The Philip Turner Papers Collection spans from 1751 to 1858 and contains correspondence, military hospital returns, printed material, a logbook, and ledgers documenting Philip Turner's career as a surgeon in private practice in Norwich, Connecticut and New York, New York, in the Continental Army, and in the United States Army. Turner served in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, during which he was stationed at Fort Columbus, New York. Included are an extensive collection of military hospital returns from the Eastern Department of the Continental Army describing the state of the Army's sick and wounded and spanning the years 1777 to 1780. Also included is correspondence with George Washington, Tench Coxe, and William Eustis about the procurement of medical supplies and the organization of the Army's medical department during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. After the Revolutionary War, Turner felt that he had not received due compensation for his service, and the collection contains extensive correspondence relating to the decades-long effort of Turner and his heirs to receive this compensation from Congress. This correspondence includes letters to and from Thomas Jefferson, Henry Dearborn, John Morgan, William Shippen, and other prominent Americans. Additional correspondence, especially with Daniel Parker, Chief Clerk of the War Department, documents Turner's efforts to secure a commission during the War of 1812.
Also included in the collection are correspondence, financial and legal papers, and poetry relating to Turner's family. The majority of this series is addressed to or stems from John Turner and Nancy Turner, two of Philip Turner's children. Correspondents represented include Judith Sargent Murray, American essayist and advocate for women's rights, and her husband, John Murray. Some of the material is related to the efforts of John Turner and John Turner Wait (Philip Turner's grandson) to receive compensation for Turner's Revolutionary War service. The collection also includes a small hide-covered trunk bearing the initials A.T., possibly belonging to Turner's mother Ann.
Acquired as part of the History of Medicine Collections at Duke University.
Philip Turner (1740-1815) was a noted surgeon from Norwich, Connecticut, where he trained under his foster father, Dr. Elisha Tracy. He served with the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, holding the position of Surgeon General of the Eastern Department. After the Revolutionary War, Turner returned to private practice in Norwich, and moved to New York in 1800. He also served as an army surgeon during the French and Indian War (1754-1763) and the War of 1812, when he was stationed at Fort Columbus on Governor's Island, New York. Turner died in 1815.
Philip and Lucy Turner had seven children, two of whom appear as authors of material in the collection. John Turner (1764-1837) was also a doctor in Norwich, Connecticut. Nancy Turner married Marvin Wait in 1810, and had a son, John Turner Wait (1811-1899), who served as a U.S. Representative from Connecticut and also authored material in the collection.
Chronology List
| Date |
Event |
| Feb. 25, 1740 | Philip Turner born in Norwich, Connecticut to Captain Philip Turner and Anne Huntington Adgate. |
| 1758 | Turner began his military service as a surgeon during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). |
| April 7, 1763 | Turner married Lucy Tracy, daughter of Dr. Elisha Tracy. |
| 1775-1783 | Revolutionary War |
| June 17, 1775 | Battle of Bunker Hill. Turner was present as a military surgeon. |
| July 6, 1775 | Turner was commissioned surgeon to the 8th Regiment Connecticut troops. |
| Dec. 16, 1775 | Turner was discharged from the army. |
| April 1777 | Turner received the appointment of Surgeon General of the Hospital, Eastern Department. |
| 1781 | Turner retired from military service and returned to Norwich, Connecticut to open a private practice. |
| 1800 | Turner moved to New York, New York. |
| 1802 | Turner re-entered military service as a surgeon's mate. |
| Nov. 1809 | Turner was transferred to Fort Columbus on Governor's Island. |
| 1812-1815 | War of 1812 |
| April 20, 1815 | Turner died at the age of seventy-five. |
Processed by Willeke Sandler, December 2011
Encoded by Willeke Sandler, December 2011
Updated for accession 2018-0135 by Alice Poffinberger, January 2019
Description updated by Alice Poffinberger, January 2019
Accession(s) described in this finding aid: 2011-0206, 2018-0135
