- Joseph Barnes
Infobox Military Person
name=Joseph K. Barnes
born= birth date|1817|7|21
died= death date and age|1883|4|5|1817|7|21
placeofbirth=Philadelphia ,Pennsylvania
placeofdeath=Washington, D. C.
placeofburial=
caption=Maj. Gen. Joseph K. Barnes
nickname=
allegiance=United States of America
branch=United States Army
serviceyears=1840–1882
rank= Major General (United States)
commands=Surgeon General of the Army
unit=
battles=Second Seminole War Mexican-American War American Civil War
awards=
laterwork=Joseph K. Barnes, M.D. (
July 21 ,1817 –April 5 ,1883 ) was an Americanphysician and the 12thSurgeon General of the United States Army (1864-82).Biography
Early life and career
Born in
Pennsylvania to a prosperous Federal judge, Barnes studied medicine atHarvard University , but left before finishing his studies due to ill health. He later studied medicine with Surgeon GeneralThomas Harris of theUnited States Navy , and received his medical degree from theUniversity of Pennsylvania in 1838. After graduation, he served a year as resident physician at Blockley Hospital and for another year as visiting physician for the northwestern district of Philadelphia.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 theUnited States Military Academy . After only a few months of duty, he was ordered to accompany a detachment of recruits toFlorida , where hostilities were in progress against theSeminole Indians. For the two following years, he served successively at eight posts in that state, much of the time giving professional service to two or more posts at the same time, owing to the shortage of medical officers. Notable in his field service of this period was that involved while accompanying Brig. Gen.Willam Harney 's expedition through theEverglades .In 1842 he was assigned to Fort Jesup, Louisiana, where he remained until 1846, when with the beginning of the
Mexican-American War , he joined the 2nd U.S. Dragoons en route to Corpus Christi to join the army being mobilized for the invasion of Mexico from the north. He served with thecavalry column of Maj. Gen.Zachary Taylor 's army during its advance to Monterey. Later transferred to Lt. Gen.Winfield Scott 's forces beforeVera Cruz , he served with Maj. Gen.William J. Worth 's division during the siege and capture of that city. During the advance uponMexico City , he was chief surgeon of the cavalry brigade and participated in the battles of Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Churubusco, and Molina del Rey, in the storming ofChapultepec and the capture of the capital.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 (nowFort Riley ), on the Pacific coast atSan Francisco , Fort Vancouver and the Cascades, while between times he saw tours of duty atBaltimore ,Fort McHenry , Philadelphia, and West Point. He was promoted to major and surgeon onAugust 29 ,1856 .Civil War
After the shelling of
Fort Sumter , he was immediately ordered east and served successively as medical director of the forces under Maj. Gen.David Hunter , medical director of the Western Department, and medical director of the Department of Kansas. OnMay 2 ,1862 , he was ordered to report to the Surgeon General in Washington and upon reporting was assigned to duty as attending surgeon for the city. While on this duty he formed the acquaintance ofU.S. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton , who quickly gained a highly favorable impression of him.On
February 9 ,1863 , Barnes was appointed a medical inspector with the rank of lieutenant colonel, stationed in Washington. OnAugust 10 ,1863 , he was further advanced to the position of medical inspector general with the grade of colonel. It was but a few weeks after this advancement that the difficulties between Stanton and Surgeon General Hammond culminated in the detachment of the latter from his office. OnSeptember 3 ,1863 , Barnes was by a special order of the War Department "empowered to take charge of the bureau of the Medical Department of the army and to perform the duties of Surgeon General during the absence of that officer." He assumed the office of acting Surgeon General the following day thus beginning one of the longest and most eventful administrations in the history of the office.On
August 22 ,1864 , he was advanced to the position of Surgeon General, with the grade of brigadier general and onMarch 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 MajorCharles 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. At the time of the assassination of President Lincoln and the attempted assassination of Secretary Seward he attended the death bed of the one and ministered to the successful restoration of the other.The work of collecting material for the 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 ofApril 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 untilDecember 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 ofFebruary 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.
During the long struggle of President
James A. Garfield to live following his assassination, 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 heavy toll on Barnes' health. An Act of Congress passedJune 30 ,1882 (22 Stat. 118), providing for compulsory retirement for age, found Barnes nearly a year past the statutory age and he was retired onJune 30 ,1882 .A chronic
nephritis , of which he was a subject for some time, caused his death at his home in Washington onApril 5 ,1883 .ee also
*List of American Civil War generals
References
*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
* [http://history.amedd.army.mil/tsgs/Barnes.htm Official Biography of Surgeon General Barnes]
Persondata
NAME = Barnes, Joseph K.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Surgeon General the U.S. Army
DATE OF BIRTH =July 21 ,1817
PLACE OF BIRTH =Philadelphia ,Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH =April 5 ,1883
PLACE OF DEATH =Washington, D. C.
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