Colonel John Pierce Ely, M.D.

Ancestor #: A038214
Service: CONNECTICUT Rank(s): PATRIOTIC SERVICE, COLONEL

Service Description: 1) ALSO CAPT,MAJ,LCOL, PHYSICIAN;
2) PRISONER OF WAR DEC 1777-1781

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9901583

Dr. John Ely (1737-1800) in 1775 raised a military unit at his own expense and was made a Captain in the 6th Connecticut Regiment. The following year he was promoted to Major, and was a Colonel of the 4th Battalion in 1777 when he was captured by the British at Long Island. He was not exchanged until 1780, and during that time acted as physician in the, treating smallpox victims. His experience in treating smallpox was well known. In a July 19, 1776 letter, Governor Trumbull wrote to Gen. Schuyler that he was sending Major John Ely to him, as he was skilled in the treatment of smallpox.