During the Revolutionary War
he served on the Committee of Safety, and as soon as the fighting arrived in
New Jersey in 1776 he was quick to join the Morris County Militia under his
neighbor, Colonel Jacob Ford. During his
brief time in the militia, his unit fought the first battle of Springfield and
marched in the “mud rounds” or the “march across the Jerseys,” guarding the
rear flank of the Continental Army as they raced from Fort Lee to safety in
Pennsylvania, with Cornwallis and his troops on their tail. He joined the Continental Army in early 1777 as
a regimental surgeon in Spencer’s Additional Continental Regiment, and when it
dissolved in 1781, he continued to serve in the 2nd Continental
Light Dragoons. He stayed in the Army
until it was dissolved in 1783, serving during the Sullivan campaign that took him through Pennsylvania and
western New York, in many major battles such as Ash Swamp, Short Hills, Brandywine,
Germantown, Newtown, and (second) Springfield, and at winter encampments including
Valley Forge and both major encampments in Morristown. He kept a diary while on the Sullivan
Campaign, which is now preserved at the New Jersey Historical Society.
During the winter encampment
in Morristown in 1777, smallpox swept through the Army and the town, and George
Washington ordered the inoculation of all soldiers in the Army. As a doctor on the Army’s medical team, Dr.
Campfield was deeply involved in inoculating the entire army against the
disease during that winter encampment. His house was used as his medical
office, and his extensive gardens were a source of medications for his
patients and
the soldiers billeted in the
area. The inoculation program no
doubt saved the Army, but the disease imposed a heavy toll of lives lost among
the citizens of Morristown.
When the Army returned to
Morristown for the winter encampment of 1779-1780, Surgeon General Dr. John
Cochran was billeted to stay at Dr. Campfield’s house, and he used it as the
Army’s medical storehouse and meeting place for the medical corps. During this time, Dr. Cochran’s niece,
Elizabeth Schuyler, joined him at Dr. Campfield’s house, where she was courted
by her future husband, Alexander Hamilton.
Dr. Campfield rejoined the
military a few years after the war. He was a Captain in the Morris County
Squadron, New Jersey Cavalry from 1798 until 1807.
Though Dr. Campfield
continued his medical practice until around 1792, he gradually shifted his
medical practice to his son William, and he became involved in civic leadership
in Morris County. He was the first Surrogate of Morris County
in the new United States (not appointed by the Crown) for 18 years, a long tenure
that was not exceeded until 2014. He
served on the Town Committee, was Judge of Elections, Tax Collector, and
Justice of the Peace.
Dr. Campfield instituted an
early lending library, donated his book collection, and served as its
librarian. His library developed into
what we know today as the Morristown and Morris Township Library. He also founded the Morris Academy, a
well-respected school that was a fixture in town until the early 1900s, and served
twice as its President.
As a member of the building
committee of Morristown’s First Presbyterian Church, Dr. Campfield was
instrumental in erecting its second edifice in the 1790s. This building was so beloved by Morristown
residents that when it was replaced in the mid-1800s, its steeple was placed on
display in the burying yard, where it still stands today.
Dr. Campfield trained many
young men in the area to become doctors, serving an important role in
establishing the practice of medicine in this area. He was an
incorporating member of the Medical Society of New Jersey, and when it faltered
in the early 1800s he was instrumental in bringing together rival factions to
save it. This society continues to
operate today as the oldest professional society in the United States.
Queens College (now Rutgers
University) recognized Dr. Campfield with an honorary doctorate in 1792. He was also an original member of the Society
of the Cincinnati in the State of New Jersey, the fraternal and benevolent
organization formed by George Washington and officers of the Continental Army
which continues as a vibrant service organization today. His membership as a Freemason predates George
Washington’s Masonic meetings in Morristown.
Dr. Campfield died in
Morristown on 20 May 1821. He is buried
in the burying yard of the Morristown Presbyterian Church, across from the
Morristown Green. No headstone marked
his grave for many years. A new veteran’s
headstone will be dedicated on 28 May 2023.
Portrait of Dr. Jabez Campfield, held by the Morristown
Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution at Schuyler Hamilton House Museum
Churchyard of the Presbyterian Church in Morristown
Plaque attached to Dr.Jabez Campfield’s gravestone
Dr. Jabez Campfield’s medical case, a saddle bag to be
carried when he made house calls on horseback, is on display at the museum at Morristown National Historical Park.
Dr.
Jabez Campfield’s home still stands at 5 Olyphant Place in Morristown, and is
on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Morristown Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution have owned
and preserved it since 1923. They
operate it as the Schuyler Hamilton House Museum and open it to the public on
Sundays 1-4PM.
Dr. Jabez Campfield’s house
Excerpt from 1817 Manuscript Map of
Morristown drawn by Louisa Mccullough, held at the Caroline Rose Foster North
Jersey History and Genealogy Center at the Morristown and Morris Township
Library, https://cdm16100.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16100coll10/id/2/rec/27
This biography draws upon an extensive repository of documents relating to Dr. Jabez Campfield that are held by the Morristown Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. To access these materials on paper or electronically, contact the chapter by email at morristownchapterdar@gmail.com. The following is a very small subset of the chapter’s holdings.
Campfield, Jabez, “The Diary of Dr. Jabez Campfield”, Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, Second Series, Vol. 3, No. 3, 1873, pp. 116-136
Canfield, Frederick A., A History of Thomas Canfield and of Matthew Camfield with a Genealogy of their Descendants in New Jersey, New Haven CT: The Tuttle, Morehouse, and Taylor Press, 1897
Daughters of the American Revolution, “Jabez Campfield” in GRS database, www.dar.org
Heitman, Francis B., Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution, Washington DC: The Capital Press Inc., 1914
Rogers, Fred B. and A. Reasoner Sayre, The Healing Art: A History of the Medical Society of New Jersey, Trenton NJ: The Medical Society of New Jersey, 1966
Toner, J. M., Medical Men of the Revolution, Philadelphia: Collins Printer, 1876
Wickes, Stephen, History of Medicine in New Jersey and of Its Medical Men, Newark: Martin R. Dennis & Co., 1879
_____, General Catalogue of Princeton University, 1746-1906, Princeton: The Princeton University Press, 1908
_____, History of Morris County, New Jersey, New York: W. W. Munsell & Co, 1882
_____, History of Morris County, New Jersey: Embracing Upwards of Two Centuries 1710-1913, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1914
_____. History of the First Presbyterian Church, Morristown, NJ
_____, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Application Files, S34163 Jabez Campfield, NARA M804, RG15
No comments:
Post a Comment