Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 5.djvu/255

 VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

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Manly Littleton Garrison, M. D. The ( iarrisons came to America from North Ger- many, the first settlers in Virginia being Dandridge Washington and William Gar- rison, brothers. On the maternal side, Dr. (Jarrison descends from Rev. Thomas Little- ton, a disciple of John Wesley and an emi- nent minister of the Methodist Episcopal cluirch, of English birth.

Dr. Garrison is a son of William B. Garri- son, a farmer, born in New Jersey, in 1788, died in Warren county, \'irginia, in 1874. He married Nancy, daughter of Rev. Thomas Littleton, and was the father of eight children, as follows : Mary, Louisa, Thomas M.. Katura, Mary, Manly L.. de- ceased in infancy, and two others who died in childhood. The Littletons were of dis- tinguished ancestry, Lord Hathaway being a connection and the Coke and Littleton families are closely allied.

Thomas M. Garrison, son of ^Villiam B. Garrison, was the first man to volunteer from Warren county, for service in the Con- federate army. He was badly wounded in battle, but survived his injury.

Dr. Manly Littleton Garrison, son of Wil- liam B. and Nancy (Littleton) Garrison, was born in Frederick county, now \\'arren county, Virginia, March 16, 1835. His pre- paratory and academic education was ob- tained in private schools and Cedarville Academy and Front Royal Academy ; his professional education was begun in Jeffer- son iMedical College, Philadelphia, in 1859. A feature of the conflict even then being waged between North and South was the demand made through the Southern press that all Southern students in Northern col- leges return home and finish their education in Southern institutions. There were many such students in the classical and profes- sional institutions of learning, and on De- cember 29, 1859, they hired a hall and in mass meeting three hundred and seventy- five men resolved to return to their homes, among them Dr. Manly Littleton Garrison. They chartered a train which carried them to Richmond, where they were received with a great deal of enthusiasm, great crowds welcomed them, the governor of the state publicly addressed them, and a banquet was sriven in their honor, which all attended. Dr. Garrison at once continued his medical studies at the Virginia Medical College, re- ceiving his degree of Doctor of Medicine in i860. Prior to beginning the studv of medi-

cine, Dr. Garrison was clerk in a drug store at Moorefield, \'irginia (now West Vir- ginia), and received his first medical instruc- tion from Dr. Williams, of Moorefield. After obtaining his degree he began practice at Woodstock, Virginia, but in 1861 abandoned his practice, went to Front Royal and en- listed in the Confederate army as a private in a Front Royal company. He was not allowed, however, to serve in the ranks as surgeons and physicians were then of more urgent need. He was appointed contract surgeon by Stonewall Jackson, and in hos- pital and field he ministered to the sick, wounded and dying soldiers until the long war was ended. A part of his service was in a military hospital at Winchester, and during one of the valley fights his horse was shot from under him.

When the war ended Dr. Garrison found his entire cash capital to be a single gold dollar, which he had carried in a belt around his body through the entire war, the gift of his sister Mary. With this as his sole resource he began life anew, aided by the kindness of Captain Finley, who assisted him in establishing an ofifice for the practice of his profession at New Hope, \^irginia. His new hopes for success did not material- ize at New Hope, and after seven months of trials and discouragement he gave up and located in Front Royal. There his fortunes began to mend and little by little prosperity came. He grew in medical and surgical skill as his field of operation widened, and finally he won professional fame and sub- stantial reward. He is yet in practice, but has surrendered the heavier cares of his pro- fession to the younger men, though he re- tains his ofifice, and ministers to the sick in many families whose members have never h.ad another phj-sician. There are few bet- ter known or more highly respected men in Virginia than Dr. Manly L. Garrison. He has ever been solicitous for the public health of his community, and a leader in sanitary [•recaution and observance, taking a keener delight in preventing than in healing dis- ease. He has written many valuable articles for the medical journals and formerly held membership in the American and Virginia State Medical associations. He is a Demo- crat in politics, and while in the army, in 1863, was the candidate of his home district for the Virginia legislature. He did not accept the nomination, feeling his duty lay in the field with the army. He is a member