in 1886. Dr. Ward is a member of the Faculty of the Albany Medical College, attending physician at the Albany Hospital, consulting surgeon at St. Peter's Hospital, and a representative member of the State and County Medical Society.

Dr. Charles A. Robertson was appointed surgeon of the 159th N. Y. Vols., August 30, 1862, and resigned his commission November 2, 23

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1863. Prior to the war he practiced ophthalmology in Boston. After resigning from the service he settled in Albany and had a large prac. tice in his specialty until his death in 1880.

Dr. Thomas Helms of Mckownsville was commissioned as assistant surgeon of the 148th New York Vols., December 23, 1863, and was promoted April 5, 1865, to surgeon of the 85th N. Y. Vols. He was wounded at Fort Harrison, and was honorably discharged at the close of the war. He resumed practice in his old town, and died in 1889.

Dr. Charles H. Porter was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 40th N. Y. Vols. August 22d, 1862, was promoted surgeon of the 6th N. Y. Heavy Artillery February 25, 1863, and mustered out with his regiment at the close of the war. In May, 1866, he was brevetted colonel of N. Y. Volunteers. He returned to Albany and is actively engaged in the practice of his profession.

Dr. John L. Van Alstyne was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 3d N. Y. Cavalry February 16, 1863, promoted surgeon of the same regi- ment September 5, 1864, and mustered out of service at Norfolk, Va., July 12, 1865. After leaving the service Dr. Van Alstyne returned to Albany, subsequently removed to Richmondville, Schoharie county, N. Y., where he is actively engaged in the practice of his profession.

Dr. Alexander H. Hoff served as surgeon general on the staff of Governor Clark from January 1, 1855, to 1857. He was commissioned as surgeon of the 3d N. Y. Vols., May 8, 1861, and during the same year detailed as surgeon in charge of the brigade to which his regiment was assigned. From 1864 to the close of the war he was medical direc- tor of transportation, and was mustered out of the service at Raleigh, N. C., August 28, 1865. In 1867 he was appointed assistant surgeon in the Medical Corps of the U. S. Army, subsequently promoted to the grade of surgeon, and remained in the army until his death in 1876.

Dr. Norman L. Snow was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 153d N. Y. Volunteers, August 23, 1862, was promoted surgeon of the same regiment March 10, 1864, and mustered out of service with his regiment October 2, 1865. . Doctor Snow served with Sheridan in the Shenandoah, in the Red River expedition under Banks, and during the latter part of the war was health officer of the district of Savannah. After the war he resumed practice in his native locality, Canajoharie. In 1875 he became the associate of Doctor Vander Veer at Albany, was a member of the medical and surgical staff of the Albany Hospital, a curator of the college, and was president of the Board of Aldermen at the time of his death in December, 1885.

CHARLES H. PORTER, M. D.

Sincerely Yours Albert Fander Veen

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Dr. Albert Vander Veer entered the service early in 1861 as a medi- cal cadet. He was one of the original corps of one hundred medical cadets appointed in the U. S. army and was assigned to duty at the Columbia College Hospital at Washington. January 3, 1863, he was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 66th New York Vols., promoted to surgeon of the same regiment July 29, 1864, and mustered out of service August 31, 1865. Doctor Vander Veer is actively and prominently en- gaged in the practice of his profession at Albany. He is a member of the college faculty and dean of the faculty, also attending and consult- ing surgeon on the hospital staff and a Regent of the University. He is prominent as a citizen, eminent as a surgeon and a liberal contribu- tor to the literature of his profession.

Dr. A. B. Huested entered the service as hospital steward of the 113th N. Y. Volunteers (7th Heavy Artillery) early in 1862. March 21st, 1864, he was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 21st N. Y. Cavalry, was promoted to surgeon October 15, 1865, and remained in service to the close of the war. He returned to Albany, is engaged in the drug business and is a member of the faculty of the College of Pharmacy.

Dr. George H. Newcomb was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 113th N. Y. Volunteers August 15, 1862, was promoted to surgeon of the same regiment February 18, 1865, and mustered out of service June 6, 1865, at Federal Hill, Md. At the close of the war he resumed practice at Albany.

Dr. George T. Stevens was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 77th N. Y. Volunteers October 8, 1861, was promoted to surgeon of the same regiment February 16, 1863, and mustered out of service with the field and staff of his regiment December 13, 1865. Doctor Stevens is a contributor to the surgical history of the rebellion and author of "Three Years With the Sixth Corps." He practiced in Al- bany for many years after the war, contributed largely to the litera- ture of his specialty, ophthalmology, and removed to New York city in 1881.

Dr. P. M. Murphy was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 134th N. Y. Volunteers March 30, 1864, was promoted to surgeon of the 89th N. Y. Volunteers June 20, 1865, but not mustered as such. He accom- panied Sherman on the March to the Sea, and at the close of the war returned to Albany and engaged in the drug business. Doctor Murphy died at Albany June, 1894.

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Dr. Alexander A. Edmeston was commissioned assistant surgeon 18th N. Y. Volunteers, May 17, 1861, and resigned September 25, 1862. He again entered the service as surgeon of the 92d N. Y. Vol- unteers October 7, 1862, and resigned his commission December 2, 1864. He resumed practice at Albany and died from the results of disease contracted in the service.

Dr. Frank J. Mattimore was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 18th N. Y. Volunteers, August 11, 1862, and mustered out of service with his regiment May 21, 1863. He died a few months after his re- turn from disease contracted in the service.

Dr. Wesley Blaisdell was practicing at Coeymans. Was appointed assistant surgeon of the 113th Regiment N. Y. Vols., later the 7th Heavy Artillery, August 15, 1862, and resigned September 29 of the same year. He again entered the service as assistant surgeon of the 75th N. Y. Vols. November 15, 1862, and resigned July 4, 1863. Dr. Blaisdell died at Newbern, N. C., in 1864.

Dr. Cornelius B. O'Leary was commissioned surgeon of the 25th mili- tia regiment May 31, 1861, to serve three months and was mustered with his regiment September 8 of the same year. September 12, 1862, Dr. O'Leary was appointed assistant surgeon of the 175th New York Vols. and was discharged, by resignation, January 16, 1863. He was commissioned surgeon of the 175th N. Y. Vols. January 17, 1863, mus- tered into service the same day, and discharged from the service Sep- tember 19, 1863. Was recommissioned assistant surgeon of the same regiment October 17, 1864, but not mustered into service. Dr. O'Leary resumed practice at Albany and died in 1877.

Dr. Warren Van Steenberg was commissioned assistant surgeon 1st N. Y. Vol. Infantry December 3, 1861, and was discharged Sep- tember 30, 1862, to accept promotion as surgeon 55th N. Y. Vols. and was discharged from the regiment December 22, 1862, by reason of consolidation. Dr. Van Steenberg again entered the service as surgeon of the 120th N. Y. Vols April 27, 1863, and was mustered out with his regiment June 3, 1865. After the war he resumed practice at Cohoes, N. Y. He died in 1880.

Dr. P. L. F. Reynolds was commissioned assistant surgeon 16th N. Y. Volunteers September 22, 1862, and was discharged from the service on surgeon's certificate of disability at Folly Island, S. C., December 13, 1863. In March, 1865, he was commissioned as assistant surgeon of the 94th N. Y. Volunteers but was not mustered. He resumed prac-

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tice at Albany, subsequently removed to Oneida, Madison county, N. Y., where he died April, 1887.

Dr. William H. Craig was commissioned surgeon of the 177th N. Y. Volunteers October 11, 1862, and mustered out with his regiment Sep- tember 10, 1863. He resumed practice in Albany. He was U. S. pension examining surgeon from 1865 to 1877, when he was appointed postmaster of Albany. Dr. Craig took an active interest in all matters pertaining to public improvements. He was a patriotic soldier, hon- ored and esteemed as a citizen and a trusted physician. Dr. Craig died in October, 1889.

, Dr. Jeptha R. Boulware was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 177th regiment N. Y. Volunteers November 5, 1862, and mustered out with his regiment December 10, 1863. After the war he was surgeon of the 10th Regiment and surgeon of the 9th brigade of the National Guard of the State of New York. Dr. Boulware was a prominent physician. He was surgeon on the staff of St. Peter's Hospital For several years prior to his death he was a victim of disease contracted in the service. He died October, 1887.

Dr. Henry R. Haskins was commissioned surgeon of the 192d N. Y. Volunteers February 1, 1865, and was mustered out of service August 28 of the same year. He practiced in Albany until his death in 1884. Was professor of anatomy on the faculty of the Albany Medical College and prominent as a surgeon.

Dr. Oscar H. Young was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 177th N. Y. Volunteers November 6, 1862, and was mustered out of service with his regiment September 10, 1863. He resumed practice in Albany and subsequently removed to Michigan.

Dr. Thomas Beckett was enrolled as surgeon's mate of the 25th N. Y. State Militia May 21, 1862, and mustered out with his regiment September 8 of the same year October 4, 1862, he was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 175th N. Y. Vols. and resigned from the service Jane 11, 1863. In 1865 he was appointed acting assisting surgeon U. S. A. and assigned to duty at the Ira Harris Hospital, serving to the close of the war. Dr. Beckett resumed practice at Albany. He never fully re- covered his health, undermined by arduous duties during the campaign in Louisiana, and died in 1895.

Dr. Charles P. Staats was commissioned assistant surgeon 67th N. Y. Volunteers January 21, 1863, and mustered out of service with his regi- ment July 4, 1864. Dr. Staats resumed the practice of his profession at Albany. He died in 1884.

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To complete this honorable list it is just to record the names of physicians from this city and county who served the country in its time of need but were not assigned to regimental organizations, and also to name those whose valuable services are mentioned in official reports and whose labors are entitled to recognition. The act of April 16, 1861, authorizing the enrollment of 30,000 volunteers in this State, necessitated prompt and energetic action on the part of the chiefs of departments to properly equip and provide for this large volunteer force that was rapidly being concentrated at the designated rendezvous. Efficient organization to provide for the physical examination of re- cruits, quarters for the sick and disabled, and medical attendants was demanded. The qualification of candidates for the position of surgeon and assistant-surgeon was to be determined. The position of surgeon- general, which up to this time was only complimentary, became active and responsible. Dr. Alexander A. Hoff was appointed medical inspector of the military rendezvous at Albany. He served in this capacity until May 15, 1861, when he was relieved to accept the position as surgeon of the 3d N. Y. Vols. Dr. Hoff was succeeded by Dr. Mason F. Cogs- well, who faithfully performed the duties of medical inspector until the completion of the levy. Drs. John Swinburne, Alden March, and Howard Townsend volunteered their services in attending the sick and disabled soldiers, who, under contract with the managers, were ad- mitted to the Albany Hospital. In accordance with authority from the commander-in-chief, Surgeon-General Vanderpoel, on April 19, 1861, appointed Drs. Alden March, Thomas Hun, and Mason F. Cogs- well of this city, a commission for the examination of candidates for the position of surgeon and assistant surgeon of the volunteer regi- ments from this State. Dr. John V. Lansing was named as secretary, and Dr. Joseph Lewi was added to the commission as an adjunct mem- ber. Four hundred and sixty-eight applicants were examined by this board. Of this number two hundred and twenty eight qualified as surgeons, and one hundred and sixty-seven as assistant surgeons. This commission remained in service until December 10, 1861. Many of the best minds in the profession from this city tendered their ser- vices and were assigned to duty in camp, field, and hospitals. Dr. Mason F. Cogswell was surgeon in charge of a post hospital and served as a volunteer surgeon in the Army of the Potomac in 1862. In 1863 Dr. Cogswell, in connection with Dr. Thomas Hun, inspected for the Christian Commission, the military hospitals of the west and

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southwest. Dr. Alden March, at the time professor of surgery at the Albany Medical College, devoted much of his time to the care of the sick and wounded inmates of the Soldiers' Home located at Albany. Dr. John V. Lansing was appointed acting assistant surgeon and as- signed to duty as examiner of recruits at the Albany barracks. Dr. Henry March, son of Alden March, was commissioned assistant sur- geon of volunteers in 1862 and assigned to hospital duty at Fortress Monroe and at Fredericksburg, Va. Dr. William H. Bailey, a prom- inent physician of Albany, was commissioned as surgeon of volunteers and assigned to duty at Washington, D. C., and in field hospitals of the Army of the Potomac. Dr. John Swinburne served at the recruit- ing rendezvous at Albany from 1861 to 1862. Dr. Swinburne was also a member of the corps of volunteer surgeons assigned to duty with the Army of the Potomac during the peninsular campaign in 1862. In connection with Drs. Willard, Cogswell, and Lansing, he was di- rected by the medical director of the Army of the Potomac to establish a field hospital on the Pamunkey River at a point known as the White House, and remained in charge of this hospital until he was appointed acting assistant surgeon U. S. A. and assigned to duty as surgeon in charge of field hospital at Savage Station, Va. Dr. James H. Armsby was one of the attending surgeons at the Soldiers' Home in this city. Drs. Levi Moore, James L. Babcock, Ira Delamater, and A. P. Ten Eyck, men esteemed by the community and respected as physicians, largely assisted in caring for the sick and wounded soldiers confined in hospital and barracks. Dr. Samuel H. Freeman, still active in the profession, served as an attending physician at the Soldiers' Home.

Physicians who performed military service other than professional were Dr. O. D. Ball, who enlisted November 1, 1861, and was mustered as sergeant of Co. M, 3d Artillery, N. Y. Vols., December 9, of the same year. Doctor Ball was promoted 2d lieutenant of Co. I, May 21, 1864. February 14, 1865, was advanced to 1st lieutenant and mustered out of service with his company July 7, 1865. After the close of the war Doctor Ball practiced medicine in Otsego county, N. Y. In 1874 he removed to Albany and is still actively engaged in the practice of his profession. Doctor Ball is a member of the State Medical Society and ex-president of the County Medical Society.

Dr. Edward E. Brown was commissioned 1st lieutenant of Co. K, 5th Artillery, N. Y. Vols., September 21, 1862, was promoted captain January 30, 1863, and resigned his commission May 3, 1865. Doctor

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Brown is a graduate of the Albany Medical College, practiced his pro- fession in the town of Bethlehem and at Albany and removed to Massachusetts.

Dr. Ezra A. Bartlett enlisted as a private in the 4th U. S. Artillery in 1863. He served with the Army of the Cumberland and Tennessee, participating in many engagements and was wounded at Pulaski, Tenn., in January, 1865. In 1866 he was honorably discharged from the ser- vice and completed his collegiate education. After graduating he stud- ied medicine at the Albany Medical College and began the practice of his profession at Albany. Doctor Bartlett is a lecturer at the Albany Medical College, a member of the staff of the Albany Hospital and a contributor to the literature of his profession.

Dr. Frederick C. Curtis was enrolled as a private in Co. B, 40th Regi- ment Wisconsin Vols., May 17, 1864, and was discharged on the 16th of September of same year by reason of expiration of term of enlist- ment. His regiment, mainly recruited from colleges and academies, Doctor Curtis at the time being in his sophomore year at Beloit Col- lege, served in the defenses of Memphis, Tenn., and participated in the engagement defending the city against the raid of General Forrest. Doctor Curtis is active in the profession, is a member of the State Board of Health, connected with the college faculty and hospital staff, and since 1888 has been secretary of the New York State Medical Society.

Dr. John H. Wilbur at the outbreak of the Rebellion was a student of medicine registered with Dr. J. D. Wheeler, West Fulton, Scho- harie county, N. Y. He enlisted as a private in Co. C, 44th N. Y. Vols., August 22, 1861, and was discharged for disability May 5, 1863. After leaving the army he resumed the study of medicine and was graduated from the Eclectic Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa., in 1864. Doctor Wilbur practiced medicine at West Fulton for three years, removed to Oak Hill, Greene county, N. Y., where he remained four years. In 1874 he settled in the city of Cohoes and practiced his profession until his death March 20, 1896.

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Landmarks of Albany County, New York, Part 19

Author: Parker, Amasa Junius, 1843-1938, ed Publication date: 1897 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason Number of Pages: 1374

Author: Parker, Amasa Junius, 1843-1938, ed
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1374