Just prior to M;iv 1, C.raigic returned to Carlisle, 

 where the "Elaboratory and Stores for the reception 

 of the medicines &c. belonging to the military 

 hospitals" was established,"' and complained that 

 he did not find the medicinal store in the order which 

 he expected to find it: 



We have many ini|K)rlanl medicines but by no means an 

 assortment sufficient lor the Army. I speak only of what 

 is now in store. There are Medicines in different places 

 of wliieh I liave no list. 



Craigie further noted that Cutting had come up 

 from Yellow Springs on May 1 to confer regarding 

 plans for completing medicine chests, and would 

 leave the following day for Baltimore where he 

 obviously was going to try to purchase more drugs. 



Craigie was puzzled by the establishment of a 

 dispensing store at Yellow Springs, and asked whether 

 or not the plan was 



... to have the principle Store al Carlisle, where all the 

 medicines shall be prepared, and the Chests compleated 

 supposing the Genl. Hospitals will be more collected, and 

 the number lessened. I would propose that an Apothecary 

 attend each with a compleate Chest of Medicines; that the 

 Surgeon & Physician Genl of the Army be attended by an 

 Apothecary with good Chest, and the Regiments supply'd 

 upon the Northern Plan. I would have an Issuing Store 

 established at a convenient distance from the Army, from 

 which the Hospital and Regimental Chests might occa- 

 sionally be replenished. '" 



A sizable stock of drugs was finally received from 

 Baltimore,'^' and a fairly good stock was brought 

 down from the stores in the Northern Department, 

 which were left well supplied by Craigie and Potts. '■*- 

 An improved plan for obtaining lint from the 

 Moravian Sisters at Bethlehem and Lititz was pro- 



's" Ibid., folio 411; Potts to Gates, February 24, 1778. 



"» Ibid., folio 441; Craigie to Potts, May 1, 1778. 



"' Ibid., vol. 1, folios 41, 44; undated invoices from Lux & 

 Bowly that undoubtedly were supplied during the spring or 

 summer of 1778. Also, vol. 4, folio 476; letter from James 

 Caldwell to Potts advising "I sent forward from Baltimore a 

 case of medicine & five cases of Bark ... I have three cases 

 more of Bark not yet up from Williamsburg where it arrived.'' 



'*■ Ibid., vol. 4, folio 458; Craigie to Potts, May 1, 1778. 

 Craigie advises: "Enclosed is a small List directed to Mr. Root 

 [Israel Root or Josiah Root, both apothecaries from Con- 

 necticut] which I think may well be spared from the Northward, 

 and are much wanted here. I wish therefore they may be 

 ordered. Andrew .^tckin our assistant there might come with 

 them — he would make a good Hospital Apothecary." Also, 

 vol. 4, folio 431, an undated "Invoice of Medicines &c. to be 

 forwared for Head Quarters to Compleat ye Regimental 

 Assortments for the Army of the United .States in the Middle 

 Department for the Campaign 1778." 



posed by Dr. Brown,'" and "llie propriety of setting 

 the glass works at Manheim agoing" was offered as a 

 solution by Craigie for obtaining much needed 

 vials. '^* Local manufacturing at Carlisle''"'' and ''in 

 the Jersies" ''"' was used as a source of \-olalilc and 

 purging salts. 



Gibson records '*" that Ijetween April 1 9 and May 

 3, 1778, the commands of Generals Patterson, 

 Leonard, Poor, Glover, Scott, and Woodward 

 turned in their medicine chests to Apothecary Cutting 

 al Yellow Springs, and that every regiment received 

 a standardized field box containing a definite list 

 and cjuantity of necessary drugs and supplies. How- 

 ever, it appears likely that the project started by 

 Cutting and continued by Craigie was not completed 

 until late June at the earliest.'''* The "invoice of 

 tho.se things thought essential for the protection and 

 health of soldiers in the field or camp"" presented by 

 Gibson '''' is actually an "Li\oice of a Chest of medi- 

 icines &c. compleated in the medicinal Store, 

 N[orthern] D[cpartmen]t for Thos. Tillotson Esq." '"" 

 Inasmtich as the plan used in the Northern Depart- 

 ment was employed by both Craigie and Cutting, 

 the items on this invoice may serve as a reasonably 

 good picture of the medicine chests of '78 as compared 

 with those of '76 (see page 130). 



One of the reasons for better supplies at a time when 

 other conditions were even worse than they were in 

 1 776 is the fact that Congress was advancing sizable, 

 if not always completely adequate, amounts of money 

 for the cash purcha.se of supplies instead of seeking 

 credit or expecting tho.se responsible to procure 



•" Ibid., folio 419; Brown to Potts, March 11, 1778. 



>" Ibid., folio 458; Craigie to Potts, May 1, 1778. 



'« Ibid., folio 428; Cutting to Potts, March 25, 1778. Cutting 

 notes: "as to volatile salts, I expect a fine parcel manufactured 

 at Carlisle by tomorrow." 



i« Ibid., folio 471 ; Craik to Potts, May 24, 1778. Dr. Craik. 

 a regimental surgeon, advises: "I wish you could procure 

 .some Cathartic salts. The Regimental surgeons complain 

 greatly for want of them . . . '\'ou may engage any quantity 

 at the salt works in the Jersies." 



'*' Gibson, op. cil. (footnote 2), pp. 166-167. 



'<■* Potts Papers, vol. 4, folios 462, 467; Craik to Potts, May 2 

 and May 15. On May 2, Craik advises that "the inedicine 

 chests are much wanted in the Regiments. Doctr. Cutting 

 had best have them filled up as soon as possible to prevent 

 complaints." On May 15 Craik commented: "I am sorry 

 Doctr. Cutting went away before the Regiment Chests were 

 finished; there is great clamour about them tho Doctr. Layman 

 is as busy as possible ... I hope Doctr. Craig[ie] will soon 

 have his chests ready." 



H9 Gibson, op. cit. (footnote 2), pp. 167-168. 



>'» Potts Papers, vol. 1, folio 25, undated. 



128 



BULLETIN 225: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



