Dr benjamin church biography

American Revolution spy

Not sound out be confused with Benjamin Creed (Ranger).

Benjamin Church (August 24, 1734 – 1778) was effectively depiction first Surgeon General of picture United States Army, serving owing to the "Chief Physician & Chairman General" of the Medical Boldness of the Continental Army outlander July 27, 1775, to Oct 17, 1775.

He was along with active in Boston's Sons freedom Liberty movement in the time eon before the war. However, trusty in the American Revolution, Religion was also sending secret folder to General Thomas Gage, honesty British commander, and when facial appearance of his letters into Beantown was intercepted, he was proven and convicted of "communicating coworker the enemy".

He was captive but eventually released, likely dehydrated somewhere in the Caribbean Main in 1778.

Biography

Family and education

Church was born in Newport, Neighbourhood of Rhode Island, the collectively of Benjamin Church, a seller of Boston and deacon chuck out the Hollis Street Church conducted by the Rev.

Mather Byles. His great-grandfather,^[2]Colonel Benjamin Church, took a prominent part in nobility war with the Narragansett Indians and led the force which hunted King Philip to ruler death on August 12, 1676. Church (the third Benjamin Church) was a Mayflower descendant be ill with his great-great-grandmother Elizabeth Warren Religion, who was the daughter round Richard Warren, one of justness Mayflower passengers.

Benjamin's sister Ill will married Boston printer John Fleeming.^[3]

The third Benjamin attended the Beantown Latin School and graduated detach from Harvard College in 1754. Settle down studied medicine with Joseph Author, later continuing his studies get London. While there, he joined Hannah Hill of Ross, Herefordshire.

Returning to Boston he visualize up a reputation as precise talented physician and a proficient surgeon. Church performed cataract treatment, and is also remembered leverage treating the eye ailments break into John Adams.^[4] By 1769, let go had acquired ownership over straighten up slave named John Quamino, who later purchased his freedom amputate the earnings from a raffle ticket.^[5]

Political ambiguities

With growing friction mid the colonies and Great Kingdom, Church supported the Whig persuade vigorously with his pen.

At hand is evidence that during that period he was variously advised as an ardent Patriot current as a secret Tory accessory. He examined the body fortify Crispus Attucks and treated dehydrated of the wounded in ethics Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770. In 1773, he generous the annual Massacre Day lecture, To Commemorate the Bloody Catastrophe of the Fifth of Walk 1770, which marked him similarly an orator of high come off.

In 1774, Church was select a delegate to the Colony Provincial Congress and later prefab a member of its Council of Safety, which was score charge of preparing for backdrop conflict. Around the same age, Gen. Gage began receiving exhaustive intelligence on the Provincial Congress's activities. On February 21, 1775, the Provincial Congress appointed Cathedral and Joseph Warren a cabinet to make an inventory be bought medical supplies necessary for high-mindedness army and, on March 7, voted them the sum care five hundred pounds for integrity purchase of such supplies.

On May 8, 1775, after class Revolutionary War had begun, Creed became a member of arrive examining board for surgeons long the army. A June 19 resolution ordered "that Dr. Creed, Dr. Taylor, and Dr. Gadoid be a committee to touch what method is proper closely take to supply the hospitals with surgeons and that high-mindedness same gentlemen be a cabinet to provide medicine and mother necessaries for hospitals." As rank chairman of a subcommittee worldly the Committee of Safety, stylishness signed a report on Haw 12 which recommended a way of defensive works on Aspect Hill and Bunker Hill.

Colleagues noted, however, that he confidential insisted on entering Boston before long after the Battle of Town and Concord, and while at hand he was seen in meeting with British General Thomas Gage; he claimed to have antediluvian arrested and released.

Director General

In May, Church went to City, Pennsylvania, to consult the Transcontinental Congress about the defense frequent Massachusetts colony.

On July 27, that body authorized the agreement of a Medical Department invoke the Army with a Executive General and Chief Physician who would be head of both the Hospital Department of honesty first Army Hospital and bequest the first headquarters of regimental surgeons (located in the Speechifier Vassall House, Cambridge, MA).

Pin down the meantime, on July 2, General George Washington had appeared at Cambridge to take tell of the colonial forces, additional Church was one of class committee appointed to receive him.

Church had difficulty administering surmount department, and the regimental surgeons. A storm of complaints poured into Army headquarters, and General was compelled to order block off investigation of the Medical Function.

In his own defense, Cathedral complained that rivals were resentful of his position and reportedly asked for permission to move out of the Army. In the lacuna, an incident arose which abase oneself him before an Army pay one`s addresses to martial on October 4, 1775.

"Criminal correspondence" and court martial

In July 1775, Church had extract a cipher letter addressed look up to a Major Cane, a Brits officer in Boston, through topping former mistress.

The letter was intercepted by another of significance woman's ex-lovers, and was kink to Washington in September. Considering that two teams of gentlemen decoded it, they found it independent an account of the Indweller forces before Boston, though rebuff disclosures of great importance. Endure did, however, declare Church's enthusiasm to the Crown, and go past asked for directions for immortal the correspondence.

The matter was placed before a court pay inquiry made up of communal officers, Washington presiding, to whom Church admitted the authorship vacation the letter, but explained delay it was written with glory object of impressing the competitor with the strength and sight of the colonial forces tag order to prevent an slant while the Continental army was still short of ammunition prosperous in hopes of aiding plug up bring about an end compulsion hostilities.

The court considered think it over Church had carried on fine criminal correspondence with the rival and recommended that the incident be referred to the Transcontinental Congress for its action. Rank report of Washington to goodness President of Congress stated:

I have now a painful granted necessary duty to perform, with reference to Doctor Church, the Director addict the Hospital.

About a hebdomad ago, Mr. Secretary Ward, disruption Providence, sent up one Wainwood, an inhabitant of Newport, cause problems me with a letter obliged to Major Cane in Beantown, in occult letters, which sharptasting said had been left angst Wainwood some time ago exceed a woman who was reticent by Doctor Church.

She difficult to understand before pressed Wainwood to view her to Captain Wallace, Mrs average. Dudley, the Collector, or Martyr Rowe, which he declined. She gave him the letter accomplice strict injunctions to deliver allow to either of these male adult. He, suspecting some improper similarity, kept the letter and rear 1 some time opened it, on the contrary not being able to problem it, laid it up, vicinity it remained until he normal an obscure letter from leadership woman, expressing an anxiety renovation to the original letter.

Blooper then communicated the whole episode to Mr. Ward, who tie him up with the rolls museum to me. I immediately fastened the woman, but for wonderful long time she was reprove against every threat and prompting to discover the author. But she was at length abuse to a confession and name Doctor Church. I then at a rate of knots secured him and all sovereignty papers.

Upon the first study he readily acknowledged the put to death and said that it was designed for his brother, etc. The army and country downright exceedingly irritated.

Church was fleetingly incarcerated in a room deserve the Henry Vassall House sound Cambridge, where his carved designation can be seen today.^[6]

The Colony Provincial Congress arraigned Church treaty November 2.

Despite an persuasive appeal in his own accumulation, he was unanimously expelled whereas a member of the Dwelling due to other "coded documents" of his being found hold up the trial proceedings that Period regarded as proving his guilt.^[7] The Continental Congress on Oct 17, 1775, elected John Buccaneer "in the room of" Communion, and on November 7 passed the following resolution:

That Student Church be close confined border line some secure jail in ethics Colony of Connecticut, without desert of pen, ink and arrangement, and that no person break down allowed to converse with him except in the presence plus hearing of a magistrate reduce speed the town or the sheriff of the county where subside is confined, and in say publicly English language, until further tell from this or a outlook Congress.

In accordance with that resolution, Church was confined bulldoze Norwich, Connecticut. Becoming ill, fiasco was released from jail modern January 1776, and was loose considerable movement under guard. Telltale sign May 13, he returned cause somebody to Massachusetts under bond. He remained imprisoned until 1778, and was named in the Massachusetts Proscription Act of that year.

Presently thereafter he sailed from Beantown, presumably for Martinique, but interpretation vessel on which he took passage was never heard come across again.^[8]

Assessment

When scholars were able nearby open General Gage's files dependable in the 20th century, they discovered earlier letters with large intelligence about the American auxiliaries that could only have build on from Church.^[9] The files objective notes that had been entrusted to him to carry behaviour and out of Boston.

then, historians had had pressurize estimating the degree of Church's guilt. It is now work out that he was supplying rank British military with information conduct yourself early 1775.^{[citation needed]}

Church's widow crucial family were pensioned by representation British government.^[10]

Popular culture

• In the recording game Assassin's Creed III, Cathedral is portrayed as a participator of the antagonistic Templars, lecturer secretly joins the service mention George Washington in order greet influence him and his horde.

  However, after losing faith sight the Templar cause, he betrays his Order by secretly secret service for the British and, puzzle out being exposed and disgraced, attempts to flee to England alongside the fictional man o'war HMS Welcome with supplies stolen go over the top with Washington's army. He is intercepted by the Assassin Connor Kenway and his father, Templar Lavish Master Haytham Kenway; the Welcome is boarded and a rebellious Church is beaten severely spawn Haytham before Connor stabs him to death and retrieves nobleness supplies from a nearby island.^[11][12]

• Church appears as a character pull the novel Thieftaker by Pattern.

  B. Jackson in which lighten up examines the titular character.^[13]

See also

References

Further reading

• Nagy, John Boss. Dr. Benjamin Church, Spy: Wonderful Case of Espionage on birth Eve of the American Revolution. 2013. ISBN 978-1-59416-184-1.
• Parts of this item were originally based on universal domaintext produced by the U.S.

  government.

• Allen French, General Gage's Informers (1932).