Saturday, May 19, 2018

The Unintentional Killing of George Washington


 


Note: George Washington was a large man. Measurements taken on his death bed showed he was 6 feet 3 1/2" tall and measured 22" from shoulder to shoulder.

George Washington's Final Hours
 
In the afternoon of Friday, Dec. 13, 1799, a little more than 30 months into his retirement, President George Washington complained about a cough, a runny nose and a distinct hoarseness of voice. He had spent most of the day on horseback in the frigid rain, snow and hail, supervising activities on his estate. Late for dinner and proud of his punctuality, Washington remained in his damp clothes throughout the meal.

By 2 a.m. the following morning, Washington awoke clutching his chest with a profound shortness of breath. His wife Martha wanted to seek help but Washington was more concerned about her health as she had only recently recovered from a cold herself. Washington simply did not want her leaving the fire-warmed bedroom for the damp, cold outside. Nevertheless, Martha asked her husband’s chief aide, Col. Tobias Lear, to come into the room. Seeing how ill the general was, Col. Tobias immediately sent for Dr. James Craik, who had been Washington’s physician for more than 40 years, and the estate’s overseer, George Rawlins, who was well practiced in the art of bloodletting.

Bloodletting

Bloodletting
Bloodletting was a brutal yet common practice that had been used for centuries. The procedure called for the patient to place his arm over a basin used to collect the blood. A device resembling a pocketknife (a Fleam) with spade shaped cutting blades was then used to cut a vein in the wrist and draw off a pint or so of blood. The more serious the illness, the more blood was taken. It was thought that doing so would help rid the body of disease.

It was not uncommon for the patients to die from a lack of blood rather than the illness for which they were being treated. In fact, many historians believe that excessive bloodletting may have actually contributed to the death of President George Washington.

Bloodletting Kit

A Fleam
Blood was removed from a patient to reduce fever and to
treat a variety of illnesses. A patient's symptoms usually changedafter this treatment, which made it seem affective.
Bleeding a Patient
By 6 a.m., Washington had developed a pronounced fever. His throat was raw with pain and his breathing became even more labored.


At 7:30 a.m., Rawlins removed 12 to 14 ounces of blood, after which Washington requested that he remove still more. Following the procedure, Col. Lear gave the patient a tonic of molasses, butter and vinegar, which nearly choked Washington to death, so inflamed were the beefy-red tissues of his infected throat.
Dr. Craik entered Washington’s bedchamber at 9 a.m. After taking the medical history, he applied a painful “blister of cantharides,” better known as “Spanish fly,” to Washington’s throat. The idea behind this tortuous treatment was based on a humoral notion of medicine dating back to antiquity called “counter-irritation.” The blisters raised by this toxic stuff would supposedly draw out the deadly humors causing the General’s throat inflammation.

At 9:30 a.m., another bloodletting of 18 ounces was performed followed by a similar withdrawal at 11 a.m. At noon, an enema was administered. Attempts at gargling with a sage tea, laced with vinegar were unsuccessful but Washington was still strong enough to walk about his bedroom for a bit and to sit upright in an easy chair for a few hours. His real challenge was breathing once he returned to lying flat on his back in bed.

Dr. Craik ordered another bleeding. This time, 32 ounces were removed even though Elisha Cullen Dick, the second physician to arrive at Mount Vernon, objected to such a heroic measure. A third doctor, Gustavus Richard Brown, made it to the mansion at 4 p.m. He suggested a dose of calomel (mercurous chloride) and a tartar emetic (antimony potassium tartrate), guaranteed to make the former president vomit with a vengeance.

After the fourth bloodletting, Washington appeared to rally somewhat. At 5 p.m., he was having an easier time swallowing and even had the energy to examine his last will and testament with Martha. Soon enough, he was again struggling for air. He told Dr. Craik: “Doctor, I die hard; but I am not afraid to go; I believed from my first attack that I should not survive it; my breath can not last long.” Ever the gentleman, even in extremis, the General made a point of thanking all three doctors for their help.

By 8 p.m., blisters of cantharides were applied to his feet, arms and legs while wheat poultices were placed upon his throat with little improvement. At 10 p.m., Washington murmured some last words about burial instructions to Col. Lear. Twenty minutes later, Col. Lears’ notes record, the former president settled back in his bed and calmly took his pulse. At the very end, Washington’s fingers dropped off his wrist and the first president of our great Republic took his final breath. At the bedside were Martha Washington, his doctor, James Craik, Tobias Lear, his valet, Christopher Sheels, and three slave housemaids named Caroline, Molly and Charlotte.

Washington’s physicians, as doctors are wont to do, argued heatedly over the precise cause of death. Dr. Craik insisted that it was “inflammatory quinsy,” or peritonsillar abscess. Dr. Dick rejected such a possibility and offered three alternative diagnoses: stridular suffocatis (a blockage of the throat or larynx), laryngea (inflammation and suppuration of the larynx), or cynanche trachealis. The last arcane medical diagnosis (from the Latin, for “dog strangulation”), which prevailed as the accepted cause of Washington’s death for some time, referred to an inflammation and swelling of the glottis, larynx and upper trachea severe enough to obstruct the airway.

Back in 1799, Washington’s physicians justified the removal of more than 80 ounces of his blood (2.365 liters or 40 percent of his total blood volume) over a 12-hour period in order to reduce the massive inflammation of his windpipe and constrict the blood vessels in the region. Theories of humoralism and inflammation aside, this massive blood loss — along with the accompanying dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and viscous blood flow — could not have helped the president’s dire condition.

A fourth physician, William Thornton (who also designed the U.S. Capitol building), arrived after Washington succumbed. Thornton had expertise in the tracheotomy procedure, an extremely rare operation at the time that was performed only in emergencies and with occasional success. Dr. Dick, too, advocated this procedure — rather than the massive bloodletting — but given the primitive nature of surgical science in 1799, it is doubtful it would have helped much.

In the 215 years since Washington died, several retrospective diagnoses have been offered ranging from croup, quinsy, Ludwig’s angina, Vincent’s angina, diphtheria, and streptococcal throat infection to acute pneumonia. But Dr. Morens’s suggestion of acute bacterial epiglottitis seems most likely. In the end, we will never really know, which constitutes half of the fun enjoyed by doctors who argue over the final illnesses of historical figures.

At this late date, it is all too easy to criticize Washington’s doctors. Indeed, even in real time and for decades thereafter, critics complained that the physicians bled Washington to death. But the truth of the matter is that they did the best they could, against a pathologically implacable foe, using now antiquated and discredited theories of medical practice.

The president’s last hours must have been agonizing to watch and, of course, to experience. Like any human being, General Washington hoped his physicians would help him to an easy death. Between the massive bloodletting, the painful blistering treatments, and the awful sensation of suffocation, this was not at all possible.

Note: According to The Red Cross, it takes 4 to 6 weeks for red blood cells to be completely replaced after giving just one pint of blood. Based on witness accounts that night, Dr. Howard Markel of the University of Michigan estimated that approximately 5 pints (40% of his blood supply) was drained from his body over a 12-hour period. Washington died a short time later. The question still lingers to this day; “Did George Washington die from the throat infection, or did he die from lack of blood?”
"First in war...………"
George Washington’s life continues to teach us valuable lessons of citizenship, leadership and devotion to duty. In an era when there are so few heroes in public life, it remains inspiring to recall the Henry (“Light-horse Harry”) Lee Jr.’s famous phrase from the eulogy of Washington he delivered to the U.S. Congress on Dec. 26, 1799: “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

 












Saturday, May 12, 2018

Archaeology at Fort Amanda - GPR Scans

Fort Amanda - Below The Surface 
and 
A Suggestion for Amateur Archaeologists

In 2013, I contacted Dr. Jarrod Burks, of the Ohio Valley Archaeology, Inc. (OVAI) in Columbus, Oh. to discuss the possibility of conducting geophysical surveys (ground penetrating radar and magnetic) in the field adjacent to the grassy area surrounding the monument at Fort Amanda. Dr. Burks said he was interested in the project so I arranged for a meeting with him, David Kriegel, the owner of the property and myself to discuss the project and get permission to do the scans in his field. The first thing that struck me during our meeting was Mr. Kriegel's enthusiasm, not only about this project, but his passions for local history in general. In the years since its become obvious that David shares the same passions for the Fort Amanda site as I. Not only did he give us permission to do the work in the field, the Kriegel family generously offered to fund the work, without which the project would never have been possible.

Below the Surface
Since the scanning equipment would already be available on site,  Dr. Burks suggested that the grassy area around the monument should be scanned as well.  That was pretty exciting because of all the years I'd hunted the adjacent fields with a metal detector, I'd never detected in the grassy area because it was state property.  This would be the first time that any type of survey of this type had ever been done at the site.  Dr. Burks contacted the Ohio Historical Connection and obtained permission to do the scans in the grassy area with this caveat; there were to be no excavations.  I was disappointed at first but I was soon to learn why.

The Scans
The pictures below show the crew from O.V.A.I. doing ground penetrating radar and magnetic scans of the grassy area and the adjacent field.


I don't remember how times they had to walk the length of the field and grassed area but it took 2 days of almost non-stop walking. Each time they made a pass, they had to move the guide tapes over the width of the machine in order to ensure they were going in a straight line. Below are Google Earth overlays of the archaeology field survey at Fort Amanda.









Mystery Solved?


While the straight lines running the length of the field are probably field drainage tiles the V shaped feature at the top center of the picture remains a mystery.










The scans were completed on April 18, 2013 with varying results.
OVAI says the circled area at the right side is a "Probable Fort Feature" That doesn't mean it may have been part of the fort, but perhaps something associated with it. I've heard stories of pits full of animal bones nearby so its possible this could have been a building associated with the butchering of meat. Another thought was that it could have been a "sink" area (latrines) but because of its proximity to the fort that remains doubtful at the moment.
We know the general locations of the 5 blockhouses and the areas where cabins sat and because humans lose things, who knows what treasures lie beneath the ground's surface? Because there are so many interesting features, OVAI recommends that more work be done and that would include a geophysical survey, a metal detector survey and exploratory trenching, all of which cost money. Their greatest expense is housing since they have to travel from Columbus and stay near the site for a few days.

Artifacts Found At The Site (or nearby)

Misc. pieces of glass and kettle brass



Musket balls of various calibers
and part of a pewter plate





  Assortment of Knives


 Buckles 


 Buttons 


  Bit for horse or oxen, bell, Jews harp, horseshoe, belt ax






















Suggestion For Amateur Archaeologists
Archaeology involves much much more than just digging up artifacts. Sometimes it takes months or even years to prepare for a site dig. In 1922 Howard Carter (an amateur archaeologist), discovered the steps leading down to the famous King Tut's tomb in Egypt. It took many months just to remove the contents of the tomb; not because there were so many, but because Carter knew that it was important to catalog and map everything he found so as not to destroy any part of the story. It would be yet another 3 years (1925) before he actually opened Tut's sarcophagus for the same reason.
Time, Patience and Mutual Respect
Before I go any further, let me say that in my view, the Ohio Historical Connection (the old Ohio Historical Society) in Columbus and their professional staff is one of the best in the business. Whenever I'd find an artifact I couldn't identify, I'd ask someone at there what they thought it was. While they were always helpful, I rarely got the impression that they were as impressed about my finds as I was. I brushed it off thinking that perhaps to them it was "just another gun part, or just another piece of a kettle, or just another button so I accepted that. At one point I even began to feel that their "under-excitement" was perhaps from professional jealousy. My teachable moment came in 2013 when we received permission to scan the area around the monument. They specifically noted that there was to be no excavations. As I mentioned earlier, I was a bit disappointed at first that we couldn't at least dig something up, after all, I'd found things in the surrounding fields so there had to be something in the grassy area.
Then it dawned on me.
The Analogy of the Missing Puzzle Piece 
There are probably dozens of people like myself who have hunted the fields in the area over the years and most, again, probably like me, have our own little collections of "treasures" we've dug up. The problem is each of us have walked away with our own little pieces of the Fort Amanda puzzle, so in reality we could have walked away with some of the major pieces. At one time I'd given thought to the idea of forming a club where we all combine our collections and donate it to a local museum. Perhaps one day.

So my point to all this is while I always enjoyed finding my "treasures" I never realized that I could have been destroying a major piece of the overall story. For example if I dug up an old door hinge, that hinge could actually have been from a blockhouse that sat in the exact spot where I found it. Digging up buckles could mean that I was digging in the forts trash pit or a site with a lot of musket balls could have been where the men were making cartridges.

One of the Best in the Business
While doing a book signing in Greenville, Ohio last Fall, I met a group of individuals who like me, love area history and who also look for artifacts at various sites around the state. They have taken the term "amateur archaeologist" to a whole new level. I won't mention their names here because I haven't gotten their permission but lets just say that those guys are so good they should be paid for their work. If and when I get permission I'll post their names here because some are on FB and they often post pictures of their findings there. I would compare their fieldwork with any professional archaeologist site dig I've ever witnessed. Again, those guys are that good. They found blockhouses in fields where no one ever thought of looking. They found a large number of Wayne's Frog Legged Eagle buttons close together near a river. What they concluded was that the buttons as well as some other findings this was very likely the spot where the men did their laundry. Who would have guessed.   

 Conclusion
Years ago I was told by one of the archaeologists at the OHS that they depended on amateurs like myself to provide them with what we were learning and/or finding in the field. My hope is one day amateurs and professional archaeologists can collaborate on projects where both groups share their knowledge and their expertise. After all, we don't know what we don't know so by working together and sharing what we know with what they know, who knows what new and exciting things we can find together.




Friday, May 4, 2018

Who Was Sarah Murry?


Who was Sarah Murry?

Pvt. Charles Murry
June 1, 1813
A couple years ago I posted a blog about the death of Charles Murry, a soldier who died at Fort Amanda in 1813. At the time I knew very little about the man but subsequent research has shed some new light on At the moment we don't know how old Murry was, if he was married or single and most importantly, if he has any living relatives. All the legal documents related to the estate of Charles Murry were signed by Sarah Murry and the challenge is to identify her relationship to Charles Murry.

Fort Amanda
Click on the link below and turn up your sound. Video is courtesy of Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District and available on their website or YouTube

Drone's View of Fort Amanda Park




The Beginning

We first learned of Charles Murry from a journal kept by William Schillinger, an Ensign in Captain Daniel Hosbrook's company stationed at Fort Amanda in 1813. Shillinger had been home on leave when Murry died. When he arrived back at the fort on June 6th he wrote the following in his journal.
Schillinger's Journal Entry Regarding Murry's Death

Sunday the 6th of June 1813
Showery this morning but Broke away about 10 A.M. found myself quite Lonesome on account of the Companys being gone, Note Charles Murrey a Private in our Company Died on the 1st Day of June, & was buried with the Honors of War at this post, (Amanda
)
Note that Schillinger spells the name "Murrey" instead of Murry. There are several misspellings of names throughout Schillinger's journal.

A Stroke of Luck
A few years ago I was using old county plat maps to determine the route Schillinger took to and from Ft. Amanda. On Sunday, May 23,1813, Schillinger wrote in his journal that on his way home on furlough, he stopped and had breakfast and fed his horse at "Mr. Asbys."
Sunday Morning the 23rd
Clear & Pleasant Started early Past through Shaker Town 12 miles from Mr. Tibbles between 7 & 8 A.M. arrived at uncle James Norris at ¼ past 8 A.M. got my breakfast & fed my horse. Left there at 10 A.M, 2 P.M. stoped at Mr. Asbys fed my Horse & got Dinner

Now the challenge was to find out where "Mr. Asby" lived in 1813. As I was looking at an 1856 Warren County Plat Map, the first thing I discovered was that Schillilnger, once again, had misspelled a name. The man he was referring to wasn't "Mr. Asby" but rather it was "Mr. Espy." See map below.

I then opened the plat map for Warren County for 1876 (below) and WOW!!!! There it was. Someone by the name of A. Murry was living on the same trail Schillinger used in 1813 and the same property owned by Espy 20 years earlier. Could this Murry be related to the Charles Murry I was looking for?
1876 Warren County Plat Book

Going on the hunch that perhaps Murry wasn't from Clermont or Hamilton Counties after all but that it was possible he lived in Warren County in 1813. Armed with that information I went to the Warren County courthouse in Lebanon to see what they might have on file.

A Treasure
As my wife and I were lookin through different files, my wife said, "Dave, look at this." Much to my amazement, it was a list of the things Capt. Hosbrook had given a woman named Sarah Murry the items Charles Murry had in his possession when he died. He probably gave them to her on his way home in August 1813 when his term of enlistment had expired.
Charles Murry's Possessions at the Time of His Death

Murry's Worldly Possessions
Comparing the initials "S M" at the bottom of the page to the letters "S" and "M" in the paper document above indicates that Sarah Murry could both read and write. The list of items includes;

A list of the property of
Charles Murry deceased is as follows

Cash by the paymaster $15.00
Do by Captain Hosbrook $3.00
To one due bill on Isaac Whiteman $10.00
Cash left in my hands $6.00

This is to certify that this is all the property within my knowledge in the county of Warren. This 10th of February, 1814. Sarah MurryI understand there is a little property elsewhere which I will look for. There is no debt come to my knowledge as yet.
                                         S.M.


Note; "Do" was another way of writing "ditto." In other words, in addition to the $15 dollars Charles had on hand from the paymaster, he also had $3 from Captain Hosbrook. The "due bill" means Murry owed $10 to Isaac Whiteman, another private in his company.
The $6
On the list of possessions, Sarah Murry wrote that she had $6 in her hands. Being "left in her hands" leads me to think that Charles may have left the money in her hands before he left for military duty.

If Charles had left his wife $6 for household expenses while he was gone why was there any need to even mention it? My other thought is that if Charles Murry left $6 with his mother for safekeeping while he was gone it might explain why she still had it. All this implies that Sarah was holding the $6 for him until he returned.
  

Why I Believe Sarah Murry was Charles Murry's Mother 
Probably not his wife because: 
Notice on the property list above, Sarah Murry wrote that other than the things Hosbrook gave her. she wasn't aware of any other possessions Charles ownedin Warren County. She even specifically underlined the word "knowledge" as if to accentuate the fact that he may have other property but she wasn't aware of any. She then went to say that she she had no knowledge of whether or not he had other debts. One would think that if Sarah was his wife, she would have known if he owned property or had debts.

Probably his mother because:Using the same argument above, it seems plausible and even reasonable that a mother might not know if her son had other properties or debts elsewhere. Case in point, admittedly I don't know if my sons own property other than their homes and I don't know what debts they may have, (however, I'm willing to bet their wives did). 

Additional Proof?
On October 13, 1813, Letters of Administration was granted to Sarah Murry to administer the estate of Charles Murry.

 October 21st 1813. Letters of administration granted to Sarah Murry to administer on the estate of Charles Murry deceased who is to give bond in $100 with John Murry and Percy Kitchel her bail

Thomas Espy
David Espy
John Parkhill
Bond taken and letters granted

Other Areas With Possible Clues
Having hit a brick wall in terms of finding any more information about Charles or Sarah Murry I decided to look for information on the individuals who signed the Letters of Administration; John Murry, the Espy's, John Parkhill and Percy Kitchel hoping some clues might turn up there. They certainly did.

Lets begin with John Murry. It would seem that if John Murry was the father of Charles, he would have been administrator of the will, plus judging from the age of John in the 1820 census if he was related to Charles it was probably a brother.


Clue 1Percy Kitchel was Daniel Hosbrook's Uncle. Percy Kitchel, another signer, had a sister named Lydia Kitchel. Lydia married John Hosbrook and they had a son named,(you guessed it) Daniel Hosbrook, the same man who gave the belongings to Sarah Murry.

Clue 2: Percy Kitchel also had a sister named Mary Kitchel. Mary married a man named Bates. They had a daughter named Eunice Bates who married Daniel Hosbrook

Clue 3: 
One of Percy Kitchel's sisters was Daniel Hosbrook's mother, and another sister was Daniel Hosbrook's mother-in-law.

Clue 4
Daniel Hosbrook's home in 1813 was less than 9 miles from the Murry farm in Twenty Mile Stand.

Clue 5: 
Schillinger and the Espys probably knew each other and may even have been friends. Thomas and David Espy (in red), were brothers. David operated the tavern or inn near Twenty Mile Stand where Schillinger stopped to eat and feed his horse on his way home in May 1813. All indications are his bother Thomas was a famer or businessman.

Clue 6: 
Kitchel and Schillinger not only had common interests, they may have even been business associates. may also have been friends or business associates. Percy Kitchel, operated a mill on the Little Miami River in Hamilton County, in the same general area as several mills operated by Schilliner's father-in-law James Norris.
 So In a Nutshell, What Do We Know

1. Everyone who agreed to help with the administration of Charles Murry's estate were apparently either relatives or neighbors.

2. With the exception of John Murry the other signers were either in their late 30s or early 40's.

3. Based on my earlier arguments, that Sarah was was Charles mother, she quite possibly was friends or neighbors with the signers. If so, she may have been of the same age or even older late 30s' or 40s, making her old enough to have a son in the military.

Conclusion
Everything I've presented in this blog is strictly speculation based on the evidence I have at present.  From that evidence, I conclude that Private Charles Murry of the 1st Regiment of Ohio Militia who died at Fort Amanda on June 1,1813 and whose home was near Twenty Mile Stand in Warren County, Ohio was a young bachelor between the ages of 18 and 20. Until we can prove otherwise, this is my best guess.

Note to Sarah Murry
Madam, it is my greatest hope that you take no offense to what I've written here. It was done to show you the same respect we pay the soldier buried inside the fenced enclosure at Fort Amanda.
If you are indeed the mother of Charles Murry, rest assured, the place where your son passed is no longer the dark and dangerous wilderness he once knew but is now a place of beauty where hundreds and possibly thousands of people visit him each year. So as long as his gravestone stands and his story told, I can assure you madam, your son will always be remembered.
R.I.P.



















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