Joseph Barnes (American physician)
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Joseph K. Barnes | |
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Surgeon General of the U.S. Army | |
| Battles/wars | Second Seminole War Mexican–American War American Civil War |
Joseph K. Barnes (July 21, 1817 – April 5, 1883) was an American physician and the 12th Surgeon General of the United States Army (1864–1882).
Biography
Career and early life
Born in Philadelphia,
Florida
Barnes appeared before an army examining board which was meeting at the time in Philadelphia and, pursuant to its recommendation, he was commissioned an assistant surgeon on June 15, 1840. He was assigned for his first duty to the
War with Mexico
In 1842, Barnes was assigned to Fort Jesup, Louisiana, where he remained until 1846 when with the beginning of the
During the thirteen years that intervened between this time and the Civil War, Barnes served in a succession of posts in widely separated parts of the country. He served at Fort Croghan and other posts in Texas, in the plains country at Fort Scott, Fort Leavenworth, and Camp Center (now Fort Riley), on the Pacific coast at San Francisco, Fort Vancouver and the Cascades, while between times he saw tours of duty at Baltimore, Fort McHenry, Philadelphia, and West Point. He was promoted to major and surgeon on August 29, 1856.
Marriage at Fort Leavenworth, KS to Mary(7)Thurston Fauntleroy b. 1825 d. 1911, dau of Col. Thomas Turner Fauntleroy b. 1795 d. 1883 (later of the 1st Cavalry out of Fort Union, New Mexico Terr. 1851–1861)and Ann Magill b. 1792 d. 1862, dau Col. Charles Magill of Winchester, VA.
Civil War
In April 1861, Barnes was stationed at the Army's
On February 9, 1863, Barnes was appointed a medical inspector with the rank of
On August 22, 1864, he was advanced to the position of Surgeon General, with the grade of brigadier general and on March 13, 1865, he received the brevet of major general for faithful and meritorious service during the war. As principal assistant, Barnes brought to his office Major Charles Henry Crane, who continued in the capacity throughout the eighteen years of his term and succeeded to the office upon the retirement of his chief.
Lincoln assassination
On April 14, 1865, at the time of the
The morning after Abraham Lincoln's death, three Army Medical Museum pathologists entered the White House to perform an autopsy on Lincoln's body. Overseen by Barnes, the autopsy was conducted by Colonel Joseph Woodward and Major Edward Curtis. The autopsy began at 11 a.m. on April 15, 1865.
Medical museum
The work of collecting material for the Army Medical Museum and for the Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion was pushed vigorously during the years 1863 and 1864. The question of the military control of general hospitals was a vexing one from the beginning of the war. A War Department order of April 7, 1862, placed them under the supervision of the Surgeon General, but was not sufficiently explicit in its provisions regarding the right of command of the medical officers in charge of these hospitals. It was not until December 27, 1864, that the question was finally settled by General Order No. 306, confirming the medical officer's right to command in his own sphere of action. The good will of Secretary Stanton was again shown by an order of February 8, 1865, giving to the medical department entire control of hospital transports and hospital boats.
Post-war career
The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion was first suggested by Surgeon General Hammond in a circular to medical officers inviting cooperation in the collection of material. In 1865 there was issued by the Surgeon General a report upon the extent and nature of the material available for its preparation. Four of the six monumental volumes were completed under General Barnes' administration and the other two were far advanced at the time of his retirement. His regime was further notable for the interest he took in the development of the Army Medical Library. During his term of office, the library, under the supervision of Major John S. Billings, was expanded from a small collection of text-books to first rank among medical libraries of the country. In 1871, General Barnes co-founded the Philosophical Society of Washington, a scientific organization, which met for some time in the annex of the Surgeon General's office before moving to Ford's Theater.
Garfield assassination and retirement
In 1881, during the long struggle of President James A. Garfield to live after being shot, Barnes was one of the surgeons who for weeks served in the chamber of the dying president. The protracted service and anxiety incident to the care of the latter took a heavy toll on Barnes' health. An Act of Congress passed June 30, 1882 (22 Stat. 118), providing for compulsory retirement for age, found Barnes nearly a year past the statutory age and he was retired on June 30, 1882.
Death
A chronic nephritis, of which Barnes was a subject for some time, caused his death at his home in Washington on April 5, 1883.[citation needed] He was interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.[2]
See also
- List of American Civil War generals (Union)
- Abraham Lincoln Assassination
References
- ^ U.S. Returns From Military Posts, Vancouver Barracks [Fort Vancouver], April–June 1861.
- ^ "Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown, D.C. (Chapel Hill) - Lot 628" (PDF). oakhillcemeterydc.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
- H. E. Brown, Medical Department of the U S. Army from 1775 to 1873 (1873)
- P. M. Ashburn, History of the Medical Department of the U. S. Army (1929)
- J. E. Pilcher, Surgeon Generals of the Army (1905)
- Kelly and Burrage, American Medical Biographies (1920)
- G. V. Henry, Military Records of Civilian Appointments (1873)
External links
- Official Biography of Surgeon General Barnes Archived 2010-12-03 at the Wayback Machine (visited November 19, 2009)
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