Charles Henry Crane

• BIRTH 19 Jul 1826 Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island, USA
• DEATH 10 Oct 1883 (aged 57) Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia, USA
• BURIAL Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA Show Map GPS-Latitude: 38.8801689, Longitude: -77.0748444
• PLOT Section 1, Grave 62W MEMORIAL ID 13826143 Photos by RPD2 Bio by: RPD2

Civil War Union Brigadier General. The son of United States Army Colonel Ichabod B. Crane (the inspiration for the name of author Washington Irving's protagonist in the famous short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"), he graduated from the Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1847, he was commissioned as an Assistant Surgeon, United States Regular Army in February 1848 and saw service during the Mexican War. When the Civil War started he was promoted to Major in the Medical Department, and served as Chief Medical Officer of several Military Departments, and as Medical Inspector of Prisoners of War for the Union Army. His last duty during the war was as Executive Officer for the United States Army Surgeon General's Office. In April 1865 he was one of the attending physicians for President Abraham Lincoln after he was shot by assassin John Wilkes Booth. Brevetted Brigadier General, US Regular Army on March 13, 1865 for "meritorious services during the war", in July 1882 he was promoted to full rank Brigadier General, and was appointed Surgeon General of the Army. He died on active duty in Washington, DC a year later.

Charles Henry Crane B.A. M.A. M.D. (July 19, 1825 – October 10, 1883) was an American physician and the 13th Surgeon General of the United States Army (1882–1883). He was the son of Colonel Ichabod B. Crane. He received his B.A. from Yale College in 1844. He then went to the Harvard Medical School where he received his M.D. in 1847 Crane joined the army from Massachusetts on February 14, 1848. In April 1865, Crane was one of the Doctor's attending President Lincoln at his death.

On July 29, 1866 Crane was confirmed by the US. Senate to be the Assistant Surgeon General of the Army under Surgeon General Joseph K. Barnes. He began to serve as Acting Surgeon General of the Army when his predecessor resigned. Crane was subsequently nominated by President Chester A. Arthur for the permanent position. Crane's nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 7, 1882, and he formally entered into his office on August 9, 1882 and served as Surgeon General of the Army until his death on October 10, 1883.

"Charles Henry Crane, surgeon-general, U.S.A. b. in Newport R.I., 19 July 1825; d. in Washington D.C., 10 Oct., 1883. He was graduated at Yale in 1844 and studied medicine at Harvard medical school. In 1847 he passed the examination as acting assistant surgeon, and was at once ordered to Mexico, and after attaining the full grade of assistant surgeon, served with the army of invasion til July 1848. During the ten years that followed he was stationed in almost every state and territory of the Union, and was repeatedly in the field with expeditionary forces against the Indians, notably that against the Rogue river tribe in 1856. He was promoted surgeon, 21 May 1861, and in February, 1862, was assigned to duty as medical director, Department of Key West. On 30 June he was appointed medical director, department of the South. In September 1863, he was placed on duty in the surgeon-general's office in Washington, and became assistant surgeon-general, with the rank of colonel, 28 July, 1866. On the retirement of Surg.-Gen. Barnes, 3 July 1882, he became surgeon-general of the U.S. army. He received brevets to include the rank of brigadier-general in the regular service at the close of the civil war. One of his most noteworthy characteristics was the facility with which he managed the complicated routine of his office, and the good judgment that he brought to bear in reconciling the often conflicting interests of the army medical corps when it was at its numerical maximum during the civil war."

Charles Henry Crane married Sarah Payne Nicoll. He served with distinction in the medical corps during the Civil War and became the Surgeon General of the United States. Sarah and Charles had one son, Charles Nicoll Crane.

Inscription
In Memory Of
Brigadier General
CHARLES H. CRANE
Surgeon General.
U.S. Army.

Parents
Ichabod Bennett Crane 1787–1857
Charlotte Crane 1798–1878

Siblings
William M. Crane unknown–1880

Children
Charles Nicoll Crane 1862–1924

References

[1] http://www.sachemsneck.com/portraits.html

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_H._Crane

[3a] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13826143/charles-henry-crane

[3b] http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13826143 Created by: Judy Reamy Record added: Apr 02, 2006 Find A Grave Memorial# 13826143

[4] http://history.amedd.army.mil/surgeongenerals/C_Crane.html

[5] The Surgeon Generals of the US Army & Their Predecessors 1775 - 2000 http://history.amedd.army.mil/tsgs/default.htm

[6] Appletons' cyclopaedia of American biography, Vol. II, New York, D. Appleton and Company, 1887"