Gustavus Richard Brown (October 17, 1747 – September 30, 1804Ridgely pp 63-64) was a lifelong friend of

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

, a physician, helped found the hospital department of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

, and a botanist. He is best known as one of the doctors summoned to attend to George Washington the night he died.Wilstach, pp 102-104Arnett, pp 44-45

Biography

Gustavus Brown was born in Maryland, the son of Dr. Gustavus Brown, Sr.. The elder Dr. Brown was originally from Scotland and emigrated to Maryland where his son was born. Brown's father established a successful medical practice in Maryland, later becoming a wealthy planter who owned considerable amounts of land in both Scotland and in Maryland. The younger Gustavus Brown followed in his father's footsteps to study medicine in

Edinburgh, Scotland Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, graduating in 1768. In addition to medicine, he was elected to the legislature of Maryland, and served as a judge. He was a member of the Maryland state convention of 1788 and voted whether to ratify the U. S. Constitution.Scharf, pp 749 During the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, he helped establish the hospital department and was surgeon-general of the Continental Army. He was called on by General Washington to inspect the Maryland troops and enroll the names of able-bodied men. One of those men was his nephew, Gustavus Brown Horner, who, with the aid of his uncle's tutelage, became a surgeon's mate during the war. Around 1780, he bought and combined four tracts of land from his neighbor, now known as "Betty's Delight". Combining this land with his own, he built and in about 1783 moved into Rose Hill, his manor houseSometime after the 1783 tax assessment, according to the Maryland Historical Trust web page.

Rose Hill Rose Hill may refer to: People * Rose Hill (actress) (1914–2003), British actress * Rose Hill (athlete) (born 1956), British wheelchair athlete Film * ''Rose Hill'' (film), a 1997 movie Places Australia * Rose Hill, New South Wales * Rose ...

is adjacent to the

Thomas Stone National Historic Site The Thomas Stone National Historic Site, also known as Haberdeventure or the Thomas Stone House, is a United States National Historical Park, National Historic Site located about south of Washington D.C. in Charles County, Maryland, Charles Co ...

. Along with Dr.

James Craik James Craik (; 17276 February 1814) was Physician General (precursor of the Surgeon General of the United States Army, Surgeon General) of the United States Army, as well as George Washington's personal physician and close friend. Biography ...

, "Dr. Gustavus R. Brown, another prominent resident of Port Tobacco, and Dr. Elisha Cullen Dick, attended eorgeWashington during his final illness, December 14, 1799. Dr.

was so impressed with Dr. Brown's medical skills that he suggested to Mrs. Washington (Martha), that if any case should occur that was seriously alarming, she should send for Dr. Brown." The Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School in

Waldorf, Maryland Waldorf is a census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. Located south-southeast of Washington, D.C., Waldorf is part of Southern Maryland. Its population was 81,410 at the 2020 census. Waldorf has experienced dramatic gr ...

is named after him. His younger sister, Margaret, married

Thomas Stone Thomas Stone (1743 – October 5, 1787) was an American Founding Father, planter, politician, and lawyer who signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a delegate for Maryland. He later worked on the committee that formed the Arti ...

, a signatory of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

. In some records Dr. Brown is confused with his father of the same name, who came from Dalkeith, Scotland in 1708. The elder Gustavus Brown settled at Middleton (named after his family homestead near Dalkeith, Scotland) in

Charles County, Maryland Charles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. T ...

, as relayed by his descendant

Moncure Daniel Conway Moncure Daniel Conway (March 17, 1832 – November 15, 1907) was an American abolitionist minister and radical writer. At various times Methodist, Unitarian, and a Freethinker, he descended from patriotic and patrician families of Virginia an ...

.Conway, pp 1-5.

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Gustavus Physicians in the American Revolution American people of Scottish descent Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 1747 births 1804 deaths People from colonial Maryland People of Maryland in the American Revolution People from Charles County, Maryland 18th-century American physicians