On Feb. 6, 1777, George Washington ordered the mandatory smallpox inoculation for all Continental soldiers against smallpox which had severely impacted the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.  Washington authorized this secret, massive campaign, instructing Dr. William Shippen Jr. to inoculate recruits in Philadelphia.

The night before, Washington wrote to John Hancock regarding the necessary, secret, and mandatory nature of the inoculations, fearing the disease more than the British army. This crucial decision by Washington protected the Continental Army from devastating outbreaks, particularly during campaigns in 1777 and 1778. 

Though it was a controversial action, many historians credit the medical mandate with the colonists’ victory in the Revolutionary War and the creation of the United States of America.

Just fifty-six years earlier, in 1721, Bostonian doctors and clergy introduced the procedure to the American colonies. Without the vision and determination of these early Bostonians in normalizing inoculation, Washington may not have made the decision to mandate inoculation for the Continental Army.

Before the invention of vaccinations in 1796, people had very few ways to protect themselves from disease. Without the advancements of modern medicine, many contracted illnesses proved fatal. Among the deadliest and most widespread diseases was smallpox, caused by the microscopic variola virus. Symptoms of smallpox include fever, nausea, vomiting, body aches, and the characteristic pustules or pox.