Researching Walter Mccaw

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.