Benjamin Church, Aug. 24, 1734-1776, was the first to hold the position of director‑general of the Army medical corp.  Besides his inability to work with Congress and his staff, Church also was discovered smuggling a message to the British via his mistress. .  He claimed he was only trying to set up private negotiations with the British.  He was summarily arrested, court‑martialed and jailed.  A year later he was exiled from America and then lost at sea on the outward voyage to the West Indies.