Skip to main content

Military Health System

Gen. George Washington Ordered Smallpox Inoculations for All Troops

Image of Old photo of George Washington in battle. Old photo of George Washington in battle

Recommended Content:

Our History | Immunizations

In late 1776, as Gen. George Washington led his troops through the opening battles of the American Revolution, it was not necessarily the enemy fighters who posed the biggest risk to the fledgling U.S. Army.

An estimated 90% of deaths in the Continental Army were caused by disease, and the most vicious were variants of smallpox, according to the U.S. Library of Congress.

That's why Gen. Washington made the controversial decision to order the mass inoculation of his soldiers, an effort to combat spread of the disease that was at the time a major deterrent to enlistments and posed the risk of debilitating his army and tipping the balance of power against America's first warfighters.

According to the U.S. Library of Congress's Science, Technology, and Business Division, the smallpox inoculations began Jan. 6, 1777, for all of Washington's forces who came through the then-capital of Philadelphia, and through Morristown, New Jersey, following the Battle of Princeton.

Smallpox is a potentially fatal disease that starts with fever and vomiting and an outbreak of ulcers in the mouth and a skin rash. The skin rash turns into highly contagious fluid-filled blisters. The fatality rate was very high.

Inoculations were far more primitive - and dangerous - than today's vaccinations. The most common method was to cut a person's skin and rub the minor incision with a thread or cloth contaminated with a less-virulent version of smallpox, which in this case was a strain known as "variola."

At the time, most English troops were immune to variola, and their immunity gave them an "enormous advantage against the vulnerable colonists," according to the library. By contrast, less than a quarter of the American colonial troops had ever had the virus.

Washington knew a mass inoculation campaign could backfire and might cause more disease than it prevented. He also feared the mandatory inoculations would harm recruitment.

Nevertheless, after weighing the odds, Washington informed Congress on Feb. 5, 1777, of his plans for a mass inoculation. The general's plans contraindicated a 1776 proclamation by the Continental Congress prohibiting inoculations.

A Feb. 6 letter to Dr. William Shippen from Washington states: "Finding the smallpox to be spreading much and fearing that no precaution can prevent it from running through the whole of our Army, I have determined that the troops shall be inoculated. This expedient may be attended with some inconvenience and some disadvantages but yet I trust its consequences will have the most happy effects. Necessity not only authorizes but seems to require the measure, for should the disorder infect the Army in the natural way and rage with its usual virulence, we have more to dread from it than from the sword of the enemy."

Throughout February, the inoculations across the entire force were carried out in the model of the initial efforts in Morristown and Philadelphia.

Washington's strategy was largely successful.

"The isolated infections that sprung up among Continental regulars during the southern campaign failed to incapacitate a single regiment," the Library reported.

You can read more on the first mass military inoculation at the Library of Congress's Science section.

You also may be interested in...

From Prosthetic Legs to Cranial Implants: How the MHS is using 3D Tech

Article
11/8/2021
3D MAC Director Peter Liacouras

30 years after the Gulf War, 3D technology is transforming medicine and lives.

Recommended Content:

Our History | Health Care Technology

TRICARE Flu Vaccine PSA

Video
11/3/2021
TRICARE Flu Vaccine PSA

Flu season is here, and it’s more important than ever to get your flu shot. Especially if you’re very young, very old, or pregnant. Protect yourself, your family, and your community by getting your flu shot today.

Recommended Content:

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Toolkit | Immunizations | Get the Flu Vaccine

Flu Season: Staying Healthy

Video
10/13/2021
Flu Season

 FLU SEASON IS HERE AND GETTING YOUR FLU VACCINE IS THE BEST WAY TO STOP THE SPREAD.

Recommended Content:

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Toolkit | Medical and Dental Preventive Care Fitness | Immunizations | Seasonal Influenza Resource Center 2022-23

Stay Mission Ready with the Flu Vaccine

Video
10/13/2021
Stay Mission Ready

FLU SEASON IS HERE, AND THE THREAT OF SERIOUS ILLNESS MAKES IT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT TO GET YOUR FLU VACCINE THIS YEAR.

Recommended Content:

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Toolkit | Medical and Dental Preventive Care Fitness | Immunizations | Seasonal Influenza Resource Center 2022-23

Flu Shots are Available Now And Are More Important than Ever

Article
10/13/2021
Military personnel getting their flu shot

It’s flu season. Get vaccinated. COVID-19 concerns should redouble desire to get vaccinated against the flu.

Recommended Content:

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Toolkit | Immunizations | Medical and Dental Preventive Care Fitness | Influenza, Northern Hemisphere

USU Students Examine Civil War History to Understand the Future of Medicine

Article Around MHS
9/22/2021
Nearly 300 students from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences participated in a 30-year-old-tradition of marching through the battlefield of Antietam on Aug. 20

During the Battle of Antietam, Union Major Jonathan Letterman implemented his ideas for reshaping the Army’s Medical Corps, earning him the nickname the “Father of Battlefield Medicine.”

Recommended Content:

Our History | Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Don't Hesitate: Vaccinate Today for School

Article
8/13/2021
A boy gets the COVID-19 vaccine

Back to School Means Vaccine Time

Recommended Content:

COVID-19 Vaccine Efforts | Coronavirus & the MHS Response | Immunization Healthcare Division | Vaccine-Preventable Diseases | Vaccine Recommendations | Children's Health | Immunizations | Information for Patients: About TRICARE

How You Can Prevent This Cancer-Causing Sexually Transmitted Infection

Article
8/4/2021
Doctor talking to a boy

Get the HPV vaccinations for cancer prevention if you haven’t already

Recommended Content:

Medical and Dental Preventive Care Fitness | Children's Health | Immunizations

How Spec Ops and DHA Teamed Up to Build an Inexpensive DIY Ventilator

Article
7/28/2021
Nurse checks up on a patient in a mechanical ventilator

Military inventiveness is seen in the history of ventilators

Recommended Content:

Our History

MHS and MOS Town Hall Virtual Tour

Video
7/27/2021
Infographic about the Town Hall

MHS and Military OneSource To Your Health presents a virtual field trip to The National Museum of Health and Medicine.

Recommended Content:

Our History | National Museum of Health and Medicine

MHS and MOS Town Hall: Virtual Tour

Article
7/27/2021
Infographic for the Town Hall

MHS and Military OneSource To Your Health presents a virtual Field Trip to The National Museum of Health and Medicine.

Recommended Content:

Our History | National Museum of Health and Medicine

30 Years after Desert Storm, Military Medicine Evolving ‘Phenomenally’

Article
6/9/2021
Military health personnel surrounding an operating table

Thirty years after the Persian Gulf War, technical advances in military medicine are saving lives and improving post-trauma quality of life.

Recommended Content:

Our History

Paving the way for women in military medicine: Dr. Mary Edwards Walker

Article
3/26/2021
Old picture of Dr. Mary Edwards wearing her Medal of Honor

Dr. Mary Edwards Walker’s persistence and disregard for societal norms was central to the role that women can play in the DOD and MHS today.

Recommended Content:

Our History | Military Health Medal of Honor Recipients | Women's Health

Flu Symptoms

Infographic
3/8/2021

Symptoms of the flu

Recommended Content:

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Toolkit | Symptoms of Flu | Immunizations

Getting the Flu Vaccine - Active Duty Service Members

Infographic
3/8/2021

Details for active duty service members for getting the flu vaccine.

Recommended Content:

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Toolkit | Get the Flu Vaccine | Immunizations
<< < 1 2 3 4 5  ... > >> 
Showing results 46 - 60 Page 4 of 8
Refine your search
Last Updated: January 25, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery