“Stir Up Their Humanity”: Dr. Potts Asks Albany for Help
Left: Letter from McHenry to Potts. Right: Potts’ broadside.
Posted on July 25, 2026
“Stir Up Their Humanity”: Dr. Potts Asks Albany for Help
As Dr. Jonathan Potts settled into his role as director of the military hospital at Fort George, he had several problems to cope with. Perhaps the most pressing was the hospital’s lack of medicines and other medical supplies. To get his hands on the supplies he needed to treat the army’s sick soldiers, Potts needed to get creative.
On July 25, 1776—250 years ago today—Dr. James McHenry wrote to Potts from New York City. Potts had sent McHenry on a mission to purchase supplies and to enlist new surgeon’s mates for the hospital. McHenry reports that “neither mates or medicenes can be had in this place”, but he plans to travel to Philadelphia, where “[I] expect to get both. And as the pay of mates is advanced hope to engage Gent. Of abilities.”
While McHenry has high hopes for Philadelphia, he is less optimistic about getting certain supplies, like medicinal bark, which “will be a scarce article.” Potts also needed rags for bandaging wounds, but McHenry fears that the supply in Philadelphia “will be inadequate… Would it not be advisable to publish for such things in the Albany prints, or write to the different Committees to use their influence in collecting them for the use of the Hospital…? You may easily stir up their humanity to furnish a present supply.”
Potts took McHenry’s advice, counting on the patriotism of Albany to supply what couldn’t be found in Philadelphia. In this draft broadside addressed “To the good People of Albany”, he writes, “As we are informed that the General Hospital at Fort George…is in the greatest want of Old Linen for Bandages Lint, etc., we therefore intreat all lovers of their Country or Friends to Humanity to send all the Old Sheets, shirts, Aprons, etc. they can spare… As well as the thanks of the Public they shall receive a good Price for every Article. It is also earnestly requested of the good Women to dry and cure as many Herbs for the use of said Hospital as they possible can.”
Learn more about McHenry’s letter (object ID MS.1958) and the broadside (MS.1967) on the Ticonderoga Online Collections database: https://fortticonderoga.catalogaccess.com/archives/29825 https://fortticonderoga.catalogaccess.com/archives/29747