Archives West Finding Aid

Doctor George W. Woods was born in Massachusetts August 24, 1838. After receiving his medical education, graduating from the University of Virginia on July 4, 1861, he entered the U. S. Navy as an Assistant Surgeon in December of that year. Achieving the rank of Surgeon in 1869 and serving for a time on the Lackawanna and the Jamestown (a cruise among the Marshall Islands in 1870), Woods was ordered to the U.S.S. Juniata in October 1882 on a surveying mission to the Western Pacific.

The Juniata, named for a Pennsylvania river, was a steam screw sloop-of-war which was built for duty during the Civil War and constructed to take advantage of the wind, as a three-masted sloop, and also equipped as a steamer, with a screw propeller. Launched at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in March 1862 the Juniata was commissioned there in December of that year. It had a draft of 151 3-1/2", 1240 tons, a speed of 9 knots and a complement of 160 men. Its armament was originally 11 guns, ranging from a 100-pounder parrott rifle to four 24-pounder howitzers. In 1864 it was rebuilt at 828 tons carrying 14 guns, although this was reduced to six in 1866. During the war the Juniata served as a blockade vessel on the Atlantic Coast. Subsequently, it cruised the Brazilian coast protecting American citizens and interests, spent three years in European waters, and in 1873 assisted in the search for survivors of the Polaris arctic expedition. Decommissioned in 1876, it was not returned to duty until assigned to the Far East survey in 1882, when Surgeon Woods joined the staff.

With Commander (and later Admiral) George Dewey in command, the Juniata left New York in October 1882 headed for Europe. Dewey, in his autobiography, called the Juniata "a relic of a past epoch of naval warfare...she was as out of date as the stage-coach. Her round bottom made her roll heavily with even a slight swell ..." 11 (p. 154) Dewey's disappointment in his command was mitigated by an illness that took him off the ship at Malta. Undoubtedly, Surgeon Woods diagnosed and treated the future Admiral, but, unfortunately, the doctor's extant journal begins in Singapore in September 1883.

From Singapore the Juniata assisted in rescue operations following the eruption of Krakatoa, and the Doctor toured the highlands of Batavia, before being ordered to Canton. Surgeon Woods' journal is a detailed and perceptive account of his experiences in the Far East. His descriptions of persons, places, scenes, costumes, architecture and customs reveal a questioning spirit and an inquiring mind. He is, perhaps, the epitome of the American tourist: with a guide and possibly an interpreter, Woods set out to see all the sights, visit all the curio shops and exclaim at the curious customs of the natives. At the height of anti-foreign feeling in China, he walked unaccompanied through the city streets savoring the sights, sounds and smells of the Orient. As a doctor Woods was often called upon to treat those in need and so had access to the houses and palaces of the humble and the mighty, the poor and the rich. His duties on board ship seldom took up enough time, so to fill the long hours the doctor wrote letters and journals. Among the journal entries are envelopes addressed to Robert Ernest Doyle of San Francisco who apparently routed the letters and journals to family and friends. The letters are unfortunately lost, as are the journals for the first half of this cruise.

After leaving Canton the Juniata was ordered to Korea, where it engaged in survey work. Woods took this opportunity to travel to Seoul, which had just been opened to foreigners and was relatively untouched by western influences. Moving on to Japan, he spent three days traveling inland from Nagasaki to visit rural communities and pottery centers. The Sino-French war excitement of 1884 called the Juniata to Ningpo to protect American interests there. Later it visited Foochow, subsequent to the French attack on that city. In July of 1885 the Juniata is ordered home via Zanzibar, Madagascar and the east coast of Africa. In Zanzibar and Madagascar Captain Harrington attempted to settle disputes between American citizens and the local authorities. At this point Doctor Woods' journal ends, although the Juniata returned safely to New York December 10, 1885. From 1886 to 1889 she was again in the Pacific and upon her return was decommissioned. The Juniata was sold at the Portsmouth Navy Yard March 1891 to Herbert H. Ives, but the name was resurrected during both the first and second world wars for two different ships.

Surgeon Woods was promoted to Medical Inspector in September 1888 and in 1895 he was promoted to the rank of Medical Director. In 1898 he was stationed at the New York Naval Hospital and his service record was fourteen years at sea, twenty years of shore duty, and two years unemployed.