TWO OF 'EM! We have had, at least, two men name Benjamin Church in our national history. It would be unusual if you found two people today would were aware of each Ben Church and could tell why they both made the history books of their day. More accurately,perhaps, their stories may have come down to us in the oft-time confused and retouched agenda of local and regional histories told and retold often to someone's advantage.
The one Benjamin Church attained to the place of being the first Surgeon-General of the Continental Army all the way from the 27th of July 1775 through October 17th of that same year. To avoid confusion to some extent, let's agree to call him "Doc". He was born at Newport, Rhode Island. He was the third Benjamin Church to attend Boston Latin School and he graduated from Harvard College in 1734. He then studied medicine with Dr. Joseph Pynchon and in London as well. He married Hannah Hill of Ross, Herfordshire, and returned to Boston where he built a good reputation as a physician and surgeon.
From that point onward, as frictions grew pointing to an impending conflict between the Colonies and Great Britain his life became more and more complicated. He was a vigorous supporter of the Whig Party, an ardent patriot by reason of his writing and actions. He was a the same time, said to be a secret Tory sympathizer. He examined the bodies and treated some of the wounded in the "Boston Massacre"! He delivered a special Anniversary Oration of that event which marked him as an outstanding orator of his time. He was, in time, accused of passing secret information about a Whig Party gathering to General Gage of His Majesty's Redcoats.
We can barely touch on the series of complex issues which came to light in his life story. It is a genuine oddity that no great writer has taken up this work as a major writing task. In this story we see Doctor Benjamin Church as a National hero and yet he falls before a military Courts Marshal procedure of questionable authority. As I read and re-read t of the case, I marvel at the fact that conspiracy theories have not come forth from events of his life.
Now, we still have one Church remaining. I promised you "two" of them, did I not?
You have already met him in a quick reference, because that other Benjamin Church was the Grandfather of one we have be talking about. He, too, did things in odd ways. He is known for his "aggressiveness and personal bravery." He is considered to have been the avenging arm of the Puritan God!"
I still find myself reading about Colonel Benjamin Church as a hero, a murderer, a thief, liar, cheat and impostor or - as someone has put it: "...as a human being with character flaws - like the rest of us."
Andrew McCaskey amccsr@adelphia.net 8-1-06 [c503wds]
