Robert Crooke Wood
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Robert Crooke Wood, M.D. was an American Brevet Brigadier General, military physician and
neurologist Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal c ...
who was the Assistant Surgeon General throughout the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
as well as serving in the Second Seminole War and the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
. He was also the father of
John Taylor Wood John Taylor Wood (August 13, 1830 – July 19, 1904) was an officer in the United States Navy and the Confederate Navy. He resigned from the U.S. Navy at the beginning of the American Civil War, and became a "leading Confederate naval hero" ...
who would go on to serve in the
Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...
as a captain.


Early years

Robert was born on September 23, 1799, as the son of John Wood and Rebecca Wickham Wood. His childhood consisted of attending private schools and learning from private tutors. After taking an interest in medicine, Wood went to
South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
to begin a study under Dr. Waring and afterwards, went to attend the
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is the graduate medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Founded ...
and earned the rank of M.D. after his graduation in the Class of 1821. He then moved to
Utica, New York Utica () is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 U.S. Census. Located on the Mohawk River at the ...
to practice medicine there until May 28, 1825, where he joined the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
as an assistant surgeon and was then stationed at the
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
Barracks but was then transferred to Fort Snelling until May 1833 with the 1st Infantry Regiment. Around this time, he got married with Ann Mackall Taylor in 1829 who was the eldest daughter of
Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...
. They proceeded to have one child there on August 13, 1830:
John Taylor Wood John Taylor Wood (August 13, 1830 – July 19, 1904) was an officer in the United States Navy and the Confederate Navy. He resigned from the U.S. Navy at the beginning of the American Civil War, and became a "leading Confederate naval hero" ...
.


Military career

Wood then participated at the
Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the " British Band", cros ...
and was an active combatant at the
Battle of Bad Axe The Bad Axe Massacre was a massacre of Sauk (Sac) and Fox Indians by United States Army regulars and militia that occurred on August 1–2, 1832. This final scene of the Black Hawk War took place near present-day Victory, Wisconsin in the Uni ...
which marked the end of the war. He was then transferred to
Fort Crawford Fort Crawford was an outpost of the United States Army located in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, during the 19th century. The army's occupation of Prairie du Chien spanned the existence of two fortifications, both of them named Fort Crawford. The ...
and was promoted to Major and Surgeon on July 4, 1836. He was then transferred to
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
due to the outbreak of the Second Seminole War at Fort Brooks but managed to participate at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee and would continue skirmishing with the Seminole natives until May 1839 when a truce was signed. When the truce was broken, Wood was transferred to Buffalo Barracks and served with the 5th Infantry Regiment until August 1845 as Wood was sent near the border with
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. Wood arrived at Corpus Christi, Texas in October and after spending the winter there, he was sent to a camp that overlooked
Matamoros, Tamaulipas Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, and the municipal seat of the homonymous municipality. It is on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from ...
. Wood then participated at the battles of
Palo Alto Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...
and
Resaca de la Palma The Battle of Resaca de la Palma was one of the early engagements of the Mexican–American War, where the United States Army under General Zachary Taylor engaged the retreating forces of the Mexican ''Ejército del Norte'' ("Army of the North" ...
. Due to the increasing amount of casualties in the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
, a general hospital was required and after some clearing and construction, a hospital near Point Isabel was established and Wood was put in charge there as the hospital would grow to have over hundreds of different patients who were either wounded or severely ill. After the
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 March 9–29, 1847, it began with the first large-scale amphibious assault conducted by United States ...
however, the hospital no longer had enough capacity for the amount of patients and a makeshift hospital was constructed at
Greenwood, Mississippi Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta region, approximately 96 miles north of the state capital, Jackson, and 130 miles south of the riverp ...
as a new one was being constructed at
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
. In May 1848, Wood was transferred to
Fort McHenry Fort McHenry is a historical American coastal pentagonal bastion fort on Locust Point, now a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack ...
where he served for the next six years. Due to his brother-in-law Jefferson Davis being elected
United States Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
, Wood was then assigned to become the Acting Surgeon General of Thomas Lawson's administration. With Lawson's death in 1861 however, there was an opening for Lawson's successor and Wood was a strong candidate due to his extensive experience within the medical field however due to the rise of the Republican Party, President
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
chose to put Clement Finley in the office instead. Finley kept Wood as his assistant as the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
broke out. On April 14, 1862, however, Finley retired due to his displeasure with
Edwin Stanton Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize ...
as well as the Sanitary Commission. Wood was again, a candidate for the position of Surgeon General but the Sanitary Commission had nominated Richard Sherwood Satterlee for the position but ultimately, William A. Hammond was appointed instead. Wood then requested to be Hammond's assistant and while he initially declined, accepted Wood's request on April 25, 1862, and Wood was transferred to
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
as he oversaw all medical affairs in the Department of the West. In October 1863, Wood was transferred to
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
where he remained for the remainder of the war. He was brevetted lieutenant colonel, colonel and brigadier general on March 13, 1865, for "gallant and meritorious service during the war". Following the end of the war, Wood was stationed at
Fort Adams Fort Adams is a former United States Army post in Newport, Rhode Island that was established on July 4, 1799 as a First System coastal fortification, named for President John Adams who was in office at the time. Its first commander was Capta ...
until September 1867 when he was ordered to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
for board duty as he was put on the list of retired officers where he retired in February 1869 before dying a month later from an outbreak of pneumonia.


See also

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List of American Civil War brevet generals (Union) __NOTOC__ This is a list of American Civil War brevet generals that served the Union Army. This list of brevet major generals or brevet brigadier generals currently contains a section which gives the names of officers who held lower actual or ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Robert Crooke 1799 births 1869 deaths People from Newport, Rhode Island People of Rhode Island in the American Civil War Union Army colonels Union Army generals Union Army surgeons American neurologists Deaths from pneumonia in New York City American military personnel of the Mexican–American War