James Tilton (June 1, 1745 – May 14, 1822) was an American physician and soldier from

Dover, Delaware Dover ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and the List of municipalities in Delaware, second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, Delaware, Kent County and the princ ...

. He was a delegate for

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

in the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

of 1783 and 1784 and served as

Surgeon General of the United States Army The Surgeon General of the United States Army is the senior-most officer of the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD). By policy, the Surgeon General (TSG) serves as Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) as well as head of the ...

during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

Early life

James was born in 1745 to Thomas Tilton, a farmer in

Kent County, Delaware Kent County is a County (United States), county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 181,851, making it the least populous county in Delaware. The county ...

. After attending the

West Nottingham Academy West Nottingham Academy is an independent co-ed school serves both boarding and day students in grades 9-12. It was founded in 1744 by the Presbyterianism, Presbyterian preacher Samuel Finley, who later became President of Princeton University, ...

Cecil County Cecil County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland at the northeastern corner of the state, bordering both Pennsylvania and Delaware. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 103,725. The county seat is Elkton. The ...

, Maryland, he attended the College of Philadelphia, which later became the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. He graduated in 1768 and earned a degree as a Doctor of Medicine in 1771. He started a medical practice at Dover and served as an infantry Lieutenant in Dover's Company of the Kent County militia.

American Revolutionary War

When the Revolutionary War began, his militia became part of the 1st Delaware Regiment 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 ...

. Colonel

John Haslet John Haslet ( 1727 – January 3, 1777) was an American Presbyterian clergyman and soldier from Milford, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a veteran of the French and Indian War and an officer of the Continental Army in the American Revolution, ...

quickly reassigned him to duty as the regimental surgeon. He served with distinction and saw action at the battles of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, White Plains, Trenton, and

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

. Haslet's unit was virtually destroyed in the

Battle of Princeton The Battle of Princeton was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought near Princeton, New Jersey on January 3, 1777, and ending in a small victory for the Colonials. General Lord Cornwallis had left 1,400 British troops under the comma ...

in January 1777. Colonel Haslet was killed, and the command structure was rebuilt. Tilton remained in service with the Continental Army as the head of military hospitals, first at

and later at

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

and other sites. When active fighting ended in 1781, he returned to his practice at Dover.

Later life

As the war was ending, the surviving Delaware officers organized a chapter in the

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a lineage society, fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of milita ...

. Tilton was elected as its first president at a meeting in Wilmington on July 4, 1783, and served in that office until 1793. During that time, he also moved to a home and farm just outside Wilmington. Delaware named Tilton as a delegate to the Continental Congress three times from 1783 to 1785, but he did not attend sessions in the last year. He also served several terms in the state's House of Representatives. The War of 1812 caused the US Army to reorganize support and administrative functions in 1813, which included the creation of a position for a Surgeon General of the Army. Tilton was the first to be appointed to that position and served from June 1813 until June 15, 1815. Tilton died in 1822 at his home just outside Wilmington. He is buried in the

Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery is a rural cemetery at 701 Delaware Avenue in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1843, it contains over 21,000 burials on about 25 acres. History The cemetery was envisioned in 1843 by Sam Wollaston, who sought ...

. He was a longtime member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

, elected in 1773 and headed the Delaware Medical Society.

References

External links

James Tilton biography at the ''U.S. Army Medical Corps''

Society of the Cincinnati

American Revolution Institute

Places with more information

Delaware Historical Society The Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a statewide historical institution with several buildings, including Old Town Hall and the Delaware History M ...

br>website
505 North Market Street,

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

19801; (302) 655-7161. *

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

br>Library website
181 South College Avenue,

Newark, Delaware Newark ( )Not as in Newark, New Jersey. is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 31,454. The University of Delaware is ...

19717; (302) 831-2965. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tilton, James 1745 births 1822 deaths Burials at Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery People from Dover, Delaware People from colonial Delaware Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Continental Army officers from Delaware Continental Congressmen from Delaware Surgeons general of the United States Army Members of the Delaware House of Representatives Physicians in the American Revolution 18th-century American physicians United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 Members of the American Philosophical Society