“In the course of the action a New York volunteer named Wm. Holmes, from Ontario county, received a musket ball in his mouth which shattered several of his teeth.”
Brown, Samuel R., An Authentic History of the Second War for Independence, 1815, p. 200
Tunis, Edwin. Sketch of Horace H. Hayden after Rembrandt Peale Painting, Pencil, 1940
By the War of 1812 (1812-1815), dentists began establishing themselves in major cities, becoming integral participants in the scientific, educational, and medical development of the young nation, laying the foundation for dental education and dentistry as a respected profession.
Josiah Flagg, who trained under Gardette during the Revolutionary War, enlisted in the Navy, but was captured by the British early on and spent most of the war in England, not being allowed to return until the war was over.
Another influential dentist, Horace Hayden, who would go on to found the first dental college in the world, served as a private in the 39th Regiment of the Maryland Militia and as an assistant surgeon at the regimental hospital.
Each regiment had to recruit its own surgeon and assistant surgeon, but not until 1821, however, would the U.S. Army officially even add “Teeth Instruments” to its required provided medical instruments.
