John Hart

Who was John Hart?

Dr. John Hart was a highly respected and eminent surgeon originally from Ipswich, Massachusetts who served as a Regimental Surgeon during the American Revolution. Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, he left his medical practice in Georgetown Maine to serve his newly forming country in his home state of Massachusetts.

His service began in 1775 as a member of Prescott's Regiment where he was present at the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Battle of Long Island. He served as its surgeon from May to August 1775. From there he was incorporated into the short-lived Massachusetts Seventh Continental Infantry.

In January 1777, he was personally assigned to the newly formed Col Bailey's 2nd Massachusetts Regiment by Col Bailey himself. He remained the Regimental Surgeon to the 2nd Massachusetts Regiment for the duration of the war until it was disbanded in 1783. At which point he remained in the service of his country as a reserve surgeon to Col Henry Jackson's Regiment after the war.

In 1784, he was elected by the officers and men of his former regiment to travel from Westpoint, NY to Boston on horseback to retrieve $3000.00 in gold slated for use as the back-pay owed them by Congress. Upon his successful return, he was to forfeit the money to the regimental paymaster for proper disbursement. However, he soon discovered the paymaster was not intending to pay the men, but had other plans for that money. It was at this point he took it upon himself to pay the men directly from that money, and was summarily chastised by Congress for this "reprehensible act".