Clement Finley
Encyclopedia
Clement Alexander Finley (May 11, 1797 — September 8, 1879), was the 10th Surgeon General of the United States Army, May 15, 1861 – April 14, 1862.
, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
. His father, Samuel Finley, (April 15, 1752 – April 2, 1829) served in the Virginia cavalry during the Revolutionary War
attaining the grade of major. President George Washington
appointed him receiver of public moneys in the northwest, which position took him to Chillicothe, Ohio
, about 1796, where he received a large allotment of land for his Revolutionary War service. Here Clement spent his childhood and youth and obtained his early education.
, near his birthplace, to Dickinson College
where he was graduated in 1815. He then went to Philadelphia where in 1818 he was given the degree of M.D.
by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
.
, and on August 10, 1818, he was commissioned as a surgeon's mate of the 1st Infantry. The forty-three years that intervened before he became Surgeon General were filled largely with routine garrison duty, but included much field service in the wars of the period. His first assignment carried with it four years with his regiment in Louisiana, then two years in what was then the wilds of Arkansas
, at Fort Smith
. In the years from 1825 to 1828 he served at Fort Gibson
. He also serverd in Florida, at Jefferson Barracks Military Post
, and at Fort Leavenworth
.
Following this he passed three years at Fort Dearborn
, Illinois, where he saw the beginning of Chicago's
marvelous growth. In 1831 he was ordered to Fort Howard, Wisconsin, and while on this duty he was detached for service as chief medical officer of the forces operating under General Winfield Scott
in the Black Hawk War
of 1832. He served a year with the 1st Dragoons in Florida, then two years again at Jefferson Barracks Military Post
. In 1834 he was again sent to Florida where he served throughout the Seminole War until 1838. With hostilities over he was sent to Fortress Monroe, Virginia, for a year, and then to Buffalo, New York
, for another year. From 1840 to 1844 he served at Carlisle Barracks
, Pennsylvania, where he renewed his acquaintance with his alma mater, Dickinson College. The outbreak of the Mexican–American War
found him again at Fortress Monroe, from where he was sent in 1846 to the army which was invading Mexico across its northern border. By virtue of his rank he became medical director of this army commanded by General Zachary Taylor
, but shortly after was sent north on account of sickness. During this detached service be acted as member of a number of examining boards. In 1847 he returned to duty in Mexico with the army, under General Scott, during the Siege of Veracruz
. He was medical director of this force until again sickness required that he be sent north. He was permanently relieved from Mexico duty and ordered to Newport Barracks
, Kentucky. In 1849 he went back to Jefferson Barracks for a third tour of duty and in 1854 to duty in Philadelphia with his quarters at Frankford Arsenal
. The years upon this detail largely involved work on examining boards and it was on this sort of duty that he was engaged when in 1861 he received the appointment to the office of Surgeon General.
death came unexpectedly and it was generally considered that his successor would be Surgeon Robert C. Wood, a high ranking officer who was in charge of the office during Lawson's absence. Wood was son-in-law to former President Taylor and brother-in-law to Jefferson Davis
and from his long duty in the War Department had many other influential friends. But a new political party was now in control and President Abraham Lincoln
chose Finley, the senior officer of the corps, for the coveted place on May 15, 1861. Finley retained Wood as his assistant and their relations appear to have been entirely cordial.
The new Surgeon General was sixty-four at the time of appointment, but was in good physical condition and entered the office keen for the heavy duties devolving upon him. Beyond his office work he was busy in the furtherance of legislation and in the selection of hospital buildings and sites in the capital city. It is difficult at this time to determine to what extent Finley influenced the policies and legislation affecting the medical department during his term of office. The United States Sanitary Commission
was active with criticism and recommendations and had high influence with Congress. The act passed on August 3, 1861 (12 Stat. 288), increasing the number of officers and providing for the employment of medical cadets and female nurses was no doubt in response to recommendations from both the office of the Surgeon General and the Sanitary Commission. The act also provided for the creation of boards for the consideration of cases of disability. A provision for two assistants to the Surgeon General with the rank of lieutenant colonel
, contained in the original bill, was stricken out.
On April 16, 1862, an act was passed (12 Stat. 378) for the reorganization of the medical department which gave the Surgeon General the rank of Brigadier general
, created an assistant Surgeon General and a medical inspector with rank of colonel, eight medical inspectors with the rank of lieutenant colonel, and provided for medical purveyors. This was the first time when actual rank in the medical department had exceeded the grade of major, except that the Surgeon General had the grade of colonel. But Finley was not to achieve the advanced grade, as he was retired on his own application on April 14, 1862, two days before the passage of that act. He had incurred the displeasure of Secretary of War
Edwin M. Stanton
by a hospital appointment and after a heated interview with the Secretary had been relieved from his office and directed to repair to Boston and await orders. From Boston he appealed against the treatment accorded him, but despite the efforts of influential friends no action could be obtained and hopeless of justice and redress he applied for admission to the retired list. In the meantime, and until the appointment of his successor, Surgeon Wood performed the duties of Surgeon General.
, at that time director of the United States Mint
at Philadelphia and formerly member of Congress from Bucks County, Pennsylvania
. The couple had nine children.
Early life
Clement Finley was born at NewvilleNewville, Pennsylvania
Newville is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania near Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,367 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.Newville is served by the Big Spring School District....
, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 235,406.-History:...
. His father, Samuel Finley, (April 15, 1752 – April 2, 1829) served in the Virginia cavalry during the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
attaining the grade of major. President George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
appointed him receiver of public moneys in the northwest, which position took him to Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States.Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio and is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River. The name comes from the Shawnee name Chalahgawtha, meaning "principal town", as it was a major settlement of...
, about 1796, where he received a large allotment of land for his Revolutionary War service. Here Clement spent his childhood and youth and obtained his early education.
Education
With the educational facilities of Chillicothe exhausted, he was sent to Carlisle, PennsylvaniaCarlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The name is traditionally pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2010 census, the borough...
, near his birthplace, to Dickinson College
Dickinson College
Dickinson College is a private, residential liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, making it the first college to be founded in the newly...
where he was graduated in 1815. He then went to Philadelphia where in 1818 he was given the degree of M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
The Perelman School of Medicine , formerly the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, was founded in 1765, making it the oldest American medical school. As part of the University of Pennsylvania, it is located in the University City section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is widely...
.
Military
His father's military service attracted him to the army, which had recently emerged from the War of 1812War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, and on August 10, 1818, he was commissioned as a surgeon's mate of the 1st Infantry. The forty-three years that intervened before he became Surgeon General were filled largely with routine garrison duty, but included much field service in the wars of the period. His first assignment carried with it four years with his regiment in Louisiana, then two years in what was then the wilds of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, at Fort Smith
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
. In the years from 1825 to 1828 he served at Fort Gibson
Fort Gibson
Fort Gibson, now located in Oklahoma and designated Fort Gibson Historical Site, guarded the American frontier in Indian Territory from 1824 until 1890...
. He also serverd in Florida, at Jefferson Barracks Military Post
Jefferson Barracks Military Post
The Jefferson Barracks Military Post, located on the Mississippi River at Lemay, Missouri, which is just south of St. Louis, Missouri,was, at first owned land by the DeGamache's then borrowed by military leaders, but after war, the land was not returned. It was an important and highly active U.S....
, and at Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
.
Following this he passed three years at Fort Dearborn
Fort Dearborn
Fort Dearborn was a United States fort built in 1803 beside the Chicago River in what is now Chicago, Illinois. It was constructed by troops under Captain John Whistler and named in honor of Henry Dearborn, then United States Secretary of War. The original fort was destroyed following the Battle of...
, Illinois, where he saw the beginning of Chicago's
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
marvelous growth. In 1831 he was ordered to Fort Howard, Wisconsin, and while on this duty he was detached for service as chief medical officer of the forces operating under General Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
in the Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
of 1832. He served a year with the 1st Dragoons in Florida, then two years again at Jefferson Barracks Military Post
Jefferson Barracks Military Post
The Jefferson Barracks Military Post, located on the Mississippi River at Lemay, Missouri, which is just south of St. Louis, Missouri,was, at first owned land by the DeGamache's then borrowed by military leaders, but after war, the land was not returned. It was an important and highly active U.S....
. In 1834 he was again sent to Florida where he served throughout the Seminole War until 1838. With hostilities over he was sent to Fortress Monroe, Virginia, for a year, and then to Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, for another year. From 1840 to 1844 he served at Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is part of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command and is the site of the U.S. Army War College...
, Pennsylvania, where he renewed his acquaintance with his alma mater, Dickinson College. The outbreak of the Mexican–American War
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known as the First American Intervention, the Mexican War, or the U.S.–Mexican War, was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S...
found him again at Fortress Monroe, from where he was sent in 1846 to the army which was invading Mexico across its northern border. By virtue of his rank he became medical director of this army commanded by General Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
, but shortly after was sent north on account of sickness. During this detached service be acted as member of a number of examining boards. In 1847 he returned to duty in Mexico with the army, under General Scott, during the Siege of Veracruz
Siege of Veracruz
The Battle of Veracruz was a 20-day siege of the key Mexican beachhead seaport of Veracruz, during the Mexican-American War. Lasting from 9-29 March 1847, it began with the first large-scale amphibious assault conducted by United States military forces, and ended with the surrender and occupation...
. He was medical director of this force until again sickness required that he be sent north. He was permanently relieved from Mexico duty and ordered to Newport Barracks
Newport Barracks
Newport Barracks was a military barracks on the Ohio River, across from Cincinnati, Ohio in Newport, Kentucky. It was operational from 1803 until 1894.-History:In 1803, James Taylor Jr. solicited the help of his cousin, James Madison, who was then U.S...
, Kentucky. In 1849 he went back to Jefferson Barracks for a third tour of duty and in 1854 to duty in Philadelphia with his quarters at Frankford Arsenal
Frankford Arsenal
The Frankford Arsenal was a United States Army ammunition plant located adjacent to the Bridesburg neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, north of the original course of Frankford Creek.-History:...
. The years upon this detail largely involved work on examining boards and it was on this sort of duty that he was engaged when in 1861 he received the appointment to the office of Surgeon General.
Surgeon General Appointment
Surgeon General Lawson'sThomas Lawson (Military physician)
Thomas Lawson was born in Princess Anne County, Virginia in 1789. Nothing is known about his early education or medical education, but it is assumed that he trained under local physicians.Military Career...
death came unexpectedly and it was generally considered that his successor would be Surgeon Robert C. Wood, a high ranking officer who was in charge of the office during Lawson's absence. Wood was son-in-law to former President Taylor and brother-in-law to Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
and from his long duty in the War Department had many other influential friends. But a new political party was now in control and President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
chose Finley, the senior officer of the corps, for the coveted place on May 15, 1861. Finley retained Wood as his assistant and their relations appear to have been entirely cordial.
The new Surgeon General was sixty-four at the time of appointment, but was in good physical condition and entered the office keen for the heavy duties devolving upon him. Beyond his office work he was busy in the furtherance of legislation and in the selection of hospital buildings and sites in the capital city. It is difficult at this time to determine to what extent Finley influenced the policies and legislation affecting the medical department during his term of office. The United States Sanitary Commission
United States Sanitary Commission
The United States Sanitary Commission was a private relief agency created by federal legislation on June 18, 1861, to support sick and wounded soldiers of the U.S. Army during the American Civil War. It operated across the North, raised its own funds, and enlisted thousands of volunteers...
was active with criticism and recommendations and had high influence with Congress. The act passed on August 3, 1861 (12 Stat. 288), increasing the number of officers and providing for the employment of medical cadets and female nurses was no doubt in response to recommendations from both the office of the Surgeon General and the Sanitary Commission. The act also provided for the creation of boards for the consideration of cases of disability. A provision for two assistants to the Surgeon General with the rank of lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
, contained in the original bill, was stricken out.
On April 16, 1862, an act was passed (12 Stat. 378) for the reorganization of the medical department which gave the Surgeon General the rank of Brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
, created an assistant Surgeon General and a medical inspector with rank of colonel, eight medical inspectors with the rank of lieutenant colonel, and provided for medical purveyors. This was the first time when actual rank in the medical department had exceeded the grade of major, except that the Surgeon General had the grade of colonel. But Finley was not to achieve the advanced grade, as he was retired on his own application on April 14, 1862, two days before the passage of that act. He had incurred the displeasure of Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin McMasters Stanton was an American lawyer and politician who served as Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during the American Civil War from 1862–1865...
by a hospital appointment and after a heated interview with the Secretary had been relieved from his office and directed to repair to Boston and await orders. From Boston he appealed against the treatment accorded him, but despite the efforts of influential friends no action could be obtained and hopeless of justice and redress he applied for admission to the retired list. In the meantime, and until the appointment of his successor, Surgeon Wood performed the duties of Surgeon General.
Marriage
In 1832 he married Elizabeth Moore, daughter of Dr. Samuel MooreSamuel Moore (congressman)
Samuel Moore was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Samuel Moore was born in Deerfield, New Jersey . He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia in 1791 then worked as an instructor at the university from 1792 to 1794...
, at that time director of the United States Mint
United States Mint
The United States Mint primarily produces circulating coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint was created by Congress with the Coinage Act of 1792, and placed within the Department of State...
at Philadelphia and formerly member of Congress from Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
. The couple had nine children.