for the use of the poor and other inhabitants of this 



city." ^ 



With increasing demands to supply the troops in 

 the Northern Department, Morgan turned to Phila- 

 delphia and the Continental ConE;ress. Morgan 

 owned a small stock of drugs in Philadelphia, and 

 knew of another suppK in the possession of the firm 

 of Delaney and Smith, ''^ so he sent Dr. Barnabus 

 Binney to Philadelphia lo forward "with all dispatch"' 

 what medicines he had there and whatever could be 

 obtained from Congress.'^'" Congress resolved on 

 Julv 17 'no purchase the Medicines (now in Phila) 

 belonging to Doctor Morgan," ^' but for nearly a 

 month Binney was unable to obtain any additional 

 supplies either from Congress or from private sources. 



On June 25 Morgan wrote to Samuel Adams asking 

 for power "to demand a proportion of the Continental 

 medicines left in care of Messrs. Delaney & Smith," 

 and he repeated the request in July. However, 

 Morgan's only reply from Adams, dated August 5. 

 made no mention of the Delaney and Smith drug 

 stock. Instead Adams wrote only; "'I have received 

 several letters from you, which I should have sooner 

 acknowledged, if I could only have found leisure. 

 I took however, the necessary steps to have what you 

 requested effected in Congress." " 



Finally, on August 8, Congress directed the com- 

 iTiittee for procuring medicines "to supph the director 

 general of the Hospital with such medicines as he may 

 want." '* By this time, such a resolution was hardly 

 much consolation to Morgan. Evidence of the status 

 of the supplies in the general hospital at New York 

 can be gleaned from an advertisement in the J\'ew- 

 Tork Gazette of July 29 signed by Thomas Carnes, 

 "Steward and Quarter-Master to the General 

 Hospital": 



WANTED immediately ... a large quantity of dry 

 herbs, for baths, fomentations, &c. &c. particularly baum 

 hysop, wormwood and mallows, for which a good price 

 will be given. The good people of the neighboring towns, 

 and even those who live more remote from this city, by 

 carefully collecting and curing quantities of useful herbs 

 will greatly promote the good of the Army, and considerably 

 benefit themselves. 



The retreat from Long Island on August 27 and the 

 subsequent loss of New York City to the British 

 certainly did not help the medical supply problem. 

 Despite the fact that part of the medical stores were 

 shipped to Stamford, Connecticut, and another stock 

 of supplies removed to Newark, Morgan admits that 

 "the most valuable part was still left in New -York 

 when the enemy had effected a landing, drawn a line 

 across the island, and were entering New-York." ^^ 

 General Knox later told how "late in the day of the 

 15th of September, 1776, after the enemy had beat 

 back part of the American troops," Morgan "came 

 over from Powles Hook in a pettiauger, and had her 

 loaded with Hospital stores." ''" Washington per- 

 sonalh' reported on September 16 that "the retreat 

 was effected with but little loss of Men, tho' a con- 

 siderable part of our Baggage . . . part of our 

 Stores and Provisions, \vhich we were removing, was 

 unavoidably left in the City . . ." ^'' 



One small bundle of private drug supplies saved 

 from the British is reported ^^ by "Doct. Prime, A 

 Refuge from Long Island," who announced the 

 opening of a shop in ^Vethersfield. The newspaper 

 advertisement reported that Prime 



. . . has saved from the enemy a parcel of medicines, part 

 of which he would barter for such articles as he wants, 

 especially shop utensils of which he had unfortunately lost 

 the most of his own .... 



The medical supply problem went from bad to 

 worse as Washington's army retreated from Harlem 

 Heights to White Plains and then finally into New 

 Jersey. Morgan again turned to Philadelphia for 

 drugs, but obtained "none or next to none." Instead 

 often pounds of tartar emetic which Morgan requested 

 from Philadelphia druggist Robert Bass and the newly 

 appointed Continental Druggist, William Smith, 

 four ounces was all that he received, but \vith "a 

 proper apology." •"'' 



On September 21, the supply of bark was com- 

 pletely exhausted, and Washington was furious. 

 On September 24 in a letter to the President of the 

 Congress, Washington charged that the regimental 

 surgeons were aiming "to break up the Genl. Hos- 

 pital" and that they had "in numberless Instances 



53 Ibid., vol. 6, p. 1431. 



5* Morgan misspelled Delaney as "Delancey'' in his letter of 

 June 25 to Adams. 

 55 Morgan, op. cit. (footnote 35), p. 128, 

 50 Ford, op. cit. (foomote 10), vol. 5, p. 570. 

 •" American Archives, ser. 4, vol. 6, p. 1069. 

 5» Ford, op. cit. (footnote 10), vol. 5, p. 633. 



' Morgan, op. nil. (footnote 35), p. 12. 



'" Pennsylvania Packet, June 26, 1779. 



•■■i Washington, op. cit. (footnote 48), vol. 6, pp. 58-59. 



f"- Connecticut CoKra«/, January 6, 1777. 



•3 Morgan, op. cit. (footnote 35), pp. 13, 136, 146. William 

 .Smith was appointed Continental Druggist on August 20; see 

 Ford, op. cit. (footnote 10), vol. 4, pp. 292-293. 



116 



BULLETIN 225: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



