Charles McKnight
Encyclopedia
Charles McKnight was an American
physician
during and after the American Revolutionary War
. He served as a surgeon
and physician in the Hospital Department of the Continental Army
under General George Washington
and other subordinate commanders. McKnight was one of the most respected surgeons of his day and was remembered by one colleague as "particularly distinguished as a practical surgeon … at the time of his death (he) was without a rival in that branch of his profession."
in the colonial Province of New Jersey
in 1750. His only sibling was his younger brother, Richard. His father, also named Charles McKnight, emigrated to the colonies from Ireland
sometime around 1740 and was ordained
as a Presbyterian minister in 1742. He became a minister of some note, and was one of the founders and trustees of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University
). Reverend McKnight opposed British governance
in Colonial America
and was a loud voice for opposition and overthrow of the British government in New Jersey. According to Martha J. Lamb
, Reverend McKnight received a severe saber cut to his head in the slashing melee that mortally wounded General Hugh Mercer
at the Battle of Princeton
. His church at Middletown Point
was burned in 1777 and Reverend McKnight was arrested. While in custody aboard the British prison ship
HMS Jersey
in New York City
, Rev. McKnight's health rapidly failed, and he was released shortly before his death on January 1, 1778.
The younger McKnight attended schools in New Jersey and graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1771, in the same class as James Madison
, Gunning Bedford, Jr.
, Henry Brackenridge
, and Philip Freneau. He was one of the founders of the American Whig Society
, along with Brackenridge, Madison, Samuel Stanhope Smith
, Bedford, Freneau, John Beatty, John Henry of Maryland
, and William Bradford. McKnight studied medicine
and surgery
privately with eminent Philadelphia surgeon William Shippen, but left before he completed his studies and entered the Continental Army
in 1775.
, the Director General, assigned McKnight to the Putnam House building, one of six hospitals of the army's Hospital Department in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. He remained in that division, which supported Washington's army, until, during a period of great scarcity of medical and surgical supplies for the sick and wounded, McKnight went with other surgeons and physicians to North Castle, New York
with Washington's army when the Battle of White Plains
began in October 1776. The Continental Army lost the battle, and the British took Fort Washington
and Fort Lee
, which pushed Washington's ragged army south toward New Jersey in December 1776, which set the stage for the Battle of Trenton
.
McKnight remained at North Castle until John Morgan
, the Director General, ordered him and Samuel Adams, Jr. (the son of Samuel Adams
of Massachusetts) to set up a new hospital near Peekskill, New York
, for more than 300 sick soldiers of General William Heath
's division. Unable to find an acceptable site for a hospital, the two surgeons took over accommodations in Fishkill, New York
, twenty miles north of Peekskill. Washington, however, sent convalescents to Peekskill because Morgan told him the hospital was there. Morgan was dismissed as Director General soon thereafter, in January 1777, due to rancor with Washington over supplies and a rampant smallpox
epidemic then raging its way through the army. Morgan's management style rankled the surgeons, including McKnight, as Morgan was wrestling with Shippen, McKnight's mentor, over control of the hospitals in New Jersey. Isaac Foster took over temporary supervision of the hospitals on the east side of the Hudson River
after Morgan's dismissal at Washington's request.
McKnight served later as a surgeon in the Pennsylvania Battalion of the Flying Camp
. On April 11, 1777, He was appointed Surgeon General (also called Senior Surgeon, a subordinate position to Physician General and Director General, not to be confused with Surgeon General of the United States Army) of the Flying Hospital of the Middle Department, which moved with the army during the New York and New Jersey campaign
. He served as Senior Surgeon for three years. In December 1779, McKnight was in Morristown, New Jersey
with Washington, at the encampment near Jockey Hollow
, during the worst winter of the Revolutionary War.
The Hospital Department of the army was reorganized in 1780, and McKnight was promoted to Chief Hospital Physician, the highest medical position of the Middle Department. He served there until he left the army in January 1782. According to records, he was one of the original members of the New York State Society of the Cincinnati
.
After the war ended, McKnight settled in New York City
, where he married Mary Morin Scott, daughter of General John Morin Scott
. He opened a private practice and was one of the first physicians to use a carriage to visit his patients. McKnight published only one article, the surgical removal of an ectopic pregnancy
, but the piece was cited later by the Medical Society of London
in its London Medical Observations and Inquiries.
On November 26, 1784, McKnight was appointed one of the first regents of the University of the State of New York
. In 1785, McKnight became professor
of anatomy
and surgery at Columbia College (now the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
), which his father-in-law co-founded. He also was appointed Port Physician of New York. McKnight maintained a steady surgical practice and held his professorship until his death from pneumonia
, the result of an old war injury, on November 16, 1791 at age 41.
McKnight was interred at the corner of Wall Street
and Broadway
in Lower Manhattan
, just beyond the gates of the historic Trinity Churchyard, next to his wife, Mary, and her father. They left four daughters and one son, John Morin Scott McKnight, who also became a physician.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
during and after the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. He served as a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
and physician in the Hospital Department of the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
under General George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and other subordinate commanders. McKnight was one of the most respected surgeons of his day and was remembered by one colleague as "particularly distinguished as a practical surgeon … at the time of his death (he) was without a rival in that branch of his profession."
Early life
McKnight was born in Cranbury TownshipCranbury Township, New Jersey
- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 3,227 people, 1,091 households, and 877 families residing in the township. The population density was 240.6 people per square mile . There were 1,121 housing units at an average density of 83.6 per square mile...
in the colonial Province of New Jersey
Province of New Jersey
The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1776. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland, but came under English rule after the surrender of Fort Amsterdam in 1664, becoming a...
in 1750. His only sibling was his younger brother, Richard. His father, also named Charles McKnight, emigrated to the colonies from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
sometime around 1740 and was ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
as a Presbyterian minister in 1742. He became a minister of some note, and was one of the founders and trustees of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
). Reverend McKnight opposed British governance
British colonization of the Americas
British colonization of the Americas began in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia and reached its peak when colonies had been established throughout the Americas...
in Colonial America
Colonial America
The colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the thirteen colonies of Britain until they declared independence in 1776. In the late 16th century, England, France, Spain and the Netherlands launched major...
and was a loud voice for opposition and overthrow of the British government in New Jersey. According to Martha J. Lamb
Martha J. Lamb
Martha Joanna Reade Nash Lamb author historian born in Plainfield, Massachusetts to Arvin Nash and Lucinda Vinton. Educated at the Willliston Seminary in Easthampton and the Northampton High School . She published her first article "A Visit to My Mother's Birthplace." in a local newspaper...
, Reverend McKnight received a severe saber cut to his head in the slashing melee that mortally wounded General Hugh Mercer
Hugh Mercer
Hugh Mercer was a soldier and physician. He initially served with British forces during the Seven Years War but later became a brigadier general in the Continental Army and a close friend to George Washington...
at the Battle of Princeton
Battle of Princeton
The Battle of Princeton was a battle in which General George Washington's revolutionary forces defeated British forces near Princeton, New Jersey....
. His church at Middletown Point
Middletown Township, New Jersey
Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 66,522...
was burned in 1777 and Reverend McKnight was arrested. While in custody aboard the British prison ship
Prison ship
A prison ship, historically sometimes called a prison hulk, is a vessel used as a prison, often to hold convicts awaiting transportation to penal colonies. This practice was popular with the British government in the 18th and 19th centuries....
HMS Jersey
HMS Jersey (1736)
HMS Jersey was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built to the 1733 proposals of the 1719 Establishment of dimensions at Plymouth Dockyard, and launched on 14 June 1736. She is perhaps most noted for her service as a prison ship during the American Revolutionary War.-Early...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Rev. McKnight's health rapidly failed, and he was released shortly before his death on January 1, 1778.
The younger McKnight attended schools in New Jersey and graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1771, in the same class as James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
, Gunning Bedford, Jr.
Gunning Bedford, Jr.
Gunning Bedford, Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He served in the Delaware General Assembly, as a Continental Congressman from Delaware and as a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787. He is often confused with his cousin,...
, Henry Brackenridge
Hugh Henry Brackenridge
Hugh Henry Brackenridge was an American writer, lawyer, judge, and justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.A frontier citizen in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, he founded both the Pittsburgh Academy, now the University of Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh Gazette, still operating today as the...
, and Philip Freneau. He was one of the founders of the American Whig Society
American Whig-Cliosophic Society
The American Whig–Cliosophic Society is a political, literary, and debating society at Princeton University and the oldest debate union in the United States...
, along with Brackenridge, Madison, Samuel Stanhope Smith
Samuel Stanhope Smith
Samuel Stanhope Smith was a Presbyterian minister, founding president of Hampden-Sydney College and the seventh president of the College of New Jersey from 1795 to 1812. His stormy career ended in his enforced resignation...
, Bedford, Freneau, John Beatty, John Henry of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, and William Bradford. McKnight studied medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
privately with eminent Philadelphia surgeon William Shippen, but left before he completed his studies and entered the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
in 1775.
Continental Army surgeon
In late 1775, Benjamin ChurchBenjamin Church
Dr. Benjamin Church was effectively the first Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, serving as the "Chief Physician & Director General" of the Medical Service of the Continental Army from July 27, 1775 to October 17, 1775. He was also active in Boston's Sons of Liberty movement in the years before the...
, the Director General, assigned McKnight to the Putnam House building, one of six hospitals of the army's Hospital Department in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. He remained in that division, which supported Washington's army, until, during a period of great scarcity of medical and surgical supplies for the sick and wounded, McKnight went with other surgeons and physicians to North Castle, New York
North Castle, New York
North Castle is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 11,841 at the 2010 census. It has no villages.-Geography:...
with Washington's army when the Battle of White Plains
Battle of White Plains
The Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on October 28, 1776, near White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward from New York City, British General William Howe landed...
began in October 1776. The Continental Army lost the battle, and the British took Fort Washington
Battle of Fort Washington
The Battle of Fort Washington was fought in the American Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain on November 16, 1776. It was a decisive British victory, forcing the entire garrison of Fort Washington to surrender....
and Fort Lee
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 35,345. Located atop the Hudson Palisades, the borough is the western terminus of the George Washington Bridge...
, which pushed Washington's ragged army south toward New Jersey in December 1776, which set the stage for the Battle of Trenton
Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton took place on December 26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, after General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton, New Jersey. The hazardous crossing in adverse weather made it possible for Washington to lead the main body of the...
.
McKnight remained at North Castle until John Morgan
John Morgan (physician)
John Morgan was co-founder of the Medical College at the University of Pennsylvania, the first medical school in Colonial America; and he served as the second "Chief physician & director general" of the Continental Army...
, the Director General, ordered him and Samuel Adams, Jr. (the son of Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams was an American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. As a politician in colonial Massachusetts, Adams was a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and was one of the architects of the principles of American...
of Massachusetts) to set up a new hospital near Peekskill, New York
Peekskill, New York
Peekskill is a city in Westchester County, New York. It is situated on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from Jones Point.This community was known to be an early American industrial center, primarily for its iron plow and stove products...
, for more than 300 sick soldiers of General William Heath
William Heath
William Heath was an American farmer, soldier, and political leader from Massachusetts who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War....
's division. Unable to find an acceptable site for a hospital, the two surgeons took over accommodations in Fishkill, New York
Fishkill, New York
Fishkill is an upscale village within the much larger town, Town of Fishkill, one of the fastest growing towns in the region, in Dutchess County, New York, USA. The village population was 1,735 at the 2000 census...
, twenty miles north of Peekskill. Washington, however, sent convalescents to Peekskill because Morgan told him the hospital was there. Morgan was dismissed as Director General soon thereafter, in January 1777, due to rancor with Washington over supplies and a rampant smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
epidemic then raging its way through the army. Morgan's management style rankled the surgeons, including McKnight, as Morgan was wrestling with Shippen, McKnight's mentor, over control of the hospitals in New Jersey. Isaac Foster took over temporary supervision of the hospitals on the east side of the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
after Morgan's dismissal at Washington's request.
McKnight served later as a surgeon in the Pennsylvania Battalion of the Flying Camp
Flying Camp
In the American Revolutionary War, the Flying Camp was a military formation employed by the Americans in the second half of 1776.After the British evacuation of Boston in March 1776, General George Washington met with members of the Continental Congress to determine future military strategy...
. On April 11, 1777, He was appointed Surgeon General (also called Senior Surgeon, a subordinate position to Physician General and Director General, not to be confused with Surgeon General of the United States Army) of the Flying Hospital of the Middle Department, which moved with the army during the New York and New Jersey campaign
New York and New Jersey campaign
The New York and New Jersey campaign was a series of battles for control of New York City and the state of New Jersey in the American Revolutionary War between British forces under General Sir William Howe and the Continental Army under General George Washington in 1776 and the winter months of 1777...
. He served as Senior Surgeon for three years. In December 1779, McKnight was in Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
with Washington, at the encampment near Jockey Hollow
Jockey Hollow
Jockey Hollow is a unit of Morristown National Historical Park in New Jersey. It was twice used as a winter encampment by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.-History:...
, during the worst winter of the Revolutionary War.
The Hospital Department of the army was reorganized in 1780, and McKnight was promoted to Chief Hospital Physician, the highest medical position of the Middle Department. He served there until he left the army in January 1782. According to records, he was one of the original members of the New York State Society of the Cincinnati
Society of the Cincinnati
The Society of the Cincinnati is a historical organization with branches in the United States and France founded in 1783 to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the American Revolutionary War officers and to pressure the government to honor pledges it had made to officers who fought for American...
.
Later years and death
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he married Mary Morin Scott, daughter of General John Morin Scott
John Morin Scott
John Morin Scott was a lawyer, military officer, and statesman before, during and after the American Revolution.-Ancestry:...
. He opened a private practice and was one of the first physicians to use a carriage to visit his patients. McKnight published only one article, the surgical removal of an ectopic pregnancy
Ectopic pregnancy
An ectopic pregnancy, or eccysis , is a complication of pregnancy in which the embryo implants outside the uterine cavity. With rare exceptions, ectopic pregnancies are not viable. Furthermore, they are dangerous for the parent, since internal haemorrhage is a life threatening complication...
, but the piece was cited later by the Medical Society of London
Medical Society of London
The Medical Society of London is one of the oldest surviving medical societies in the United Kingdom ....
in its London Medical Observations and Inquiries.
On November 26, 1784, McKnight was appointed one of the first regents of the University of the State of New York
University of the State of New York
The University of the State of New York is the State of New York's governmental umbrella organization responsible for most institutions and people in any way connected with formal educational functions, public and private, in New York State...
. In 1785, McKnight became professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of anatomy
Human anatomy
Human anatomy is primarily the scientific study of the morphology of the human body. Anatomy is subdivided into gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy. Gross anatomy is the study of anatomical structures that can be seen by the naked eye...
and surgery at Columbia College (now the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, often known as P&S, is a graduate school of Columbia University that is located on the health sciences campus in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan...
), which his father-in-law co-founded. He also was appointed Port Physician of New York. McKnight maintained a steady surgical practice and held his professorship until his death from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
, the result of an old war injury, on November 16, 1791 at age 41.
McKnight was interred at the corner of Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
and Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
in Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
, just beyond the gates of the historic Trinity Churchyard, next to his wife, Mary, and her father. They left four daughters and one son, John Morin Scott McKnight, who also became a physician.