Well Disposed to Give Battle - The Patriots of Charles County

I. Rising in Importance:  Thomas Stone, part 1

II. Distinction & Despair:  Thomas Stone, part 2

III. An Unusual voice for Independence:  Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer

IV. President of the U.S. in Congress Assembled:  John Hanson

V. Leading the Old Line:  General William Smallwood

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In the Company of Washington:  Dr. James Craik

  One famous Charles Countian was not actually born in Maryland and did not move to Charles County until his late 30s.  Dr. James Craik became Physician General of the United States Army, the personal doctor of George Washington, tending to the early president’s final hours.  Craik, himself, lived long enough to see America’s second war against the British, the War of 1812.

Dr. James Craik

  Craik was born in Scotland in 1730 and spent his formative years there in medical and academic training at the University of Edinburgh.  Upon graduation he entered the medical service in the British army.  In 1751 he was stationed in the West Indies.

  Finding that he did not enjoy his experience, Craik resigned his commission and left the West Indies.  He settled first in Norfolk, Virginia, but shortly thereafter, moved across the colony to Winchester, a frontier village in the western part of the colony.  There he met the man with whom he would associate for the rest of his life, George Washington.

  Craik arrived in Winchester just as preparations were being made for war.  The French, enemies of the British for centuries, had moved troops into the area around modern day Pittsburgh, land that the British also claimed for themselves.  The prior year, then 21-year-old Major Washington delivered a message to the French commander telling them to vacate the area; the French refused.

  Now in 1754, Washington and his Virginia regiment relocated to Winchester and began to prepare for war.  Despite having recently arrived, Craik willingly volunteered his services.  Due to his medical experience, Craik was commissioned as Surgeon of the Virginia Provincial regiment and subsequently was involved in all of the first conflicts of the war, known in Europe as the Seven years War and in America as the French and Indian War.  

  Craik participated in the “affair at Great Meadows” and was with Washington when the Major was forced to surrender at Fort Necessity. The next year, Craik served in the combined British and colonial force under General Edward Braddock.  At the Battle of the Monongahela, the French and Indian force routed the army, resulting in the deaths of General Braddock and almost 1,000 of his men.  Only the quick thinking Washington saved the army from total annihilation.  In this action Craik tended to the mortally wounded Braddock and many other soldiers.  

  For three years, Craik was the chief medical officer while Washington commanded Virginia forces against sporadic Indian incursions and uprisings.  The constant action against the Indians kept him very busy.  After the fall of Fort Duquesne (modern-day Pittsburgh) in November 1758, Craik had had enough and resigned his post.  

  He married and bought a plantation in Port Tobacco, Maryland.  Here he established a medical practice and built one of the finest homes in the area, a structure still standing today.  Craik remained good friends with Washington.  The two men made trips into what was then the west, the Ohio Valley, searching out land for the military, future claimholders and themselves.

  By the early 1770’s Craik became involved in public discussions about the tension growing between Britain and America.  In 1774, he was a participant in a meeting of Charles County citizens, which adopted resolutions protesting the blockade of Boston and pledged aid for commercial reprisals against the British.  Craik continued in Charles County for some time after the Revolutionary War broke out; but in 1777, accepted a position as a medical officer allowing him to serve closely with his old friend Washington.  

  Craik remained a busy surgeon throughout the remainder of the war, tending to General Hugh Mercer and the Marquis de Lafayette among others.  In 1781, Craik became Surgeon of the Army and served in this role until the British surrender at Yorktown.  During his service, Craik was instrumental in setting up the hospitals that provided medical attention to troops in Rhode Island and commanded field hospitals at the front.  Most notably, Craik commanded the field hospital at the Siege of Yorktown.  Craik was present at the surrender of British General Cornwallis officially ending the war.

  After the war, in 1783, Washington convinced his good friend to relocate to Alexandria, Virginia.  Craik established another lucrative practice there and became a frequent visitor to Mount Vernon.  In 1798, when war appeared eminent with France, Washington was called out of retirement to lead the army.  Washington appointed Craik as Physician General of the United States Army in which capacity he served until 1800.

  Craik’s most painful duty occurred the year after his appointment as Physician General.  In December 1799, Craik and two other physicians, Drs. Gustavus Richard Brown and Elisha Dick, were called to Mount Vernon to tend to the severely ill George Washington.  Although Craik and the other doctors did everything they could, it was to no avail.  Washington died at 11:00 PM on December 14, 1799.  Craik later published a pamphlet on Washington’s illness and death.

  Craik outlived his friend by more than 14 years; in fact Craik was the last survivor of the illustrious group of Charles Countians, dying aged 84 in 1814.  Although not a Charles Countian by birth, Craik by his hard work and dedication had done his share to advance the reputation earned by its distinguished members.

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No Shortage of Prominent Citizens

  The men mentioned throughout these articles are the better-known patriots of Charles County.  However, there were other men, no less distinguished, that also played important roles during the revolution.

  Foremost among these men were two of Thomas Stone’s brothers, John Hoskins and Michael Jenifer Stone.  Both men served in the Continental Army as part of the Maryland line under General Smallwood.

  John Hoskins Stone became a colonel, and served until severely wounded at the Battle of Germantown in October 1777.  He resigned from the army in 1779 and served on the state Executive Council until 1785.  He then served in the state House of Delegates until 1787.  John Hoskins Stone’s crowning achievement came in 1794 when he was elected Governor of Maryland.  Stone served three one-year terms before retiring.  He died on October 5, 1804, 17 years to the date of his brother, Thomas Stone’s death.

  Michael Jenifer Stone was a lieutenant in the army before resigning in 1777.  He also served in the state House of Delegates from 1781-83 and then was elected as a Maryland Representative to the first United States Congress in 1789, serving one two-year term.  He finished his political career as a district judge from 1791 to 1802.  Stone died in 1812.  

  The above mentioned Dr. Gustavus Richard Brown, brother-in-law to the Stone brothers, served as a surgeon during the war, befriended both James Craik and George Washington, and fulfilled his final destiny as one of the attending doctors at Washington’s final illness.  He died in 1804.

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So Many From So Few

  Compared to the more well-known founding fathers like Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and Adams, these men do not stand out.  They did not write stirring political pamphlets.  They did not achieve nationwide nor worldwide fame.  Outside of their region, they were little known.  Yet during the formative years of our nation, these men and others like them made valuable contributions, which helped shape the America we know today.  

  They set aside comfortable existences to join a revolution for independence.  They risked their lives and fortunes in a fight against the mightiest nation on earth at the time.  These men stood firm in the face of overwhelming obstacles.

  They may not be the most famous of our Founding Fathers, but they all played key roles in our achievement of an independent nation, unique among other nations of the world for its principles of government.  In this celebration of Charles County’s 350th birthday, we need to recognize their contributions to not only the county, but to Maryland and the United States of America as well.  

  It is a tribute to this small county’s history that so many of its men made such distinguished contributions during the severest crisis ever to face this country.  I give you these men, who indeed were well disposed to give battle; the Patriots of Charles County.

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