icines,[45] while William Stewart
offered "a fresh supply of Genuine Drugs and Medicines ... on the most
reasonable terms either for cash or at the usual credit."[46] The
citizens of New York did not even have to do without their popular
English patent medicines.[47]

Washington, however, had to provide for his own medical supplies in
New York. In a letter dated April 3 he ordered Director General Morgan
to remove the general hospital to New York with "all convenient
speed...."[48] The fixing and completing of the regimental chests was
to be deferred until Morgan arrived at New York.

Morgan remained behind in Boston for another six weeks collecting
medicines, furniture, and hospital stores worth thousands of pounds.
"The like quantity ... could not be procured," so Morgan later
claimed, "in any [other] part of America." He was also able to
purchase drugs from Salem, Newport, and Norwich, and before departing
for New York he completed a medicine chest for each of the five
regiments at Boston, Salem, and Marblehead, as ordered by
Washington.[49]

Morgan arrived in New York about June 3 and purchased some additional
drugs there. By June 17 his staff had made up 30 medicine chests for
the regiments at New York as well as for "the branches of the General
Hospital at New-York, in the bowry and neighborhood and at
Long-Island." But the number of regiments requiring medical supplies
exceeded Morgan's expectations, particularly since he had been advised
that "the Southward regiments" would be supplied by Congress in
Philadelphia.[50]

By the middle of June, Morgan must have realized that the supply of
drugs available was inadequate despite the sizable quantity brought
from Boston and the small stock he was able to obtain in New York. It
appears that many of the New York druggists were Loyalists, and
somehow they and their stock of drugs disappeared when needed by
Washington's army. For example, druggist Thomas Attwood "removed his
store consisting of a general assortment of Drugs and Medicines" to
Newark in May only to reappear in New York again under British
occupation with a good stock of "Drugs and Medicines."[51]

The New York Committee of Safety had attempted to develop a stock of
drugs early in the year when they were plentiful,[52] but in June this
supply was valued at only L30. Even this small stock was not available
to Morgan because when he asked permission to purchase the medicines
at "a reasonable price ... f