Although Benjamin Rush was not part of the first Continental Congress, as the war with Britain dragged on, he knew he had to contribute to the cause. Signing as the head of the military hospital of the Middle Department of the Continental Army, he was shocked by the condition of the soldiers. Not well fed, dressed or cared for, young men were showing up at Rush's hospital with diseases that Rush believed were easily avoidable through competent leadership. Not only was the treatment of the soldiers inhumane in Rush's opinion, but the constant illness was overthrowing Army morale. Taking him to the top, Rush filed a complaint of negligence and maladministration against his superior, Dr. William Shippen, with own General George Washington. That did not go the way Rush hoped. Washington, in turn, sent the complaint to Congress, which cleared Shippen of any irregularities.
