Adam Stephen
American physician and Continental Army general
Adam Stephen (c. 1718 – 16 July 1791) was a Scottish-born American doctor and military officer who helped found what became Martinsburg, West Virginia. He emigrated to North America, where he served in the Province of Virginia's militia under George Washington during the French and Indian War. He served under Washington again in the American Revolutionary War, rising to lead a division of the Continental Army. After a friendly fire incident during the Battle of Germantown, Stephen was cashiered out of the army but continued as a prominent citizen of western Virginia, including terms in the Virginia General Assembly representing Berkeley County.
Early and family life
Stephen was born in Scotland. He earned a degree at King's College in Aberdeen, and studied medicine in Edinburgh. Stephen later married and had one child, Ann.
Naval doctor and emigrant
Stephen entered Royal Navy as a surgeon (with possible rank of Lieutenant) after completing medical studies in 1746 and served on a hospital ship during the Siege of Lorient before emigrating to the British colony of Virginia in 1748. There he established a medical practice in Fredericksburg.
Soldier and pioneer
Stephen joined the provincial troops in 1754 and became lieutenant colonel of the Virginia Regiment under George Washington.
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