Walter Drew McCaw

Walter Drew McCaw (February 10, 1863 – July 7, 1939) was a career officer in the United States Army. A medical doctor, he served as an army surgeon and attained the rank of brigadier general. A veteran of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, and World War I, he was a recipient of the Army Distinguished Service Medal and Silver Star in addition to several foreign decorations.

A native of Richmond, Virginia, McCaw was a member of a family long prominent in the medical field, and his father was a doctor and medical school professor who operated a Confederate hospital during the American Civil War. McCaw graduated from the Medical College of Virginia in 1882, and received a second medical degree from Columbia University in 1884. After completing his education, he passed the examination to serve as an army medical officer and was contracted to serve as an assistant surgeon. In December 1884, he received his commission as an assistant surgeon with the rank of first lieutenant.

McCaw carried out assistant surgeon and surgeon assignments at posts throughout the United States. During the Spanish–American War, he took part in combat as part of the July 1898 Siege of Santiago and silver Citation Star for heroism (later converted to the Silver Star). He took part in the Philippine–American War as a regimental surgeon. After returning to the United States, he became chief librarian of the Army Medical Library, a position he held for twelve years. He then served as surgeon of the Philippine Department (1914–1916).

During World War I, McCaw served as deputy chief surgeon and chief surgeon of the American Expeditionary Forces, for which he received the Army Distinguished Service Medal and several foreign decorations. After the war, he was assigned as commandant of the Army Medical School, then chief of the planning and training division in the Office of the Surgeon General of the United States Army. He retired upon reaching he mandatory age of 64 in 1927. McCaw was a lifelong bachelor and in retirement he was a resident of Woodstock, New York. He died at a hospital in Kingston, New York, on July 7, 1939, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Early life and education Walter Drew McCaw was born in Richmond, Virginia, on February 10, 1863, the youngest of nine children born to James Brown McCaw and Delia (Patterson) McCaw. McCaw came from a family long prominent in the medical field; his father operated a military hospital for the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

Early career In 1884, McCaw passed the examination for appointment in the U.S. Army Medical Corps and was contracted to serve as an assistant surgeon, first at Fort Wingate, New Mexico, then at Fort Lyon, Colorado. In December 1884 he was commissioned assistant surgeon with the rank of first lieutenant.

Early in his career, McCaw carried out assistant surgeon and surgeon assignments in the army's Department of the Missouri. In October 1887, he was assigned to duty at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In April 1888, McCaw was posted to Fort Crawford, Colorado. In August 1889, McCaw received promotion to captain and a surgeon's assignment at Fort McPherson, Georgia. In 1891, McCaw was reassigned to Camp Pilot Butte, near Rock Springs, Wyoming. In October 1894, he was posted to temporary duty with the army encampment at Yosemite National Park. In early 1895, McCaw took an extended leave of absence, during which he traveled with his father in the Holy Land. In August 1895, McCaw returned to duty, this time as assistant surgeon at Fort Ringgold, Texas. In July 1897, he was assigned to the post at Fort Thomas, Kentucky.

Spanish–American War In February 1898, McCaw was a member of a board of medical officers assigned to Fort McPherson to examine candidates for appointment to the United States Military Academy. In April 1898, he served on a panel for the Department of the East which medically evaluated officers recommended for retirement.

In June 1898, McCaw was promoted to temporary major and assigned to the 6th Infantry Regiment. He took part in combat during the Siege of Santiago in July 1898 and was commended for heroism. and colonel on May 9, 1913.

In 1914, McCaw was assigned as chief surgeon of the Philippine Department, where he remained until 1916. He was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his services during the war, the citation for which reads:

McCaw's promotion was confirmed in March 1919 and he returned to the United States the following July.

Retirement and death In retirement, McCaw was a resident of Woodstock, New York. McCaw died at Benedictine Hospital in Kingston, New York, on July 7, 1939. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. In 1942, the army dedicated McCaw General Hospital near Fort Walla Walla, which was named in McCaw's honor. McCaw hospital closed in 1945, and two of its buildings were moved across the street to what is now the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

The Tompkins-McCaw Library at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), the successor of the Virginia College of Medicine, was named in honor of five individuals, to include Walter McCaw and his father. In 2020, the VCU Committee on Commemoration and Memorials recommended removing, renaming, or de-commemoration of plaques, buildings, portraits, and other memorabilia associated with support of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

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