Benjamin Rush autograph letter signed ("Benjn. Rush"). Three pages of a bifolium, 7.75" x 13.25", Philadelphia, [Pennsylvania]; January 19, 1780. Docketed. Benjamin Rush writes to James McHenry, Secretary of War, criticizing Dr. William Shippen Jr. (1736-1808), Director of Hospitals for the Continental Army. Letter by Dr. Rush to McHenry, in which he criticizes Dr. Shippen for misappropriating funds and supplies intended for sick and recovering soldiers in the Continental Army, and shows little confidence in the Philadelphia Price Convention in 1780. The letter reads, in part: "We have nothing new in town. The eyes of our city are fixed upon the convention that is now assembling for the purpose of regulating prices. The real statesmen among us expect nothing from it—but the final dissolution of our money. But our political quarters (both within & without doors) expect to see all the miracles of transubstantion [sic], & all the mysteries of Alchemy performed in an instant upon the currency. They talk of the appreciation of our paper into real Spanish dollars, as a matter to be performed as easily as an Army is to be raised, or defeated by a single resolution of Congress. The folly and madness of mankind used to distress me... Dr. Shippen I hear is at last arrested. The public begins now to expect that justice from the army which they have in vain looked for from this congress. They expect soon to see that solecism explained—how the Deputy General of the hospitals of the United States is enabled with 6 dollars a day to vie with the Minister of France in the magnificence of his Equipage & feasts. Dr. Morgan is so well furnished with evidence to support all his charges, that I am not sure he will require my attendance at his tryal [sic]—if he does—I shall be happy in spending as much time as can be spared from the Court in your company. Some of Dr. Shippen's sycophants talk loudly of the liberal sentiments of the gentlemen of the army who will never condemn a man for trifles, such as loving a glass of good wine, or a game of Whist, true! But there are two crimes that never yet found pity or favor in our Army—viz Cowardice in an officer on the line, and fraud in an officer of the Staff department. The proofs of Dr. Shippen's guilt with respect to the last crime are as clear as the noonday Sun. The consequences of it you know had well nigh proved fatal at one time to our army & cause. But of this, prepare yourself to hear tales that will make "each particular hair stand on end" in a few weeks." Signed, "Benjn Rush". Rush begins his letter to McHenry with sarcastic remarks concerning the Philadelphia Price Convention of 1780, which was one of many attempts at Revolutionary-Era interstate price controls. The ten states attending the convention sent 20 commissioners. The convention failed to produce a price-fixing agreement. Most of Rush's letter concerns his criticisms of William Shippen as director of hospitals for the Continental Army. In 1777, Rush had been commissioned surgeon general of the Middle Department of the army. He soon found disorganization and corruption throughout the hospital system and complained to his superiors and to Congress. In January 1778, Rush resigned his army post following a series of events concerning an unsigned letter he wrote criticizing George Washington that was brought to the General's attention. Shippen had replaced Rush's friend Dr. John Morgan (1735-1789) as director of hospitals. Later Morgan, with the assistance of Rush, brought about Shippen's resignation. Shippen was subsequently court martialed for misappropriating supplies and underreporting deaths. The letter is published in The Letters of Benjamin Rush. [Edited by L. H. Butterfield. Vol I: 1761-1792. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1951, page 246.] Also included is a hand-colored steel engraving of Rush by R.W. Dodson, circa 1836. Benjamin Rush (1746-1813), a political activist, patriot, and signer of the Declaration of Independence, was also one of the most respected medical doctors and theorists in America. Though the quality of his medicine was quite primitive by today's standards (he advocated bleeding for almost any illness), his system of theory and practice, his specific contributions to medical science, and his influence as a teacher made him one of the most sought-after physicians of his time. He became a Professor of medical theory and clinical practice at the University of Pennsylvania in 1791, and during his lengthy career, he educated over 3,000 medical students. He wrote a descriptive account of the yellow fever epidemic that struck Philadelphia in 1793, during which he treated up to 100 patients per day, further enhancing his reputation. Rush was also far ahead of his time in the treatment of mental illness and is considered by some to be the "father of American Psychiatry". He published the first textbook on the subject in the United States, Medical Inquiries and Observations upon the Diseases of the Mind, in 1812; the emblem of the American Psychiatric Association also bears his portrait. James McHenry (1753-1816), a surgeon in the Fifth Pennsylvania Battalion in the Revolutionary War, was appointed secretary to General George Washington in 1778. He served in that capacity until August 1780, when he was transferred to General Lafayette's staff. A signer of the Constitution, he represented Maryland in the Continental Congress from 1783 to 1785, served as Washington and Adams' Secretary of War from 1796 to 1800, and was instrumental in the formation of the United States Navy. Fort McHenry in Baltimore harbor is named in his honor. Condition: Edgewear with splitting starting at folds, the largest of which is at center horizontal fold measuring 1.75" and extending through both sheets. A few stray pinholes along intersections of folds. One closed tear just touches signature. Bottom left corner of first sheet creased. HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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