The Doctor's Secret Journal

by Daniel Morison, George Smith May (Editor)

The Doctor's Secret Journal, is many of the old books which have been considered important throughout the human history. They are now extremely scarce and very expensive antique. So that this work is never forgotten we republish these books in high quality, using the original text and artwork so that they can be preserved for the present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies of their original work and hence the text is clear and readable.

46 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narrative of an Action of Burglary and felony perpetrated on the Dwelling House & person of Daniel Morison, Surgeon's mate of the 2d. Battn. 60th Regt. at Michilamackinac the Seventh day of November (about 5 Oclock in the morning) in the Year one thousand seven hundred & sixty nine,

While visiting Mackinac Island last year, I picked up this small, pamphlet of a book while perusing one of the more interesting gift shops in the area. The island is loaded with them, as is Mackinaw City, filled with cheap, plastic trinkets, wooden knick-knacks, and t-shirts to commemorate your visit. Despite the region’s notoriety as a resort destination, the site of Michigan’s Grand Hotel, and producing copious amounts of fudge, there’s a notable amount of military history there. Mackinaw City, on the northern tip of the mitten, has a recreation of Fort Michilimackinac (yes, a mouthful to say), and Mackinac Island boasts Fort Mackinac, the location of the one of the first battles in the War of 1812.

Daniel Morison, the writer of the aforementioned journal, was neither involved in this battle, nor was he present for any notable military action. He was stationed at Fort Michilimackinac in the late 1760’s, a relatively quiet time, post French and Indian War, when the fort’s only use was as a key outpost for the fur trade. The only danger in the area were Indian raids (an attack by Chippewa warriors in 1763 resulted in half the fort’s occupants being massacred), which the British protected against by reinforcing with a larger number of soldiers, around one-hundred. By 1769, when Morison began his journal, things had taken a much more temperate air; temperate in regards to military conflict and tension, but unfortunately not for Morison.

The fort’s population was composed primarily of three groups of individuals: officers, the commanding staff of the location; soldiers, many of whom had brought out their wives to live with them; and a few prominent fur traders in positions to pay others to bring supply to them while they lived on site. Due to the isolation of the post, and the wealth inherent in the fur trade, a coterie of officers and traders developed into an elite clique that was able to act with impunity, with little regard for retribution. One of these officers, a man named Ensign Robert Johnson, would take center stage as the primary villain of Morison after antagonizing him many times. Despite being reported to the overseeing officer, Captain Turnbull, commander of the fort, he never met with redress. This deficiency of discipline drove Morison to keep a secret journal of these incidents for several years, in order to eventually bring the man to justice.

Daniel Morison, who served as Surgeon’s Mate (not quite a doctor, though at such a location he was the best they had and was forced to serve as one) may have been the victim of an uninstigated late night brawl and thievery, perpetrated by Johnson. Morison may also have been an unlikable and insufferable prig who was prone to exaggeration, or had a score to settle. We simply don't know because the only bit of history we have to go on, barring other undiscovered or unconnected documents shedding light on the events recorded here, is that of his personal journal. He records a few incidents of Ensign Johnson’s that, if true, certainly prove him a brute, acting seemingly without reproach.

Ensign Johnson, according to the journal, was a bully of a man: assaulting Morison while drunk; sleeping with another man’s wife while getting the same man court-martialed for ‘insolent behaviour’ after he accused Johnson; physically attacking dozens of civilians and soldiers; and attempted rape of a ten year old girl. It’s fairly satisfying then, near the end of Morison’s journal, when we see Johnson challenge a New England trader by the name of Phineas Pond, and get completely trounced, wandering around for days in delirium with two black eyes.

The corruption and scandal in the fort was not limited to Ensign Johnson, apparently, as Morison records that the Fort’s commander, Captain Turnbull, ordered a man to undergo a thousand lashes for desertion though ten was considered standard practice. After the man endured five-hundred, Morison intervened for the man’s life, which gained him additional scrutiny in how he tended his position as Surgeon’s Mate. This is in addition to the backroom smuggling and extortion that officers like Johnson were providing to Turnbull’s benefit, skimming profits from the fur trade, and the reckless objection of any discipline regarding the command staff, proving that the inhabitants of the fort, at least in some instances, were entirely at the whim of the officers.

Of Morison, nothing is known of his life before or after this journal. The editor of this edition, Dr. George S. May, speaks to Morison’s education, highlighting his quoting from the Aeneid as perhaps a sign of ‘refinement and sensitivity’ which is certainly a lot to infer from a single line. May also suggests that Morison may not have been cut out for life on the frontier, being perhaps a man of intellect rather than rough-living. While it’s nothing more than conjecture it does paint a rather interesting portrayal of Morison, where the motivation for keeping such a journal has several possibilities.

While this is merely a collection of incidents and is rather short, it serves as an interesting view into this period and of life in Fort Michilimackinac. Morison’s journal runs from 1769 to 1772, when his unit, and perhaps he as well, is shipped off to the West Indies. The edition I picked up has some really excellent commentary by the editor which provides necessary background information, filling in the necessities which give Morison’s journal entries the appropriate context. A really interesting read.

N.B.: All these Epithets (to the conviction of many) are imputations that more peculiarly belong altenarly [alternately?] to himself when his character is canvassed by proper judges. If [such things as] Oppression, Detraction, Melediction, Violence, fornication, adultery, breach of Sabbath, tradeing, selling of common rum, Molasses, Wine, Spirits &c, Supporting a Suttlery in which he himself is principally [interested], which is Diametrically opposed to a Military Character, [be considered], he himself is justly entitled to these Epithets & imputations which cannot be attended with much difficulty to prove. Upon these considerations I left his house, whose dirt I shook off from my feet & left the Dirt where I found it. Monstrum horrendum Ingens!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did like this, though getting used to the old English wording and phrasing was difficult. Overall it was well written and intriguing. It is nonfiction though and that can sometimes be very difficult to read. I would recommend this book. 4 out of 5 stars.