I )

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
Presented by
MRS* John S. Newberry
1893,

THE

SANITAEY COMMISSION

OF

TELE UNITED STATES ARMY:

A SUCCINCT NARRATIVE OE ITS

WORKS AND PURPOSES.

NEW YORK :
Published tor thb Binetit or thk United Statm Sanitabt Commission
18 64.

INTRODUCTION.

The United States Sanitary Commission may safely les./e its history to
be written in the Annals of the War. In that history, however, the pub
lic has an interest which calls for the occasional publication of such records
of the work in progress, and such a description of its methods, purposes,
and results, as shall correctly set forth the practical features of this great
system of supplementary aid.
This volume has been prepared with the design of meeting the demand
for a succinct narrative of the origin, purposes, progress, and present condi-
tion of the Commission's methods and departments of labor. Connected
outlines, together with reviews and condensed abstracts of current reports, are
made to bring forward a concise record of the work, from the period of its
inception to the present time. The faithfulness of the narrative has been
Verified at every step, by one who has attentively observed the Commission's
plans and labors from the beginning, and his object will be fully attained if
the book conveys to the reader's mind a truthful and connected view of
the whole scheme — past and present — of the objects, spirit, and practical
operations of the Commission.
A French military writer has recently said, " It is one of the greatest
characteristics of the present age, that the cause of humanity has become
identified with the strength of armies" And, in this view, with a know
ledge of our campaigns and battles, and with the records of the Sanitary
Commission before us, it would be difficult to say whether this grand
system of sanitary care and succor in the Federal army is more important
as a work of humane benifieence than as a patriotic scheme of aid to
the effective strength of our military forces. In this mixed work of
humanity and .patriotism, the records of the Commission show that
there has been untiring and generous effort to enlarge and strengthen

IV.
all the regular official methods of Sanitary care and timely succor,
while, by all available means of supplementary aid, a special work of
prevention and relief has been successfully pursued in all the divisions of
the army. The various questions that have most concerned the Sanitary
Commission and the public in this supplementary work are so clearly pre
sented in a few paragraphs of a recent article in the North American
Review, that we can best conclude this introductory by quoting them.
" The Government is, or ought to be, the soldier's best friend, being the
only friend in a situation to give him constant and efficient protection.
Whatever struggles with the Medical Department the Sanitary Com
mission has at any time had, have always been, not in the way of obtaining
rights, privileges, or opportunities for itself, of making itself more
active, important and influential ; but, on the contrary, always in the way
of stirring up the Department to a larger sense of its own duty, a more
complete occupation of its own sphere, and such a successful administra
tion of its affairs as would tend to render the Sanitary Commission, and
all other outside organizations of benificence to the army, unnecessary.
" The principle was seen from the first, and has been resolutely main
tained under all circumstances, that the people's care for the soldiers, if
permitted a free and spontaneous course, might become a main dependence
of the army, and thus weaken the sense of responsibility and the zeal and
efficiency of the official sources of supply and protection. This would be
so unmeasured an evil, that, rather than incur the risk of it, it was a serious
question, during the first year at least, nor has it ever since ceased to come
up as a doubt, whether the regular service of the Government, left wholly
to itself, would not more rapidly and thoroughly cure its own defects than
when placed under any system of bolstering and supplementing which hu
manity and outside sympathy could invent or apply. How loDg and how
far, it was continually asked from the very first, is it safe and wise for the
nation, in its home character, to undertake to do what the Government can
do, and ought to do .
*******
" The answer to this most urgent and pertinent question is, that in a
national life like our own, a democracy, where the people take a universal
part in political affairs, the Govemment has no option in the case. The

V.
popular affections and sympathies will force themselves into the adminis
tration of army and all other affairs in times of deep national awakening.
The practical question was not, is it best to allow the army to depend in
any degree upon the care of the people, as distinguished from the Govern
ment ? Considered on administrative grounds alone, that question, we have
no doubt, shonld be answered negatively. But no such question existed
in a pure and simple form. It was this question rather ; How shall this
rising tide of popular sympathy, expressed in the form of sanitary supplies,
and offers of personal service and advice, be rendered least hurtful to the
army system, and most useful to the soldiers themselves? How shall it
be kept from injuring the order, efficiency, and zeal of the regular bureau,
and at the same time be left to do its intended work of succor and sympa
thy ; to act as a steady expression of the people's watchful care of their
aimy, and as a true helper and supplementer of what the Government may
find it possible or convenient to do from its own resources ? It was this
mixed question the Sanitary Commission found itself called to answer ; and
its whole plan and working has been one steady reply to it. It could not
be deemed wise, much less was it possible, to discourage and deaden the
active sympathies of the people. *****
" The Commission knew that the average annual death-rate in armies
in our former wars had been exceedingly high, and that an army of^
volunteer forces is most liable to fatal diseases. * * * * In our vast
armies of volunteers, the problems of sanitary science were to be wrought
out as a national and patriotic work. The death-rates of the Mexican
campaign would imperil the national cause, and bring sorrow to every
home in the land. Can the average sickness-rate be kept at a minimum
point ? Can the average death-rate from disease be reduced to a fraction
of that which was registered in the Mexican war ? This result the Com- >
mission believed possible. It was to be accomplished by prevention and
by succor.
" The Commission was strongly impressed with the facts that the de
stroying angel who follows in the trail of armies ' exacts from every man
to the full whatever penalties follow on the infraction of natural law ;' that
'the waste of human life and the destruction of human health and happi-
nesB pn time of war] have been in all ages many times greater from dis-

VI.

ease than from actual encounter in the field, and that the feithful records
of all wars are records of preventible suffering, disease, and death.' In view
of these facts, and considering also that the sick and wounded must some
times be sacrificed to unavoidable military necessity, the Commission
claimed that 'all the more should they be supplied with whatever mitiga
tion of suffering military necessities leave possible. ,
" Unify of plan, earnestness, patriotism, and a broad nationality of sen
timent and influence, are inscribed upon all the methods, counsels, publi
cations, and labors of the Sanitary Commission. The very conception and
birth of its plan were shaped and quickened by this spirit of Federal
loyalty. Every woman and child in our Northern homes has insensibly
caught the spirit of the Commission's work while contributing their
handiwork for succor through the branches of the Belief department, and
the soldier himself is made happily conscious of this spirit of national
unity whenever he receives sanitary relief.
1 " The great range and magnitude of the Sanitary Commission's work
have been inevitable results of the vast increase of our forces, and of
the original and fixed policy of the Commission, ' to secure for the men
who have enlisted in this war that care which it is the will and the duty
of the nation to give them.'
" This work has been, and must continue to be, rendered practicable by
the hearty support and sympathy of our free and loyal people. It is a ne
cessity which an advancing civilization has laid upon their hearts and their
hands. And while in our peaceful homes and in our popular armies it ia
joyfully accepted as a work equally of patriotism and of love, the influence
of this great scheme of beneficent labor has gone out to all other civilized
nations as an impressive illustration of the progress of that humane Christian
spirit which is augmenting tbe popular appreciation of the sacredness of
human life and human sympathies, and which shall yet elevate the brother
hood of states and nations above the very causes of war."

THE

WORKS AND PURPOSES

OP THE

SANITARY COMMISSION.

The United States Santtaky Commission has a history and a
record which belong to the times, and in the faithfulness and
success of the work which it has been commissioned to perform,
every loyal heart is justly concerned.
Stirring events of the War are still so closely crowding that
opportunity is not given for compiling a perfect history of the
Sanitary Commission's work; but in the following pages we
propose, from materials at hand, to give a faithful sketch of the
progress and methods of its several departments.
Origin and Organization of the Sanitary Commission. — In
an official communication addressed to the Secretary of War
by the acting Surgeon-General of the Army, dated May 22d,
1861, it is stated that —
" The pressure upon the Medical Bureau has been very great
and urgent ; and though all the means at its disposal nave
been industriously used, much remains to be accomplished by
directing the intelligent mind of the country to practical results
connected with the comforts of the soldier by preventive and
sanitary means.
" The Medical Bureau would, in my judgment, derive im
portant and useful aid from the counsels and well-directed
efforts of an intelligent and scientific commission, to be styled
' A Commission of Inquiry and Advice in respect of the Sani-

tary Interests of the United States Forces,' and acting in
co-operation with the Bureau, in elaborating and applying such
facts as might be elicited from the experience and more ex
tended observation of those connected with armies, with refer.
ence to the diet and hygiene of troops, arid the organization of
Military Hospitals, etc.
" This Commission is not intended to interfere with, but to
strengthen the present organization, introducing and elaborating
such improvements as the advanced stage of Medical Science
might suggest."
Thus early in the war, did the acting Chief of the Medical
Bureau, Dr. B. C. Wood, officially and generously open the way
for the beginning of a great and humane work.
Acting in concert with the Medical Bureau, a joint committee
of delegates from a number of the earlier voluntary aid asso
ciations visited the National Capital soon after our forces had
begun to gather there, and, a few days previously to the letter
above cited from the Surgeon-General, [May 18th,] that
committee addressed the Secretary of War upon the subject
of special measures for the sanitary protection of the rapidly
gathering volunteer army, and also in reference to the utiliza
tion of voluntary contributions from the people, for the soldiers'
welfare. In their preliminary address to the Secretary of War,
subsequently published, that committee said :
" The present is essentially a people's ¦wstr._ The hearts and
minds, the bodies and souls, of the whole people, and of both
sexes, throughout the loyal States, are in it. * * *
" Convinced by inquiries made here of the practical difficulty
of reconciling the aims of their own and numerous similar asso
ciations in other cities with the regular workings of the Com
missariat and the Medical Bureau, and yet fully persuaded of
the importance to the country, and the success of the war, of
bringing such an arrangement about, the undersigned respect
fully ask that a mixed Commission of civilians, distinguished for
their philanthropic experience and acquaintance with, sanitary
matters, of medical men, and of military officers, be appointed
by the Government, who shall be charged with the duty of in
vestigating the best means of methodising and reducing to

practical serviee the already active but undirected benevolence
of the people towards the Armyf who shall consider the
general subject of the prevention of sickness and suffering
among the troops, and suggest the wisest methods, wliich the
people at large can u?e to manifest their good-will towards the
comfort, security, and health of the Army. ,
"It must be well known to the Department of War that
several such commissions followed the Crimean and Indian
wars. _ The civilization and humanity of the age, and of the
American people, demand that such a commission should precede
our second war of independence— more Facred than the first.
We wish to prevent the evils that England and France could
only investigate and deplore. This war ought to be waged in a
spirit of the highest intelligence, humanity, and tenderness, for
the healthy comfort, and safety of our brave troops ; and every
measure of the Government that shows its sense of this will be
eminently popular, strengthen its hands, and redound to its
glory at home and abroad."
In a document printed May 23d, the day subsequent to the
Surgeon-General's letter, quoted above, this Committee com
municated to the Secretary of War a statement in outline of
the plan and powers they would recommend in the organization
of the proposed Commission. In that statement the Committee
suggest that —
" 1. The Commission being organized for the purposes only
pf inquiry and advice, asks for no legal powers, but only the
official recognition and moral countenance of the Government,
which will be secured by its public appointment. It asks for a
recommendatory order, addressed in its favor to all officers of the
Government, to further its inquiries ; for permission to corre
spond and confer, on a confidential footing, with the Medical
Bureau and the War Department, proffering such suggestions
and counsel as its investigations and studies may from time to
time prompt and enable it to offer. * * *
" The'general object of the Commission is, through sugges
tions reported from time to time to the Medical Bureau and the
War Department, to bring, to bear upon the health, comfort, and
morale of our troops, the fullest and ripest teachings of Sanitary
Science in its application to military life." * * *
" As the Government may select its own Commissioners, it i3
hoped that the character of the Commission will be the best

warrant the Government can have that the inquiries of the
Commission, both as to their nature and the manner of conduct
ing them, will be pursued with discretion, and a careful eye to
avoiding impertinent and offensive interference with the legal
authority and official rights of any of the Bureaus with which it
Siay be brought in contract."
Such, then, were the objects of the proposed "Commis
sion of Inquiry and Advice in respect of the Sanitary Interests
of the United States Forces " : and in the specifications that
follow in the statement by the Committee, to the War De
partment, we find the projected scheme of Inquiry and
Advice presented under the heads of — 1st. Materiel of the
Volunteers; 2d. Prevention,' 3d. Relief.
How the work was to be executed may be inferred from the
following remarks, which we find in that document, under the
head of Prevention :
" The Commission would inquire with scientific thoroughness
into the subjects of Diet, Cooking, Cooks, Clothing, Tentsj
Camping Grounds, Transports, Transitory Depots, with theh{
exposures, Camp Police, with reference to settling the question,
How far the regulations of the Army proper are or can be prac
tically carried out among the Volunteer Regiments, and what
changes or modifications are desirable from their peculiar
character and circumstances? Everything appertaining to
outfit, cleanliness, precautions against damp, cold, heat, malaria,
infejtion ; crude, unvaried, or ill-cooked food, and an irregular
or careless regimental commissariat, would fall under thii|
head." These printed statements, addressed to the War Department,
preliminary to the institution of Sanitary Commission, bear the
signatures of Heney W. Bellows, D. D., W. H. Van Bijeen,;
M. D., J. Haesen, M. D., and Elisha Haeeis, M. D. '
The official warrant or order for the organization of the
Sanitary Commission appears to have issued from the War
Office June 9th, and to have received the President's signature
four days subsequently.

In that document it is ordered that " A Commission of In
quiry and Advice, in respect of the Sanitary Interests of the
^United States Forces" be organized, and that the Commission
" direct its inquiries to the principles and practices connected.
with the inspection of recruits and enlisted men ; the sanitary
condition of the volunteers ; to the means of preserving and re
storing the health, and of securing the general comfort and
efficiency of troops ; to the proper provision of cooks, nursesy and,
hospitals; and to other objects of like nature."
That official paper proceeds to state that —
" The Commission will frame such rules and regulations, in
respect of the objects and modes of its inquiry, as may seem best
adapted to the purpose of its constitution, which, when approved
by the Secretary, will be established as general guides of its in
vestigation and action.
" A room with necessary conveniences will be provided in, the
city of Washington for the use of the Commission, and the mem
bers will meet when and at such places as may be convenient to
them for consultation, and for the determination of such ques
tions as may come properly before the Commission.
"In the progress of its inquiries, the Commission will corre
spond freely with the Department, and with the Medical
Bureau, and will communicate to each, from time to time, such
observations and results as it may deem expedient and im
portant." ' Without delay the greater number of the gentlemen named
by the Surgeon-General and the Secretary of War convened at
Washington, and adopted the Plan of Organization, which still
remains as the broad basis and outline-scheme of its widely ex-;
tended operations. This scheme, which we find republished in
No. 25 of the Commission's Documents, appears to have beenj
entirely Harmonious with the views set forth by the Special
Committee that had originally suggested the institution of the
Commission. The organic structure of the Commission was, from the first^
and still continues to be, exceedingly simple and effective. With-

Its President— always actively on duty — with its General Sec
retary, a Treasurer, and one or two Committees, its wheels
have even moved -forward vigorously and unelogged. In session
Vith but brief interruptions the first three or four months of its
existence, the Commission then not only laid broad foundations
for its operations, but entered upon a great variety of special
inquiries and labors for the hygienic welfare of the rapidly-
gathering national forces.* Immediately after its organization
its President and an Associate Secretary hastened upon a visit
Of observation and inquiry among the gathering troops upon
the Ohio and the Mississippi ; while other Commissioners visited
the forces at the East. Even before the first battle of the Army
Of the Potomac, the business of systematic sanitary inspection

* Organization and membership of the United States Sanitary Commission — The
present organization of the Commission is as follows :
H W. Bellows, D.D., President, New York ; A. 1). Baehe, LL.D.. Vice-Presi
dent, Washington, D. C. ; George T. Strong, Esq., Treasurer, 68 Wall street, New
York; W. H Van Buren, M. D., New York ; Gen. G. W. Cullum. U. S. A.; Col.
A. E. Shiras, U. S. A. ; Elisha Harris, M. D., New York; It. C. Wood, M*D., As
sistant Surgeon Gen'l U. S. A ; Wolcott Gibhg, M. D., Cambridge, Mass.; S G.
Howe, M. D., Boston, Mass. ; C. R. Agnew, Ji. D., New York ; J. S. Newberry, M.
D.. Cleveland, Ohio ; Rt. Kev. T. M. Clark-, Providence, K. I.; Hon. R. W. Bur
nett, Cincinnati, Ohio; Hon. Mark Skinner, Chicago, 111. ; Hon. Joseph Holt. Wash
ington, D. C. ; Horace Binney, Jr., Philadelphia, Penn.; Rev. J. H. Heywood,
Louisville, Ky. ; J. Huntington Wolcott, Boston, Mass. ; Prof. Fairman Rogers,
and C. J. Stille, Philadelphia, Penn. ; Fred'k. Law Olmsted, Cal.
Id the earlier history of the Commission its membership was mentioned as fol
lows : " Its presiding officer, a man of learning an 1 a divine, was able to speak with
authority of the demands of the philanthropy of ihe c un'try. Of the military
members, one was chief of the staff of Lieutenant-General Scott, another the
¦ctive head of the Medical Bureau, another the active head of the Commissary De
partment; two others had previously been in the serviee of the War Department •*/
¦nd one other had been in foreign military service ; one was a man of distinguished-
reputation in science; another was a man of science, and of ,medical skill and ex
perience of a special character, and who was, at the time, also in the service of the
War Department. Another had the same professional recommendation, and had
(riso been a medical military officer ; another was a physician who- had been in
Charge of the most important -Government hospital in the country ; the fourth was
• member of the directory of several important corporations, commercial and
benevolent, and was immediately elected Treasurer of the Commission ; an J another

was well commenced, and the General Secretary at the Central
Office had collected and made use of a large number of reports
of such inspection ; so that when the first startling collisions in
arms occurred, at Blackburn's Ford and Bull Bun, the Sanitary
Commission was ready to enter upon its great field without
delay. In the published proceedings of the Commission, as early as
July 9th, we find the Secretary making an extended report upon
present and prospective sanitary wants of the volunteer regi
ments, based upon facts already observed. Encampments and
camp drainage, malaria, water, tents, sun-stroke, personal clean
liness, latrines, camp police, clothing, food, and cooks, ;are
among the subjects discussed in that report. Of. the systematic
sanitary inspection in camps, which had then been commenced,
that report contains the following suggestive remark :
" The Secretary is inclined to believe that the greatest value
will soon consist, if it does not already, in the fact, that while
aiding , the inspector, the attention of the regimental officers 13
for the first time gravely and specifically called to the sources of
danger which they have allowed to be established in their camps,
and which they cannot account for without acknowledging a
neglect of tlieir own, and to the information and suggestions for
improvement which they will incidentally receive from the- in
spector." ******
* * * * * * #

was the chief executive officer of a public work employing more than three Ihou-
eaud men', and was immediately elected chief executive officer of the Commission."
*********
Every membei of the Commission could lay claim to a standing and reputation as
nn expert of. some one or other of the special functions assigned by the President
to the Commission as a body.
" Of the mnuibcra since added, one is the Judge Advocate General of the United
States, a second is a bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church, aud the three
others are men of high professional standing, each holding positions of unusual
trust in their respective communities."
'I here are now twenty-two Commissioners, and they respectively represent the
several departments of learning, public experience, and humane effort with which
the Sanitary Commission is legiiimately concerned.

10
" Thus presenting themselves to make official inquiry only, they
will, without special effort or intention, really be the best possi
ble missionaries of sanitary science to the army."*
In a letter to an auxiliary committee of finance, that had
been organized at New York, in aid of the Commission, pub
lished early in July, immediately after his preliminary tour
through the Western encampments, Rev. Dr. Bellows, Presi
dent of the Commission, makes the following graphic state
ments :
" Consider the prospects of 250,000 troops, chiefly volunteers,
fathered not only from the out-door, but still more from the in-
oor occupations of life ; farmers, clerks, students, mechanics,
lawyers, doctors, accustomed, for the most part, to regularity of
life, and those comforts of home whieh, above any recorded ex
perience, bless our own prosperous land and benignant institu
tions ; consider these men, used to the tender providence of
mothers, wives, and sisters, to varied and well prepared food,
separate and commodious homes, moderate toil, to careful medi-
eal supervision in all their ailments — consider these men, many
of them not yet hardened into the bone of rugged manhood,
suddenly precipitated by unexpected events into the field of war,
at the very season of the greatest heat, transferred to climares
to whieh they are unwonted, driven to the use of food and water
to which they are not accustomed, living in crowded barracks
and tents, sleeping on the bare earth, broken of rest, called on
to bear arms six and eight hours a day, to make rapid marches
over rough roads in July and August, wearing their thick uni~.
forms and carrying heavy knapsacks on their backs — and what
can be looked for, but men falling by the dozen in the ranks
from sheer exhaustion, hundreds prostrated with relaxing dis
orders, and, finally, thousands suddenly swept off by camp dis
eases, the result of irregidarity of life, exposure, filth, heat, and
inability to take care of themselves under such novel conditions."
*******
" I went in some little anxiety as to the welcome I might re
ceive as the envoy of that mixed body, scientific, medical, mili
tary, and civil, the Sanitary Commission. But I found my way
prepared before me. Tidings of the appointment of the Com
mission had already spread far and wide. Orders for our cordial
reception had providently gone forth from the War Department.
* See note on page 20.

11

From the highest to the lowest officials the most generous
courtesy, the most willing cooperation, the most grateful sympa
thy, flowed without any interruption from a jealous etiquette or
an imperilled dignity. The officers of the Begular Army were
just as kind and cordial as those of the Volunteers, and I am
now sure that none of the difficulties anticipated from a conflict
of powers, are at all likely to arise with a reasonable discretion
on our part."
*******
" A nobler, manlier, a more intelligent, earnest, and valuable
body of troops was never gathered on the earth's surface, than
the 20,000 men I saw in these camps ! They are fully equal to
the best of our Eastern troops in clothing and equipments, and,
better than that, their equals in moral force, and directness and
seriousness of purpose."
* * * • * * * *
" The perils of the actual battle-field are nothing to such men ;
the injury their open enemies can do them, almost not wortn
thinking of; but will malaria, fever, pestilence — irrational and
viewless enemies — be as little dangerous ? No ! It is before
these inglorious but deadly foes that our brave boys will flinch ;•
before their unseen weapons that they will fall ! Their gener
ous and self-devoted officers are likely to be the first to suffer.
They share the hardships, they more than share the labor and
exposure of their commands. They have the best purposes.
But they know not yet how to control the diet, the personal
habits, the ventilation, and police of their quarters and camps.
They are studying war tactics, intent on making soldiers ; they
rashly assume that intelligent men know how to take care of
themselves ; and they are already finding camp dysentery seiz
ing their regiments with a most threatening grasp. The most
striking difference is already apparent in camps and troops,
according as attention is given or denied to the character of the
water used, the situation of the camp with reference to the pre
vailing winds, and to the regulation of sinks and the cleansing
of tents and quarters. Two regiments, separated by a quarter
of a mile only, contained, in one camp not a dozen sick men ;
in the other, two hundred, and fifty men more or less ill with
dysenteric diarrhoea, and all because one was on a plain with
decent well-water at hand, the other in a wood, with a wretched
puddle of black ditch-water as the only resource for drinking
and cooking !"
The disasters at Bull Bun, on the 18th and 21st July, called
forth sympathies and offerings from every northern home, and

12
aroused the Government and the people to a just conception of
the enemy's vigor, and to the peril of delaying a day in the or
ganization of an army adequate to the struggle for National
life. And while the loyal people offered and urged larger
forces of volunteers than could possibly be supplied with arms,
they looked to the People's Commission of Sanitary Inquiry
and Advice for the measures and the means by which the- sani
tary welfare of their soldier-sons in Camp and in Hospital,
should be secured. Thoughtful and patriotic citizens sent
timely material aid with words of encouragement and promise,
while the loyal women sent such offerings as mothers, sisters,
and wives could best prepare for the benefit of soldiers in hos
pital, so that with these offerings from women, a large store
room in the Treasury Building was crowded in a single day,
even before the first flag of truce by General Wadsworth had
brought back information of the enemy's denial of the request
for our wounded and dead. It was this spontaneous opening of
the never failing fountains of woman's sympathy and aid for the
sick and wounded, that fully inaugurated the Sanitary Commis
sion's department of Relief.
What was done in council by the Sanitary Commission during
its protracted night-and-day' sittings, at its Central Office in the
Treasury Building, Washington, while the national forces were'
being organized, cannot here be fully stated ; but the scheme of
Sanitary Inspection in Camps and Hospitals was immediately
and vigorously extended throughout the lines of the gathering
armies, East and West ; a Bureau of Sanitary and Vital Statis
tics was established at the Central Office ; the publication of an
extended and most valuable series of monographs in medicine
Burgery, and hygiene, for the use of Military Surgeons, was com
menced ; and a great variety of practical and vitally important
suggestions for improvements in hospitals, camps, recruiting and
inspections, were presented to the attention of the Military

13
authorities. The practical importance of military discipline and
order, and of military education, as means of promoting the
sanitary welfare and martial effectiveness of the forces, appears
to have received merited attention ; for we find a special com
mittee composed of Gen. George W. Cullum, and Prof. A. D.
Bache,; members of the Commission, reporting by appointment
a list of the resigned graduates of West Point that M-ere pre
sumed to be available for military service, to be officially ad
dressed by circular. Ahd upon the subject of military discipline
and official faithfulness and authority, we find the following
Resolutions published in the proceedings of the Commission,
July 29th, one week subsequently to the disasters of Bull Run ;
"Resolved, That the Sanitary Commission, in their endeav
ors to promote temperance, cleanliness, and comfort among the
troops, have become convinced that the first sanitary law iri
camp and among soldiers is military discipline ; and that unless
this is vigorously asserted and enforced, it is useless to attempt
and impossible to effect, by any secondary means, the great end
they propose — which is the health and happiness of the army."'
"Resolved, That looking only to the health and comfort of
the troops, it is our profound conviction that any special relax?
ation of military discipline in favor of volunteer troops, based
either upon their supposed unwillingness or inability to endure
it, or upon the alleged expectation of the public, is a fallacious
policy, and fraught with peril to the lives of the men and tho
success ofthe national cause; and that, speaking in the name of
the families and the communities from which the volunteers
come, and in the name of humanity and religion, we implore
that the most thorough system of military discipline be carried
out with the officers and men of the volunteer force, as the first
and essential condition of their health, comfort, and morality."
" Resolved, That the health and comfort and efficiency of the
men is mainly dependent on the uninterrupted presence, the
personal watchfulness, and the rigid authority of the regimental
and company officers ; and that all the great defects, whether in
the .commissariat or in the police of camps, are radically due to
the absence of officers from their posts and to the laxity of the
discipline to which they are themselves accustomed— a laxity
which would never be tolerated among regulars, and which,

14
while tolerated among our soldiers, will make a mob of armed
men rather than an army."
" Resolved, That it is the public conviction of this Commis-.
sion, that the soldiers themselves, in their painful experience of
want of leaders and and protectors, would heartily welcome a
rigid discipline exerted over their officers and themselves ; that
the public would hail with joy the inaguration of a decisive,
prompt, and rigid rule, extending alike to officers and men ; and
that any despondency or doubt connected with our military and
national prospects, or with the health and security of our troops,
would disappear with the first indications of rigid order enforced
with impartial authority throughout the whole army."
"Resolved, That the Sanitary Commission assure Major-
General McClellan in advance, of all the moral support and
sympathy of their numerous constituents, and beg him to believe
that the humane, the intelligent, the religious, the patriotic, will
uphold his hands in every endeavor to communicate a spirit of
subordination, fidelity, and obedience to the troops, even by re
sort, if found necessary, to the utmost rigor of military law, be
lieving that the health, comfort, and efficiency of the army are
all united in their dependence on a strict, uniform, and all-per
vading military discipline."
What was being done by the Sanitary Commission in camps
and in hospitals during the two or three months succeeding the
first battles, would best be told by the Actuary of its Statistical
Bureau, and by the journals and balance sheets of its Relief
Department, or by the hundreds of hospital and regimental
Surgeons, with whose daily service and wants the Sanitary In
spectors had made themselves familiar. From the day contribu
tions commenqed flowing to its treasury, the Commission began
to supplement special wants in the mihtary hospitals ; and there
is an impressive significance in those orders and receipts for
such supplementary relief to the sick and wounded. The first
we find on record is an order for water-beds, and then, for the
first hospitals, at Alexandria and Washington ; it was —
"Resolved, That the following articles be procured for imme
diate use in the general hospitals : 100 small tables for writing
in bed, 100 iron wire cradles for protecting wounded limbs 30
boxes of dominoes, 30 checker-boards, 5 lbs. of Delphinum."'

15

And not only did the Commission express concern for the
comfort and welfare of the individual patients, by thus tenderly
remembering their wounds, their social wants, and bodily dis
comforts, but it specially investigated the hygienic condition and
medical wants of the hospitals,* reporting to the proper authori
ties their structural and administrative defects, and preparing
plans and details for the required improvements ; while its
treasury paid the wages of Cadet surgical-dressers, until they

* In the Report of the Hospital Committee, adopted by the Commission, July
31st, 1861, (Document jffo. 23,) we find the following statement: —
, " But the principal want experienced by the sick, was found by your Committee
to be clean and appropriate Hospital clothing. But for the liberal forethought of
the benevolent women of the nation, our soldiers would have been compelled to lie
sick and wounded in the clothes in which they entered the Hospital wards, and
¦which, in many cases, had not been changed or even washed for weeks before.
Many had been already supplied, and your Committee had the satisfaction of see
ing that every sick man in Hospital was fully provided with a proper suit of cloth
ing, by the authority of the Commission."
" No available provision being made by Government for the washing of the cloth
ing worn by volunteers on their entering Hospital, the Committee secured the
authority of the Commission for employment of laundresses for this purpose ; so
that when the soldier is ready to leave the Hospital and resume Ms duties, his
clothing will be clean and fit for use."
" The services of a barber were also procured for the sick, and your Committee
can bear witness that he contributed not a little to their cleanliness and comfort.
Wire frames for the protection of wounded limbs from pressure ef bedclothes,
were found to be wanted/and they were supplied."
• ' • * * * * * *
" Another subject was recognized by your Committee as possessing much iater-
est and importance, viz. : the provision of systematic and reliable means of identi
fying ths remains of soldiers dying in the General Hospitals, and of properly
marking the graves in which they are interred, so that the reasonable inquiries of
friends and relations may be properly answered. This matter was brought before
the Commission, and referred to a Special Committee, for immediate action."
' " Your Committee venture to embody their conclusions in the form of sug
gestions, and would submit to the Commission (idly) the propriety of recommend
ing to Government that hereafter instead of hiring old buildings for General Hos
pitals they should order the erection of a sufficient number of wooden shanties or
pavilions of appropriate construction, and fully provided with water for bathing,
washing, and water-closets, and ample arrangements for ventilation and forsecur-
ing warmth in winter, to accommodate from thirty to sixty each, and to be suffi
ciently distant not to poison each other. TMb suggestion embodies the latest and
best views as to the construction of hospitals, and its adoption would save both
lives and money." . ,
" If the present hospitals are to be occupied during the fall and winter months,
Bomeplan should be at once adopted and' applied, by the competent authorities to
correct their architectural defects, to provide facilities for bathing and water-
closets, to introduce water on each floor, and to separate the dead-houses trom
the wards occupied by the sick. Measures should also be taken to improve their
ventilation, and for their thorough warming in winter."

16
could be recognized bylaw and the regulations ; and its Sanitary
Inspectors furnished to the surgeons of regiments and hospitals
in the malarious districts the necessary prophylactics. The work
of sanitary inspection was vigorously pushed forward, and the
train of evils that imperilled the health of recruits, was measur
ably controlled, and the more important causes of special suffer
ing, discomfort, and dissatisfaction among the volunteers were
pointed out and remedied. By the Commission's agency a re
ceiving station and a Soldiers' Rest, were established at Wash
ington, with special means of providing suitable care for the sick
or specially needy, as well as for supplying the means for cleans
ing, rest, and refreshment to the multitudes of ^ eary, unwashed,
and hungry soldiers that daily crowded in the vicinity of the
Washington railroad depot, impatiently waiting assignment and
rations, or transportation. Similar " Rests " and " Homes," for
way-worn volunteers were soon established at the West, and
elsewhere ; while to the proper departments of Govemment, at
Washington, tho officers of the Commission faithfully presented
the special wants and perils of the regiments, in regard to mala
ria, to special causes of home-sickness and of insubordination, to
camp vices, and suggestions in respect of rations, camp cooking,
&c. And in the printed catalogue of tho topics of specific inquiry
for the guidance of the Camp Inspectors, judicious direction was
given to the investigation, in every regiment, of some two
hundred practical questions relating to the hygienic welfare of
the men in the field.
The Sanitary Commission's work in camp and hospitals had, at
this early day, manifestly secured for it, in a remarkable degree
the hearty confidence and support of the people and the Govern
ment. And it certainly was no trivial task adequately to meet
or anticipate the rapidly augmenting demands of the accumulat
ing forces. Yet this appears to have been well accomplished for
we find the General Secretary early in December, 1861, reporting

17
the reception at the central office of more than four hundred fuU
returns of the stated schedules of inquiry from regimental camp
inspections, and at the same time presenting his own careful
deductions from such returns of two hundred regiments whose
sanitary history and wants had been specially studied and im
ported by the Sanitary Inspectors during the months of Sep
tember and October.
;To obtain a just conception of the magnitude of the work
thrown upon the Commission during the first six months of its
•operations, the reader has but to recall the rapidly crowding
events of those first months of our national struggle.
v The 75,000 volunteers and State troops, under the President's
call of April 15th, did not complete their three months' service
without sharing in the earlier benefits of the Sanitary Commis
sion's labors ; and of the seventy-five regiments, under the levy
of May 3d, of soldiers for the war, scarcely a battalion failed to
be reached by the Sanitary Inspectors and the Commission's
benefactions either before or soon after the first series of con
flicts into which they were led. And we think it may. be
asserted, that some of these hastily recruited regiments early
became so effectually indoctrinated in the practical teachings
of the Commission that they vied, and have continued to vie
with regulars and veterans in camp police, good discipline,
high health, and military effectiveness. We can never .for
get the impression left upon our mind as a civilian,, visiting
a regiment of this class of those early volunteers, upon the
Chickahominy, during the severest of the Peninsula Cam
paign ; a full regiment having but four men sick in general
and regimental hospitals — and this was a regiment that never
neglected its camp police and its camp cooking, even when
bivouacking. To this regiment, during its first fortnight in
camp, in July, 1861, the Sanitary Commission had assigned
Mr. Sanderson and a skilled assistant to teach two men in every
2

18
company the art of preparing the army rations, and those men
and their' companies were apt pupils. Among the seventy-five
regiments of that first levy for the war were many excellent
examples of the influences ofthe hygienic teachings of the
Sanitary Commission, and, as in the remarkable instance
mentioned by Baron Steuben* among the volunteers of the
Revolution, these good examples were widely contagious.
But before these seventy-five regiments had all been reached by
the Commission, Congress, being aroused by the early disasters,
in July, had authorized the organization of an army of 500,000
men, and quickly the President's call was issued for 300,000 vol
unteers, and with it came the demands of the people and the
petition of the Sanitary Commission for the greatest military
vio-or and good discipline, to render the national forces in the
highest degree effective, reliable, and physically and morally
strong. To authorize and call forth such an enlargement of the army,
and to accumulate the necessary equipage and materiel for such
an army, was a business scarcely more important or difficult than

* Baron Steuben's efforts, under Washington's direction, for the improvement
of the untrained and freshly recruited forces of the Revolution, happily illustrate
what may be accomplished by skillfully preparing and presenting perfect exam
plea. Of his first labors as military instructor, with the title of "Inspector-Gen
eral," of the volunteers then gathering for the war of the Revolution, Steuben
¦writes : —
"I commenced operations by drafting one hundred and twenty men from the
line, whom I formed into a guard," A-c. I made this guard my military school. I
drilled them myself twice a day  I often took the musket myself to show the
men, &c. . . ..All my Inspectors were-present at each drill." [A Colonel from
each Division, and a Major from each Brigade.] " We marched together, wheeled,
4c, <Stc, and in a fortnight my company know perfectly well how to bear arras,
had a military bearing, knew how to march, &c, <&c."  "I had my company of
guards exactly as I wished them to be. They were woll dressed, their arms clean
and in good order, and their goneral appearance quite respectable."
•»*****#„
"Having gained my point, and dispersed my apostles, the Inspectors, my
new doctrine was eagerly embraced. I lost no time  I applied my system to
battalions, afterwards to brigades, and in less than three weeks I executed manreu-
vres with an entire division."— Eapp's Life of Steuben. Chapter vi.

19
the adjustment of the means and agencies that should insure a
high health-rate in all those untrained and unacclimated forces;
yet this was the problem which the Government had committed
to the Sanitary Commission as the accredited aid and co-worker
of the War Department and the Medical Bureau. How the
Sanitary Commission attempted the solution of this problem,
and how it discharge the duties germain to it, in council, in
communications with the War Office, and with military com
mandants in the camps and in hospitals, will certainly fill an
instructive page in the history of this great war against the
rebellion. The following quotations from the Commission's
Report to the Secretary of War, December, 1861, set forth very
interesting facts respecting certain results and plans of operation
up to that period : —
" Fourteen well qualified physicians are now employed by the
Commission, each having a defined portion of the army under
his observation. Six other gentlemen, each possessed of special
acquirements, are engaged on special duties. A list of their
names and of the posts to which they are respectively assigned,
is appended. It is proper to record the fact that they have in
several cases withdrawn from positions far more remunerative
than that now occupied by them, and have undertaken their
present duty from motives of the highest benevolence and pat
riotism." * * * * -* * *
" The influence, however, which officers unconsciously re
ceive through the mere direction of their attention to neglected
duties, by the inquiries which the Inspectors have need to address
to them, constitutes the chief part of the value of the services
of the Commission. This, of course, cannot be specified and
recorded. But the effect of the advice given by the Inspectors
of the Commission is found not to be confined to the particular
camp visited, or to the officers with whom they converse. The
example of one regiment in reforming abuses and enforcing san
itary laws is very generally followed by others near it, and an
emulation is excited among company and regimental officers,
the beneficial effects of which have been noticed in many cases
where an ill-regulated regiment has been transferred to the

20
neighborhood of a cleanly, well-policed, thoroughly drained, and
salubrious camp."
*******
,-t ".There is no doubt that systematic attention to sanitary laws
is becoming more generally understood to be a part of the duty
of a military officer ; and it is satisfactory to observe that the
more recently enlisted regiments begin better than those enlisted
at the opening of the campaign, and improve faster. This, in
part, may be fairly attributed to the publications of the Com
mission, which, to the number of more rfian one hundred and
fifty thousand, have been scattered through the country and
largely reprinted in the newspapers."
* * * * * * *
l " The Commission has distributed gratuitously to the surgeons
and officers of the volunteers, three thousand each, on an aver
age, of five concise treatises on the best means of preserving
health in camps, and on the treatment of the sick and wounded
in camp and the battle-field. As the surgeons of the volunteer
army are almost altogether drawn from civil practice, and as no
books, or even circulars of instruction in regard to their novel
responsibilities, have yet been supplied them by Government,
i these modest works have been found of considerable value.
" Camp Police, in general. — Of the camps inspected, five (5)
per cent, were in admirable order, forty-five per cent, fairly clean
and well policed. The condition of twenty-six (26) per cent.
was negligent and slovenly, and that of twenty -four (24) per
cent, decidedly bad, filthy, and dangerous.
"In those camps which are referred to as in a neglected and
positively bad condition, some or all of the following sources of
danger to the health of the men were found to exist, viz : drains
wanting or clogged upland retentive of stagnant water ; the
camp, streets and spaces between the tents littered with refuse
food and other rubbish, sometimes in an offensive state of de
composition ; slops deposited in pits within the camp limits, or
thrown out broadcast ; heaps of manure and offal close to the
camp, and the privies neglected.
. " In about two-thirds of the camps, the streets were found
fairly clean, but in only about one-third were the edges of tents1
the spaces between them, and the camp drains, entirely free
from litter and rubbish. On the whole, a very marked and
gratifying improvement in the custom of the volunteer regiments
in- respect of camp police has occurred during the summer.
Faults in this respect, which were at one time generally regarded
as unworthy of the attention of regimental officers, are now con
sidered disgraceful, and the number of camps in which officers

21

and men take pride in maintaining an exact and severe camp
police, is rapidly increasing."
*******
"Military Hospitals. — At the close of the October session of
the Commission it was understood that Government would at
once commence the erection of two cheap temporary model hos
pitals at Washington, in conformity with plans carefully prepared
by a committee of the medical members of the Commission, and
approved by it as embodying the latest results of sanitary
science. These plans bave been formally approved by the Quar
termaster-General, the Commander-in-Chief, and the Medical
Director of the Army of the Potomac, and the ground for the
example buildings has been staked out."
* * * * - * * *
" Volunteer Hospital, and other Supplies. — The Commission
did not, at first, contemplate furnishing hospital and other sup
plies to the army on any large scale, but confined itself mainly
to the duties of ' inquiry and advice' assigned it by the Secretary
of War. It could not refrain, however, without doing violence
to the human sympathies of its members, from supplying some
few of the more pressing wants which they saw existing in the
military hospitals of Washington and elsewhere. The absence
of any hospital fund, already referred to, made these wants reme
diless, except by the Commission, or more properly, by the gene
rous and patriotic people df the loyal States, whom the Com
mission represents as their agent and almoner."
* * * * * * *
" Amount of Supplies Distributed. — The demand for articles
of clothing and protection for the sick has naturally increased
during the past month, but the means placed by the community
at the disposal of the Commission has enabled its Inspectors to
keep pace with this increase. Thirty-four thousand four hundred
and- eighty-one articles of hospital clothing were distributed
from the Washington depot alone during the month of Novem
ber, besides a large bulk of unclassified articles.
" The supplies thus distributed from the Washington depot
have been issued to one hundred and thirty-six hospitals; twenty
of which were general, and one hundred and sixteen regimental.
The average number of articles supplied to each was a little
more than two hundred. About one thousand are now daily
distributed from the same depot, and their value in money is
not less than five hundred dollars.
"At the Cleveland depot sixty-nine thousand articles have
been received since its organization; and fifty-one thousand,
besides several tons of articles of hospital diet, have been already
issued from it to the army of the West, at various points.

22
"From the Wheeling depot, four thousand eight hundred and
fourteen articles of bedding and clothing, alone, have been dis
tributed."* Of the work of Special Relief— then designated Irregular
Relief, one of the most systematic and interesting depart
ment of labor under the Sanitary Commission, we must speak
in a subsequent page ; and so of the Statistical Bureau ;
the system of Mortuary and Burial Records, the Publication
Department, etc., all of which were in complete operation before
the close of the year 1861. The Report, No. 40 of the Commis
sion's current documents, from which we have just been quoting,
contains in its hundred pages a very condensed statement of the
first six months' work of the Commission, in its several depart
ments. To every unbiassed and discerning mind, whether in the
medical profession, or the army, the Sanitary Commission has
manifestly been, from its organization until now, the most un
faltering and faithful friend and ally of the Medical Depart
ment, and of all that is good and faithful in it. And we
believe it may safely be stated, that the British Sanitary Com
mission in the Crimea excited far greater animosity and as-

* The financial basis of the Sanitary Commission seems to have been simply
faith in the intelligent sympathy and co-operation of the people. In this Report
to the Secretary of War, dated December, 1861, the Commission makes the fol-
lowing statement respecting finances: —
" As the Commission was to receive no pecuniary support from Government, it
was under the necessity of calling on private liberality for the fund it required' to
sustain it. Its appeal for this purpose was responded to with promptitude and
liberality, and the Commission was thus enabled to go into operation without
delay. The Life Insurance Companies of Massachusetts, New York and New
Jersey, were most generous in their contributions — one of the number (the New
York Life Insurance Company of N. Y.,) having given five thousand dollars tothe
objects of the Commission. It has received in money from all sources, up to tho
2Bth of November last, twenty-eight thousand one hundred and seven dollars
($28,107,) the larger portion of which has been contributed by citizons and insti
tutions of New York. Whether public liberality can be depended on as a perma
nent source of supply is uncertain. Should it fail, the Commission will be under
the necessity of terminating its labors, unless Government should seo fit to assume
its suf-

23

perity of feeling in army and bureau circles than have ever yet
been called forth in our army by the U. S.: Sanitary Commission.
Not that this Commission has been less faithful and bold in its
inquisitions, and in efforts for reform and improvement, than
the Crimean Commission, but the contrary rather. Indeed, it
should be stated, to the credit of the Medical Staff and Mili
tary Commandants of our armies, as well as the honor of the
Commission, that its enlightened and well-directed zeal in
specific efforts, its fearlessness and candor, and its broad and
forecasting plans and practical undertakings, have, from the
first, commanded for it and its officers the fraternal sentiments,
the profound respect, and the gratitude of all our best Generals
and Surgeons in the field.
The Sanitary Commission has not been silent when im
portant principles or facts were to be asserted, nor have its coun
sels been timid, indefinite, or hesitating, when its advice or
leadejship in specific reforms and innovations have been neces
sary. It fearlessly attacked the policy of perpetual succession
by seniority alone in the medical service of the army, and
as boldly grappled with the radical vices and defects of
usages and regulations that not only permitted but compelled
delay and insufficiency in the care and provision for sick and
wounded soldiers, in field and in hospital. The Commission
was in duty bound to discover, and expose the causes of such
faults, and it heartily accepted and discharged the onerous
duty. The following paragraphs, which we extract from the Report
to the Secretary of War, in December, 1861, indicate the spirit
and objects of the Sanitary Commission in dealing with ques
tions liable to excite controversy and opposition where radical
reforms were demanded;
" The object had in view by the Commission can be effectually
accomplished only by the direct action of Government, through

24

Officers who can order, where the Commission can only advise:
The cause our armies have to defend is alone dearer to the people
than are those who have to suffer in its defence. The strength
and mobility of the army cannot be sacrificed to the care of its
sick and wounded. The sick and wounded should be sacrificed
unflinchingly, to every unavoidable military necessity ; but all
the more should they be supplied with whatever mitigation of
suffering military necessities leave possible. And these should
be furnished them, not as if a hard master were driving a bar
gain with them — as in the commutation of a board contract— j
but ag if the love and pity of mothers, wives, sweethearts, and
sisters, were exercised with the far-seeing providence, boldness,'
ingenuity, tact and industry of true military generalship — Sur
geon-Generalship. ' " The duty of guarding against the defeat of our armies by
disease, needs to be undertaken as earnestly, as vigilantly, with
as liberal a policy, and with as resolute a determination, as any
Other military duty.
" _ " To secure this result, the Commission is convinced that a
higher place needs to be accorded the medical staff in the organi
zation of the army. Its relations with all departments and all
ranks, as well as with the Government itself, needs to be more
intimate, confidential, and influential.
" Whatever and whoever stands in the way of this, the Com
mission wants put out of the way. But if an impression pre
vails in any quarter that the members of the Commission, in
their devotion to this purpose, have been over-zealous, or sought
individually or collectively, to bring it about by action not abs<>
lutely within their assigned duty, or that they have used . any
indirect or unworthy means therefor, that impression is without
the smallest foundation in truth."
* * * * * * *
_ " The one point which controls the Commission is just this : a
simple desire and resolute determination to secure for the men
who have enlisted in this war that care which it is the will and
the duty of the nation to give them. That care is their right
• and, in the Government or out of it, it must be given them let
who will stand in the way."
Early in its session, during the winter of 1861-2, Congress
revived its discussions upon the medical and sanitary care of the
army. The occasion for enlarging and radically improving the
organization of the army medical service had arrived ; a variety
of new or revised acts were being presented— each based upon

25
views and purposes more or less limited by personal interests —
and all of the bills too incomplete and inadequate for the
emergency. Enjoying the confidence and counsels of the chief
military authorities of the army, and being in a position to
confer advisedly with the Military Committees of Congress, the
Sanitary Commission was freely consulted in reference to the.
hygienic and medical wants of the volunteer forces, and it ac
cepted the responsible duty of aiding in the preparation and
advocacy of the New Medical Act which was finally agreed
upon by both Houses of Congress. By that Act a special Corps
of Sanitary Inspectors was ordered to be appointed from the
staff of regular and volunteer surgeons ; the number of regular
Surgeons and Assistant Surgeons was ordered to be increased ;
the Corps of Medical Cadets was enlarged, and needless restric
tions upon the employment of hospital assistants were removed,
and the hands of medical purveyors were so unloosed as to ena
ble . surgeons instantly to meet the wants of their patients.
And, lastly, that Act provided for the appointment, by the
President and Senate, of a Surgeon General, upon the ground
of merit and fitness.
r The Sanitary Commission had clearly won the right to a
preponderating opinion in the choice of candidates, and when
consulted, it unhesitatingly expressed its preference, and gave
good reasons for such choice. Dr. William A. Hammond, an
Assistant Surgeon of the regular army, was duly nominated
and confirmed as Surgeon-General. In the army he was known
as a medical officer of rare ability and great strength of charac
ter, whose patriotism and esprit de corps had, at the very
opening of the war, impelled him to relinquish a Professorship
and the tempting professional relations of civic life, to resume
his former rank and service in the Medical Staff: to the
scientific world he was favorably known as a distinguished phy
siologist, and as an assiduous student of medical science in its

26
conservative and higher applications ; and his researches and
publications had won for him a high position as a physician and
scholar of advanced and definite views ; while, in the estimation
of the Sanitary Commission, his claims to pre-eminent qualifica
tion and fitness for the immense responsibilities of the Medical
Bureau rested scarcely less upon proved ability in service than upon
his eminent attainments ; — for Dr. Hammond, in his published
official Reports of Inspection in Hospitals and Camps, had dis
played a capacity to grasp with peculiar power all those practical
questions of military hygiene with which the Mfedical Depart
ment is concerned, and upon which the problem of needed re
forms mainly depended.
In the prime of life, and with endowments — physical and
mental — adequate to the vast responsibilities of the Medical
Bureau ofthe Army, Suegeon-Genekal Hammond entered upon
his labors at the critical period when the largest resources of his
department of the service were overdrawn, and when the great
est promptitude, foresight, and expansion, were demanded alike
by humanity and the exigencies of the military service. Five
hundred thousand troops were in the field, and all the armies
were moving rapidly. The military hospitals contained a
crowded population of sick and wounded men, and that vast
population of needy sufferers was daily augmenting with great
rapidity. The national victories at Mill Spring, Fort Donelson,
Pittsburg-landing, Island No. 10, Hilton Head, Fort Pulaski,
Roanoke Island, Newbern, and New Orleans, had not only
overwhelmed the means and capacity of the military hospitals
but had increased greatly the causes of disease. The Army
of the Potomac, in its Sisyphus-like movements upon Manassas
and back to the Potomac and the Peninsula, after its pro
tracted hybernation, had left many thousands, or nearly six per
cent, of its force, in the general hospitals about Washino-ton •
and, with insufficient medical and hospital supplies, that model

27
army had plunged into the swamps and impracticable mud-
fields between the York and James rivers. Over mud-roads,
and in the storms of early spring, that noble army toiled on,—
marching and trenching, on picket, and in camps more peril
ous to health than any duty, — until many more, or nearly ten
per cent, of the soldiers that moved upon Yorktown and Wil
liamsburg had succumbed to disease and exhaustion before the
beginning of June ; and upon the day we occupied the former
town the Sanitary Commission, by authority of General McClel
lan, undertook the responsible and very necessary duty of im
mediately transporting to Northern hospitals the many thou
sands of sick and disabled soldiers that were left in peril and
want, as the army moved up the Peninsula. How the Com
mission did this and many other things of the kind, and what
occurred to mark its spirit and test its means and their adapta
bility, during that memorable campaign, we shall presently
mention. For a moment, in this place, reverting to the relations of the
Sanitary Commission to the Medical Department, it should be
particularly noted that, while persistently praying and laboring
for such reforms and new regulations in the Medical and San
itary administration as would effectually unfetter its staff of
surgeons and purveyors, and promptly provide- ample life-saving
means and measures, the Commission undoubtedly hoped for
-an opportunity to withdraw some of its more expensive and ex
traordinary agencies from the field. The new corps of Sanitary
Inspectors, as well as all the other enlargements and reforms
ordered in the New Medical Act, tended somewhat to relieve the
Commission from responsibility and expense. But the im
proved regulations and appointments under that Act were not
confirmed until upon the Peninsula, and upon the Cumberland
and the Tennessee", the Mississippi and the Atlantic coast, the
progress of our arms, and the vast increase of wounds and sick-

28
ness, had more than quadrupled the demands upon the Medical
Bureau, as well as upon the Sanitary Commission. The month
of May, 1862, had opened with the progress- of our forces
through Yorktown and Williamsburg and up the Pamunkey,
the occupation of New Orleans, and the rapid progress and en
largement of the armies that had simultaneously and success
fully pressed forward upon the rebel territory, throughout its ex
tended coastwise and river-flanked borders. At this period, the
constant sickness-rate of the Federal army had reached about;
one-seventh the total force, — the permanent and regimental
hospitals together containing more than 100,000 sick and wound
ed, — and the ratio of this sickness-rate was rapidly increasing
in the army of the Potomac, having been more than doubled in
two months.
For the Sanitary Commission to withdraw any of its agencies,
or retrench in its offerings of supplementary aid and supplies^
both for the work of preventing disease and for mitigating the
sufferngs of the sick and wounded, was manifestly impossible at
such a period. Its work went on. The public demanded it ;
the new Surgeon-General required and appreciated its presence
everywhere in the Army ; and everywhere the soldier, and
every right-minded officer, alike desired and sought the aid of
the Commission.
We had begun to mention the new demands upon the Sani
tary Commission in General McClellan's campaign upon the
Peninsula, but there was nothing to distinguish its work in
that march of the Potomac Army, and its heroic strugo-les
more than has characterized the Commission's ordinary work in
the other grand armies at other periods, — except it be that the
events of that campaign were so condensed and so great the
necessities and care of sick and wounded soldiers so uro-ent and
the Commission's work, in its surprising and rapid expansion
so near and so impressive, that what the Commission did in

29

that eventful campaign, and why it did it, furnish to the world
an epitome of its purposes, its methods, its means, and its
beneficent power. Yet, the record of the Sanitary Commis
sion's work during the Peninsula Campaign is mainly a record
of its single " Department of Relief," — a department that must
necessarily be kept subordinated to that of Sanitary Inquiry
and Advice. And so pregnant with interest is the record of
that department of the work during the Peninsiila campaign,
that a history of the Commission's usefulness would be incom
plete without a special notice of it. Let the " Hospital Trans
ports "* tell, imperfectly it must be confessed, what that work
was. We extract only the following paragraphs :
" A sudden transfer of the scene of active war from the high
banks of the Potomac to a low and swampy region, intersected
with a net-work of rivers and creeks, early in the summer of
1862, required appliances for the proper care of the sick and
wounded, which did not appear to have been contemplated in
the Government arrangements." *
Hospital Transport " Daniel Webster," j
Ciieeseman's Creek, April 30, 1862. J
" I received General Meigs' order under which this ship came
into our hands on Friday. She was then at Alexandria, and
could not be got over the shoals to Washington. It was not till
near night that I was able to get a lighter, and this, after one
trip, was taken off to carry reinforcements to McDowell at
Fredericksburg. I succeeded before daylight of Saturday in
getting a tug at work, and by the next morning (Sunday) had
her hold full. At eleven o'clock got the hospital company on
board." * * * * *
* * * * * * * * *
"May 1st.- * * * * * * . The Com
mission has here at present, besides the Daniel Xbster,
one or two storeships, and the Wilson Small, a boat of light
draught, fitted up as a little hospital, to run up creeks, and
bring down sick and wounded to the transports. She is under
the care of Dr. O, and has her little supply of hospital clothing,

* Hosfital Transports : A Memoir, etc. Boston: 1863.

30
beds, food, &c, always ready for chance service. There is also
a well-supplied storehouse ashore. * *
********Furnished wine, tea, and bread, to a surgeon who had been told
that the Commission's flag was flying here, and had come seven
miles across the swamps, and rowed out to us in a small boat to
try for these things."
* * * * * * * *

" May 5th. — On Sunday, the Ocean Queen, coming up from
Old Point, grounded about five miles off the harbor, and I went
down, and put a few beds and men on board." *
* * * * * * * ' *
"I had sent the Webster to sea, and with Mrs.  and
Bister, B., and some two or three others', started in the Small to
go to the telegraph and mail, and to bury the body of a patient
who had died in the night. It was raining hard. When we
reached the shore, there was no post-office, no telegraph, — •
nothing of the military station left, except some wagons and
transports. Our storehouse was a mile back. I left a portion
of our party to move the goods from it on board the barge, and
started in the Small for Yorktown, to which I presumed head
quarters would have been moved." * 1 * *
* * * * * * * * *
" As I pulled out through the vessels at the wharf, I saw to
my surprise two small " stern- wheel "' steamboats coming^ along
side the Queen, one on each side. Hastening on board, I found
that these boats were loaded with sick men, whom an officer in
charge was about to throw off upon the Queen. They were the
sick of regiments which had been ordered suddenly forward last
night, and which were at this very moment engaged in the
battle of Williamsburg ; we could hear the roar oi' artillery.
They had been sent during the night by ambulances to the
shore of Wormley's Creek, where a large number had been left,
the officer assured me, lying on the ground in the rain, without
food or attendance." * * * * *
* * * * * * * * *
" The boat from Baltimore brought six excellent New York
surgeons, twenty-six nurses, and ten surgical dressers (medical
students). I got them all on the Small, and, having succeeded
in obtaining the more important supplies in limited quantities
at noon left for Yorktown. On reaching here we found the
" stern- wheelers " again alongside, and over three hundred
patients on board ; many very sick indeed, some delirious some
comatose, some fairly in articulo. The assistant-surgeon's, left

81
behind at the abandoned camps, are too anxious to be rid of
them, so as to move with their regiments, and have surgery of
war. And as their orders authorize it, they hurry them off to
us in this style, after a day's ride in army wagons, without
springs, .over such a country, without roads, as I described last
week. They were horribly filthy, and there was no time to clean
them, often not to undress them, as, sick and fainting, they were
lifted on board." * * * * ° * *
******* * *
"¦Here were one hundred miserably sick and dying men,
forced upon us before we had been an hour on board ; and tug
after tug swarming round the great ship, before we had a nail
out of a box, and when there were but ten pounds of Indian
meal and two spoons to feed them with. No account could do
justice to the faithful industry of the medical students and young

" Sick men were at this time being carted into Yorktown
from the various abandoned camps in the vicinity, and the Sani
tary party going on shore after the departure of the Queen, these
were found lying in tiers in the muddy streets, while tents were
being pitched and houses cleared for their accommodation.
Several wagon-loads of hospital supplies were sent to them from
the store-boats of the Commission ; twenty-five dollars were
given to the surgeon in charge, to be used to stimulate the exer
tions of his limited force of attendants, and for the purchase of
odds and ends, and he was informed that, if more should be
required, it would be provided by the Commission, and then the
company started on their little boat for West Point, where a
battle was reported in progress."
A month later, we find this thrilling record continuing as
follows — narrating events in the Commission's work, after the
battle of Fair Oaks :
" The Commission boats were all here, and ready to remove
the wounded of the battle of the 1st and 2d of June. They
filled and left with their accustomed order and promptitude."
* * * * * * *
" June 5th. — " We had been helping the ladies on the Elm
City all night, had returned to our quarters, and just washed
and- dressed, when Captain  came on board, to say that
several hundred men were lying at the landing — that the Daniel
Webster No. 2 had been filled, and the surplus was_ being sent
on board the Vanderbilt — that the confusion was terrible ; there

82
were no stores on board either vessel. Of course the best in our
power had to be done. Our supply -boat Elizabeth came up.
* * * * * * * *
"The Knickerbocker had, by estimate, three hundred and
'fifty on board. The night being fine, many were disposed of
on the outer decks, and before I left, at eleven o'clock, nearly
all had been washed, dressed, and put to bed decently, and were
as comfortable as circumstances would admit of our making
them. All had received needed nourishment, and such surgical
and medical attention as was immediately demanded. Leaving
the Knickerbocker in this satisfactory condition, I came back in
a small boat, at midnight, to the landing, where I found that the
Elm City already had five hundred" wounded on board. I
ordered her to run down and anchor near the Knickerbocker.
There had been a special order in her case from the Medical
Director to go to Washington.^ (I judge that this was given
under the misapprehension that she had failed to go to 1 ork-
town, and had her sick still on board.) She was unable to go
at once for want of coal, which could not be furnished her till
the evening of the next day (Monday). This finished the Com
mission's boats for the present. The State of Maine had been
ordered to the landing by the Harbor-master, and the wounded
remaining on shore, excluded from the Elm City, were flocking
on board of her. Our ladies on the Elm 'City sent them some
food, and we put on board from our supply-boat bedding and
various stores."*

* The following beautiful tribute to the Commission's Transport work and its
women helpers, we extract from an article in the Atlantic Mont hi 1/ : 
"Amidst all the heroism of daring and enduring which this war has developed,
amidst all the magnanimity of wliich it has shown the race capable, the dm-ino-
the endurance, the greatness of soul which have been discovered among the men
and women who have given their lives to this work, shine as brightly as any on
the batlle field — in some respects even more brightly.
****** *
"Theirs is the dark and painful side, the menial and hidden side, but made light
and lovely by the , spirit that shines in and through it all. Glimpses of this
agency," (the Sanitary Commission,) "are familiar to our people; but not fill the
history of its inception, progress and results is calmly and adequate! v* written out
and spread before the public, will any idea be formed of the magnitude and im
portance of the work whieh it has done. Nor even then. Never, till every soldier
whose Inst moments it has soothed, till every soldier whose flickerinn- ]'jfc jt ]las
gently steadied into continuance, whose waning reason it has softlv"lulU>d into
quiet, whose chilled blood it. has warmed into healthful pl.iy, whose iailino-ffi-ame
it has nourished into strength, whose tainting heart it has comforted with sym
pathy—never, until every full soul hns poured out its story of "i-atitude and"
thanksgiving, will the record be complete; but long before that time ever since

33
, " At the time of which I am now writing (Monday afternoon),
wounded men were arriving by every train, entirely unattended, ,
or with at most a detail of two soldiers, two hundred or more of
them in a train. They were packed as closely as they could be
stowed iu the common freight-cars, without beds, without straw,
at most with a wisp of hay under their heads. Many of the
lighter cases came on the roof of the cars. They arrived dead
and living together, in the same close box, maiiy with awful
wounds festering and swarming with maggots. Recollect it was
midsummer in Virginia, clear and calm. The stench Mas such
as to produce vomiting with some of our strong men, habituated
to the duty of attending the sick."
Such were some of the labors undertaken by the Sanitary
Commission in a single Department of the Union Army during
the months of May and June, 1862 ; and in the other and more
distant fields its labors were constantly increasing step by step
with the progress and conflicts of our forces. But we can never
forget that other most important work which the Commission is
ever doing among the camps of our armies, and which was not
neglected in the forces of the Potomac when before Richmond ;
for with that army, when within sight of the Confederate
capital were found the Commission's Sanitary Inspectors,
and all the tributary agencies of supplementary aid ; and
there, near the field-terminus of the Richmond and York

the moment, that its helping hand was first held forth, comes the Blessed Voice,
' Inasmuch as ye have doue it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye hava
done it unto me.' "
The following schedule and classification of the Hospital Transports which
were under the care of the Sanitary Commission, give us some idea of the cxte.it
of that woi k of mercy, and of the business-like management of it :
Se,i Ste.rim.fr*. fiit&l fin- pannages mtrige.—f. It. °i>a«l<lin», r»»n!el Wilwter V«. 1.
Ood't-Stenmers, wld'.-h w «•"< make a harbor on the approach of bifi weather, una which
should not le sent beyond Philadelphia, unlets the neremsit,/ is urgent.— Elm Ciiy, .-wie of
Maine Julia Brooks. Commodore. Keimelieek llHniel Webster No 2.
'(''oast-Steamers which should not be run outside.— Vand^rbilt, Whitldin, Louisiana, Knicket-
StiiUng vessels adapted to le used as Stationary Hospitals, or to le towed outside.— St.
Miiik.Kiilt.ip.-. ,t,nna\
The JiBpr.iiate capacity nf the-e vesels is eqnnl to the accommodation of four thousami (4,uvu)
patient-, and may be increiwd 'n five thousand (5,000) if nere idly i» urgent.
¦From the time a ho*i leaves, until she cu- ne pi spared lo leave a** n, will he, if she run« in n-w
Tnrk, 7daya; hi Philadelphia, 6 day : to Wa<hini:inn,4d ns ; to Annapolis 4day»; to Ualtioioro
4 days ; to Old Point, 2 days.— (JlospiUl Traruspo, ts, p. 156 )

3-4
river railway, the writer of these pages found the Commission s
relief and stores, and their merciful tents for the personal shelter,
and i humane agents for the provisional succor of the sick and :
wounded as they were brought in from the lines. And these,
Ete the Commission's labors in transports and ashore, at the ,
Pamunkey base of the Peninsula field, were directed in person
by the General Secretary, Mr. Olmsted, whose remarkable
genius had helped to give shape and system to the work in
every department of the Commission's service.
How the same kind of special labor was at that period pro
gressing in the Western field may be judged, from the fact that
the Sanitary Commission's agents, and its supplementary supplies
for the sick and wounded, were everywhere welcomed, and
everywhere sought in that field. The following paragraphs
from a letter of the Western Secretary of the Commission, dated .
May 16th, 1862, and addressed to an auxiliary branch of the
Supply Department, presents the same evidences of promptness
and thoughtful preparation and sufficiency, as were witnessed'
tlien in the Eastern field :
"On my arrival at Cincinnati, I found the 251 boxes and
barrels sent May 1st to my address. * * *
" These stores were on board the Lancaster ]STo. . 4 — the
steamer we had chartered — without delay or accident.
" The 251 packages to which I have referred, contained,
according to the accompanying invoices, 317 bed-ticks, 275 com
fortables, 1,223 towels, 15 mattresses, 546 sheets, 191 pairs
socks, 874 pillows, 2,010 pillow-cases, 800 shirts, 889 handker
chiefs, 641 cushions, 98 pairs drawers, 7 vests, 2 pairs pants 15
coats, 98 pairs crutches, 8 blankets, 452 sheets, 24 bed-gowns' 37
pairs slippers, 270 pin-cushions, eye-shades, &c, 9S8 lbs. dried
beef, 384 lbs. groceries, 6 boxes dried fruit, 15 lbs. dried apples
961 cans and jars of fruit, 5 kegs pickles, 1S66 dozen eo-gs',
1' box apple butter, 519 lbs. butter, 124 lbs. bread, 985 lbs^
cheese, 1,462 lbs. dried fruit, 7 bottles lemon syrup, 360 bot.
ties wine, 2 boxes lemons, 11 bottles horse radish, 21 bottles
catsup, 9 lbs. soap, 10 gals, maple syrup, 632 lbs. sugar, 29 spit
toons, 28 basins, 310 vols, books, 3 boxes magazines ' 130. lbs.
linen list.

35

"I also, in accordance with your instructions, and with the
money furnished by your Society for that purpose, purchased in
Cincinnati nearly 200 packages of such articles as could be best
procured there, and such as seemed necessary for the comfort
and well-being of the sick among our soldiers in Tennessee." v
-x- ******
" Most of the sick are greatly debilitated, and are much more
in want of stimulants and nourishing, appetizing food, than any
kind of medication. Most diseases here assume a typhoid type,
and more than half of the severely sick have typhoid fever.
Scurvy is beginning to make its appearance among our troops,
and the health of all is impaired by their long-continued depri
vation of fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables. I cannot describe,
nor can you fully imagine, how great blessings the eggs, the
butter, the oranges, the lemons, the thousand cans of fruit, the
sauer kraut, the pickles, the ice, the potatoes, the ale, the wine,
and other articles of equal value, whieh composed your generous
gift, will be to these poor, feeble, feverish, and almost famished
fellows, now lying in in the hospitals at Hamburgh Landing."
* * * * * * *
" On receiving the sick on board our steamer, the most seri
ously ill were placed on cots in the cabin and on the guards.
Each cot was spread with quilts, comfortables, clean white
sheets, and pillows ; as inviting a bed as a sick man could ask.
It would have done your heart good if you could have heard the
expressions of satisfaction which fell from the lips of these poor
fellows when their soiled camp-stained garments were taken off,
each washed throughout, and clad in clean under-clothes, then
laid between the sheets to which they had so long been stran
gers." *******
" Those who were less sick were provided with comfortable
-beds spread on the boiler deck, mattresses filled with straw,
quilts and comfortables in abundance, from the boxes which you
sent. " The food furnished to the sick was abundant, varied, and
excellent. Fresh bread, butter, eggs, fresh beef in the form of
soup, tea and coffee, boiled rice, stewed apples, canned fruits,
with wine and ale to those requiring them."
* * * * * * *
" I may perhaps weary you with an enumeration of these de
tails, -but you must remember that not an article of food or
clothing was dispensed on our boat; which was not your gift. - •
"On Sunday religious services were performed by Mr, Merwm,
and aa cleanliness is next to godliness^ our convalescenta were

•36
tempted to self-purification by the offer of a pair of socks to every
one who would wash his feet, to those who would perforin a
general ablution, clean shirts and drawers. In this way, with
little trouble to ourselves, we soon brought our whole cargo of
living freight into a more comfortable and presentable condi
tion." * * *
The records of this humane service of the Western river
Hospital Transports have not yet been given to the public, but
the statistics and results are said to exceed those of the Bame
kind of service in the Eastern field. At the same time the
Commission's Camp Inspectors were laboring in every corps
d?armee in the Southwest ; yet, we believe, that in that field,
more than in the East, the duties pertaining to Supplementary
Supplies of "sanitary stores" have considerably and continually
overshadowed those of the sanitary inspection of camps. But it
would appear from the publications of the Commission, and
from the statements made by all army correspondents, as well as
by the medical officers of the forces there, that aside from im
provement of sanitary police in the camps, the supplying of
anti-scorbutics — fresh vegetables, fruit-, &c. — has been the first,
greatest, and most constant hygienic necessity among these
forces,* and that the Sanitary Commission has fully appreciated
that necessity, and has munificently provided for it these two
past years.
Upon a preceding page we have alluded to the New Medical '
Act, with the enlargements, reforms, aud new life, it promised'

* That this view of the importance of the anti scorbutic '-sanitary stores" is
not an over-e-»timate, will appear in a subsequent section of this narrative: But
the wtitcr will here quote a remark that has, on the day of this writing been mado
In his presence by a distinguished Medical Director in our Southern army: 
"No other official duty," said this Medical Director, "during all my service last
year, seemed so important, or actually did so much for the health and military
effectiveness of our forces, as the aid t rendered the Sanitary Commission nnd"the
Commissariat in supplying the men with vegetables anil fruit. The demon of
fScuvvy was lurking in all our camps and hospitals, and with potatoes, onions and
other anti-scorbutic stores, we hunted him thence."

37

to the medical service of the army, and the relief it would
afford to the Sanitary Commission. The hope of such resulta
from that Act and the influence and labors of the new Surgeon-
General and the Corps of Inspectors, was not disappointed;
although the failure of the Senate to confirm a competent In
spector-General, as provided by that Act, greatly diminished the
effectiveness of that Corps. But -we find in the " Hospital
Transports''' the fact emphatically stated by Mr. Olmsted, the
Commission's Secretary, that the new statute, and the chief
officer under it, did immediately inaugurate improvements
vitally important to the forces in the field. Mr. Olmsted, in
his note, says : —
" Shortly after the battle of Fair Oaks, the new and vastly
more provident, liberal, and wisely economical policy introduced
into the medical service, with the appointment of Dr. Hammond
as Surgeon-General, and of the new corps of Medical Inspectors,
began to be felt in the Army of the Potomac, — and although
many of the agents necessary to the perfect success of that
policy were unable at once to accommodate their habits to the
required change, the Commission, scrupulously adhering to ita
purpose to do nothing which the properly responsible officials in
any department evinced any readiness to do without its assist
ance, had the satisfaction of seeing the necessity for its special
service, in connection with the hospital transports, grow gradu
ally smaller and smaller."
And in another note Mr. Olmsted quotes from one of hia
letters to the Surgeon-General, as follows:—
" Steamboat ' Wilson Small,' 1
Off White House, Va., June 17, 1862. \
"My deak General, — Your very prompt action, of which
I am notified by your telegram of this date, in securing the
shipment of large supplies of anti-scorbutics to the Army of the
Potomac, without waiting tor the Medical Director to assume
the responsibility of ordering them, leads me to hope that you
may think it right in like maimer to interpose for the protection
of the army from other evils, for which the remedies are equally
obvious, and more readily attainable.

38
" I therefore urge that tarpaulings, old sails, felt, or canvas in
bolts, with means of putting it together, be sent here imme
diately, in quantities sufficient to form a shelter for ten thousand
wounded men." * * * i
In another note in the " Hospital Transports" it is stated
that, " During the month after the army reached and intrenched
itself on the James Biver, the vessels managed by the Com
mission probably did a better service in what they brought to
the army, than in the comfort they secured to the sick who were
sent away upon them." And yet we find that the demands for
both these kinds of service from the Commission, and for the
continuance of its co-operation with the medical department,
continually kept pace with each other, for a letter from an hos
pital transport at Harrison's Landing, says :
" The promptness with which the cargo — nearly a thousand
" barrels — would have been discharged, wiil be somewhat affected
" by the inability of some of the regiments of Heintzelman's
" corps to send transportation, on account of a movement for
" which they are ordered to stand in readiness to-day 
" The sudden orders given yesterday for the immediate trans-
" portation of several thousand sick, have caused an influx of
" sick to the landing, overrunning all that the exertions of the
" Medical Director could do to provide for them 
*******
" As the poor fellows, many of them just getting up from fever,
" had been, in most cases, finding their way trom the camps to the
" landing on foot, during the night, their want was urgent. For-
" tunately, we had a good supply of the concentrated beef ofthe
" Maison Doree, New York, Martinez's preparation [beef-juice],
" and were not long in getting ready an excellent breakfast for
" them. It is in just such cases as this, where misery is massed,
" and where what is done tells not only for the relief of misery, but
i " for the strength of the army, and the putting down of the rebel-
¦" lion, that we find the greatest satisfaction in stepping in with the
" gifts of the people. Many of these men were in just the eon-
" dition in which a set-back would be likely to lead to a relapse
" and lingering disease, and in which again, if they were well
" cared for, they might be built up rapidly, and soon be sent
" .back to their muskets." 

39
While the Sanitary Commission was thus held to its life-
saving and humane work in the Peninsula campaign, even to the
last, the national forces that had so triumphantly conquered
firm footholds upon the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia, .anjd
Florida, and upon the Mississippi, as well as within the scathed
and desolated inland borders of the rebel territory, were at eveyy
point experiencing necessities that created demands upon its
resources which were even more urgent than at earlier pe
riods of the war; and in endeavoring to meet such wide-
extended requirements, the Commission was impelled to throw
in its agencies and its means of supply, to the utmost limit
of its exchequer. The -demands were immense, and there is
incidental evidence that the bottom of its treasury was &r
months very suggestively , and painfully visible . to its finance
committee. But the Commission's policy would not permit it
'to hold the hand in doing and disbursing so long, as it hadsa
j dollar to sustain its operations. In a letter, which we find in
one of the Commission's published documents, the earnest pur
pose and determination in regard to the work and the means for
accomplishing it, are thus expressed by the General Secretary to
his Associate Secretary, Dr. Newberry, at the West : — " The
" governing purpose of the organizaMon is to avoid delay aiM
" circumlocution to the end of accomplishing efficiency and direcp-
" ness of action. All practicable checks and methods consistent
" with and subsidiary to this are to. be observed. None are to ty
"cored for which assuredly interfere with it. * * * *
" Wliat one mem cannot do, two must. It is immaterial whether
" the work is done here or there. The question is one of time,
" not of trouble. When the money gives' out, we are to scuttle
" and go down— till then, do our work thoroughly."
While working in this spirit, and always most gratefully
withdrawing from any responsibility or burden whiph the

40
Medical Department would fully assume, the extent and terrible
energy ofthe National struggle, and the corresponding enlarge
ment ofthe forces by new levies, served to augment the inevita
ble demands upon the Sanitary Commission. General Mc-
Clellan's Army, reinforced by General Burnside's, had united
with General Pope's forces, received terrible shocks from Lee
and Jackson's combined attacks, and thus required the Sanitary
Commission to send forward with our pursuing troops such
meansof supplementary aid as its Central Office could then com
mand. The Commission was in session in Washington at the time of
the great battle at Antietam, and, with confidential advices
concerning the urgent necessities of the occasion, its orders and
arrangements for answering those wants were not restricted or
delayed a moment in view of the impending exhaustion of
means. The following extracts from published Minutes and
Documents show what the Commission did, and something of
the way of its doing :
"The Secretary reported that since the commencement of
active operations in Maryland, and previous to yesterday, five
wagons and one railroad car, loaded with supplies, had been
Bent by the Commission to and beyond Frederick ; that six
Surgeons and Inspectors of the Commission, with a car-load
of supplies, were sent on yesterday afternoon ; that three wag
ons left Washington for the front ofthe army on the Upper
Potomac at 12 o'clock last night, with a party of eio-ht, in
charge of Drs. Agnew and Harris ; that a train oi" army wagons
are how loading with supplies, to be despatched immediately
for the battle-field, also by way of Frederick ; that Dr. Crane
had been previously stationed at Chambersburg or Hagarstown,
with large discretionary powers to act for the Commission ; and
that despatches had beeii sent to Philadelphia, ordering the pur
chase of large supplies at that point ; that these, with stores for
warded to Hagarstown in charge of special agents " * *
* * * * * * fe * * *
• "The.bjattle of Antietam was in progress, and durinr* the
Session several wagon trains, one of them accompanied lay a
member of the Commission, departed for the battle-field from

41

before the door of the building in which the session was held.
More than 30,0(10 articles of clothing, with several tons of
articles of nourishment, stimulants, ifcc, were sent during tbe
week from the Washington depot, for distribution to the
wounded by the method of the Commission."
The battles at Corinth, Iuka, and Perryville, followed closely
upon the bloody engagements of our forces in Virginia and
Maryland, and though remote from the base of supply, those
fields were likewise witness to the timely aid of the Sanitary
Commission. In a report of the relief work at Perryville, Dr.
Eeed. the Sanitary Commission's agent there, says :
" On our arrival we learned that we were the first to bring
relief where help was needed more than tongue can tell. Instead
of 700, in first reported, at least 2,500 Union and rebel toldiers
were at that time lying in great suffering and destitution about
Perrysville and Harrodsburg.
" In addition to these, many had already been removed, and
we had met numbers of those whose wounds were less severe,
walking and begging their way to Louisville, 85 miles distant.
To these we frequently gave help and comfort by sharing with
them the slender stock of food and spirits we had taken with
us." " There had been almost no preparation for the care of the
wounded at Perryville, and as a consequence the suffering from
want of help of all kinds, as well as proper accommodations,
food, medicines and hospital stores, was excessive. For this
Btate of things, however, the surgeons are not to blame. Both
those in authority and those in attendance had done, and were
doing, all in their power to prevent and mitigate the suffering
to which I have alluded. The fault lies higher than they — with
the superior military authorities, who withheld from the surgeon
the information, and denied them the resources, whic1' alone
would have. enabled them to meet the emergencies of the case.
********* " Surgeons were then notified that stores could be had, and
they were rapidly given out. There were, at this time, some
1,8U() wounded in and about Perryville. They were all very
dirty ; few had straw or" other bedding ; some were without
blankets, others had no shirts; and even now, five days after the
battle, some were being brought in from temporary places
of shelter, whose wounds had not yet been dressed. Every
house was a hospital, all crowded, and with very little to eat."

42

At Corinth and Iuka, the Inspector, Dr. Warriner, reports
that the Commission had prepared itself beforehand, by massing
its supplies at Bolivar and Columbus. And it is a fact full of
significance that, although the regular Medical authorities made
every exertion to meet the wants of the armies in the Southvpest,
and to liberally anticipate the demands of battle-fields, we
should find the following special order, promulgated by Major-
General Bosecrans : —
" Head-Quarters 14th Army Corps, 1
" Department oe the Cumberland, >•
"Nashville, Dec. 11th, 1862.)
" The General Commanding, appreciating the vast amount of
food which the soldiers of this Army are deriving from the
anitary stores distributed among them by the United Statea
Sanitary Commission, directs : ; •
_ " That all officers in this department render any aid, eon-
sistent with their duties, to the agents of this society— and
afford them every facility for the execution of their charitable
work. " By order of
"Maj. Gen. W. S. Bosecrans." •
l
While from the Medical, Director of the Dansville Distrust,
then populous with military patients in hastily extemporized
Hospitals, the following hearty and grateful acknowledgments
were made to the Commission's Western Secretary. We extract
them from a letter in Document No. 64, of the Commissioil's
publications : —
" When the hospitals were first established in this district we
were almost entirely destitute of hospital and medical supplies
including^ almost every article necessary for the comfort oi, the
sick. With an unusually large number of sick and wounded on
our hands, we were compelled to see them suffer without the
proper means of affording them relief.
" The condition of things was immediately telegraphed to tlie
Medical Purveyor in Louisville, and that officer with his usual
promptness at once furnished everything necessary to render our
sick comfortable, but from some cause the supplies were detained

43

several weeks on the road, and were not received until long after
those arrived that were sent by the Sanitary Commission.
" Considering the large number of sick and wounded in the
District, (between six and seven thousand,) and the almost total
absence of everything necessary to render them comfortable,* I
have no doubt that the timely aid afforded by the Commission
in this single instance has been the means of preventing much
suffering as well as of saving many valuable lives."
At the period of which we now write, nearly a million soldiers
were enrolled in the national army, and the Military Hospitals,
though they had rapidly increased their capacity, and immensely
extended and improved their facilities and their hygienic ap
pliances, were already overcrowded, so that at the end of October
the Medical Department had upon its hands the care of more
than a hundred thousand sick and wounded men in organized
hospitals, in addition to the daily medical and sanitary wants of
the vast armies in the field. At that period the several corps of
medical officers consisted of —
.^Regimental .Surgeons  about 1,000.
Do. Assistant do  " 1,200.
Surgeons of Regular Btaff (old corps.)  50.
Assistant Surgeons do. do  125.
Surgeons of Volunteers (Regulars for the war.)  140.
Assistant do. do. « do. -  "UO.
Medical Cadets (undergraduates, dressers.)  50.
Civilian Surgeons, under contract by the month  1,250.
These, under the Surgeon-General, with his special corps of
eight Medical and Sanitary Inspectors, as provided by the New
* In a special report of the battle-field work of the Commission at Perryville,
Dr. Newbebky, the Western Secretary, after designating the official heads upon
whom rested the responsibility for the needless suffering upon that field, remarks
that, " from a combination of causes, the condition of the wounded in this fight
¦was peculiarly distressing. No adequate provision had been made for their care.
The stock of medicines and hospital stores in the hands of the surgeons was in
significant. Thev bad almost no ambulances, no tents, no hospital furniture, and
j.jj) ******* **»*
no proper food. ***** •*•
Dr. Newberry reiterates, as every member of the Sanitary Commission has
done again and again, that the first remedy to be applied is, " the addition lo the
medical cokps of a body of trained assistants, whose duty it shall be to gather up and
remove the wounded from the battle field, and perform for them the first necessary
offices of relief; and entrusting to that department independent means of transpor
tation and subsistence for the sick, much will be done lo economise life, prevent
Suffering, and improve the health of the vrmy." — (See Document 64.

44
Medical Act, were charged with the medical and surgical care
and all the administrative service of the General and Field Hos
pitals ; and with the sanitary and medical service of nearly
eMit hundred thousand men in the field.
With such overwhelming responsibilities, and in times so
momentous, the Medical Department could not dispense with
that systematic and well considered aid which the Sanitary
Commission was promptly rendering in. every field; nor
did the Commission find opportunity to withdraw itself from
the responsibilities which it had found augmenting in an even
ratio with the extraordinary efforts that had been put forth to
meet the demands that human life and bur national life were
presenting, and which most urgently, throughout the long linea
of our armies, and in the wards of the ever-enlarging military
hospitals, commanded its attention. And though the Commis
sion did endeavor gradually to diminish its work of camp inspec
tion, and its daily reports of such inquiry, the time never ar
rived when it could entirely throw off its 'responsibility and its
interest in that most important department, nor is it probable it
ever can relinquish such duty while the war lasts. It is as
essential to the military effectiveness of the forces in the field as
it is important to the Commission, as the best source of definite
knowledge ofthe causes and the preventive agencies with which
the Commission is concerned.
In the city and immediate vicinity of Washington alone there
were, in October of that year, between sixty and seventy large
edifices occupied as General Hospitals, ahd, with the Field Hos
pital at Harewood, containing at one time nearly 30 000 sick
and wounded men. At Frederick were 5,000 wounded men from
the battle-fields of Northern Maryland, filling the churches and
other public buildings ; and at Louisville, Nashville, St. Louis
and various other points, vast numbers of sick and wounded were
likewise accumulated from the greatly imperilled armies of the

45
Southwest. Only a year previously to this period the Sanitary
Commission had furnished plans and earnestly recommended the
construction of the first pavilion hospitals, and urged the entire
abandonment of old hotels and other unsuitable structures that
were at that time being leased and occupied as hospitals. In
the autumn of 1862, a large number of extensive pavilion hospi
tals had been completed ; yet the exigencies of the summer and
autumn campaigns had filled a vast number of churches and other
pnblic buildings with the sick and wounded. And in view of the
vital importance of knowing and anticipating the perils and
hygienic wants of such crowded hospitals, the Sanitary Com
mission undertook a special inspection of all the General Hospi
tals, the enlightened Surgeon-General having authorized such
inspection, with advisory powers.
Under the guidance of a committee, composed of Drs. Wm. II.
Van Buren, Wolcott Gibbs and C. B. Agnew, a suitable number
of distinguished members of the medical profession were selected
and invited to accept temporary appointments, for pursuing these
inspections. This important work was commenced immediately
after the battles in Northern Maryland, and, under the special
superintendence of Dr. Henry G. Clark, of Boston, it was con
tinued until May last. These hospital inspections had com
manded the highest talent of the profession, and in the more
permanent duties connected with this work, a distinguished
expert and special inspector engaged upon practical improve
ments in ventilation, Dr. David Boswell Beid, died while on
active duty.,
The beneficial results of this temporary undertaking can only
be estimated by the hospital statistics of death-rates and conva
lescent-time-rates, in the hospitals,— improved and unimproved.
The reports of the Inspectors, of course, are unpublished ; but in
his first published statement respecting the progress and results

46
of the work, as seen in the month of November, 1862, we find
its Superintendent, Dr. Clark, saying that—
" The suggestions, contained in the reports, with regard to
defects and 'evils found to be existing in any of the Hospitals,
have, when transmitted by me, as they are frequently, by ex
tracts, synopses, or verbally, to the sm-geon, invariably received
his immediate and effective attention.
" An inspection of the reports of the different Inspectors, at
different and consecutive dates, will also show, in many in
stances, a very marked and progressive improvement in the con
dition of the Hospitals inspected.
" This improvement has, no doubt, been partly owing to the
natural effects of time, and the better experience and opportu*
nities of the officers in charge, but partly, also, I am assured by
the surgeons themselves, to the friendly influence of the In
spectors, and of the establishment, in this way, of a sort of
standard of excellence. In fact, it is impossible but that the
opinions of men ,of standing and knowledge in the profession
should have its proper weight upon a class of earnest, hard
working, and many of them capable men, upon whom the acci
dents of war have unexpectedly and suddenly cast the gravest
labors and responsibilities."
In the Documents from which we have just quoted, we find
that an Inspector reports as follows : " The most urgent and
" instant want, not only of the places I have officially visited,
" but of every military station in the West where I have been,
" is — Hospitals." But, to the" honor of the Medical Bureau, it
must be stated, that every effort was being made to provide'
appropriate and well supplied hospitals, and that before the
Sanitary Commission's special inspection of the hospitals had'
terminated, the West as well as the East had ample and excel
lent General Hospitals. In Document 56, of the Commission's
publications, Dr. Clark, the Inspector-in-Chief, remarks :
" I feel bound to say in relation to them, that, in so large a
field, it would be wonderful not to find some weeds • to start
and put into working order the ponderous machinery o'f Hospi
tals which contain, in the mass, more than 70,000 beds without

47

any 'friction, would be a miracle. Let us, then, instead of criti
cising too sharply, rather admire the energy, the skill, the admin
istrative capacity, shown in extemporizing and systematizing an
agency so beneficent and so grand."
The history of Military Hospitals in all wars of modern times
fully justified the, liberal plans of the Surgeon-General's new
pavilions, and abundantly warranted the practical concern that
the Sanitary. Commission manifested for the improvement of all
the Hospitals,* and for their adequate supply of sanitary appli-

* It -was said by Sir John Pringle, the distinguished Army Surgeon of the
'Walcheren Campaigns, that "Hospitals are among the chief causes of mortality'
in armies ;" and an eminent French surgeon of the same period, asserted that
" ^Hospitals are a curse to civilization." And such strong terms of denunciation
were justified, by tbe high death-rate that prevailed in military hospitals in for
mer times. Even in the recent Crimean campaign, Miss Nightingale and the
Sanitary Commission found a frightful rate of mortality in the hospitals ; the per
centage of deaths {46.1 per cent, in the hospitals of Scutari and Koulali, in Febru
ary, 1855), was nearly as great as the percentage of recoveries. But that alarm-
, ing mortality was speedily checked by specific sanitary works, so that the death-
rate fell to two or three per cent. (2.2 per cent, in the same hospitals) of cases
treated. Miss Nightingale states, that there was " in the first seven months of the
Crimean campaign, a mortality among the troops at the rate of 60 per cent, per
annum from disease alone.''  And that ^during the last five months
of that campaign — after the sanitary1 improvements came into operation — " The
mortality among the troops in the Crimea did not exceed 11.5 per 1,000 (or .1.1
per cent.) per annum.
Justly doe3 that devoted lady exclaim : "Is not this the most complete experi
ment in army hygiene ? We cannot try the experiment over again for the benefit
of inquirers at home, like a chemical experiment. It must be brought forward as
a'h'islorical example."
The United States Sanitary Commission having sprung into existence under the
light and impulse of such examples, had early occasion to give warning against the
perils of which our national forces and their hospitals were exposed from the class
of Causes to which Miss Nightingale alludes.
In Document No, 42* of the Commission's publications, we find quoted a Report
upon the " Condition of Military Hospitals in Grafton and Cumberland, by Dr.
Wm. A. Hammond, Assistant Surgeon TJ. S. Army;" in -which that intelligent
ojficer describes 21 hospitals where fevers and a threatening mortality, were prevail
ing ; and the following opinion, which Surgeon Hammond expresses concerning one of
the largest of those fever-nests, shows what perilous evils existed in many of our
mjltyary. hospitals during the first year of the war: "I do not hesitate to say, that
such a condition of affairs does not exist in any other hospital in the civilised world;..
and that this hospital is altogether worse than "any which were such cpprobria to
the allies in the Crimean war."

48
ances and "sanitary stores." We have already referred to. the
practical efforts of the Commission in that direction during tbe
first months of the war. And it is a fact worthy of note in this
place, that some of the ablest Beports that have yet been made
npon ths subject of our Military Hospitals, were hastily prepared
in the regular course of his official duty, by Assistant-Surgeon
Hammond, now the Surgeon-General.
In its earliest labors, at the opening of the war, the Sanitary
Commission had expressed its intelligent- concern for the institu
tion of an adequate and most improved system of military
hospitals, and of hospital administration, nursing, and supplier
and in its later efforts for improvements in this department of the
medical service, it enjoyed the heartiest and most enlightened
co-operation of the Surgeon-General. And in this, as in other
fields of its labors, the Commission possessed an independent'
and very reliable means for guiding and determining in advance
the measures, or at least the special functions, that from timeito
time have been required at its hands by the sanitary interest&of
the army and the army hospitals. Its scheme of systenrigffl
statistical inquiries and records whiih was instituted prior to tli$
first battles, and which had analytically registered the vital and
sanitary statistics of the first engagement of our forces at Bull
Run was more complete than any attempted in previous ware,
soon had grown into a well-ordered Bureau of Sanitary and
Vital Statistics. Under the guidance of the General Secre
tary of the Commission, the skillful Actuary of that Bureau
was charged with the duty of applying the most exacting analy
sis "to the voluminous reports that daily reached the Commis
sion's central office from its inspectors and agents throuo-houfe
the Union lines. By this means the Sanitary Commission lias
always enjoyed peculiar advantages. Through this class of la
bors it has been able to indicate with comparative certainty the
Sanitary perils, weakness,, or wants of the National forces.

49

Whoever will look into Mr. Elliott's Bureau of figures and facta
at the Commission's central office will be able to understand
something of the work of that Bureau and what are the practical
and verifying values of its anticipating estimations as well aa
of its ex post facto registries. Impossible as it is to quote any
abstract of statistics in this place, the reader may obtain, from
the following extracts, some idea of the nature and practical
relations of deductions that are daily attained by that depart
ment of the Commission's labor. We quote from Document
No. 46 of the Commission's publications :
' " It will be remarked that the mortality of the armies re
cruited at the West (and which as a rule operate at the West) ia
Jilmost three times (3.01) that of the troops recruited in the Mid
dle and New England States (and which as a rule serve with the
armies of the East), the Western rate from wounds received in
action being five (4.9) times, and that from disease and accident,
a little less than three (2.8) times as great as the corresponding
Eastern rates."

" A like contrast is observed in the sickness-rates of the troops
East and West, the rate of the latter (one hundred and sixty-
one per 1,000) being more'than twice (more exactly 2.1 times)
that of the former (namely, seventy-six per 1,000) : the average
constant sickness rate for the entire army, so far as returned,
being one hundred and four (104.4) per 1,000 strength."
*******
" There is reason for the belief that the excess of the rates of
Bickness and mortality in our Western armies over those in the
East, is due in no small degree, not merely to the greater activity
of the former in the field, to over-exertion and exposure, as the
results of severe and long-continued marches, and to stubborn
and deadly encounters with the enemy in arms ; but also, to
badly chosen camp sites, to imperfect and neglected drainage,
(the nature of the surface and soil not unfrequently being such
that suitable camp sites, free from malaria, and affording ample
facilities for drainage could not be found, if sought) ; to the too
crowded condition of hospitals ; to less of variety in food (soft
bread and dessicated vegetables in very many Western regiments
being seldom or never had,) and to less of skill and care in ita
preparation ; to water of impure quality and sometimes of in-
4

50
sufficient quantity ; to the greater disposition on the part of tHe
soldiers to negleci appliances for personal comfort ; and to ttye
greater neglect of, or a lack of means for enforcing cleanliness of
person and camp." * * * °
It pertains no less to the history of the Sanitary Commission^
labors than to that of the Medical Department's progress th^-
BO far as has seemed practicable, the Department has manifest?
endeavored to extend its official methods or its official sa*irti$
to all the plans and appliances ofthe Commission; and iliW' ' r
Commission has from the beginning studiously adapMv ' ¦&
its special methods and labors, whether temporary or pernuu„ ,
to work in harmony with the regulations and official nect': X |J
of the medical service. The statistical inquiries of th'eM. '& '•¦<
mission, and the Surgeon-General's "Medical Historf-:Tr;aX:4
War," illustrate this fact. In that class of labors tk#;1 '' s&
mission first opened the way, and has popularized and cftiWeW
defend the work ;* and we doubt, if it has yet suggested ^
scheme of reform affecting the medical or sanitary service winlinj
army, which has not directly or indirectly been affirme" -A "••>
practically sustained by some definite action of Govern0! j*)
This tendency, which is really inevitable, has been very stril '' ''' '¦¦ii
¦  —  _(j
 ¦¦.»
* Says an eminent journalist: — "How much life and vital force does t> - \ ^X
" War for the Republic necessarily and inevitably require, and how tuueh- d, -;iit,
"needlessly waste, are questions that not only concern every citizen a/jd t([-c»i
"home in the land, but profoundly concern tbe State and the greatj jr^eslijjj
" humanity." * ' ~J.
J ?orfT .»V
******** *-iw8!J-
"It is a fact well known to the profession that, in the earlier period of theT"
" it was regarded as doubtful whether the suddenly gathered medical staff oTi' ¦
" volunteer army could or would be brought into the habit and duty of faiW »:.
*' reporting statistics, and practically enforcing systematic sanitary regulations tteti
" exact hygienic observations." * * * * »
In a recent "Report ofthe Committee on the Preparation of Army Mt'i ¦ ..!
Statistics," dc, for the British Government, and of which Lord Herb* < „ i.f.p
Chairman, the practical importance of such statistical records is thu, niTKl

51
illustrated by the sequence of events in these measures winch
from time to time have been instituted against scurvy and other
pamp diseases in our armies. The Statistical Bureau of the
Medical Department to-day is organized, and its returns are
being analyzed, and the practical conclusions are being published
r»° r the benefit of the army ; pavilion hospitals^ are substituted
§sd old-style structures ; camp-cooking receives increased attent
ion fmd the Commission's Department of Belief responds to the
lo tdtions of the Sanitary Inspectors, and instantly forwards to
flv^i^tiated camps and hospitals such anti-scorbutics and special
;iWiii^es as are demanded ; and, subsequently, the regular Comi-
tffk <•¦'. >'iat and Quartermaster's Departments find it practicable
jii' i ..cpedient to procure and bring forward similar and abun*-
fc rg l .ti- plies, as advised by the medical staff; and then, again,
91 L i. litary Commission's functions in that line will cease until
v^ '^ocessities recur. In various other ways, and continually^
.v -"s this principle hold true, and it should be mentioned, to the
Sj^Una credit of the Medical Department, that, under all the
ii&Vluf .tions and official difficulties of their mutual relations, it
^j^ns with the Commission such an entente cordiale as
jjjJBFagJsaits constituted agents and supplementary appliances wel-
!'W),. n every camp and hospital, and upon every battle-field. ,

iroifir.

; ¦ ;j(jjaiftB."»orta exhibiting tbe results of extensive observations over a wide field
" seri to measure the influences of each known cause of health; and will
X' (babl- fekd to the discovery of new causes, both of impaired and of vigorous
¦¦-' will contain new contributions to the science of health, in which
, v. hole nation is concerned."
ft <'he reports will be the means of improving the health of the army. They
i,!,i*fil 'Contribute to diminish the army's sickness, which is attended -with expense
•i =11 as suffering. For a sick army is the worst extravagance in which a nation
"^ ri'indulge. . . ¦ • •-*¦' the same time they will effect a still more important saving;
Mbi they will nare the lives of our soldiers'.  If soldiers die in battle by
i:|WiMr«"3s, they die of disease in hospitals by thousands  The economy of
JLbei iS-sUing directly' from the information which statistical returns supply, has
1 fcsiv ..;fi*-*dy strikingly exemplified," Ac.

52
' In the history of the Sanitary Commission's relations to the
medical and other departments of the army service, and in its
jbest labors' for the conservation of life and effectiveness in the
forces, there must be many passages that cannot properly be
made public during the progress of the war. In searching
out official delinquencies and defects that imperil the health
of the troops, and in reporting facts and opinions to the higher
-military authorities, and in the greater part of its intercourse
and correspon deuce with Heads of Departments, Bureaus, or
military organizations, and likewise, in nearly all efforts to
procure reform of abuses, as well as in most of its duties of In
quiry and Advice, the Sanitary Commission's work is, and must
continue to be, unpublished, and to the public unknown. But
there is abundant evidence that this class of duties is discharged
most fearlessly and faithfully, and that it has constituted the
burden of the Commission's work, from the day of its organiza
tion to the present time.
It suffices that the people know the fact that the Sanitary
Commission faithfully performs its duty to the army and the
Government in such matters as in war-times must be as confi
dential as they are searching and fearless. But there is a de
partment of the Commission's work most interesting and
humane, and which unreservedly invites the popular attention
and concern, and it is the duty of the public to know all about
it, for it is the peoples share in, and contribution to, the Sanitary
Commission's great work of life-saving and humane ministry in
the war.
The Department of Relief. —In every town and hamlet,
and probably in every household in the loyal States it is
known that the United States Sanitary Commission provides
and distributes material aid to the sick and wounded" in
the camps and hospitals. This knowledge of a particular fiinV

53
tion of the Commission not only was the first, but continues to
be almost the only information that has generally gained access
to the people respecting its character and purposes as an institu
tion ofthe Government; and this has led to some curious
results, for example, by a singular but significantnietonymy, a
single branch of this incidental function of special relief, in
the matter of hospital garments, delicacies, concentrated articles
of diet, and the means of cleanliness, etc., soon became known
and designated as "sanitary stores;" and, innocent of philolog
ical definations or technical distinctions, multitudes of Soldiers'
Aid Societies and Village Sewing Circles' at once assumed the
title of " Sanitary Commission ;" or, often, more modestly and
properly, " Branch of the U. S. Sanitary Commission."* But'
the U. S. Sanitary Commission can afford to regard such inno
cent misnomers only with gratitude, so long as it maintains
a special Department of Belief, which, among other duties, re
ceives, classifies, and disburses the people's offerings to" the sick
and wounded. Indeed, the Aid Societies are true Branches.
The department of Belief and Supplementally Supplies is nearly
a complete institution of itself, and although it has been elaborated
and organized within the Sanitary Commission — constituting
what was expressly designated in the Commission's original
Scheme of Organization, the third stem of the branch of "Ad-.
vice ;" [there being two branches of duty assigned to the Com-,
mission — 1. Inquiry ; 2. Advice] — it has a history and a pur
pose peculiarly its own. In its organization, however, the
framers of the Commission manifestly had a purpose every way
worthy the grand results that have flowed from it; for, in their

* " Branch of the United Slates Sanitary Commission" is now a fully authorized'
title for the Central Auxiliaries of the Commission's Supply Department, and well
is that title honored by such tributary Associations as those whose good works we
shall presently mention.

54

Scheme of Organization, as approved by the Bresident and the:
Secretary of War, we find the following among other state-'
ments "forecasting upon! this subject, when arranging for duties,
pertaining to the third stetn^ as just mentioned : —
" 3. A sub-conimittee in direct relation with the State govern
ments, and with the public associations of benevolence. First,
to secure uniformity of plans and then proportion and harmony
of action; and, finally, abundance of supplies in moneys and
goods, for such extra purposes as the laws do not and cannot
provide for."
7 *******
; .; . . . ... "Thus the organizing, methodizing, and
reducing to serviceableness, the vague, disproportioned, and
hap-hazard benevolence of the public, might bo successfully
accomphshed." ....
We have already mentioned that at the beginning of the war
the Commission had instituted methods of systematic relief in
military hospitals, and that it also undertook what it then
termed "irregular" rehef for the benefit of the sick, the way
worn and hungry, and the disabled or destitute soldiers found
dbout all the great mihtary depots. How exceedingly regular.
and well organized this branch of the Belief service became we
shall presently see. But the other and main branch of Beliel,
for the sick and wounded iri camps and hospitals, was, from the
beginning, a systematic business.
The whole work of Sanitary Belief, whether under circuih-i
stances that were regular, or under those that were irregular >
soon became strictly systematic ; and although sufficiently ex-'
pansible and independent in its several branches and methods to
meet the greatest variety and urgency of exigencies all this.
business has been studiously harmonized in a central plan. It
may be classified as follows :

55
' Hospital Supplies and "Sanitary
Stores" to General Hospitals ;
\ Hospital Supplies and " Sanitary
General Belief to( Stores" to Rattle-felds and Field
Hospitals ;
' " Sanitary Stores " to the Regimental
Hospitals and Armies in the Field.
' Needy or Sich soldiers in the vicinity
of Military Depots /
Needy or Sick soldiers accepting fur
lough or discharge from service ,'
I Prisoners and paroled men, and indi
te t> / vidual cases of special suffering
wherever found among soldiers, for
which the Army Regulations fail to
provide •
The Sick and Wounded and their
Friends, by the Hospital Directory
and other means.
The Belief Department of the Commission's work has, from
the beginning, received the most intelligent and painstaking
care from the whole body of the Commission and from the best
men that could be commaffided for its service. And to the
branch of " Special Belief" work not only did the Bresident and
General Secretary bring all the power of their earnest minds,
but Brovidence brought a Superintendent and Chief Aid who,
from the scenes of the first Bull Bun, to the preseut hour, has
given to this work for the soldier and the people such zealous,
discreet, and beneficent services as few men could give, and such
as probably n^ man ever before rendered in such work.*
* "During the dark days immediately succeeding the first battle of Bull Run, a
clergyman from Massachusetts was among the foremost in administering to the
wants and alleviating the distresses of our troops at the national capital. His
means at first were simple enough. A pail full of coffee and a basket full of bread

56

Studiously consulting the necessities of the army and hospi
tals, and after advising with military and medical officials, the
Commission early succeeded in bringing forward supplement- '
ary supplies and in offering special relief in a great variety of
ways and by methods so appropriate, effectual, and acceptable, as
to commend this work to all classes of Government authorities.
Of this there is good evidence from the fact that, early in the
autumn of 1861, when the Commission issued a circular inviting
general contributions of special supplies for the sick and wounded,
that appeal was endorsed by an emphatic note of approval from
Pbesident Lincoln and Geneeal Scott.*
Through its Sanitary Inspectors, and by other means of in
formation from the camps and hospitals, the Commission's ad
vices respecting their deficiences and special wants, and re

constituted the material, and a few tin cups the appliances, at his control. The
necessities of the case were numerous, urgent. — really appalling. Almost instantly
there grew up, with this same large-hearted Rev. Frederick N. Knnpp at its head,
the Special Belief Department of the Sanitary Commission. Its beginn'ngs were
small enough. ' The most we could do,' says he, in his first report, ' was to have
a place assigned us — part of the smaller building, the " Cane Factory" — where wo
put the sick as they came in, separate from the crowd of the other building, and
here we had a pile of blankets, from which we made such beds as we could, and
then brought tea and coffee and supplies for the men from the restaurant in tho
station house, or, more often, from a boarding house on Pennsylvania avenue.' First
in the crowded streets, then in a dingy workshop, and thence came the Soldiers'
Homes ofthe Sanitary Commission. Since then these beneficent institutions have
been multiplied until there is now no important place of military transfer in which
one may not be found." — Sanitary Rr porter.
* When the Postmaster-General had sent 80,000 of those circulars freely
throughout the land, he followed it by posters for every Post Office in the States,
and the following note to the Postmasters: —
"Post Office Department, Washington, October 15, 1861
" To the Postmaster at
"Sm, — You are requested to take measures to effect an organization, if none
exists, among the women of your district to respond to the accompang appealniy
of the Sanitary Commission.
"The Executive Government here very much desires to obtain the active co
operation of the women of America for the holy cause of the Union in this ap
propriate mode, and relies upon you to make known this wish to them, and aid aa
far as possible in securing iis accomplishment.
" Yours, respectfully, ** M. BLATR,
'* Poslmasier-Otneral."

51
specting exigencies occurring or anticipated, in the movements or
the engagements of the troops, have always been immediate and
definite. In that first circular, which we have mentioned as in
dorsed by Bresident Lincoln and General Scott, we find the fol
lowing statement respecting the special relief administered in
hospitals and camps : —
"Under its present organization, every camp and military
hospital, from the Atlantic to the Blains, is regularly and fre
quently visited, its wants ascertained, anticipated as far as pos
sible, and whenever it is right, proper, and broadly merciful,
supplied directly by the Commission to the extent of its ability.
Bor the means of maintaining this organization, and of exercis
ing through it a direct influence upon the officers and men
favorably to a prudent guard against the dangers of disease to
which they are subject, which is its first and principal object,
the Commission is wholly dependent upon voluntary contribu
tions to its treasury. For the means of administering to the
needs of the sick and wounded, the Commission relies upon gift
offerings of their own handiwork from the loyal women of the
land. It receives not one dollar from Government.
" A large proportion of the gifts of the people to the army,
hitherto have been wasted, or worse than wasted, because directed
without knowledge or discrimination. It is only through the
Commission that such gifts can reach the army with a reasonable
assurance that they will be received where they will do the most
good and the least harm."
* -x- * * -x- * *
" Some special defect, error, or negligence, endangering'
health, has not been pointed out by its agents, and its removal
or abatement effected. There has not been a single instance in
which its services or advice, offered through all its various agencies
have been repulsed ; not a single complaint has been received of
its embarrassing any officer in his duty, or of its interfering with
discipline in the slightest degree. Its labors have, to this time,
been chiefly directed to induce precautions against a certain
class of diseases which have scourged almost every modern
European army, which deccimated our army in Mexico, and
which, at one time, rendered nearly half of one of our armies in
the war of 1812 unfit for service. That there are grander
causes for this ¦ than the labors of the Commission cannot be
doubted, but that, among human agencies, a larger share of
credit for it should be given to those labors, it is neither arrogant

58
nor unreasonable to assert. In this assurance, what contribution
that has hitherto been made to the treasury or the store of the
Commission is not received back tenfold in value . f •
" More than sixty thousand articles have been received by the!
Commission from their patriotic countrywomen. It is not known
that one sent to them has failed to reach its destination, nor haSj
one been received that cannot be accounted for. It is confidently
believed that there has not been of late a single case of serious
illness in the Army of the Botomac, nor wherever the organiza
tion of the Commission has been completely extended, in which
gome of these articles have not administered to the relief of
suffering." This statement was made in September, 1861, and we quote
it here as a key to the whole theory and modus operandi of thisi
business of Systematic Belief. How this branch of service in
creased in importance, and why the Sanitary Commission has
given such special attention to it, the history of our armies willi
best tell. The people seem well to understand that the best'
and surest channels through which their affectionate and homely
gifts for special relief can flow directly to their sons and brothers
in the army, are those which the Government has especially
authorized, and the Sanitary Commission laboriously and skil-i
fully prepared.
Fortunately for suffering men in hospitals and upon battkf
fields, the leading Societies of Aid for soldiers not only becamd
tributary to the Behef Department of the Sanitary Commiii
sion, but they quickly learned, how to labor and contribute sys
tematically and most effectively. And this success in learning
how to do such work and how to gather and transmit supple
mentary supphes, thus systematically, was brought about by
earnest purposes and deliberations in which women as well as
the Government Commissioners shared. In the First Beport
of the " Woman's Central Association of Belief, at New York "
we find the following sensible remarks upon this subject in a
call for the pubhc meeting that organized that model Society of

59

Aid. That call bears date April 25th, 1861, and thus it intro-
duces its object, and seems to foreshadow the work, of the Sani
tary Commission itself:*

* The following additional passages from that Circular present the objecta
which were then definitely had in view : —
¦ "To the Women of New York, and especiaUy to those already engaged in prepare
ing~ against the time of Wounds and Sickness in the Army. — The importance of
systematizing and concentrating the spontaneous and earnest efforts now making
by the women of New York, for the supply of extra medical aid to our Army
through its present campaign, must be obvious to all reflecting persons. Numer
ous societies, working without concert, organization, or head, — without any direct
understanding with the official authorities, — without any positive instructions as to
the immediate or future wants of the army, — are liable to waste their enthusiasm
in disproportionate efforts, to overlook some claims and overdo others, while they
gi*e unnecessary trouble in official quarters, by the variety and irregularity of
their proffers of help or their inquiries 'for guidance.
¦7, '*! **#**,
" To make the meeting practical and effective, it seems proper here to set forth
briefly the objects that should be kept in view. The form which woman's benevo-'
lence has already taken, and is likely to take, in the present crisis, is, first, the
contribution of labor, skill, and money in the preparation of lint, bandages, and
other stores, in aid of the wants of the Medical Staff; second, the offer of personal
services' as nurses.
, " In regard to the first, it is important to obtain and disseminate exact official in
formation as to the nature an,d variety of the wants of the army ; to give proper
direction and proportion to the labor expended, so as to avoid superfluity in some
things and deficiency in others ; and to this end, to come to a careful and thorough
understanding with the official head of the Medical Staff, through a committee
having this department in hand. To this committee should be assigned the duty
of conferring with other associations in other parts of the country, and especially
through the press, to keep the women of the loyal States everywhere informed how
their efforts may be most wisely and economically employed, aud their contribu
tions of all kinds most directly concentrated at New York, and put at the service
of the Medical Staff. A central depot would, of course, be the first thing to be de
sired. " In regard to the second form of benevolence — the offer of personal services as
nurses— it is felt that the public mind needs much enlightenment, and the overflow
ing zeal and sympathy of the women of the nation, a careful channel, not only to
prevent waste of time and effort, but to save embarrassment to the official staff,
and to secure real efficiency in the service. Should our unhappy war be continued,
the army is certain to want the services of extra nurses, not merely on account of
casualties of the field, but of the camp diseases, originating in the exposure of sol
diery to a strangeclimate and to unaccustomed hardships. The result of all the
experience of the Crimean war has been to prove the total "uselessness of any but
picked and skilled women in this department of duty.
* 35 * * * *
" To consider this matter deliberately, and to take such common action as may
then appear wise, we earnestly invite the women of New York, and the pastors of
churches, with such medical advisers as may be specially invited, to assemble for
counsel -and action, at the Cooper Institute, on Monday morning next, (April 29th,)
at eleven "o'clock."

60

" The importance of systematizing and concentrating the.
spontaneous and earnest efforts now making by the women of
New York, for the supply of extra medical aid to our army
through its present campaigns, must be obvious to all reflecting!
''persons. Numerous societies, working without concert, organ
ization, or head, without any direct understanding with the •
official authorities, without any positive instructions as to the
immediate or future wants of the army, are liable to waste their,
enthusiasm in disproportionate efforts, to overlook some claims
and overdo others, while they give unnecessary trouble in official
quarters, by the variety and irregularity of their proffers of help
or their inquiries for guidance."
In the first report of the " Soldiers' Aid Society of Northern
Ohio," an association of remarkable efficiency, organized a week,
previous to the one in New York, we find another suggestive
remark concerning the best method of. reaching the sick sol
diers' wants. That report says :
"The officers of the Society deeply felt the burden and re
sponsibility of dispensing with prudence, impartiality, and wis
dom, the precious fruits of so much, patient and loving toil,
and on October 9th, 1861, application was made for permission
to act as auxiliary to the U. S. Sanitary Commission."
There is reason to believe that the Sanitary Commis
sion assumed the care and distribution of hospital supplies with
some misgivings and only after careful inquiry, while the far-'.
seeing General Secretary, and the excellent subordinates to
whom he committed the work of " inspection" and aid, appear
to have given their best energies to the duty of thoroughly
systematizing the whole work of Belief. In the Autumn of
1861, Mr. Olmsted reports to the Commission that, —
" The principal depots of stores for the Commission are in'
New York, (under charge of the "Women's Central Belief
Association" of New York) ; at Boston ; at Frovidence, B. I • at
Fhiladelphia; at Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus Ohio •
at Wheeling, Va. ; at Louisville; at Chicago; at Cairo; at St!
Louis, and at Washington." >

Gl

The same report also states, that nearly 100,000 articles had
then been received at those depots, and that from the Washing
ton depot alone one hundred and" twenty-six hospitals had
received such supplies as that depot could furnish. As the prin
ciples and methods of distribution, which at that period had
been adopted, remain essentially the same at the present time,
we will here refer to them by quoting a concise statement that •
appears in the above-mentioned report :
" System of Distribution. — It is the duty of the Commission
to prevent, as far as possible, the sacrifice of human life to mat
ters of form and considerations of accuracy of accounts. Its
method of distribution is as thorough and exact as can be main
tained consistently with this duty."
*******
" Vouchers signed by the surgeon, or his assistant, of every
regiment or hospital aided, and countersigned by an inspector
of the Commission, who has ascertained that the articles supplied
are actually needed, have been obtained, however, for every
dollar's worth issued at all the depots directly controlled by the
Commission." " Caution is exercised in the distribution of the gifts of the
people, chiefly in the following particulars :
" 1. That they should be as fairly divided as is practicable — •
those most needy being most liberally dealt with ;
" 2. That no officer shall be unnecessarily relieved from an
existing responsibility to secure for all dependent on him all the
supplies which it is his right and duty to demand directly of
Government." The nature and extent, the business-like system, and the well-
organized methods of the Commission's Department of General
Belief and Supplementary Supply may best be appreciated by
inspecting the daily operations of that Department at one of its
principal depots, hke that at Washington or Louisville, or by
witnessing the rapid accumulation, and equally rapid disburse
ment and forwarding of "sanitary stores" at temporary depots in

62

the immediate vicinity of armies in the field, as at Chattanooga
or Morris Island. The system and methods of this work may
briefly be described as follows : — -At Washington, Louisville, and
New York, the Commission has estabhshed Central Depots ef
supply where the " sanitary stores " are systematically accumu
lated from the countless and unfailing tributaries of voluntary aid5
• — the Associations of Belief and the Soldiers' Aid Societies,— that
have been organized by the people everywhere in in the loyal
states, and which, in Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland, Bhiladelphia,
Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Detroit, Chicago, and some other great
commercial centres, have been fully systematised in grand
branches that serve as permanent auxiliaries to the Central
Depots here'mentioned.
Properly classified, packed, and made ready for shipment on
instant orders, the " sanitary stores," thus accumulated in the
Central Depots and Branches, are subject to such assignment
and distribution as the movements and exigencies of the armies
and wants of the hospitals may demand. And wherever the
exigencies and whatever the demand arising from wants of the
sick and wounded or needy, it is the first duty of the Commit!
sion's Sanitary Inspectors to direct the Behef Agents to bring
forward the requisite supply of the needed " sanitary stores,"
and distribute them to the very places where they are required!"
For the facihty and promptitude of such distribution and direct
application of these supplies there is a moveable or temporari
depot and distributing office maintained in every Department
and in almost every Corps of the Army,
Though the greater proportion of such supplementary sup
plies come directly from the hands of the loyal and humane
women of the States, there is a large and important class of
stores that can only be procured by purchase at wholesale, and
in such purchases,— mostly for " battle-field relief,"— the Sani
tary Commission has expended the golden gifts of California'^

63

But the gifts and handiwork of women are far more valuable
and important, though not more indispensible, than the contri
butions of money. The " sanitary stores " that have been sent
to the Commission's Depots by the women, already amount to
an aggregate of several milhons of articles,* possessing a cash
value that has been estimated at more than seven millions of
dollars.

* The following passage from Miss Nightingale's replies to the Questions (put
by the Eoyal Commission): — " Were any difficulties experienced in obtaining
food, clothing, bedding, and medical comfotts I" " What appears to be the
cause of such difficulties ?" and " How were theg overcome ?'' strikingly illus
trates the similarity of the wants which she met upon the Bosphorus, and
which the TJ. S. Sanitary Commission meets in our much larger hospi
tals and more hastily gathered army \ We here give the abstract of the teplies of
that remarkable woman, whom a distinguished surgeon in the hospitals at Scutari,
bas aptly termed the " Good Providence of the Barrack Hospitals :" —
" Difficulties were experienced in obtaining some articles of extra diet, shirts,
clean linen, and bedding, ward-furniture, and utensils."
. * * * * * * *
" Witb regard to stores, I can best answer * * * by putting in an abstract of
some of the principal articles supplied from. private sources to the hospitals, (fee,, at
Scutari, on requisition from medical officers, as well as those in the Crimea, and
only after ascertaining, in most instances, that the articles did not exist iri the pur
veyor's store, or were not to be issued thence : (1.)

Drinking Cups  5,477
India Bubber Sheeting (yds.)  325
Baths, Brooms, Flannel,
Soap, Bed-pans, Gloves and Mils,
Games, Combs, Thread and Tape,
Table, Brooms, Boilers,
Lanterns, Lamps, Camp Kitchens,
Cooking Stoves, die, &c,"

"Shirts (flannel and cotton)  50.008
Pairs of Drawers  6.843
Socks and Stockings  28,748
BJippers  8,626
Dressing-gowns  1,004
Handkerchiefs  10,000
Air-beds and Pillows  232
Towels  5,826
Preserved Meats (cases)  208
* * * "The purveyor purveys according to bis 'warrants,' — but the soldier,
wants according to his circumstances. The absurdity lies in attempting to pro
vide for war, an abnormal state of society, by normal rules, — non-expensive."
****** *
*' A far more serious question, however, than the want of stores, which, with
the Anglo-Saxon race, will always be supplied, in 6uch cases, by private interposi
tion, is the non-organizatioa of a system of general hospital government. For the
clash of departments which now constitutes that system cannot be called a hospital
government at all. * * *
It is a lamentable fact that tbe same clash of departments is still permitted by
our Federal authorities to interfere with the proper administration of the army
Medical Bureau, and with the government of our general hospitals.
(1.) We quote from Miss Nightingale's abstract only the more important items, and by referring
to subsequent pages the reader will be able to compare the above table with similar abstracts of the
" Woman's Central Relief Association," the Cleveland, the Boston, and other Belief tributaries ol
the Sanitary Commission.

64
In order justly to estimate the nature and the ever-recurring
necessity of the supplementary aid that is afforded by the San
itary Commission's Belief Department, the fact must be borne
in mind that the Army Begulations are not as expansible and as
facile in their applications to special and unusual emergencies
the necessities of war — especially of such a terrible contest as ours
— and the sudden wants of the sick and wounded, often demand.
And it is just here that the Sanitary Commission steps in and
quickly bridges the chasms of want, while at the same time it
throws its most friendly influence in favor of the regular sup
plies through regular military channels. But, as Miss Night
ingale has graphically said, " the soldier wants according to his
circumstances, but the purveyor purveys according to his war
rants" (regulations). And it is because the Sanitary Commis
sion has the power and the earnest purpose to come to the aid of
the Medical Department and the needy soldier, just when its
more expansible and multiform ajipliances are desired and indis-
pensible, that the people of the loyal States have so generously
elected its channels for the transmission of their, contributions of
material aid for the sick and wounded, or for the soldier wherever:
and whenever his need is most urgent. Its agencies and appli
ances of relief follow the soldier through all the encampments
bivouacks, and toilsome marches, until he reaches the battle
fields, and to those fields, as closely as non-combatants can ap
proach, it gathers its best supplies for wounded and field-worn
men. Then, in the ambulance, and to the general hospital its
" sanitary stores " are always at hand, and to the invalid the
convalescent, and the discharged soldier leaving the hospitals or
wherever he may be found in need of sanitary and friendly aid
the Commission is ever at hand with its well-organized methods
of immediate relief, and the advice that such persons require.
The peculiarity of the Commission's methods of working in eaoh

65
,-of these special fields of Belief, require separate consideration
in this narrative.
Supplementary Supplies and Special Relief upon Battle
fields.— The experience gained at Ball's Bluff, Bittsburg-
. Landing, Corinth, and upon the bloody fields of the Beninsula,
the Bappahannock, the Antietam, and Manassas, as well as in
the later great conflicts, as at Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Chat
tanooga, have impelled the Sanitary Commission to impart such
shape and resources to this department of Supplementary Sup
plies, as should render it adequate to the exigencies which inva
riably follow upon the sanguinary conflicts of our forces in the
field. We have already seen how the Commission administered its
material and personal agencies of relief and aid during the Be
ninsula campaign, and upon the earlier battle-fields, but those
aspects of this subject which most concern the people and the
soldiers we will now present somewhat more fully in detail ; for
the people have a right to know precisely how directly and cer
tainly their gifts go to mitigate the woes of the brave men who
fall in battle.
Solferino and Magenta had some of their horrors mitigated by
corps of Infirmiers Volontaires, and until the new Medical Act
. and the new Surgeon-Greneral had breathed new life and enlarge
ment into the medical service, our Army Sanitary Commission
. seemed hkely to be burdened with the duty of providing such
corps of nurses and field-hospital attendants ; and we believe
that hitherto nearly every great battle-ground of our forces has
borne witness to the readiness of the Commission to assume such
service when necessary. But on battle-fields and in the field-
hospitals, as well as in the general hospitals, the Commission
has mainly endeavored to aid the regular methods of service,

co-operating with its officers, and supplementing deficiencies as
far as practicable.*
"With independent means of transportation and disbursement,
and regardless of risks which the military bureaus are slow
to incur, the Sanitary Commission's supplies are expeditiously
thrown forward towards points where great engagements are
impending ; and the records of the timely service thus rendered
our brave men in their time of greatest need, will live with the
history of the war.
This is the method of the Sanitary Commission's work in the
vicinity of battle-fields. The Belief Department, as advised by
the Sanitary Inspectors in the field, and as directed from the
Central offices, sends forward with the moving columns of the
army, and also, when practicable, to designated convenient
points in the vicinity of the army's line of movement, such well
packed trains of selected supplies as for the time are deemed
necessary to provide for probable necessities of wounded and
exhausted men in the ambulance depots and field-hospitals. In
most of our armies, whether encamped or moving, the Commis
sion maintains a " flying depot," or special wagon-train of
" sanitary stores," under the supervision of the Inspectors and

*in support of the policy and the measures adopted by the IT. S. Sanitary
Commission, in its plan of " Battle-field Relief ," we quote the following emphatic
statement, which was made by the representative of the King of 1'russia, Dr.
Loffler, Physician-in-Chief of the 4th co^ps in the Prussian army, at the Interna
tional Sanitary Conference, at Geneva. Oct. 1863:
ei.u, •
" It would not be consistent with the principle of wise State economy to give,
linrtim?P(H>f.p.eace, and in a continued manner, to the sanitary service of armies,
that measure of attention and that great development which it claims in times of
-tram MuifeoWtr.ithlg^history of the great contests i
that when w
test with all the care to which they have a well-deserved right, and whii
heart of the true philanthropist must demand for unfortunate fellow-beings.'

67
Belief Agents, as was first ordered and brought into full
operation by a member of the Commission during the march
of the Botomac Army through Maryland in the autumn of
1862* At certain points designated by military advice, and con
venient to the protected flank of the moving columns, and some
times much nearer the points of anticipated combat than the
regular Medical trains are permitted to approach,! the Sani-

* In a communication dated September 11th, 1862, that Commissioner made the
following statement respecting the organization of " flying depots " of " sanitary
stores," to move with the columns of the army:
" I went to the front to organize a more perfect system of supply and distribu
tion of Sanitary Commission Stores, and have succeeded, I think, in doing so. We
have now two two-horse wagons with supplies, moving with the advance column
of the army, with orders to keep close up with the line of battle. Dr. Chamberlain
is with one of these, and Dr. Andrews with the other. Smith is to relieve Cham
berlain. I have also sent out some four-horse army wagons, laden with supplies
from our Washington depot, under charge of Mr. Mitchell, with orders to move
a mile or two in the rear of the line of battle. I say " line of battle," because the
army is now moving and camping always in line of battle. Our Inspectors in the
advance are instructed to go through the divisions and brigades, and distribute
their stores on the requisition of the army medical officers, not only to sick men
but to the feeble and weary. Some of the regiments have lived so long on hard
bread, coffee, <fec, that they are asthenic. Our Inspectors in the advance draw
on Mitchell's army wagons, and thus keep their two-horse wagons constantly full.
As soon as the army wagons are exhausted, others will be in place, with storeB
from our Washington depot, and I think our resources will thus be effectively ap
plied * * * * * * * *
" I wish we could afford to keep such an organization moving with every army
corps — a depot on wheels, fed from stationary depots." * * * .
| * * * * « After the battle of Gettysburg, when Meade was pursuing Lee's
"flying army, and another general battle was hourly expected near the old field of
. Antietam, the General would not, and could not allow the vast medical stores re
quired in case of a battle tobe brought over South Mountain, because Boonsboro,
beyond which bis own headquarters lay, and where the Sanitary Commission had
opened its store-houses, was liable any day to be attacked and ransacked by the
enemy's cavalry. This was prudent and humane ; and yet in case of a great battle
it must have caused enormous suffering. Now, for this'very reason that it was not
safe for the Government stores, the Sanitary Commission determined to run tbe
risk of its own stores, that if a battle did occur, it might alleviate the wants ofthe
battle-field, till the regular medical stores could be brought up. Thus the Medical
Department followed its legitimate and bounden course of duty in obedience to
judicious orders from headquarters. The Sanitary Commission, with its independ
ent transportation, and independent movements in general, followed also its le
gitimate and necessary duty, and stood ready to' prevent the evilswhich must
oeherwise flow from the best and wisest course left open to the Medical Depart
ment." — North American Review, January, 1864.

68

tary Belief trains rendezvous, and estabhsh dispensing depots.
In all cases the Inspectors and Belief Agents endeavor, under
military advice, to keep the Sanitary train sufficiently in ad
vance with the moving columns of the forces to be prepared for
the oxigencies of battle.
The moment a general engagement ofthe forces is announced,
the Inspector who for the occasion is in charge of the Commis
sion's work, directs the necessary regulations for the distribution
of " Sanitary stores " for the succor of wounded men, and, at
the same time, he and his aids undertake to ascertain by per
sonal inquiry what may be the extent and nature of wants to be
supplied by such supplementary means. Then by couriers and by
telegraph, requisitions are made upon the Commission's nearest
depots for such supplies, while from the Central Depots still
larger invoices of assorted supplies for battle-field relief are
hastened forward to the field or to the temporary depots, as oc
casion may require ; and being continually informed respecting
the actual and prospective wants of the wounded, the Central
and the Branch offices promptly respond to special requests from
the field and to orders from the Commission. By all practicable
means, and usually by several routes, the supplies are pushed
forward towards the field hospitals, and along the lines where
the means of succor are most required.
Each battle-field of course presents its peculiarities, and a
distinct history of woes, and of insufficiency in the means of re
lief of the wounded, and it must be confessed that upon all great
battle-fields there has been a vast amount of unrelieved suffering
from causes that ought never to exist in well organized forces • and
it must also be stated that in every great battle that is fought
in open fields, or under ordinary conditions, a certain amount
of unrelieved suffering, from want or tardiness of succor to the
wounded, is inevitable. The former occurs in consequence
of defects of the ambulance system, and the great difficulty in

69

providing adequate medical aid ; the latter, or inevitable wants,
are supposed to result from the military necessities that are in
evitable in war ; the choice of evils must be made, and if
wounded men cannot safely be conveyed to the rear, or if they
fall into the enemy's hands, their suffering is accepted as the
"fate of war." But the Sanitary Commission has earnestly
endeavored to diminish, and by every possible means to pre
vent this want of timely succor, and upon some of the later
battle-fields, as at the second great battle before Chattanooga,
the sufferings of the wounded for needed relief have, by the
prompt and abundant aid of the Sanitary Commission, co
operating with the surgeons, been reduced to a minimum never
before equalled in such conflicts.
The extent and urgency of wants which the wounded are hable
to suffer from lack of timely succor, also depends largely upon
the haste and magnitude of the movement of the forces and
their supplies, the difficulties of transportation, and the severity
of the combat ; therefore, the difficulties that lie in the way of
the Commission's work of battle-field relief correspond to these
various circumstances, but as that work is now organized, these
circumstances are met by corresponding efforts and resources in
the relief work, and notwithstanding the difficulties and perils
that surround such work, the duties it imposes are never shirked
by the Inspectors and Belief Agents who engage in it, and vast
as the demands for aid may be, the resources and methods of the
Commission are rendered so expansible, that they promptly
apply all the means of relief which the munificent contributions
from' the people enable them to offer. In the earlier period of the
war, it sometimes occurred that the Commission's resources
were inadequate from lack of funds in the Sanitary Treasury,
and exhaustion of reserved supplies in the Commission's depots.
But as the business and methods of battle-field relief became
systematized and well understoood, the liability to insufficiency
and delay steadily diminished.

YO

Upon occasion of great battles, when the National cause and
the sympathies of the people are put to severe trials, neither the
treasury nor the storehouses of the Commission hold from' re
sponding to the largest requisitions that can be made available
for the relief of the wounded. "We have already alluded to the
present methods of "battle-field relief" during General McClel-
lan's campaign in northern Maryland, and we will, from this
point of the narrative, recount some incidents from the pub
lished records of the Commission's work in this branch of relief.
The memorable battle-field of Antietam will ever be remem
bered in the history of the Commission, as the field and the oc
casion upon which the providence of California's golden gifts
confirmed the humane purposes of Sanitary relief, and first min
istered to the wounded. Brevious to that period the system
and means for such aid were insufficient, yet the subject had re-»
ceived much attention from various members of the Commission,*"
particularly from Dr. ISTewberry and Mr. Olmsted, and under
the direction of those two officers, and in the abundant experi
ence they had. in the working of that system experimentally
during spring campaigns of 1862, the methods of supplement?.
ary field work which had proved both practicable and neces-.
Bary, were always too limited in means. The people, through
their societies of voluntary, aid, and the great branches of
supply that had allied themselves to the Commission, had liber
ally contributed materials for succor ; they had also supported
the Sanitary Treasury to such a- degree as to keep those early
methods of labor in operation. But the vastly increased mag-.
nitude ; of the demands for the succor of the wounded, as the
campaigns of 1862 progressed, and the unobstructed opportunity
which was officially granted for such work, threw upon the
Commission a responsibility that required a vast increase of ita
financial resources. The fact is now known, that in its endea
vors to bridge the chasms of want and terrible necessities upon

71

the numerous battle-fields of the summer of 1862, the Commis
sion was impelled by urgent considerations of duty to the
wounded and to the country to put its hand to the very bottom
of its Treasury, and to the last packages in its Central Depots.
In a statement then published [Document No. 48] the following
facts are mentioned by a member of the Commission writing
from the field, on the fourth day subsequent to the battle of
Antietam :
" It should be remembered, that so rapid was the movement.
of the army through Washington, after the disaster and losses
of the Virginia campaign, that the regimental, and brigade, and
division medical officers could not, to any considerable extent,
replenish their exhausted supplies.
" The medical supplies sent to meet the emergency on Wed-
nesda, did not begin to arrive on the battle-field until Saturday
afternoon, and then in small quantity and entirely inadequate.
Many of the same supplies are still here (at Frederick), awaiting
transportation, while the Commission has had at least four
wagon trains sent to the front that left "Washington subsequent
to "Wednesday afternoon, in addition to two sent before in antic
ipation ofthe battle. You can estimate at your office the number
of wagons we have sent forward, including Hay's trains, which
will be on the battle-field this afternoon. As soon as Brink and
Mitchell andBarsons arrived on the battle-field, I sent them
over radii, previously ascertained to be within the circle of the;
late battles, ^hey will be able to state personally the fields of
their operations, as I desired them to keep notes. I left Dun-
ning's wagon — in fact all the two-horse wagons and ambulances
of our train — constantly going, and carrying relief to thousands
ef wounded.
The wounded were mainly clustered about barns, occupying
the barn-yards, and floors, and. stables, having plenty of good
straw, well broken by the power threshing machine. I saw fif
teen hundred wounded men lying upon the straw about two
barns, within sight of each other ! Indeed, there is not a barn,
or farm-house, or store, or chnrch, or school-house, between^
Boonesborough, Keedysville, and Sharpsburgh, and the latter
and Smoketown, that is not. gorged with wounded— rebel and
Union. Even the corn-cribs, and in many instances the cow-:
stable, and in one place the mangers, were filled. Several thou:
sands lie in the open air, upon straw, and all are receiving the
kind services of the farmers' families and the surgeons.

72
" I hope I never shall forget the evidences everywhere mani-<
fested of the unselfish and devoted heroism of our surgeons,.
reo-ular and volunteer, in the care of both Federal and rebel
wounded. * * * * . *
" Having studied the field, and the relations of the clusters of
wounded to a central point, I took, on Saturday, a store _ at
Sharpsburgh, hiring it of a Union citizen of the name of Cronise.
On Saturday evening I brought up the mule teams of Beverley
to Sharpsburgh. On Sunday morning, Dunning, Mitchell, Bar-
sons, and myself, unpacked the boxes, and filled the shelves and
bins. I took charge of the wagons on Saturday night, because
Dunning, Brink, and Mitchell were out with rehef, to the right
and left, for about three thousand wounded ; and Barsons had
gone back, under instructions from Medical Director Letterman,
and my approval, to Birkettsville, with relief to five hundred
and forty wounded.
" To finish the store business, I may say that I have left Bar-
sons and Peverley, and a clerk of Mr. Cronise, in charge of the
Sharpsburgh store, taking care to provide, out of our trains, a
wagon and a saddle-horse for Dr. Dunning, and the same for
Dr. Brink. I have given them written instructions to use the
saddle-horses to explore the barn-yards and hamlets of the
country, and the wagons to accompany with stores of food,
stimulants, bandages, clothing, &c, &c.
" Our plans, so far, are working splendidly, thanks to the
vigor with which you at Washington have crowded forward
Biupplies, and the aid given by Dr. Letterman and his medical
officers. We have been ahead of every one, and at least two
days ahead of the supplies of the Medical Bureou ; the latter
fact due to its want of independent transportation." * *

In the same document [No. 48] the following summary of
etipplies forwarded to the battle-field, is given officially :
" Our independent means of transportation often enable us to
reach the wounded with stores in advance of all Government or
other supplies. The first two days are more important than the
next ten to the saving of life and the relief of misery.
" At the recent battle-ground we were able to be present in
advance two days, of all supplies (beyond the small amount in
the nearly empty storehouse ofthe army Medical Burveyor)
with twenty-five wagon loads of stimulants, condensed food'
medicines, and conveniences. Within a week we dispatched

73
successfully by teams, to the scene of battle, from Washington;
alone, 28,763 pieces dry-goods, shirts, towels, bed-ticks, pillows,
&c, 30 barrels bandages, old linen, &c, 3,188 pounds farina,
&c. ; 2,620 pounds condensed milk, 5,050 pounds beef stock and
canned meats, 3,000 bottles wine and cordials, and several tons
of lemons and other fruit, crackers, tea, sugar, rubber cloth, tin-
cups, and hospital conveniences.*
" Great and constant, therefore, as the supplies of our Central
Auxiliary Associations are, and of the towns and villages on
which they depend, they ought not to be surprised to learn that
our Washington storehouses are bare of shirts, drawers, slippers,
socksy bed-sacks, blankets, and old clothing, and that only the
ceaseless and increased activity and humanity of our women
can be depended on to meet the new demand."
All this had been done before the smoke of that terrible bat
tle had fairly cleared from the ground where lay nearly ten
thousand wounded men of our own army, and several thousands
of the rebel forces left to the care of Federal surgeons and the
Sanitary Commission, and while the utmost resources of the
Commission were being thus applied by means of a system that
was more fully adequate to the occasion than similar efforts
upon other battle-fields had been, it was at a rate of expendi
ture that speedily exhausted all reserved supplies of sanitary
stores, and sent the last funds of the Treasury into the markets
for additional means of succor. It was at that hour of impera
tive duty and greatest anxiety, on the 21st of September, the
fourth day after the battle — that a telegram from California

* While the Sanitary Commission was thus sending forward all the means of
succor it could then command, it successfully undertook to forward from New York
a sufficient supply of hospital clothing. In Dr. STEtNEa's Report, (published by
A. D. F. Randolph, New Tork,) we find the following allusion to the aid thus
rendered :
" In addition to these issues, the Commission succeeded in transporting, from
the Medical Purveyor's Office in New York to the depot in Frederick, 83 cases,
containing 4,000 sets of hospital clothing and 20 bales of blankets, at a cost of
$316 58. Transportation was so embarrassed and crowded at this time that those
stores were got through in season only by the energy of the Executive Committee
in dispatching special agents to take charge of them, at its own expense. As soon
as these stores reached this depot they were turned over to the Medical Depart
ment and issued as fast as requisitions were sent in."

74

brought intelligence of liberal promise of pecuniary aid from;
the Pacific coast ; and with that inspiring promise came the
welcome announcement that a hundred thousand dollars — thg,
first instalment of the golden treasure — was then on the way to
the Sanitary Commission. That hundred thousand dollars at
the time seemed to be the means of insuring the successful pros
ecution of the Commission's greatly expanded methods of aid!
and every subsequent passage in the history of its sanitary,
works, and its relief service, will tell how energizing and how
salutary was that early lesson of faith, and how California^,
gold has strengthened and establishad the broad plans and hu
mane purposes that might otherwise have fluctuated between;
necessity and inability.
Though that Brovidence was scarcely more essential to the
Commission's battle-field branch of Belief, than to its other de
partments of service, the world will justly and most gratefully
point to the records of the service rendered at the memorable
fields of Antietam, Gettysburg, and Chattanooga, and all tke!
great sieges and battles since the autumn of 1862, as affordingt
never-to-be-forgotten testimony to the great utility and wise be-
stowment of the golden gifts from the patriotic people of the
great mining regions. And the same records will 6how how-
timely and how tenderly all the home-gifts and means of succor!
which the people have turned into the Sanitary Commission's
channels, have been administered for the relief and life-saving."
of the brave men who have fallen in their country's service. All
departments -of the Commission's work have been equally bene-.*
fitedby the munificent aid from the Pacific States. ' The records.
of Sanitary Belief at all the great battles since that of An
tietam, show that the enlarged methods of succor that were
adopted upon that memorable field have depended in no small
degree upon the thoughtful continuance of those golden contrib-*
ntions ; and, as we have seen, the commencement of these con-

75

tributions is forever associated with the memories of humane
relief upon one of the most terrible battle-fields of the war.
Battle-field Relief in the Earlier Period of the War.— Let
us revert for a moment to the history of the Commission's relief
work in the earlier battles. The statements referrino; to this
subject in preceding sections of this narrative, show how im
pressively the duty and the necessity of rendering such service
to the wounded were unfolded upon every successive battle-field.
At first the preparations on the part ofthe Medical Department
were inadequate, and then it was found that in each successive
engagement the armies fought with such unequalled pertinacity
and vigor, that the percentage of wounded men greatly exceeded
the expectations of the Government, and the preparations for
the succor and transportation of the wounded. The Sanitary
Commission carefully investigated the facts relating to this sub
ject, and strenously endeavored to procure, through the regular
departments, as well as by its own supplementary aid, an ade
quate supply of personal and material means of succor for the
wounded. The wants of wounded men at the battles of Ball's
Bluff, Wilson's Creek, Lexington, Springfield, Pea Bidge, Fort
Donelson and Shiloh, fully confirmed the opinions which the
Sanitary Commission had expressed immediately after the first
engagement at the ill-starred battle-ground of Manasses, namely,
that unless the Government would actually do all that practic
ally could be done for the succor and benefit of the sick and
wounded, the Commission would necessarily be constrained
vastly to increase its own resources of supplementary aid. This
idea, it will be recollected, had been cautiously expressed by the
Preliminary Committee that asked for the organization of a
Sanitary Commission ; and in December, 1861, the following
statement was made by the Commission in its report to the Sec
retary of War :

76

" The possibility of an engagement on our own soil at any
moment, between two armies of one hundred and fifty or two
hundred thousand men each, is so strange a novelty that we
naturally fail to appreciate its inevitable consequences, and the
immense amount of' human suffering which must follow it. The
battle of Bull Bun has not taught us the lesson, because most,
of our wounded were then left on the field. Few of the more
serious cases reached our hospitals. We must remember that
the experience of foreign armies shows that, after a well-contested.
battle on this scale, we must count on having, at the very least,
from twenty to thirty thousand men crying to us for rehef from
agony." It is now seen that the necessity and desirableness of such
voluntary and supplemental aid has been abundantly confirmed
by the testimony of the most experienced military officers and
public" authorities in Europe,* and the terrible experiences of
our successive battle-fields, have shown how vitally important
such aid has been in our armies. But the United States Sani
tary Commission had no precedents by which to be guided! in
devising its methods and means of battle-field relief. Govern
ment authorities whose practical knowledge of armies and battles
extended only to the matters of routine in official service, gen
erally doubted the practicability of rendering supplementary said
to the wounded, and some military officers expressed anxietyin
view of the unusual urgency with which the claims of humanity
and of popular concern in this war were presented by the
Sanitary Commission. But, to the infinite credit of the pro-!
fession of arms, and to the advancing civilization of the age, the
ablest Generals and best officers in all departments of military
service, almost without exception, have favored and aided the
purpose of the Commission from the first ; and the veteran
Geneeal Scott, like the venerable General Dtjfouk who pre-

* See Appendix C.

77

sided at the recent International Sanitary Conference at Geneva,*
was first to express his interest and confidence in such plans for
succor to the wounded.
A few great battles during, the first year of the war served to
illustrate what would be the inevitable wants and woes of our
battle-fields, with all the means of succor which the Medical
Department possessed, and the Sanitary Commission endeavored
to ascertain how far and by what agencies it might be practicable
to supplement the insufficiencies and delays of the regular
methods for meeting the exigencies of great battles. The scenes
of suffering that were witnessed after the sanguinary struggles
at Fort Donelson, Fittsburg Landing, and some other battles
during the first year of the war, cannot be recalled to mind
without bringing up ghastly pictures of terror and anguish that

* At the opening of the great Conference at Geneva, tbe President, General
Dufoue, a military officer of great renown, made the following statements con
cerning the duty of rendering more adequate succor to the wounded in war;
" You are aware, gentlemen, tbat the condition of the ambulances in the regular
armies affords very inadequate relief to the wounded who are unfortunately left
upon the battle-field. There is in this respect a very great defect, which is espe
cially apparent upon those occasions in which promptness and efficient aid would be
most desirable. This defect has impressed every one, but it has been especially
portrayed, with startling truthfulness, in a work with which you -are familiar,
published after the battle of Solferino by one of our fellow citizens, M. Dunaat.
We are convened, gentlemen, for the purpose of discovering some possible method
of realizing a philanthropic idea contained in this work. We do not affirm a
priori thaf this possibility exists, but we hope that this assemblage of men, essen
tially qualified to entertain such questions, may be able to arrive at some solution
of the difficult problem upon which we are engaged. This.is desirable for all, but
especially for the unfortunate soldier. We do not sufficiently appreciate the situ
ation of a mau serving as » private soldier, who, often, after having for a long
time endured privations of every kind (it is sufficient to recollect the sufferings
experienced during the severe campaign in the Crimea and the siege of Sebastopol),
arrives upon the field of battle, and there, after having fought for his flag with
courage and devotion, finds himself, asa reward, suffering the most torturing pains,
for which not the least relief is provided, and which are often greatly enhanced by
the fearful anguish consequent upon their abandonment.
"Notwithstanding the philanthropic efforts of Peace Congresses— to whose efforts-
we accord all the respect and sympathy they merit, without being deceived as to
the small amount of successs which they are likely to attain, as long as human pas
sion exist, and these threaten to continue a long time to come— there will be wars
upon this earth; therefore, to be truly useful to the cause of humanity, we must,
instead of indulging the vain hope of their suppression, endeavor to render their
consequences less terrible if possible, and lend our aid as effectually to those whose

78

burden the soul like a horrible nightmare. But those scenes,
and the realities of insufficient means of succor that lay behind
what had been regarded as necessarily and essentially the fate
of war, were from the first seriously studied by the Commission;
the chief causes of such insufficiency and official neglect were
ascertained, and the practicable methods of improvement and of
aid were discussed, and as far as possible, the available means
of relief were put into operation.
The vital importance of an improved ambulance system was
faithfully represented to the military authorities, and the1 duty
of organizing and keeping in constant readiness an adequate
reserve force to succor the wounded was urged upon the proper
authorities. The events that followed the collision of the forces
at Bull Bun had served to determine the question of the Sanitary

duty it is to give assistance to those sufferers by providing the concurrent aid which
they need without occasioning, any embarrassment to the cause of the armies.
Such is the problem to be solved of which we have just been speaking. "^
" Do we indulge vain fancy in attempting a solution of this problem ? Is the end
which we wish to attain so high and beyond our powers that the concentration'of
all our efforts will be inefficient ? If that be so, we must submit, but we shall ever
have the merit of having made the attempt, which will be a source of satisfaction
to those who feel a lively interest in the suffering of the human race. In either
case, we shall have sown in the field of our future sun which will hereafter bring
forth fruit, when more favorable circumstances shall cause it to germinate, when
civilization shall have made more progress, and when nations shall have entered
upon broader and more humane paths than those which they have hitherto troildeii.
It belongs m the future, indeed, to decide this question, but we shall have done what we
could. Even if we arrive at no definite result during this conference, — which, on 'ac
count of its aims and the sympathies which, from its first inception, it has excited
throughout Europe, will elicit no inconsiderable degree of attehti6n.Xwe shallot
least have established a starling point for those ameliorations which' we may^ope
to realize in after times. It does not become ua, therefore, to be discouraged at the
prospect of a temporary want of success. Let us boldly meet the problem ; let as
do all in our power to solve it; and if success be not within our reach, there will
remain to us the consciousness of having done what it became those to do who love
their neighbor."
* * " It has been urgd that instead of seeking for expedients whereby war
may be rendered less terrible, it would be preferable to attack the evil at its root,
and labor to promote the universal and permanent pacification of the world. Our
opponents, by their arguments, would seem to insinuate that our efforts have no
higher aim than to legalize war, by making it appear as a necessary evil. Is * this
criticism seriously made? I cannot believe it. Most assuredly we desire as muqk
as any one can that men should cease to slay each other, and repudiate this
relic of barbarism which they have inherited from their fathers. With the aid
of Christianity, this result will sooner er later be be attained, and we applaud ''the
efforts of those who are striving for the amelioration of the human race."—" Oomgfe
R endu de la Conference Internationale," Geneva, Oct., 1863.

79

Commission's duty to accept and disburse supplementary sup
plies, and also to vastly increase all the resources it could
command to meet the exigencies of battle-fields, as well as to
extend its first great work of Sanitary Inquiry and Advice.
Fully believing that as soon as our armies had become trained
to soldierly duties, their valor in combat with the enemy would
be equal at least to that of European armies, the Commission
urged this consideration upon the Medical Bureau, and at the
same time set about its own work of preparation for battle
field succor in combats, when 20 or HO per cent, of all the forces
engaged wovld be counted among the wounded. The system
and the extent of that work of preparation will appear in the
sketch given in subsequent pages relating to the Commission's
Branches of supply, and the administration of its system of
relief. In December, 1861, soon after the battle of Belmont, in Mis
souri, the Commission not only took measures for largely in
creasing its stock of " Sanitary stores" in the West, but, through
its excellent Senior Inspector in that field, Dr. Aigner, the plan
of organizing a line of floating hospitals to move with the forces
upon the rivers was suggested, and, in a valuable report upon
the subject, the practicability and importance of the plan was
successfully urged upon the mihtary authorities. Accordingly
when General Grant moved up the Cumberland river to capture
Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, the first hospital steamer, the
City of Memphis, was ordered into service by the Medical
Director. She was fully furnished with hospital supplies from
the Commission's depot at Cairo;, and, arriving at that place with
a load of patients when news was received of the fight at Donel
son, Dr. Aigner instantly ordered all his reserved stores on
board, and at once proceeded to the scene of that unconditional
•contest; where all those supplies and much more were greatly
needed. Dr. Warriner was then at Paducah, laboring night and

80
day to supplement wants in the overcrowded hospitals there;
and Dr. Douglass, an Associate Secretary, hastened down from
St. Louis with all the reserved supplies that the Commission had
accummulated at that point, while Dr. Newberry at once
steamed down the Ohio and up the Cumberland in the CoWyfr,
with a large cargo of supplies, and a corps of volunteer assist
ants from Cincinnati ; while the Branch at Chicago, the Aid
Societies of all the large towns in the West, and the people of
St. Louis, hurried forward to Cairo vast quantities of valuable
and timely supplies. But the woes that were suffered by lie
wounded during the period that elapsed previous to the arrival
of this voluntary aid, can never be adequately described. Hun
dreds perished before the means of succor reached them. The
agents of the Sanitary Commission made great efforts to meet
the exigencies of the hour, and what they accomplished, though
far short of their desires, because so delayed in reaehingtthe
wounded, was so important and so timely, that even the most
relentless official routinests confessed the utillity of the work. >
The Cumberland river being opened to Nashville, the Com
mission at once established a depot of supphes in that city, and
while the forces under Grant and Buell were moving to the
{Tennessee to meet the rebel army in Northern Mississippi, Dr.
Newberry, the Western Secretary, was massing hospital supplied
etc., at Cairo, Baducah, and such points upon the Tenness@#as
could be securely occupied until the collission might occur.
The vast utility of floating hospitals upon the rivers had been
demonstrated by the City of Memphis, and other steamboats-
upon which hospital arrangements had been hastily improvM|P
But while the Sanitary Commission was thus massing; its
" Sanitary stores," at points within convenient reach, the regu
lar supplies of the Medical Department were moved too tardily
and in insufficient quantities, and when our forces gave battle >at
Pittsburg Landing those supplies were far away and utterlyan-

81

sufficient. The Commission's stores were speedily brought up
the river, but at first they were inadequate to the terrible exi
gencies of the occasion. The hospitals at Savannah, a few miles
below Pittsburg Landing, had been mainly furnished by the
Commission, and the large floating hospital, Louisiana, upon
which the Associate Secretary, Dr. Douglass, obained transport
ation for himself and the corps of volunteer surgeons and at
tendants, about sixty in number, from the Chicago Branch, went
up the Tennessee freighted with a cargo of the Commission's
stores, which were at once distributed to the wounded upon the
transports and in the ambulances ; a depot of supplies and a
system of destribution were established, and, by the large sup
plies and aid from Cincinnati and Louisville, directed by Dr.
Newberry,* that depot, and subsequently the store-boat Polar
Star, continued to issue every variety of supplementary supplies
until the last of the hospitals and the wounded were removed
frpm that place, late in the month of July.
The terrible sufferings and wants of our wounded at DonelsoA*
and at Bittsburg Landing were equalled by the valor which now ,
has become historical fame to the armies of the Mississippi val
ley, and the sympathy and the earnest purpose of the whole.
population of the West then and continually, became manifest
in every town and every household. Contribu'ions of supplies
then began to flow, and have ever since kept flowing, in an in
cessant stream. The Sanitary Commission, instructed by these
experiences upon the Cumberland and the Tennessee, as well as
upon the Peninsula and elsewhere during that eventful spring
of 1862, ordered such improvements in the transportation and
massing of " sanitary stores" along the lines of the army as should
enable relief agents to succor the wounded with greater prompt
itude. The terrible earnestness with which the war would be
waged was fully illustrated by the first great battles of the year,
and the fact had become apparent that the determined purpose
6

82

and the extended preparations of the Sanitary Commission were
not in vain. The generals who led in those battles have con-;
tinued to be peculiarly friendly to the Commission's purposes
ahd works, and the people at home manifestly learned to appre
ciate the Commission's service in exact proportion to its suffi
ciency and promptitude.
Deeply impressed with the importance of rendering its means
of succor in active campaigns in the highest degree prompt and
effective, the Commission not only took measures to keep up
temporary depots of supplies in the immediate vicinity of the '
forces in the field, but with the Sanitary Inspectors that accom
panied the grand expeditions under General Burnside and Gen
eral Butler during the winter and spring of 1862, the General-
Secretary ordered large supplies of " sanitary stores" to be ship
ped in vessels accompanying those expeditions, the noble.
leaders of which, furnished every facility, and encouraged the
undertaking. And it may justly be claimed, that the aid
which the Commission thus rendered to the sick and wounded-
during those perilous but brilliant expeditions, proved very
highly satisfactory; and we are warranted in saying that the
Commission could not desire stonger friendship for itself and
its methods of aid than is entertained by those brave generals
ahd the noble armies they commanded. >
In former pages we have referred to the systematic methods
by which the Commission early endeavored to be preparedto
render prompt and effectual relief when the great occasions of
wounds and want arrived. The demands for such reserved sup
plies followed rapidly, and more and more urgently, from the
beginning of the year 1862. The great expeditions down the-
coast were accompanied by ample and well chosen " sanitary
stores" from the Commission's depot, and each succeeding en
gagement df our armies in the West, tested the largest resources-''
of those depots and of the boundless liberality and energy of

the branches of aid-. In short, the" cbrrecftness of the Sanitary
Commission's earliest plans and estimates for meeting the pros
pective and inevitable wants of our armies in. active cam
paigns, was fully demonstrated even before the opening of the
Peninsula campaign. How timely, how great, how enlarged,
yet how overdrawn, were' the resources which the Commission
brought into all the campaigns and to every battle-field during.
the ensuing months of that year of sanguinary conflicts, a mil
lion soldiers and thousands of homes will forever remember with
deepest gratitude; and how profoundly the Sanitary Commis
sion shared all "the anxieties and patriotic endeavors of the
people and the armies during that most momentous period off
peril and effort, can never be forgotten. It was a year of battles,
and of toil, the severest and most incessant of any war in
modern times; and, although the Sanitary Commission during
all that eventful period did not relinquish its other branches of
sanitary work and relief the history of the development and
progress of the present system of battle-field relief, can only be'
given by recounting the leading facts relating to the campaign
work of the Commission during that memorable time.
Progress and Purposes in the work of Battle-field Rdief
du/rvng Dark Days4n the Autumn of 1862. — After the appalling
exhibition of insufficiency in the means of succor upon the battle
fields at the West and upon the Peninsula, the Commission put
forth the most energetic efforts to meet all the deficiencies it could
possibly reach. Its humane purposes, its faith, and its utmost.
resources, were put to the severest test in this undertaking..
In Document 44, published by the Commission July 4th,. 1862,
the following statement is made respecting the work then in
hand, and the rate of expenditure of material and money :
" From. May 1st to July 1st, the Commission has expended

84

$37,585TVB dollars. About nine-tenths of this sum has been laid
out in the purchase of hospital stores and appliances for the_ re
hef of the sick and wounded at every important military station,
and in the equipment of the flotilla of steamers and sailing
vessels now in the service of the Commission as Hospital Trans
ports. Its treasury is now nearly exhausted, at the very moment
when the army most needs its aid, and when, if it had an hun
dred thousand dollars at its command, it would still be far too
weak for the urgent work before it, and would still be obliged
to see hundreds perishing for want of its aid, in the army of the
Potomac alone." * * * * * . *

And in a statement published on the 11th of September fol
lowing, the progress of the " battle-field and mobilized rehef
service," is thus set forth :*
" Since the 1st September (ten days) the. Commission has ex
pended six thousand dollars and upwards in the purchase of
supplies, which have been distributed by its Inspectors and by
members ofthe Commission on the battle-fields of Virginia."
" They have also thus distributed stores to a vastly larger
amount, which have been contributed directly to its depots by
their patriotic fellow-citizens in every loyal State. Notwith-.
standing the generous support that has been rendered the Com-.
mission, its present expenses far overrun its receipts. And,
although it is daily relieving a fearful amount of suffering, and
saving many lives, it is now and long has been obliged to wit
ness a far greater amount of suffering and of death, which it
has never had the means to relieve. What it has done, is but
httle compared with what it could do, had its resources been at

* The imperative duty and necessity of such supplementary relief in time of
battles, were well stated, in the document above quoted, as follows :
" It may be said tbat the Government should do all this. Were this true, its
default would not justify us in leaving our soldiers to perish. But it is only par
tially true. While active military operations are in progress, and especially at
the. dose of great battles, the prompt and thorough relief and treatment of the
sick and wounded requires au amount of force, in men, material, and transporta
tion which no Government has hitherto been able to keep permanently attached to
its medical department. At such times volunteer aid from wiihout is indispenable
to prevent the moat fearful suffering and waste of life, however faithful and un
tiring the Medical Staff may be."

85
all adequate to its work. The more money it commands, the
more hospital] supplies, restoratives, and beneficent material of
every kind, it can apply to the relief of the army."
In a letter published in this statement, a member ofthe Com
mission writes to his colleagues, from the battle-field of Ma
nassas, Va., Sept! 7th :
" Everything we brought came into play. From Saturday to
Wednesday nearly two thousand of our wounded lay on the
battler-field without food or water. Even the surgons were
starving. One told me that he was glad to pick up a piece pf
cracker he found lying in the mud, and to eat it. The suffer
ings of the wounded during this interval were alleviated by a
heavy thunder-shower, which gave their lips the only water they
tasted. Some of them were taken to farm-houses, some received
food from the country people, but inarm/, very many, died of
starvation and exposure." *****
* * * * « A great battle may be soon expected. Urge
our ldyal people at the North, to send supplies to the Cooper
Institute depot in New York, and to the Philadelphia dep6t, as
fast as possible. Buy as liberally as the state of the treasury
will permit. You cannot accumulate too large a stock of cloth
ing, and of hospital supphes of every sort. I should almost ad
vise you to run in debt, if necessary, for I am confident the liberal
and patriotic people of New York, Philadelphia, and Boston
will carry us through."
The foregoing brief summary of the Commission's first year's
experience in efforts to furnish supplementary aid for the succor
of the wounded in battle, presents an outline of the origin and
progress of this important branch of Belief. The duty and ne
cessity of attempting such voluntary aid were apparent, but the
possibility of rendering te in a manner that would be entirely
acceptable and successful, was a problem which the Commis
sion's agents must solve, and fortunately that problem was satis-
fftcto ily solved, and the largest resources of succor which the
Commission could then command were acceptably applied for the

|86
relief of wounded men, during the -eventful spring and summer
Of 1862. 'The decisive work that followed the march of Poto
mac army into Northern Maryland, and the battle scenes that
at the same period demanded hke promptitude in the work of
succor for, the wounded in the Western army,* fully confirmed
the enlarged and more energetic method of Battle-field Behef
which the Commission had then adopted, and which, by the rich
gifts, from the Pacific coast, were rendered immediately and per
manently successful.
From this point in the history of the Sanitary Commission we
shall trace therecords.of Battle-field Belief in connection with
ihe current narrative of each -campaign ofthe respective armies.
But before proceeding further, we must examine the other
breaches pf work which are comprised in the Department of
Behef, and which, previous to the opening of the campaigns of
1863, were all working harmoniously and effectively.
The Field Relief Corps and Regular Relief Work in
Camps. — Thp highly gratifying results of the Commission'^
shipments of " sanitary , stores," with the inspectors and re'ief
lagents accompanying the respective expeditions of Generals
B-urnside and Butler, and the incessant requirement for such
supplementary aid during the Peninsula campaign, and in all
the. lines of the Western army, served to demonstrate the im
portance pnd the practicability of organizing the present systeia
pf a Field Belief Corps and flying depots of supply in the
several corps oVarmee. We have already quoted the allusion
which was made to this subject by the member of the CommissioB
who -successfully attempted the first organization of this nature
when our forces were hurrying towards the Antietam. In subse
quent pages of this narrative, some of the good results of this
* See pages 41 and 42.

87

admirable method of instant aid in moving colunms and distant
encampments of the armies will appear ; but the reader w^U
obtain a sufficiently distinct idea of the nature, and practical
operations of this system from the following account given by
Dr. L. H. Steiner, chief inspector, concerning field relief work
in the army of the Botomac :

" July 17, * * * , an effort was made to organize the
corps immediately. The army was then resting at .or near
Berlin, Maryland, and it was thought that our corps could be
put in such form as to move with it on, its entrance into Vir
ginia: * • . * * . * X After considerable trouble, we suc
ceeded in starting off from Boonsboro' on Sunday, July 18th,
four wagons under charge of as many relief agents. * * *
In each of six corps of the army, we have a substantial army
wagon, -which ishept filled with an assprtment of such, supplies
as are likely to be needed by the sick or wounded in the field.
This wagon is in charge of a relief , agent, who has his tent, and
lives in the corps to which he is attached. Fpr convenience, his
headquarters and stores are usually with the Ambulance Corps^
The agent makes himself acquainted with the wants of the
different ; division, brigade and regimental hospitals, and eh-
deavors\to supply their wants, from ;the, contents of his wagon.
He becomes one of the family, and makes common cause with its
interest^ -It was believed, that, in this way, an agent would
become more interested in his work. Sharing the toils and the
perils, to a certain extent also, of his corps, he would find him
self thoroughly idehtified'with it. Thus there would be super
added to his general desire to aid the army at large, the anxious
feeling to aid those who had become his friends through a corn,^
munity of feelings and daily intercouse. This idea has been
fully sustained by the results of nearly two months , active oper
ations. * * * From the very inception of this work, it has
asked* only the privilege of working along -with the medical
officers, supplementing their work and bringing such succor to
the needy of our great army as a liberal public is desirous
should be extended.

_„. Previous to the adoption of tins very qomplpte system of
Field Belief, the methods adopted for the same object had

88

worked well, but at times lacked that promptitude in application
of the means of succor which this system so effectually insures:
The regulations concerning the disbursement of supplies, and,
the maintenance of temporary or camp depots of " sanitary
stores," have continued essentially the same since the first
autumn of the war, viz., that a depot of such supphes be pro
vided in the .vicinity of each grand division of the army, and
that issues be made upon requisition and receipt of medical
officers of the forces, or upon orders from the sanitary inspectors)
Before the Commission enjoyed the advantages of independent
transportation for its " sanitary stores," the temporary or field
depots could not always be kept up closely to the forces, yet they
have vastly diminished the amount of physical sufferings in the
regimental and corps hospitals, and afforded much needed suc
cor to tens of thousands whose lives might otherwise have been
sacrificed to the stern necessities of the camp hospitals. Incal
culable good was thus accomplished in the armies of the Cumber
land and the Mississippi, as well as in those of the East, during
the first two years of the war. The present system is simply
more prompt and effective in consequence of its independent
means of transportation, its more complete Organization, and
the assignment of a specially trained corps of laymen, to the
work of Field Belief.
It is not practicable in every army and under all circam-
stances for the Sanitary Commission to keep up an independent
transportation train, as, for example, in the passage of Bose
crans' army over the Cumberland mountains into Georgia, but
wherever it is practicable the Commission has an independent
wagon-train, or a special detail of army wagons from the Quar
termaster, moving the "sanitary -stores" with the advancing
columns of the forces ; and, for sending forward supplies to the
temporary 6r branch dep6ts near the field, the Quartermaster
and Medical Directors have usually extended to tho Commis*

89

sion all the facilities in their power. But, as far as possible,
the Field Belief train, or " flying depots," have their own wagons
and horses, and receive forage, etc., from the Quartermasters
when with the other army trains. The nature and amount of dis
bursements from these "flying depots" may be estimated from
the following schedule, which we copy from the report of Dr.
Steiner, Chief Sanitary Inspector of the army of the Potomac.
Eeporting the work of his Field Belief Corps from the time it
began to move southward with Meade's forces from Boonsboro',
July 17th, 1863, until the beginning oi January, 1864, that In
spector states, that —
" In addition to the four wagon loads of stores first sent forth
— of which no account was made— rthe following articles have
been issued through its agents up to the date of this report :
Extract of Beef  2,792 cans.
Condensed Milk  4,400 "
Corn Starch, &c, &c  4,533 pounds.
Soft Crackers  89i barrels.
Pickles  436 gallons.
Jellies  610 jars.
Dried Fruit  21 barrels.
Tea  223 pounds.
Chocolate  1,012 "
Sugar  1,074 "
Chloroform  ,  81 "
Tamarinds  110 gallons.
Tomatoes  156 cans.
Brandy, Bum, and Whiskey  1,936 bottlea.
Foreign and Domestic Wine  1,271 "
Jamaica Ginger  840 "
Shirts, wool and cotton  6,301
Drawers, "  5,513
Socks, "  4,739
Bed-ticks  1,522
Blankets and Quilts  2,310
Pillow Cases  1,712
Handkerchiefs  • • • • . 1,414
Tin Cups  1,204,
Towels  3,547
Slippers*  843

90

Pillows  992
Sheets  1,017
Work Bags  200
Tobacco  735 pounds.
Buckets  20

Special Belief.
We have already noticed that the branch of Special Belief
naturally grew out of the Commission's stem of " Supplemental
Supply," and we .will now refer to the theory and methodsiof
this branch of Belief, as conceived and put into operation during
the first months of the war. The following statements were
made concerning the first steps and the firsf fruits of this work,
early in the autumn of 1861 :
" The main purpose had in view in this agency has been to
lessen the hardships to which the ignorance of the sick volun
teers and their officers of the forms and methods of government
make them subject while in the city bf Washington, and to pro
vide for certain wants of the volunteers, when detatched from
their regiments, 'for which the government arrangements had
been inadequate, and which the regular inspectors of the Com
mission, in their visits to camps and hospitals, could not at
tend to.
"Practically,* the chief duty has been—
"First. To supply to the sick men of the regiments arriving
here such medicines, food, and care as it was impossible for them
to'receive, in.them'idst of the confusion, and with the lack of
'facilities, from their own officers.
_ " Second. To furnish suitable food, lodging, care, and as
sistance to men discharged from the general hospitals, or from
their regiments, but who are often delayed for a number of days
in the city before they obtain their papers and pay.
" Third., To give assistance and information, and secure trans
portation to men who arrive at the station house in small num
bers, and want, to find and oin the r regiments. Some of these
are men accidently left behind j sonie are men who have been
detained by order "for a few days at hospital's in Philadelphia or
Baltimore."

91

" When we found men at the reception buildings in need of
medical treatment, but not sick enough to be sent to the general
hospital, we called in a physician, unless their own surgeon
could be obtained."

* * * *

* *

"We fortunately obtained part of a house near the station on
Capitol Hill, (the second house from the raiiroad, on the street
running from the rear ofthe station to. the Capitol,) and on Sat
urday night it was furnished with beds and all conveniences for the
accommodation of thirty or foriy men ; and that night there
were twenty-one invalid soldiers resting there." * * * *
"The largest number in the house at any one time has been
91, the smallest number 13. On many .nights in succession the
number has exceeded" 50."
Thus wrote the " Special Belief Agent," Bev. F. N. Knapp
the presiding genius of the Commission's " Special Belief" De
partment, at the end of the second month's experiment in this
work. He had then given relief and the comforts of the
"Home," on North Capitol street, to 1,800 of the way-side sick
and needy volunteers about Washington, and, during that
period, had determined upon the proper methods of administering
sucn aid. Immediately this branch of Belief service was extended
to other central points of military rendezvous, and to other
sources 'of distress among invalid or needy soldiers when sepa
rated from their regiments.* This expansion of Belief work

* In Mr. Knapp's last Report of the Special Relief service, he states that the
following additional methods have been in operation during the year:
" To communicate with distant regiments in behalf of discharged men whose
certificates of disability or descriptive lists on which to draw their pay prove to be
defective — the invalid soldiers meantime being cared for, and not exposed ,to the
fatigue and risk of going in person to their regiments to have their papers cor
rected. , .
" To act as the unpaid agent or attorney of discharged soldiers who are too feeble
or too utterly disabled to present their own claim at the paymaster's office.
" To look into the condition of discharged men who assume to be without means
to pay the expense of going to their homes; and to furnish the necessary means
where we find the man is true and the need real
" To secure to disabled soldiers railroad tickets at reduced rates, and, through

92

and all its varied and humane interpositions in behalf of the in-
valid soldier, at all those times and places in which his wants
and anxieties are greatest and the Government's care most dis-
.tant and inapphcable, has proved to be a scheme full of blessing
to the thousands of needy men who receive its benefits ; and as
all its methods and appliances are so managed as to render this
service most acceptable to the public authorities, as well as to
the persons reheved, there is no doubt that this admirably effi
cient and humane branch of the Commission's Belief Depart
ment will continue in full operation, until permanent peace shall
have scattered our armies to their homes and emptied the, vast
hospitals that have marked the pathway of the war.
This branch of the relief service is not a philanthropic Inter-
ferance at the expense of the Army Begulations and militan
discipline, for it is itself as systematic and regular as the regula
tions themselves, and it manifestly serves the invalid soldier anr]
the National Government with equal faithfulness. Says Mr,
Knapp, in his recent report :
* * * * " The authority and importance
of military disciphne are not set aside or lost sight of; on %.
contrary, they are always rigidly insisted upon. In this work
the Sanitary Commission, as the representatives of the people
at home, seeks to do precisely what it believes would gladly be

an agent at the railroad station, see that these men are not robbed or imposed upon
by sharpers.
" To see tbat all men who are discharged and paid off do at once leave the city
for their homes; or, in cases where they have been induced by evil companions ta
remain behind, to endeavor to rescue them, and see them started with through-
tickets to their own towns.
" To make reasonably clean and comfortable before they leave the city, suek
discharged men as are deficient in cleanliness and clothes.
" To be prepared to meet at once, with food or other aid, such immediate necest
sities as arise when sick men arrive in the city in large numbers from battle-field?
or distant hospitals.
" To'keep a watchful eye upon all soldiers who are out of hospitals, yet not ill
service ; and give information to the proper authorities of such soldiers as seem
endeavoring to avoid duty or to desert from the ranks." — Document 11 ; Fifth Re%
port eoricerning Aid itnd Comfort given, by the Sanitary Commission to Sick ani
Invalid Soldiers."

93

done — were it right or possible to enter into ths kind of work —
by the Military and Medical authorities them elves, under the
administration which the people all so cordially desire to sup
port." The practical interest which the people have in the details of
this branch of relief for the soldier, when he is most friendless,
most sorrowful, and needy, warrant our presenting a more par
ticular notice of this work. Ihe details are fortunately before
us in recent reports from the two Associate Secretaries, Bev. F.
N. Knapp at Washington, and Dr. J. S. Newberry, at Louis
ville. First, — in Washington and its vicinity the Commission
now has the following provisions for its local relief service :
The " Home " and its temporary hospital, on North Capitol
street, have 320 beds, and all needed . appliances for the care and-
comfort of the persons received there — nearly 1,000 sick men,
many in a dying condition, were received in the " Home hospi
tal " during the past year, and the total " number of different
individuals received there from December 15th, 1862, to Oc
tober 1st, 1863  7,187
Number of nights' lodging furnished  26,523
Number of meals furnished  65,621"
" Almost all the men received here have been men discharged
from the service on account of disability, wounds1, or continued
sickness. Of these, one-half at least were delayed in the city
on account of imperfections in some of their discharge papers,
the final statements, on which to draw their pay, requiring
often a number of days for their correction."
" Next in order after the ' Home ' is Lodge No. 2, -in ' 17th '
street : Number of nights' lodging given them from December
15th to Mareh 12th  1,550
Number of meals  2,130
" mLodge No. 3, in ' F ' Street. When this Lodge was built,
the office for the payment of discharged soldiers was near by,
in ' F ' Street ; that office having been removed to ' H ' Street,
this Lodge has been closed ; (it now is used as the local store
house of the Commission, and furnishes excellent accommoda
tions.)

94

From December 15th until it was closed, this Lodge
furnished nights' lodging.  3,760
Meals  •  17,950
" Lodge No. 4, in ' H ' Street. This is the new Lodge with
large accommodations, immediately connected with the office of
the Paymaster for discharged soldiers. It was opened about the
1st of February.
Number of nights' lodging furnished at Lodge No. 4,
from February 1st to October 1st  9,832
Number of meals furnished  50,09fj'
" This relief station consists of six buildings. A dormatory
of a hundred beds : a dining-room, seating about one hundred,
.with a large kitchen attached ; a storehouse ; quarters for the
guard ; and a building containing the office of the Free Pension
Agency, office of the Medical Examiner for pensions, and ticket
office for the Bailroad agent, selling through-tickets to soldiers
at reduced rates of fare." . .
• " All disabled soldiers discharged directly from this Army of
the Potomac or from the Hospitals in this vicinity come to the
Paymaster's office, which is within this same inclosure, -to be
paid off. Government can no longer hold itself directly respon^
sible for these men, and here is where we take them up." * *
" The object of the whole thing at the Lodge is this, viz. : So
to supply to the discharged soldier close at his hand and withon|
a cent of cost, all that he needs— food, lodging, assistance in cor
recting his papers,, aid in looking up hisclaism, help in obtain
ing his pension and his bounty." * * * *
" Every man who comes to the paymaster with his discharge,
at once receives a ticket insuring him care and a helping hand ;
and by an arrangement with the paymaster, whenever a man
appears with defective papers, he is at once referred to the Be*
lief Office for assistance or advice., The work at that office
occupies three persons constantly, besides those who go with
cases that have to be looked up personally at the hospitals or
with the regimental officers in the field, and cannot be arranged
by correspondence." '
"At this office and Lodge No. 4, from January 'ist to Oc-
tober 1st, 1863, the number of discharged soldiers whose ac
counts against the Government have been settled through our
assistance, men who were too feeble to attend to settling their
own accounts, or who were unable to obtain their pay, because
of some charge against them on the pay-rolls, or some errors in
their papers, 2,130."
"Information and directions have been given relative to set-

95

tling pay accounts, collecting arrears of pay, extra duty pay, com
mutation money to about 9,000 men."
" " The aggregate value of the 2,130 cases amounted to $130,-
159.01. This amount was collected and pasd to the soldiers
through this office."
* ****&%. %
" Lodge No. 5, near 6th Street Wharf. This was a small
building, but it has rendered valuable service, giving food and
shelter to sick or wounded men arriving on the boats from
Aquia Creek, and furnishing food to be carried into such boats
as, loaded with wounded, had no adequate provision for feeding
the men on board."
* * * ' * * # * #
" There was one week, at the time of the breaking up of the
Corps Hospitals near Aquia Creek, when we gave coffee and
food to over five thousand (5,000) men o* board the boats which
arrived at the wharf." •
At the Lodge on Maryland Avenue (removed from 6th Street
Wharf), near Alexandria and Washington B. B. station.
The whole number of nights' lodging furnished at this
.building from January 1st to October 1st, 1863  1,620
Meals  '.    14,590
" Closely connected . with the work at the Belief Station in
Maryland Avenue, is the Lodge at Alexandria, located within
the stockade, near the- railway track and junction, where all
the cars to and from the Army stop. * * * *
This Belief Station is now the ' Gateway of the Army of the
Potomac,' and whenever a train of sick or wounded is coming
in, a telegram is sent in advance from the front, and when the
train arrives at this point food is ready for them and distributed
among them while the train is waiting."
Besides these various lodges, &c, the Commission- has estab
lished a " Nurses' Home " for the temporary relief of nurses ar
riving in Washington or returning worn down from service. It
also affords daily rehef and advice to mothers, wives, and sisters
of sick soldiers, when worthily in need of shelter and friendly
aid. Then there are special offices connected with the Back
Pay and Pension relief agencies of the Commission, where, by

96

much painstaking and gratuitous labor o£ the relief agents of
that branch of service, a vast amount of delay, suffering, waBte,
and want, are prevented, A detective agent of relief and ad
vice, constantly on duty, rescues wandering and ignorant con
valescents, discharged, and furloughed men, from harpies who lie
in wait for them and their money ; and at Camp Convalescent
with its constant population of nearly 6,000, and an average
of arrivals and departures of 2,000 men per week, another agent
of " Special Belief " is ever illustrating " what an amount of
work can be done, relief afforded, influence exerted by one indi
vidual thoroughly in earliest, and with resources at hand." At
Annapolis and at Baltimore, the Commission has in operation
similar and adequate methods of "special relief;" while at all
the great points of military rendezvous in the immediate
vicinity of our armies we find the same class of relief agencies
in operation, as we shall presently have occasion to notice in ¦
the narrative of the Commission's campaign work during the
year 1863.
Throughout the lines of our Western armies, in the cities and at
all points of rendezvous in the Border States, the Sanitary Com
mission has heartily united with the people in giving full effect
to the same system of relief, so that the methods of such aid are
now uniform and equally effective in all places. And it is one
of the results of our great Federal struggle, and of the system of
humane relief which the Sanitary Commission conducts, that the
entire, population of the West has become inspired with such
universal desire to render its full share in the work,* that the

» The reflex influences and national aspects of this fervent sympathy and earnest
helping in all the households of the West, is mentioned by Dr. Newberry, the
Western Secretary, in the following paragraph, which we quote from his " Report
of the Operations of the Sanitary Commission in the Valley of ihe Mississippi,"
datjed September, 1863 :
" Before leaving this subject, I cannot refrain from expressing to yon my convic
tion that one of the most important results attained by the Sanitary Commission is

97

tendency to individualism and to incoordinated efforts, that was
supposed to be characteristic of Western mind and Western ac
tivities, seems already to have become transmuted into a loving
and golden bond of co-operative sympathy. Like the people of
the sister States at the East, the warm hearts and busy hands
of the West are giving outlet and effectiveness to their national
and humane sympathies, through the national channels of the
United States Sanitary Commission.*
The aggregate statement of the particular branch of the relief
service that we have described in connection with the Eastern
field, is given as follows by Dr. Newberry, in the Western field :
" Soldier's Homes. — From the organization of these Institu
tions to September 1st, 1863, there have been admitted into

to be fiiund in the home field ; but one in all our reports to the present time en
tirely over-looked. I allude to its influence in inspiring the people in every farm
house and cottage, wherever a good grandmother is knitting a pair of socks, or a
child making a pin-cushion, with a wider, deeper, higher, and purer patriotism. I
need nut dwell upon this topic, for I am convinced its truth will be universally
acknowledged. And yet it-is due that this truth be recognized and put on record.
From all parts of the country we have the testimony of our contributors that they
are driven hy the spirit which pervades their work to open and desperate antag
onism with disloyalty in every form ; and that unwittingly they are everywhere
doing missionary work for the national cause. While our Government has one
great army in ihe field, of those who are pouring out their life-blood in its defense,
the Sanitary Commission has, in the home field, another great army, composed of
the mothers and sisters, wives and sweethearts of our brave soldiers, workin
scarcely Less earnestly and efficiently for the same great end."
* Though the State of Missouri might be considered as an exception to this
unity and co-ordination of working, — a Special Commission having been appointed,
Sept. 5, 1861, by General Fremont, for promoting the "health and comfort of the
Volunteer troops in and near the city of St. Louis," and, the subsequent year,
authorized to operate in any of the Western forces, — the nationality and complete
ness of tbe plans and methods of the United States Sanitary Commission are not
the less universal and acceptable because of the labors of the local Commission
that was. thus called into existence in Missouri. The good works and hearty
co-operation of than independent agency at St. Louis, are testified in all the hos-
.piiuls of Missouri, and upon the hospital transports and the battle-fields of the
Mississippi. It undoubtedly will ere long become wholly affiliated to the National-
Sanitary Commission, as its methods (as a relief agency) are already tolerably'
in harmony with those of the Relief branch of the Central Commission.
7

98

six of the principal ones in the West, 167,090 soldiers. The
Home at Cincinnati has furnished food, rest,. and other needed
-assistance to 42,678; that at Cleveland, to 11,704; that at.
Cairo, to 51,170 ; that at Louisville, to 50,325 ; that at Nash
ville, during five months, to 2,542 ; and the Lodge at Memphis,
during two months, to 3,067 soldiers, who were not otherwise
provided for. These figures do not include those passing in
companies, regiments, and brigades, whose names are not entered
on the books. The data are incomplete in most of the Homes
during the earlier months of their existence, so that we can only
give approximate numbers ; but we can safely say that these In-
.stitutions have furnished, since their organization, over 500,000
meals- and over 250,000 lodgings, besides all the other services
rendered in the correction of pay and discharge papers ; procur
ing half-fare tickets on railroads ; collecting pay, and, above all,
shielding them from swindlers of every name and degree." *
The Hospital Directory. — Before leaving the subject of Be
hef, the Hospital Dieectoey must be mentioned as another of
the much desired achievements that became practicable under

* The President of the Sanitary Commission has recently referred to this branch
of tbe work, as follows :
. " The next large expense is the support of twenty-five Soldier's Homes, or
Lodges, scattered over the whole field of war, from New Orleans to Washington,
including Vicksburg, Memphis, Cairo, Chattanooga, Nashville, Louisville, Wash
ington, <fcc, Ac. In these Homes and Lodges twenty-three hundred soldiers (differ
ent ones) daily receive shelter, food, medical aid, protection, and care. These sol
diers are such as are crowded, by the rigidity of the military system, out of the
regular channels; soldiers left behind, astray, who have not their military status,
convalescents, discharged men not able to get their pay. Of these, the average
length of time they are on our hands is about three days. The priceless value
of this supplementary system, no tongue can tell. The abandonment of it would
create an amount of suffering which a multiplication of 2S00 by 865 days in the
year, will but serve to hint at.
"In connection with these homes, at the great ; military cedtres, Now Orleans,
Louisville, Washington, are bureaus, in aid of the discharged soldier's great neces
sities, gro\ving out of his loss of papers in battle, or during the bewilderment of
sickness, or through the ignorance of his superiors, or his own :
. " 1. A Claim Agency, to secure his bounty.
" 2. A Pension Agency.
'•' 3. A Back-pay Agency.
" The mercy of -these ministries, by which soldiers and their families, helpless
without this aid — the prey of sharpers, runners, and grog-shops — are put in speedy
possession of their rights, is inexpressible. We have often $20,000 a day of back
pay in our office at Washington alone, which might have been lost forever or de
layed until it was no longer needed by the soldier's own family, without thil
system."— Son. Com. Bulletin, Feb. 15th, 1864.

99

the assured support from California's munificence. This special
bureau of hospital records was established during the autumn
of 1862, and it is designed to furnish recent and accurate in
formation concerning every patient in the. military hospitals. It
is a complete directory or bureau of information, daily revised
and wholly in the interest of military patients and their friends.
The extent and nature .of this incidental but most gratefully ap
preciated branch of the Commission's work, may best be esti
mated from the following brief extracts from its latest published
reports, in the. year 1863 :
" The number of names recorded on the books of the Hospital
Directory from June 9th to October 1st; have been as follows :
" At the Washington Office  64,635
" New York «  18,771
" Philadelphia «  12,213
" ' Louisville, from May 9,  96,433
Total  192,052
******** " The total number of names on record is 513,437.
" The number of applications for information and the number
pf answers rendered, from the organization of Directory to Oe-
tober 1, 1863, have been as follows :
« Washington Office, .... No. Inq. 6,712 ... .No. Ans.. 4,524
."New York « .... " 656.... " 474
"Philadelphia " .... " 547.... " 348
"Louisville' " .... , " v 5,852.... " 4,016
Total No. Inq. 13,767. ; ..Total Ans. 9,362
The following cases illustrate the every day occurrences in the
offices ofthe Hospital Directory : Inquiry is made at the Wash
ington Directory, for information respecting Private  , Co.
C, 64th Begt., N. Y. Volunteers. The reply to the inquiry
was as follows : "  ¦  , Co. C, 64th, Regiment, New York
Volunteers, was admitted to IT. S.. General Hospital, Camp A,
Frederick, Md., Nov. 26th, 1862, transferred' to Camden Street

100

Hospital, Baltimore, May 17, 1863, and again transferred <to
Fort Schuyler Hospital, New York, April 24, 1863. On the
17th July following, he was detached to the 1st Battalion In
valid Corps, and is now on duty at Jamaica, Long Island, New
York." The Superintendent of the Directory at Louisville writes :
" Hardly a day passes when the expense of a useless journey
is not saved to some inquirer, who learns from our records that
the one sought for is not where he is expected to be found, but
is either dead, returned to duty, or transferred to some other
hospital nearer home, a* it often happens, and near which the
inquirer has passed on his journey hither. Not unfrequently
the amount saved to the friends ofthe soldier has exceeded a
hundred dollars a day, by means of the information and aid
given at this office."
" A father from Pennsylvania presents a letter from the sur
geon of a hospital in Nashville, saying that his son will be dis
charged, and sent to this city in care of the Sanitary Commis
sion, and requests the father to meet him here. He asks,
' Where is he ?' We have no note of his arrival. ' He must
still be in hospital at Nashville. But stay ; here is a report just
in.' The name is there, and died August 9, 1863, the very day
the father received the letter, and set out to meet him. His
son had sent him word not to bring more money than necessary
to pay his fare to Louisville, as he was paid off and had enough.
What 'was to be done? We loaned him his passage home;
made out the necessary papers to get the effects of his sou ;
wrote to Nashville to Sanitary Commission agents, to forward
thorn, and he left for home that evening.
" An old man enters the office. He has traveled from North
ern Ohio to meet his son in this city ; he has been told to in
quire at the Sanitary Commission rooms for direction to the
hospital which contains him. While the clerk turns to the
books, he chats of his son and home, of the different articles in
his carpet-bag, put in, by mother and sisters at home — each had
sent some little comfort. He is all animation and hope, as if at
the very door which is to admit him to the reahzation of aU his
happy anticipations. The record says — ' died ' — that very morn
ing ! The register says, ' one inquiry, one answer.' It does not
speak of the careful preparatory suggestions that sympathy
tenderly makes towards the announcement of the saddening
fact. It does not show that strong old man convulsed ana
weeping like a child. *****

101
He goes slowly and sadly away. One of the clerks accompanies
him^ who procures a burial-case for the remains of his ' poor
boy,' and assists him in all his preparations for his mournful
journey home on the same day. The register says — ' one in
quiry, one answer.' "
Mr. Bowne, the Chief of the Directory Bureau, closes his
report for the year 1863, with the following tender allusions
to the life-scenes in the work of the Directory Offices :*

* The business and methods of the Hospital Directory are described as follows,
by a recent visitor at the Washington office:
Each State has a record in one or more of these books. The -69th New Tork
Volunteers, for instance, .we find by referring to the index, is on the — th page.
Like every other page, it has the following printed headings, each having its pro
per space, and being appropriately ruled off: " Date of Admission," " Hospital, '
"Name," " Rank," " Company," " Died," "Discharged," "Returned to Duty,"
" Furloughed," "Deserted," "Transferred." For instance: Patrick Smith is re
ceived at Lincoln Hospital, November 10, The report indicates his admission at
that date ; so under " date of admission," is written " November 10 ;" under " hos
pital" is written "Lincoln;" under ." name" is written "Smith, Patrick;" under
" rank" is written "P"(for " private") and under " company" is written "F," or
whatever it may be. Perhaps, in a Bhort time a morning report from Lincoln
Hospital informs the clerks that Patrick has returned to duty. His name is found,
and under that heading the date is written — say December 15; or, Patrick may
have received a furlough to visit his friends. Then, under " furlough " is written
"December 15." Thus it will be seen that the soldier who gets in the hospital,
however rarely he may have written home, or however widely his letters may
have miscarried, is almost certain to be easily traced out by any anxious friend, or
relative, writing or applying to the Sanitary Commission, and answers are given
free of all charge. There are, however, exceptions to this easy method of finding
the soldier. It sometimes happens that, from some peculiar whim or other, the
soldier does not furnish his proper name at the hospital. Others may be deliri
ously ill when received, and unable to give a reliable name. Some of the Ger
mans, and, indeed Americans, have such peculiar sounding names, that they get
sadly misspelled after two or three copyings, but they may be easily identified by
the rank and company they were in, and by their "given" name.
We think that many in the country would be greatly astonished at the peculi
arity of the names of some of our brave boys. The most remarkable one we ever
saw was that of a Western soldier, who was bravely defending the old flag under
the appellation of "January Blackbird." The number of names now registered
upon tha books at Washington alone, is about 200,000 ! The grafter portion of
these have been returned to duty or honorably discharged.
The correspondence ofthe Directory is one of its most interesting features. When
inquiries are received asking information of soldiers whose names are not on the
books ofthe office, a letter is addressed, in nearly every instance, to the Surgeon
of the soldier's regiment, or to one of the branch offices at Louisville or Philadel
phia. The method and detail with which this is done challenge our admiration,
as indicating the care taken to secure the most certain information. For instance:
a letter is received from Mrs. Jones, a lady in New York City, who has not heard

102

" The benefit conferred by the Directory has not been merely
to friends of the soldier, but also to the. soldier himself, becoming,
as it has, a medium of communication for wives and mothers
searching for husbands and sons — a channel through which has
flowed those messages of love, and cheer, and hope grateful to
the fevered brain, soothing to the agony of wounds.
* * * * * * * *
" In the nine thousand -two hundred and three answers lies
hidden a history which no human eye shall ever read. And the
gratitude with which they are acknowledged is shown by the
letters on file. Mothers write of their ' undying gratitude ' for
the simple announcement that their boys are doing well in hos
pital ; others ' invoke the blessing of God upon the labors of the
Commission,' and sisters ' will cherish the warmest gratitude
while memory lasts.' And then the eagerness with which in
quiries are made : ' By the love you bear your own mother tell
me where my boy is !' ' Only give me some tiding3 !' ' Is he
dead, and how did he die V c Is he alive, and how can I get
to him V ' I pray you tell me of these two nephews I am seek
ing for. I have had fourteen nephews in the service, and these
two are the only ones left.'

from her son Samuel, a private in the 200th New York Volunteers, Company B, in
five mbnths. She feels an intense anxiety. She has heard of the Sanitary Com
mission, and writes, despondently, for information. The soldier's name does not
appear on the books. The Chief Clerk writes to the Surgeon of the regiment. In
a book entitled " Applications," he makes the following entry : First, the date of
application ; next, the name of the soldier inquired for, thus — Jones, Samuel, 2O0th
New York Volunteers, Company B; next, the number of the application, say
2,400 ; next, the applicant, Mrs. Jane Jones, 274  street, New York ; next,
thus — Wrote Surgeon of regiment, such a date ; then, Mrs. Jones' letter of appli
cation is endorsed " 2,400," and carefully filed away. Then, the clerk takes a
blank form, the printed and written matter of which will read substantially as
.follows: " Information is earnestly desired regnrding Samuel Jones, of the 200th
New York Volunteers, Company B. When last heard from, he was with his re
giment at New Orleans, La., which was five months since. His mother has great
anxiety about him. Please reply upon this sheet at your earliest convenience."
The sheet is registered at the top "2,400," and addressed to the Surgeon of the
200th New York Volunteers. A stamped envelope, addressed to the Hospital
Directory, is enclosed. In the course of a few weeks there arrives one day, amoDg
a number of letters, a sheet headed " 2,400." It is the same the clerk sent to the
Surgeon of the 200th. The Surgeon has written, " Samuel Jones, of Company K,
200th New Yorlc Volunteers, of which regiment I am Surgeon in charge, was taken
sick about four months since and sent to Barracks' Hospital, New Orleans, and only
last week returned to duty, and is now with his regiment. Not getting letters
from home, he has neglected to write, but agrees to do so right away." The clerk
seeks out application No. 2,400, that was so carefully laid away, and puts with it
its duplicate number, the answer, and writes the welcome news to Mrs. Jane Jones.
He then endorses the application as answered at such a date, turns to No. 2,400 in
the "Application Book,'' and in a blank space, left for tbe purpose, writes the date
and abstract of his reply to Mrs. Jones. When we say, in addition to this, that
the letter to Mrs. Jones i3 written in copying ink, and afterwards copied into a

103

_ " Of the many scenes witnessed in the bureau, I can only men
tion a few without attempting a description. A mother has not!
heard anything of her son since the last battle; she hopes he is
safe, but would like to be assured — there is no escape — she must
be told that he has fallen upon the ' federal altar ;' an agony of
tears bursts forth which seem as if it would never cease ; another
less excitable, does not tire of telling ' how good a boy he was.'
' No mother ever had such a son as he,' so.bs a third. A father.
presents himself — a strong man and yet young in years, to receive.
the same announcement, and sinks with audible grief into a
chair ; another, with pale face and tremulous voice, anxious to.
know, yet dreading to hear, is told that his boy is in the' hospi
tal a short- distance off ; he grasps the hand with both of his,
while tears run down his cheeks, and without uttering another'
word leaves the room. ' It is very hard, my friend,' was said.
to one mute with grief, ' but you are not alone.' ' 1 know it,.
sir,' was the prompt reply, ' but he was the only' one I had.' ,-
" A woman • of more than ordinary intelligence and appear-

book, the reader will see the vast amount of care and labor bestowed upon this
important branch of the Hospital Directory.
*********** It is true that sad news is received sometimes, which it is not pleasant to com-;
municate directly to the anxious relatives; but we feel convinced, from the mani
fest interest in this department, that sorrowful things would be as gently imparted1
as possible, and with a sympathetic heart for the mourning mather, or brother, or
sister, to whom the letter might be written.
When the.Surgeon writes with: startling brevity: "John, of whom you inquire,
was killed at Chickaraauga, September 20, and afterwards buried on the field ;" or,'
" George, of whom you desire information, was severely wounded on the 2d July,
at Gettysburg, anddied on the 8th of that month in regimental hospital," it is very
sad to re-write these facte to the widowed mother, or the only brother and sister,!
whose hope has been alive at all times, though only upheld by uncertainty.
But there are other letters than these that are painful to write; for example,
" Private Jacob  , ofthe — th Maine Volunteers, Company K, deserted from
this regiment on the 10th of November, and has not since been heard from." The
clerk tells us that he had rather write to such a man's friends £Lat he had died o£
the most lingering and painful disease than to send them such a record. Another
sad case is 6uoh as this, and not unfrequently, we understand : " Henry  , df the
— th Iowa Volunteers, was last seen iii the engagement of  , and, as his
body was not found, is supposed to have been taken prisoner by the rebels."
But we were glad to learn that whatever satisfaction there may be in allaying
the anxieties and fears of friends with even the worst tidings — giving them gloomy
certainties such as we have noted — it is much oftener the pleasing task of the clerk
to write such a letter as this : " Your son is well and on duty with hia regimentj
as late as two weeks since. A letter addressed  , will be. "quite certain to
reach him;" or this: "It affords me pleasure to inform you that your brother,'
though severely wounded, as you bad heard, at the battle of Ohickamauga, is
slowly recovering at 11th Corps Hospital." We saw some of the letters received/
and were permitted to take a few notes."
* * * * ****** — Washington Qhronicl») ,

104

ance, with almost breathless voice, ' I want to find my husband ;
I have not heard from him for several months. I have written
to the officers of his regiment, but do # not get any reply; can
you tell me where he is?'
" Will you please to give me his name and number of his
regiment ?" ' O, yes sir. ' You will find him at Lincoln Hos
pital ; the city cars pass near the building, and the conductor
will point it out to you.' A momentary shade of incredulity is
perceptible ; then turning her full deep eyes, swollen with emo
tion, she gives one look — a full reward for a month of labor — and
in an instant is in the street. * * * *
Thus the varied scene goes on. One inquirer leaves the room
grateful, buoyant and happy, to be followed by another equally
grateful, who will ' tread softly' the remainder of his days, for
the ' light of his dwelling has gone out.' As each departs an
other figure is added to the list of ' inquiries and answers,' and
the seemingly monotonous work of the bureau is resumed."
Though this beneficial scheme for the organization of a special
bureau of information and correspondence for the benefit of
military patients and their home-friends, had been conceived
and provisionally ordered previous to the battle of Antietam,
the exhausted stock of the Commission's treasury threatened to
delay the execution of the thoughtful purpose. But the good
providence of California's generous aid at once made the duty
practicable and plain, and the ten thousand loyal homes that
have already received through this bureau the anxiously sought
tidings of their brave ones in distant hospitals, justly regard this
as the most loving and far reaching branch of the Commission's
work of special Belief; it is an outgrowth upon the battle-field
and hospital branch of the work, and without it the Commis
sion's ministry to the sick and the dying would not be complete ;
and to the reader who has noted the burden of necessities that
was laid upon the Sanitary Commission during the summer and
autumn of 1862, the institution of the Hospital Directory? at
that dark period will afford fresh testimony to the truth that
when duty and human necessities demand our labor, "the Lord
will provide."

105

Death and Burial Records.— The history of the Commis
sion's work in the line of aid and thoughtful sympathies for the
soldier in his relations to his home and friends, would not be
complete if we failed to mentiqn the Memorial and Burial Be-
cords of those who fall in the service ; for the tens of thousands
of brave men whose hves have been sacrificed in our national
struggle do not die forgotten and unrecorded. A triplicate reg<-
istry of the dying soldier's name, military record, home-relations,
wounds, or sickness, together with his dying requests, and the
designation of his place of burial, is officially ordered and pro
vided by the War Department for every soldier who dies in a
military hospital, or in the field, where his body can be recognized.
Already tens of thousands of neatly inscribed Memorial Tablets
at the soldiers' graves, as directed in Order No. 75 [A. D. 1861]
of the War Department, mark the campaign lines and the ceme
teries of the hospitals of the army ; while in each hospital and
at every cemetery office, as well as at the Adjutant-General's
office, and in the records Of every military post, accurate me
morial records of the deceased soldiers, are permanently pre
served.* This system of memorial records of the dead was prepared by
a committe in the Sanitary Commission, immediately after the
the first battles, and was promptly ordered by the Secretary of

* Previously to the introduction of this method of recording and preserving mor
tuary memorials, the soldier's death-record consisted simply in the entry, " Died,"
in the Hospital Register, and upon the Military Rolls, and in a quarterly return of
the same kind, with the report of " effects," and '¦ final statement of accounts of pay
and clothing." But the present system requires not only that immediate report o^
the death shall be made, but that the following form of a Dealh-and-Burial Record
shall bei made out on the day of burial ; and, that in addition to the copy of such
record, which is immediately forwarded to the Adjutant-General's office in Wash
ington, there shall be two other copies of the same record made, and preserved
where they will be most accessible by friends of the deceased, viz., one, a per
manent copy, in the hospital or kept by the surgeon ; and another to be put on file
by the person charged with the duty of the burial, either the Sexton or Quarter
master. [Copy No. 1, is kept in the hospital; eopy No. 2, goes immediately to
Washington; copy No.' 3. is kept on file by sexton or quartermaster.']

106

War and provided for by the Medical and Quartermaster's De
partments. And whoever will visit the " Soldiers' Cemeteries "
in the vicinity of Washington, Baltimore, Louisville, or St.
Louis, or inspect the neatly-kept Becords of Deaths and Burials
in the military hospitals, and at the offices where the duphcates
[Abstract of the forms ef the Death-and-Burial Records.]
• No. 1.
" RECORD OF DEATH AND INTERMENT.

Name and number of person interred
Number and locality of the grave. . . .
Hospital number of the deceased 
Regiment, rank, and company 
Residence before enlistment 
Conjugal condition, (and if married )
the residence of the widow, :  J
Cause of death....  )

Age of the deceased. , . .
Nativity 
References and remarks.

Date of death and burial .

.186.

:' Duplicates sent to the Adjutant-General of the United States Army, and to
the Sexton of the  Cemetery.

' Memoranda :

Attached to an official notification which the Surgeon sends to the Quarter
master requesting the interment of the corpse, there goes a certified copy — (third
copy) — ofthe foregoing permanent record from the Hospital Book of Burials, with
the following order appended, which the Quartermaster forwards to the Sexton, or
person having charge of the burial :
"To The Sexton of. 
You will receive, and immediately inter, the remains of the person above
described, and preserve this record, and also attend to the Betting of tho head
board at the grave, as provided by the Government and ordered by the Secretary
of War."
, „ ... ,, Quartermaster."
["Burial from the  Hospital.]
"This order for the burial ia to remain attached to the Sextoa'B copy of Keeord as part of the Record."

107:

of such records are kept on file, will see what practical ends are
being served by this system.
Hospital Cars or Railway Ambulances. — It is one of the
peculiarities, of the present war that the principal military move
ments and the great strategical points are upon the lines of rail
roads and the navigable waters. Upon the latter, we have seen

These new regulations for preserving the death-and-burial records of soldiers,
provide, in the words of the order of the Secretary of War, that these records " shall
always be accessible to the friends of the deceased, and all are to be kept alpha
betically indexed, for reference, and each grave have its number, in the order of
interments, distinctly indicated upon a post or plank of cedar, or some other endur
ing wood. The name of deceased, the date of death, and his company or regi
mental corps initials, to be engraved upon the said post or plank. This may be
effected With an iron letter brand or stamp. These posts or headboards, and the
lettering of the name, &c, will.be provided by the Quartermaster of the Depart
ment or Military Post where the hospital is located, or where the death occurs."
" It ia the duty ofthe senior Surgeon for the Hospital or the Military Company
in which a soldier dies, immediately after the death, to cause the copies of Record
— 1, 2, and S — to be accurately made out, and to forward copy No. 3 to the Quar-
master, or, in the absence of a Quartermaster, to the Commanding Officer of the.
Division or Company in which the death has occurred.
" Copy No. 2 shall be forwarded, without delay", to the Adjutant-General at
Washington, by the Surgeon, or by such other officer as the Commander may des
ignate. Generally, except in the District of Columbia, it will be the Surgeon's-
duty to forward copy No. 2 to the local Adjutant or Commanding Officer, who,
after noting the contents, will place his signature upon the face of the Surgeon's
notification attached, and immediately forward it to the Adjutant-General..
" Whenever a Military Hospital is finaUy broken up or vacated, the hospital
records are all to be transmitted to the Surgeon-General's Office at -Washington ;
and they must ever be open to the inspection of the friends of the deceased.
" The sexton is directed to preserve the records and the orders sent to him by
the Quartermaster. He must also be required to attend to the planting of the
headboard furnished by the Quartermaster for the grave of the deceased.
" In all cemeteries in which deceased soldiers are interred, the burials, if practic
able, are to be made in regular series, occupying a separate plot of ground ; but if
otherwise: and promiscuously interred, the number and description of the locality
of the grave should be carefully recorded by the sexton."
" I he sexton is required to notify the physician of the hospital of the number
and locality of the grave before he takes the corpse."
" In the case of a military burial at an encampment, or upon a march, without
the aid of a sexton, it shall be the duty ofthe Commanding Officer df the military
corps to which the deceased belonged to cause his remains to be properly interred,
and to provide suitable means for marking the grave and erecting a headboard
with the proper inscription or stamped record. And, in the absence of a sexton,
it shall be the duty ofthe Adjutant or the Commander of the said military corps
to preserve the sexton's copy of record ; and it will also be the dujy of the Surgeon
to said corps to preserve the Hospital copy of said record with the same care, and
subject to the same conditions, aa similar records in General or Post Hospitals."

IOS

what a sygtem of Hospital transports was instituted at an early
period of the war. But the positions of our forces and the exi
gencies of the service have been such as to require that a vastly
greater number of sick and wounded soldiers should be removed
northward by railways than by steamboats. The painful jar and
jolting wliich the patients suffered in the railway transportation
attracted the attention of members of the Commission, who
witnessed the removal of sick and wounded from various fields.
During the campaigns of 1862, the importance of improving the
methods of hospital transportation upon railroads became ap
parent, and a member of the Commission, at Fair Oaks, soon
after the battle there, and " while witnessing the intense agony of
these poor fellows, he thought the difficulty might be obviated
by mechanical means. Directly and upon the spot he sketched
the model of a car, in the contrivance* of which the problem
was satisfactory solved."*
The importance of having the business of hospital transporta
tion rendered more humane and safe, by means of careful surgi
cal attendance and all necessary appliances for physical comfort,
was admitted by all, and the Sanitary Commission has been
enabled to contribute very largely to the attainments of this ob
ject. Upon the various railroads communicating with the lines
of our armies and hospitals, there are now twelve or more hospi
tal-cars in daily use, all of which are fitted up with special re
ference to the comfort and safety of the patients.f Each of these
* See the illustration of Hospital-cars in Harper's Weekly, Feb. 27th, 1864.
f In one of Dr. Newberry's reports from the Western Department, it is Btated,
that— " To provide for the comfort of the inmates of hospitals in the interior of Ken
tucky and Tennessee, destined to be removed by rail to Louisville, a train of hospi
tal cars has been fitted up, and is now running, under the supervision of agents of
the Commission. The9e cars are provided with comfortable beds, with food,
stimulants, medicines, etc., and are in charge of kind and faithful men. One hun
dred sick are daily transported in them with as little danger and suffering as
though they remained in hospital."
* * # * ** * * *
" Reports have been made of the value of the service rendered by the Hospital

109

railway ambulances, as they are properly cabled, are furnished
with the comforts and appliances of a good ho.vpital, a;d the
beds are so adjusted as to give entire security and ease by means
of stout India-rubber tugs, etc. ; there is special ventilation, care
ful shading of the light, speaking tubes to convey orders from
the surgeon to the nurses, and every arrangement has been made
for the comfortable posture and support of the patients and their
wounded parts, in bed or in invalid chairs ; while well-packed
stores of warm clothing, ample supplies of concentrated food,
coffee, tea and medicines, together with an ingenious culinary
apparatus, facilities for the storage and use of water, — in short,
the provision of all the apparatus and comforts of a well ap
pointed hospital, — are conveniently arranged and always at
hand. Most of these ambulances are specially adopted for running
upon long routes and upon different guage's of track, The rail
way companies and the government have generously seconded
the Commission's wishes in the assignment of special cars for such
improved transportation of the severely wounded and sick, and
already the number of such patients thus transported over long
routes far exceeds the total number that were transported by
the Commission's Hospital Transports from the Peninsula. At
the East, the Medical Department has now provided for all the
Cars on the Chattanooga and Louisville ami NT*«hviIle Railroads. Time has only
served to increase our estimate of their important-*, and as the army has advanced
farther and farther from its base of supplies, they have been made more and more
useful, until tbey are now recognized as an indispensable institution."— Sanitary
Reporter. Says the Medical Director ut Nashville:
"The rapid transportation, 1 1n- care exercised over the patients in their transit,
and the competent attemlauts that accompany eat'h train, have, I am convinced,
been the means of saving many lives.
"I was forced to n* steamboat transportation for many wnunde.1 immediately
after the battle of Stone River; tnit the length of the vovatre. and th.* neeessary
exposure to the weather, ,tc. compelled me to n»-k your i-n-operiiiion in order that
the men might be transported ty railroail. I peimm.itly, as well as the sick and
wounded soldiers, ani under o.any obligations to the January Conimis-mn, hut, ill
my opinion, the 'sanitary train ' iln-s more than anything else f„r the -Comfort of
the sick." (See Letter of Dr: Thurston, Medici IHrectur, in the S.m ita ry Reporter,
Vol. l.No.l.)

110

expenses and attendance of the ambulance cars, except the
Stewards' ; but at the West, the Commission has until recently
had the whole responsibility of this important service.*

* De. Barnum, the faithful Surgeon who has long been engaged in this railway
ambulance transportation service, thus mentions some of the facts connected with
the Hospital Train at the West :
*•* * * * * * * * * »
" At present, there are in use nine hospital cars — seven on the Chattanooga road,
under the charge of Dr. Myers, Surgeon II. S. V., and two, under my own immedi
ate supervision, on the Louisville Road.
. " The train on the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, consists of one passen
ger, one mail, three box, and three hospital cars. The passenger coach is kept
scrupulously neat, for the accommodation of patients alone, and by a special
arrangement of seats, can be changed in a few moments to a bed-car, if necessary,
which, however, cannot often occur, as every loadof sick will contain some who
would prefer to sit."
" The new hospital cars Seem to meet the demand exactly, combining all possi
ble freedom of motion, the least jar, good ventilation, a comfortable degree of
warmth, and expedition in loading aud unloading."
"These are built on the same plans as those used between Washington and New
York, with Buch modifications as the tunnel and the difference in the width of track
rendered necessary. The draw-bar whieh connects the cars 'together, is surrounded
by a stiff spiral spring, which prevents any sudden jerk. Double springs are
under the trucks, and, in addition, the elliptic spring bar on the side to guard against
lateral motion. Each car contains twenty-four stretchers, hung by stout rubber
¦bands between two uprights. The stretchers are supplied with hair pillows, and
comforts, which can be easily renovated. They can be removed from the car, re
ceive the patients, be re-placed, and again bear them to the hospitals when the
journey is completed. _ The rubber bands prevent all shock and jolting, and com
municate a gentle motion, which usually lulls the patient to sleep."
" The stretchers can be removed from the car without disturbing the occupant,
There are also seats for those who wish to sit up, and a sofa for the Surgeon or
attendant, beneath which is a wardrobe and drawers for books, newspapers, Ac.
Opposite the sofa, is a kitchen only six feet by three, yet it contains water-tank,
wash-basin, sink for washing dishes, cupboarps for stores and dishes, and two
large lamps heating copper-boilers, by which soup, coffee, tea, &o„ may be quickly
and nicely prepared.
_ "The ' bumper' is surrounded by a stiff spring, which prevents tbe communica
tion of the jar when the motion is suddenly, stopped or applied. The whole in
terior is fitted up in a style superior to any cars in use in the Northwest.
"Articles of clothing are kept constantly on tho train to be given to those need
ing them, and sanitary stores of every character are liberally supplied.
" Patients speak in the highest terms, and with the deepestfeeling, of the kindness
and efficiency of Dr. Myers.
" Trips are made tri-weekly from Bridgeport for hospital patients. Lar°-e num
bers of discharged and furloughed soldiers are carried, but many more" of the
latter come by passenger and box cars.
" On the Louisville Road, the accommodations are much the same as those just
mentioned." J
" The food prepared is of good quality ; and besides Government rations many
delicacies— such as are comprised in the stores of the Commission— are issued in
-any amount required.
•' Since my connection with the Hospital Train, I have removed 20 472
patients, with the loss of only one man, who was removed contrary to the wish of
his Surgeon, and my own judgment, at his earnest desire to * die at home '"

Ill

Progress in Sanitary Work : Warfare against Scurvy. — The
methods of the Commission's branches of labor, as described in
preceding pages, have manifestly answered their design, and
have worked more and more effectively as the war goes on ; and
as we follow the Odmmission's operations through the last sum
mer and autumn, it will be observed that the ever augmenting
and ever varying necessities of our campaigns have been wisely
anticipated and promptly met, so far as sanitary wants could be
anticipated and met by any powers and means which the Sani
tary Commission has possessed.
Following up its special inspections of the military hospitals,
from the Atlantic to the Mississippi, and urging such improve
ments as were found wanting, the Commission closed that work
early in the summer, assured that the Medical Department was
nobly endeavoring to perfect its service and provision for the
sick and wounded of the army ; and that the department of the
Quartermaster-General was generously carrying into effect the
improved plans of the Surgeon-General for the better construc
tion and ventilation of military hospitals. Throughout the lines
of our armies in the Southwest, the Hospital Inspectors ' and
Surgeons bore testimony to the signal value of the fresh vege
tables and fruits which. the Western Secretary and agents ofthe
Sanitary Commission, with commendable foresight of perils
impending, had steadily supphed to those armies, both in camp
and in hospital, and by means of which the demon of scurvy
had been hunted from our armies.* And this service still con-

* The following extracts from official Reports will serve to illustrate the nature
of demands for fresh vegetables and other anti-scorbuties, as well as the hygienic
importance of the efforts put forth by the Commission to meet such demands, until
the' regular Commissariat could interpose with adequate supplies.
Early in spring, Lt.-Col. Frank H. Hamilton, a distinguished Medical Inspector,
U. S. Army, reporte/l as fellows to the Medical Bureau, from the army in Ten
nessee :
********
" We find, in the absence of vegetable diet, a cause for a great part of the mor-

112

tinues, and although it may appear to be simply a gratuitous sup
plementing ofthe army^Commissariat, it actually is equally a work
of inquiry and advice, and of supplementary supply and relief.
It is one of the special duties of the Sanitary Inspectors to report
and guard against the outbreak of preventable diseases, and, in
council with medical officers, to p'rovide the needed prophylac
tics, and the Commission thus undertakes to furnish large sup
plies of sueh antiscorbutics as onions, potatoes, and fruits, while
the Commissariat is considering and breaking through the diffi
culties that are found in the way of supplying such sanitary sub-
sistance in its own regular channels. In doing this important
work the agents of this Commission have sometimes not only

tality of our troops, both after the receipt of wounds and from disease. Indirectly
it may- account fur suppuration, gangrene, pyajrhia, erysipelas, diarrhoea, dysentery,
fever, rheumatism, etc., and we fully believe that one barrel of potatoes per annum
is to the Government equal to one man. I have omitted to state that in all ofthe
regimental hospitals, as well as general hospitals, I found the Sanitary Commission
had already furnished them with the vegetables they had called for, and which
were needed for the sicls, so that in the hospitals none were dying from scurvy; on
the contrary, in every instance I found them rapidly recovering.
" I would respectfully suggest that for the season of the year when neither fresh
potatoes nor onions can be furnished to our armies, they should be suppl ied with
pickled onions and cabbage : also potatoes cut in slices and packed in molasses, as
is the practice with sailors, the potatoes to be eaten raw."
In the " Sanitary Reporter " we find the following :
" Dr. Read, au Inspector for the Commission, wrote from Nashville, April 13th
as follows :
" ' Scurvy, to some extent, is appearing in most of the regiments. If called upon
to make long marches, many who now appear well will faint by the way. And,
if wounded in battle, many wounds, which, in a healthy condition of the system,
would be unattended with danger, would, in the present condition of many, prove
fatal.' " Simultaneously with the receipt of the above by mail, the following was re
ceived by telegraph:
„ TO„ "Nashville, Tenn., April 14, 1863.
"Dr. J. S. Newberry: r
"Sir,— We earnestly indorse Dr. Reed's letter, calling for vegetables, as one upon
which the health and efficiency of the Army at this moment depands.
(Signed) " Frank H. Hamilton,
" Medical Inspector, U. S. A.
" Alfred C. Post, M. D.,
" Moses Gujj.v, M. D„
"Hospital Inspectors, U. S.' San. Com."

113

swept the markets of such vegetables in the Western cities,* and
rapidly pushed forward the needed anti-scorbutics to the distant
hnes of the army, but it has repeatedly been necessary for the
Commission to appeal directly to the farmers to contribute these
indispensable supplies from their private stores.
It must not be inferred from this statement that the army has
not been liberally supplied with the regular rations, for, with
but few exceptions, there has been no lack of salt meats and " hard
tack ;" but with embarrased transportation, and with a remote
and almost inaccessible base of supplies, the difficulty of supplying
anti-scorbutic rations,— which, it must be remembered, are of a per
ishable n ature,— has been very great ; therefore, the Commissariat
and the Qurtermaster's Departments have welcomed and aided
the Sanitary Commission in its efforts to bring to the camp mess
and the field hospital the much needed elements of health. The
history of our campaigns in the Southwest will tell how gener
ously and how gratefully Generals Grant, 'Rosecrans, Sherman,
and Thomas, and many others, bade the Sanitary Commission
God-speed in this ministry of anti-scorbutics among their forces
in the field.f The threatened decimation and utter weakening

* A prominent business man in one of the great market cities of the West,
bas recently informed the writer that during the spring and. summer of 1 863
the immediate and unheralded purchase and shipment of this class of "sanitary
stores " by the Commission's agents, on several occasions so suddenly exhaused the
markets, that for days following the prices of such articles were greatly enhanced,
until the balance of supply could be restored.
f That tbe reader may correctly estimate the momentous importance of this
incessant watchfulness and warfare against scurvy in our forces, we invite atten
tion to the testimony we have incidentally adduced in previous pages, and also to
the following emphatic statements which we quote from the very reliable official
and scientific authority, Surgeon J. Janvier Woooward, the Medical Historian of
the War, who constantly has before him the official reports of sickness and mor
tality in all departments of the Federal forces. In his treatise, neatly published,
upon " Camp Diseases," Dr. Woooward unhesitatingly declares that " he is well
satisfied, from personal observation, that both as a distinct affection in its early
8

114

ofthe armies of the Cumberland and the Tennessee, was effec
tually prevented by the abundant supplies of potatoes, onions,
and fruits that were provided for those forces by the Sanitary
Commission. And, as we shall have occasion to notice in future
pages, the same homely and substantial method of life-and-
health-saving has been very effectively continued in the more
distant lines of our armies during the past year, and to the pres
ent time.
This portion of our narrative of the Sanitary Commission's
work might be indefinitely extended by recounting in detail
the history and incidents of daily experience in the various
labors of the Relief Department ; but the current events in the

stages, and as a complicating influence, affecting the other camp diseases of tho
army, scurvy has hitherto played a large part in the phenomena of disease in the
Eastern armies ;" and he says he is satisfied that the same bas been true of diseases
in the armies West and South. And, after showing the part that the " scorbutic
taint " has played in the diseases of the Peninsula campaign — " the Chickahoininy
fever '' — and in the prevalent diseases South and West, that well-informed author
Btates that —
" There can be no doubt that the same tendency (the ' scorbutic taint ') has com
plicated diseases generally throughout the army during the past two years, and
has even modified the result of wounds and injuries, interfering with the healing
process, and increasing the mortality of traumatic cases of every kind."
" The leading causes of scurvy," says Dr. Woodward, " may be designated in a
single word as camp diet." And he adds : "There is probably no single instance of
scurvy making its appearance among any body of troops who are duly supplied
with an abundance of fresh vegetables."
Potatoes and onions — the most available anti-scorbutics — he urges, should be
more freely supplied to the men in camp and in hospital, and he says :
" It has more than once happened on a grand scale, during the present war, to
see a sudden diminution in the amount of diarrhoea follow the liberal issue of potatoes
and onions to an army in which the tendency to scurvy was exhibiting itself in a
manner too evident to be overlooked."
These conclusions of Surgeon Woodward are undoubtedly correct, and they have
been steadily maintained by all the more experienced Inspectors in the Sanitary
Commission's service. Well does that excellent Inspector, Dr. Warriner of the
Mississippi field, declare that the Sanitary Commission's achievement in supplying

115

surpassingly interesting history of that branch of the Sanitary
Commission's work, is now being freshly published every two
weeks in the pages ofthe Commission's Bulletin and in the Sani
tary Reporter. Therefore, it is our aim, in this place, to present
simply the outlines and a few essential explanations of this im
portant branch of work, which the people so gladly and so abun
dantly endow with home-gifts and home affections. And, not
withstanding that the pages here devoted to the special history
o the Relief service have slightly interrupted the succinctness
ofthe narrative, the reader will not fail to perceive that this
branch of the Commission's work has not only interlinked its his
tory with that ofthe Commission's main design, viz., thepr&oen-
. tion of disease,— but that the grateful foliage and life-inspiring
vigor of this wide spreading branch, has naturally tended to
quicken, enlarge, and invigorate all other branches of this fruitful
tree of loyal and loving sympathies. We think the Sanitary Com
mission itself would gratefully acknowledge that its well organized
Department of Relief, by virtue ofthe world-wide and munificent
sympathies which it has evoked, and to which it has promptly
responded, has now become the very best pledge 'of hearty sup-

the troops with fresh vegetablee last spring, at Young's Point, " modified history !"
All military experience corroberates tbis view, for scurvy has been the bane of all
great armies in campaigns. And to illustrate the true economic and hygienic re
lation ofthe Commission's, work in sending forward, urging forward, and earnestly
recommending supplies of fresh vegetables to our armies in the rebel States, we
need only quote the remark of M. Baudens, the distinguished Medical Inspector of
the French Army, who, in one of his Crimean reports to the Minister of War,
asserts that " 100,000 francs, spent in fresh vegetables, is a saving of 500,000 francs
in the expense of sending the sick to hospitals."
In a monograph upon scurvy, with special reference to army practice, prepared
by Surgeon-General Hammond, and published by the Sanitary Commission [Docu
ment N], the vital importance of preventive measures against the ravages of this
Protean malady is ably set forth ; and Dr. Hammond closes that valuable esBay by :
saying that " scurvy is preeminently a preventable disease," and that those who
are charged with the care of our sick soldiers should see to it that the reproach of
its presence in camp does not rest with them.''

116

port of the entire scheme of the Commission's work of disease-
prevention. That the Relief service has been well and wisely
managed, all our armies bear ample testimony. It constitutes
the people's share in the Sanitary Commission's work, and until
Peace again waves her olive branch over the re-United States,
and our triumphant armies shall have dispersed to their homes,
the mutual obligations that have thus grown out of golden gifts;
and the home contributions of " sanitary stores," will not be
forgotten by the men to whom this trust is committed.

Santtaky Woek in the Campaigns of 1863.
Anti-scorbutic Supplies to the Armies of the Cumberland and
Tennessee during the winter and spring. — With the dawning
ofthe New Tear, 1863, the banks of Stone's River, before Mur-
freesboro', were strewn with nearly 8,000 mutilated heroes of Ge
neral Rosecran's army. The habit that has become so character
istic of the army ofthe Great Valley, to " move upon the enemy's
works," has .unquestionably cost much blood, but it has also
given us the inexpressible satisfaction of providing for our own
wounded, and of re-possessing entire States of the insurgent dis
trict. But there necessarily exists one great source of peril to
Buch vast forces in desolated regions which are far removed
from the districts of country from whence fresh vegetable sup
plies can be obtained. To this subject the Sanitary Commis
sion's Western Secretary, Dr. Newberry, and the Sanitary In
spectors under him, have continually given most watchful atten
tion*

* Major General Rosecrans on the Sanitary Commission and its aid to sick and
•grounded : " HeaoquarterS) Department of the Cumberland, )
Murfreesboro, February 2, 186S. J
" The General Commanding presents his warmest acknowledgements to the

117.

In preceding pages we have had occasion to mention how the
camps and hospitals of the Cumberland looked to the Commis
sion for " sanitary supplies." That noble army had campaigned
on "scurvy rations" in Northern Mississippi and -Southern
Tennessee, had marched long distances, and had fought hard
battles ; aud after the terrible engagement upon Stone's River,
the causes of scurvy, that long had lurked in the unfresh*
ened rations and crowded camps, threatened all the hospitals
and regiments of that army. Gangrene, erysipelas, and obsti
nate diarrhoeal diseases menaced the wounded, and, in almost
every regimental camp the scorbutic taint was exhibiting its
threatening symptoms. " There were no fresh vegetables fur
nished to the troops, except what were obtained from the Sani
tary Commission for the regimental hospitals," said Lieutenant
Colonel Hamilton, the faithful Medical Inspector of the Army
of the Cumberland, early in the spring. And in his official re
port to General Rosecrans, that Inspector goes on to say :
"Nearly all the regiments have been without potatoes and

friends of the Soldiers of this army, whose generous sympathy with the suffering
oi the sick and wounded has induced them to send for their comfort numerous sani
tary supplies, which are continually arriving by the hands of individuals and chari
table societies. While he highly appreciates and does not undervalue the charities
Which have been lavished on this Army, experience has demonstrated the import
ance of system and impartiality, 'as well as judgment and economy, in the forward
ing and distribution of these supplies. In all these respects the United States
Sanitary Commission stands unrivalled. Its organization, experience, and large
facilities for the work are such that the General does not hesitate to recommend,
in the most urgent manner, all those who desire to send Sanitary supplies, to con
fide them to the care of this Commission.
" They will thus insure the supplies reaching their destination without wastage,
or expense of agents or transportation, and their being distributed in a judicious
manner without disorder or interference with the regulations and usages of the
service. " This Commission acts in full concert with the Medical Department of the Army,
and enjoys its confidence. It is thus enabled with a few agents to do a large
amount of good at the proper time, and in the proper way. Since the battle of
Stone's River, it has distributed a surprisingly large amount of clothing, lint, b^p-
dages, and bedding, as well as milk, concentrated beef, fruit, and other sanitary
stores; essential to the recovery of the sick and wounded. " W. S. Roseorans,
" Major General, Commanding Department."

118
onions, as a regular issue, and not a few of these regiments have
not had more than one or two issues of these vegetables in eight,
ten, or twelve months. _ ,
" It is not surprising, therefore, that scurvy is begmniug_ to
manifest itself throughout the army, a few marked cases of which,
perhaps two or three, may be found ih most of the regiments."
£ r * * ' # * * * * *
" I am very much afraid, however, that in a short period
those signs of scorbutic taint will increase and extend, and
especially if the men are subjected to any extraordinary hard
ships in marching, on picket duty, or in the trenches ; and that,
in the event of a battle, the wounds of those who now appear
the most robust would not heal kindly."*
* * * * * * * * *
" The season for vegetables and fruit is approaching, but the
army cannot look to the surrounding country for a supply of
these articles, since its numbers are vastly disproportioned to the
amount of lands which will be cultivated ; and fruit trees do not
at this time abound within the lines which we command. There
is, therefore, in my judgment, a pressing demand for large and
immediate supplies of potatoes and onions, and this demand will
not cease for some months to come."
* * * * . * * * **
" On my arrival at Nashville on the 11th, I represented these
facts to Dr. A. N. Read, Sanitary Inspector of the Department
off the Cumberland, whom I found already advised upon 'these
matters by personal inspection, and who had already written
upon the subject to Dr. J. S. Newberry, Secretary, and in charge
of the Western Department of the Sanitary Commission, with
headquarters at Louisville."

* And in a letter from tbe same high authority, wbich was published May 16th,
he says of the Sanitary Commission :
********* * *
" It is to this Army, what I have found it to be everywhere in the Armies of
the United States, one of its most important means of support, and without which
its efficiency would be greatly diminished. No one whohas watched its working
upon the field, in the general hospitals, and on the road towards home of discharged]
and disabled soldiers, but will agree with me in saying that it is doing a vast deal,
both in the cause of our country and in the cause of humanity, and so long as the"
North continues to send its soldiers to the field, the Sanitary Commission must
continue its work.
"The agents, so far as I have seen them, are intelligent, faithful and zealous;
anUhe public has nothing to fear in trusting to them its contributions.
" Would to God that every one at the North could see and understand as well
as we do the value and necessity of this work.
"(Signed,) Fbank H. Hamilton,
" Medical Inspector, U. S. A."

119

Shipments of vegetables now began to be made more freely
under his order, on the 13th of April, from Louisville ; and on
the same date Dr. Newberry writes :
" There will be a succession of large shipments of vegetables for
Rosecrans' army by railroad and by boat. The General Super
intendent of railroads, Mr. Anderson, has been requested by the
Commander-in-Chief to forward promptly all the Commission
can send, therefore let them go to the front as fast as possible.
"On the 14th of April, Drs. Post and Gunn, Special Inspec
tors for the Sanitary Commission, having returned from Mur-
freesboro', confirmed the statements Dr. Read had already made,.
and we sent a joint telegram to Dr. Newberry, requesting that
the vegetables be sent forward as copiously as possible. On the
same day Dr. Newberry replied by telegram to me :
" ' Large shipments are being made daily. Yesterday I tele-
fraphed Cincinnati, Chicago, and Pittsburg for vegetables, and
ave a reply from Cincinnati that large shipments will be at
once made from there.' "
Though the Army of the Cumberland had daily communica
tion by railway with the rich markets of the Ohio, by way of
Nashville and Louisville, it is evident, from this official testi
mony, that our camps and hospitals in Tennessee were saved
from the ravages of scurvy only by such vigilance and promptitude
in watching the points of its appearance, and urging forward the
needed supplies of fresh vegetables. The Sanitary Inspectors
understood their business, and well did they fulfill, their mission.
" Vegetables, Humanity, and Patriotism," for the time were
synonyms,* in the estimation of those enlightened agents of the

* "Vegetables, Humanity, Patriotism. — The things represented by these three
nouns are more intimately connected than most people imagine. A supply of vege
tables to tbe army is indispensable to its health, and upon the health of the soldiers
depends the integrity of the Union." *****
****•< yfe commend the careful consideration of the following extract
from a letter recently received from Dr. Warriner, at Vicksburg:
" 'People must be roused forthwith to the importance of sending vegetables to
the army. We want enough to keep all hands busy distributing them. We want
enough to supply whole commands, and not merely the hospitals. We have none
now — we can do no better service than feed the army with potatoes and onions.

120
Sanitary Commission ; and the heartiness with which the chief
officers of the Medical Staff endorsed and aided the Commission's
efforts to eradicate scurvy from camps and hospitals. And
when spring opened, the Western Secretary procured official
permission, for the cultivation of extensive Yegetable Gardens in
the vicinity of Murfreesboro' and Nashville. This was an enter
prise of great practical importance, for not only were the pro
ducts of those gardens necessary for the great hospitals in
Central Tennessee, but they were soon to be required in hos
pitals and camps near Chattanooga. The Sanitary Reporter
thus mentions the organization and purposes of the " Jwspital
gardens :"
"While laboring to supply vegetables for the immediate
wants of the Army of the Cumberland in the early spring, it
was understood that the supply from the North would in a few
months fail, and that in the last months of summer the sick in
that department would be unsupplied, unless vegetables should
be raised in the department for their use. In the whole region
occupied by the army, the country was almost a desert, and no
dependence could be put upon purchasing supplies of citizens.

There certainly must be a sufficient surplus of these in the North to enable us to do
it, if we can once get the subject sufficiently impressed upon the loyal producers of
them. It has been only at brief but widely separated intervals that we have had
supplies of these in adequete abundance to justify this general disbursement of them.
When it has occurred, the results has been in the highest possible degree satisfac
tory and beneficial. The achievements of the two Commissions in this respect,
last spring, at Young's Point, modified history ! The effects are not to be weighed
or estimated. No one thing has done so much to establish the reputation of the
Commission with the army ; and yet how very seldom we have been able to sup
plement commissary Istores to this extent. If we could do it continually, we shonld
prevent more sickness than our other efforts are able to relieve. I wish this no
tion could be preached all through the North, clamorously and with power. Good
old brother Chidlaw could do immense good if he could concentrate his whole time
and his magnificent good-will-power upon it for a season. I trust you will not ne
glect to call public attention to this express plan of sanitary labor, and urge the
matter in all effective ways. Potatoes and onions for the whole army 1 Make
that the watchword ; varying the monotony from time to time by the addition of
"cabbage." But don't let people encumber us with other kinds of vegetables,
unless, perhaps, tomatoes. Their value is incomparably less than that of those
named. I will write again after the arrival of the Clara Bell.
(Signed) '" Yours truly,
"'H. A. Warriner."*
— (Sanitary Reporter.) .

121
Vegetables could not be bought, they must be raised. Reliance,
then, could only be placed upon hospital gardens.
* * * * * # * •
" The Sanitary Commission has furnished seeds and garden
tools, and about 30,000 plants, purchased in Louisville and Cin
cinnati ; and its agents have exercised a general supervision
over the work."
*******
"A similar work has been accomplished at Nashville, and
these two gardens will furnish 2. full supply of vegetables for the
hospitals of the department during that part of the season in
which they cannot be supphed from the North."
These great gardens, with their teeming products of choice
vegetables, anticipated future necessities, and although, in all,
about eighty acres of fertile land was devoted to this very practi
cally hygienic use, the events of autumn proved how wisely a
vastly larger tract of land might have been thus cultivated.*
And during the winter and spring months it became necessary to
resort to unusual means, and to use the greatest energy to pro
cure and transport anti-scorbutic vegetables to the distant points
where the Inspectors found need of such supplies.
Even after the Commissary Department ofthe Western armies
had been aroused by the urgent demand for potatoes and onions,
the Sanitary Commission still had more reliable means than those
at the command of the Government for supplying that demand.
It is stated upon authority, that " recently, when scurvy threat
ened our army, a Commissary advertised for an adequate
quantity of patotoes and onions, and no response was made.
Nobody either had, or chose to become responsible for, the de-

* In his report to the Commission, September 1st, Dr. Newberry says :
" The Hospital Gardens established in this Department have more than justified
all our anticipations. That at Murfreesboro' had, up to August SOth. furnished to
the hospitals 248 barrels of assorted vegetables, and the gardener estimates that it
will produce duringthe balance of the season 800 bushels of tomatoes, 1,200 of
Irish potatoes, 1,200 of Bweet potatoes, 25,000 beads of cabbage, besides large
quantities of beans, melons, turnips, &c."

122

Uvery of 50,000 bushels of patotoes, and a corresponding quantity
of other vegetables, but there were few famihes in the great'
West which could not spare from its store a peck, a bushel, or
a barrel of vegetables, and so within a month some thousand bar-'
rels were donated, and an impending disaster was averted, the
Commission furnishing a medium of communication between
the people at home and their defenders in the field."* But we
need not dwell upon further details of the methods and the*
means by which this warfare against the most dreaded and fatal
enemy of the camps and to frontier hospitals was overcome. '
It was the commencement of a work that must neces'sarily,be
'continued until the end of the war. And experience has shown
that when Commissaries have found the markets exhausted.
of anti-scorbutic vegetables, the Sanitary Commission, through
its branches of supply, never have failed to bring such supplies
forward at once.
Late in the spring, when a general movement of the army of
the Cumberland was anticipated, the Commission's Inspector at
Murfreesboro, Dr. Reed, wrote as foUows :

" The supply of vegetables distributed has greatly improved
the health and efficiency of this army. No greater amount of
good has ever been accomplished in so short a time, and at au
expense comparatively so slight. The friends at home who have
contributed these supplies should feel that^they have done much
to strengthen the hands and the hearts of the soldiers for the
struggle which all feel is close at hand.
"It will be gratifying to all to know that the most ample and
minute preparations have been made for the care of the wounded,
should an engagement occur. A special medical purveyor has
been appointed for each corps of the army, who has provided
himself with a large stock of medicines, hospital stores, clothing
and dressings, and all necessary transportation, to enable him to
accompany the army and issue his stores upon the field when

See Sanitary Reporter, June 1st, 1868.

123

and where needed. Also, as I mentioned in my last report, the
surgeons of each regiment have very generally furnished them
selves each with a box of hospital stores and dressings from our.
supplies, to be taken with the regiment wherever it moves. And
we have in addition furnished to most of the division surgeons
a good supply of concentrated beef extract for the same purpose.
We hope and expect that all will thus supply themselves from
our stores now on hand. Should occasion require it, all our
supplies suitable tor the purpose will be pushed forward
promptly to the temporary field hospitals and distributed where-
ever they will reheve or alleviate suffering."
******** " The testimony is uniform by all who know that the great
want of the army, after all that has been done, is fresh vegeta
bles. " I hope they will continue to be forwarded as long as they
are to be obtained, and that every- one who can will plant a
separate patch of potatoes, onions or cabbage for the soldier."
At the end of the month of May, the same faithful Inspector
writes to the Western Secretary of the Commission as follows :
* * * * «jn j^ report to you for April, I had to re
present that the great want of the Army of the Cumberland was
fresh vegetables ; that up to the 10th of that month there had
not been more than two issues for eight or nine months ; and
that in many cases there had not been one issue during that
time. As a consequence, scurvy was beginning to appear in
almost every regiment, and that this was a sure indication that
the soldiers were not in a condition to bear hard marches, or to
labor in the trenches ; and if wounded in battle, their wounds
would not heal kindly, but would be followed by pyaemia, ery
sipelas, hospital gangrene, and excessive suppuration. The mor
tality ofthe Confederate wounded at Murfreesboro' was forty per
cent. Dr. Avent, their Medical Director, a surgeon of unusual
intelligence, ascribes this large mortality to lack of vegetable
diet. ' .
" I have now to report, that from the 1st of April to the 20th of
May, there have been about four issues of vegetables by the Com
missaries to the troops of Murfreesboro', Franklin, and Nash
ville. At Gallatin they have not received from Government
more than two issues since they entered Kentucky. The police
of all the troops is excellent. The external manifestations of
scurvy have nearly disappeared ; although at Gallatin and Car
thage there are several well-marked cases.

124

" Dr. E. B. Glick, Brigade Surgeon, informs me, May 21st,
that all his cases of scurvy have disappeared; that three weeks
since he had many cases of ophthalmia, which did not yield to
ordinary treatment, but which had rapidly recovered under the
use of the vegetables we had supphed him.
" Hospital gangrene has nearly disappeared, and the cases of
erysipelas are much less frequent.
* . * * * * * *
" During the month, we have received and distributed, from.
the Nashville depot, 5,897 bushels of vegetables, and 18,730
pounds dried fruit, and, in addition, a considerable amount of
canned fruit, pickles, and other sanitary stores.
" These have been distributed as follows :
Sent to Bbls. Vegetables. Lbs. Dried Fruit
Murfreesboro'  1,423 5,955
Franklin:  80 1,200
Carthage  23 575
FortDonelson  127 500
Gallatin  95
Lavergne  66 750
Brentwood  24 500
Triupe  58 165
Clarksville  12
Nashville  451 9,085
2,359 bbls. 18,730
Yegetables — equal to 5,897 bushels, at 2£ bushels to the barrel)
" These have been distributed under the rule, that the sick
and feeble should be first supplied : the balance to be given to
the well men in the regiments."
In another letter from the sanitary depot of that army, the
following illustration is given of the necessity for such anti-scor
butic supplies, and the faithfulness of medical officers in dis
bursing them : *

* The value and appreciation of this Commission's work in the Army of the
Cumberland, is well illustrated by the following spontaneous testimonials of grati
tude from Medical and Commanding officers:

125

* * * * « Among many facts showing, as a rule, the
earnest devotion of the surgeons of this army to their work, and
their fidelity in the use of sanitary Btores, I will mention only
the following. At the time when potatoes were exceedingly
scarce and valuable, and when the Commission was furnishing
the greatest part which were available for the army, the surgeon
of  , who had just returned to his regiment, visited our
rooms with his assistant to ask us if we could do anything for
him. On exhibiting his person, his legs and body were spotted
and purplish, with as little elasticity to the flesh as to a piece of
dojugh ; an indentation from pressure would remain for many
minutes. The symptoms of scurvy were clear and unmistake-
able, and he had been distributing for weeks to the enlisted men
under his charge vegetables from our stores — had thus banished
scurvy from the tents of the men, and it remained only among

" Headquarters Sn Divis., 20th Armv Corps, )
"Medical Department, May 1st, 1863. )
" Sir, — Allow me, through yon, to return the sincere thanks of the Medical Offi
cers of this Division to the TJ. S. Sanitary Commission for their uniform promptness
and attention to the wants of the sick and wounded soldiers.
"It has been my lot to be with this Division, as Medical Director, through two
hard-fou:?ht battles (Perryville and Stone's River), where we had many wounded
men, with only limited means of ministering to their comforts; consequently, I
have had a good opportunity of judging of the efficiency of your organization, and
ofthe benefits derived from it. Through the promptness of the Commission our
wounded were more comfortably situated within forty-eight hours after the battle,
than they were eight days after the battle of Shiloh.
"To your organization we are indebted, also, for many valuable suggestioas
which have added much to the comfort of camp life.
" With the most sincere hope that your organization may receive the continued
support it deserves, I am, " Very respectfully, " Your ob't servant, " D. V. Griffith,
" Surgeon 2d Ky. Vols, and Med. Director.
"Insp. TJ. S. San. Commission."
Endorsed as follows : " Headquarters 3d Division, 20th A. C, )
" Near Murfreesboro', Tenn., May 4, 1863. J
" I take great pleasure in endorsing every word of the within letter, and desire
to return, through the Hecb'cal Inspector, my sincere thanks to the Sanitary Com
mission for their almost invaluable services to my wounded men at Perryville and
Stone River. "P. H. Sheridan,
" Major-General"
*»,******
" Receive my thanks, my dear sir, for your attention to the health of my com
mand. Your kind issues of vegetables are thankfully received by all the men, and
without them our men would soon be victims of scorbutic diseases ; they would
soon give out on the march, and would not have sufficient physical vigor to with-

126

the officers. When he was directed to use them for the officers
also as far as they needed them medicinally, he expressed sur
prise and gratitude both ; for the supposed they were to be used
sacredly for the enlisted men."
That the people of the great West have entered into the na-

stand wounds, which good soldiers are apt to receive when faithfully and gallantly
performing their duty upon the battle-field. y
"I am, sir,
" Your obedient servant,
" A. MoD. MoCooe,
" Maj.-Gen. Com'd'g 20th Army Corps."
* * * * * * * *
* * * * " These vegetables will preserve our men, and advance
the interest of our cause.
" The ration of potatoes issued to my entire Division by you yesterday, was
thankfully received, and will do much to prevent scurvy and other diseases.
" Young ladies who have lovers in the army are prone to send them handsomely
wrought slippers, book-marks, 4c., but love will also be unabated if the fair hands
will keep those handsome souvenirs until the close of the war, and while we are in
the field we promise to love and admire any and all who engage in this good work
of supplying us with fresh vegetables. " Yours very truly, " R. W. Johnson,
*' Brig.-Gen. Vol. Com'd'g."
" Headq'rs, Army of Kentucky, )
" Franklin, May 3, 1863. J
"Ao't TJ. S. Sanitary Commission, Nashville, Tenn. :
" I have to acknowledge the receipt of 40 barrels vegetables from your office,
which have been issued to the troops in this command.
"The health of the command is steadily improving, largely owing to your
kindness and activity in furnishing those important anti-scorbutic remedies.
" Please accept my thanks for this and former invoices.
" Truly yours, " W. Varian,
" Surgeon TJ. S. V., Medical Director Army of Ky."
"Headq'rs 2d Division, 2 1st Army Corps, )
"Camp Near Murfreesboro', [
'"MayS, 1863. )
" Inspector TT. S. Sanitary Commission :
" Dear Sir, — I can have no more agreeable duty than to acknowledge the value
and beneficial services of the Sanitary Commission.
"The army owes a debt of gratitude to tbe benevolent men and women of the
country, who have, through this admirable agency, contributed to relieve the wants
ofthe soldier, supplying those 'small things' so essential to their health and vigor.
" I am, very respectfully, " John M. Palmer,
" Major-General."

127

tional struggle with their whole soul, and under the highest in
spiration of patriotic duty, is manifested in their effective labors
and untiring zeal in suppressing the rebellion. Cheerfully and
promptly have they given their sons to the cause, and, in some
ofthe States, even where labor is most in demand, they have
exceeded all Federal quotas and calls for troops ; and every
household, however humble or afflicted, has offered and will con
tinue to offer its loving gifts for the aid and succor of their brave
sons in the army. Like the broad rivers of the West, the Sani
tary Commission's channels have received and borne southward
the tributary streams of the Great Yalley ; and no person can
doubt that the fervent desire and the urgency of the Western
people to have their home-offerings go forward uhdelayed and
directly to the places and the men who most needed, though
sometimes impatiently overleaping all wise methods and the
Commission's authorized channels, have, nevertheless, finally
resulted in giving to the Commission itself the very highest prac
ticable degree of energy, largeness of plan, and celerity of exe
cution in its Belief service, and, at the same time, thoroughly
imbuing the commanding generals and the whole army of the
Yalley with thefr own spirit of earnest co-operation and merci
ful helpfulness. Indeed, it , would appear that from the begin
ning of the war the great generals of the West have done all in
their power to facilitate and give full effect to the works of the
Sanitary Commission.*

* The foUowing published orders from the two great leaders of our Western
Armies, exhibit the spirit in which the war and the men who help in it were re
garded by those distinguished Generals :
" Headquarters Department of the Tennessee, )
Vicksburg, Miss., Sept. 28, 1863. J
" Commanding Officer, Cairo, 111. :
"Sir,— Direct the Post Quartermaster at Cairo to call upon the TJ. S. Sanitary

128
With good reason does Dr. Newberry, the Western Secretary,
in his report to the Commission of sanitary work accomphshed
in the forces on the Mississippi, remarks : " Indeed, I may say
that our operations in that Department have been, by an irre
sistible influence, gradually but constantly expanding. The
many and great privileges accorded us by the General com
manding, and by others in authority, have opened new and
wide doors of usefulness, and by accepting the responsibilities
thus laid upon us, our duties have necessarily been increased."
And not less justly does the Western Secretary yield to the
military officers their full share of honors for humane and life-
saving work in the army of the Cumberland. He says: "I
think I am justified in saying that there is no Department of
the whole army where our work is more systematically, thorougly,
and well done. The credit of this desirable result is not, how
ever, due wholly to the corps of agents who have represented us
so faithfully there, but should be equally shared by the mihtary
and medical authorities, all of whom have been at all times most
cordially co-operative, not only granting cheerfully every rea
sonable request we have made, but, even anticipating our wants ;

agent at your place, and see exactly what buildings they require to be erected for
their charitable and humane purposes.
" The Commission has been of such great service to the country, and at Cairo are
doing so mueh for this army at this time, that I am disposed to extend their facil
ities for doing good in every way in my power. You will therefore cause to be
put up, at government expense, suitable buildings for the Sanitary Commission,
connecting those they already have, and also put up for them necessary outbuild
ings. * * ***** * #
"(Signed) TJ. S. Grant,
" Major General."
" Headquarters Department of the Ohio, I
Cincinnati, Ohio, Aug. 1st, 1863. J
"Special Order, No. 290.
" 3. All officers in this Department will extend to the agents of the TJ. S. Sani
tary Commission, every facility consistent with their duties, and will respect and
aid them in carrying out their charitable work.
" By order of " Major General Burnside."

129

often spontaneously proffering the aid we were about to need.
The catalogue of the officers of this army, who have manifested
towards the Sanitary Commission cordial and appreciative co
operation, is so long that I have not room to give it, but I may
say, in general, that our relations are of the pleasantest charac
ter with every one. The evidences of hearty sympathy with us
in our work, given by General Bosecrans, General Garfield, his
chief of staff, Dr. Perin, the Medical Director, and Dr. Hamil
ton, Medical Inspector, have been frequently exhibited," ....
During the winter and spring of 18o3, the forces upon the
Mississippi, under General Grant, occupied positions that were
exceedingly unfavorable to health, but the ground that had been
gained along the course of the great river, during a year of terri
ble struggles and toil, from Island number Ten, and Memphis, to
the Yazoo, was not to be relinquished, and from that perilous
base of bayous, swamps, malaria, and difficult transportation, -was
to be commenced one the grandest campaigns of the war. Late
in the month of March, General Grant moved forward strong
columns of his forces southward from Young's Point and Milli-
ken's Bend, where the Sanitary Commission was systematically
at work by hygienic agencies, that " modified history," and
after incredible toil and exposure in marching, bridging, ford
ing and fighting all the way across the peninsula opposite and
below Yicksburg, to Grand Gulf, and thence to the bloody con
tests at Port Gibson and Champion Hill, then quickly fol
lowed the triumphant battles and forced marches that scattered
the rebel forces from the capital of Mississippi, arid drove General
Pemberton westward from the Big Black Eiver to the fortifica
tions of Yicksburg.
The masterly Leader of our army had not over-estimated the
physical powers and heroism of his forces, but he put them to
tests that proved them well, and which most strikingly illus
trated the practical value of health and its safe-guards in such a
9

130

campaign. In the trenches and mines, on picket and in con
stant skirmishing and fighting, while beleagurmg the enemy's
stronghold ; or upon the morasses of the Yazoo and the Big
Black, maintaining our hotly disputed lines, General Grant's
powerful army was rendered all the stronger and the braver for
the constant presence and influence of sanitary labors and sani
tary supplies. General Grant, with his accustomed sagacity,
had promptly ordered that ample facilities for the transportation
of the Commission's " sanitary stores" should be provided, and
as soon ds Inspector Warriner and his assistants were able to
gain a point of communication with the forces before Yicksburg,
¦large supplies of fresh vegetables and other needed supplies for
the health of the forces, and for the succor of the wounded and
sick, were poured in from the " sanitary steamers," and other
boats on the Mississippi and Yazoo.*

* The Commission's Western Secretary, foreseeing the inevitable demand that
must continue to be made for anti-scorbntics iu the army on the Mississippi, as well
as in the army of the Cumberland, endorsed and gave wide publicity to the state
ments that were sent to him by the Relief agents in the field. The following is
an illustration of the view taken by those practical men :
*********** " Let every farmer in the loyal States put in an extra patch of potatoes, cabba
ges, and onions, for the soldiers ; let ever child have his soldier's garden-bed ; let
the " Onion Leagues" vie with the Union Leagues in number and zeal of member
ship, and so will the lives of our brave soldiers be preserved, and the country
saved. To this same purport is the following appaal of the Rev. B. W. Chidlaw :"
"to all the boys and girls in IDE north."
" TJ. S. Sanitary Steamer ' Dunleith,' )
" On the Mississippi River, April 27 . J
. " We have just finished the distribution of our precious cargo of good things for
our sick and well soldiers in the hospitals and camps, from Cairo, III., to Ybiifag'S
Point, La. These things were much needed, and gratefully received.
" Will your kind hearts and willing hands work for the soldier? You may ask
wbat can we do ? You can work in your gardens and fields, plant and cultivate
potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, onions, 4c. You can gather strawberries, raspber
ries, currants, and blackberries, and your mothers will can them. Your apples,
peaches, pears, and plums can be cut and dried, and put up in small bags, then
these rich treasures of your gardens, fields, and orchards, the products of your pa
triotic industry, sent to the Soldiers' Aid Society, and thus to the TJ. S. Saoitaity
Commission, will reach the soldier, help him to get well, and cheer his heart.
" Begin to plan and to work at once. Keep at it, and thousands of our brave
soldiers sharing your gifts will rise and call you blessed."

131

tinder date of May 4th, 1863, Inspector Warriner writes to
Dr. Newberry, the Secretary, from Milliken's Bend, La. :
******** " I have watched with much interest the movement Of these
troops. It is characterized by most active energy. Most of the
tents are left behind, as are also the men who are not strong
enough to endure an exhausting and desperate campaign. Sup
plies in anything approaching sufficient quantity cannot be con
veyed to the front by any existing method. Foraging is too
precarious, of course, to be relied upon long, and desperate
fighting is inevitable. Yesterday the news of a vigorous battle
at Grand Gulf, Mississippi, on Saturday, came to hand. I see
no escape from a series of such, augmenting in fierceness and
intensity, until the question is decided as to who shall hold the
river through the ensuing summer. This, with the increase of
disease that will keep pace with the advancing season, may, and
possibly will, develop a great amount of sickness, and the
thought that is pressing most upon me, is how to meet this suffer
ing with some approximation to an equivalent relief. I beg,
therefore, that you consider this letter as chiefly a requisition
for stores." * * * * * *
From Young's Point, above Yicksburg, Dr. Warriner writes,
under date of May 18th 1863 :

¦" '" We are still unable to get transportation to the Point for
hospital stores. The demand for them there is hourly increasing.
Several hotly contested battles have already occurred. The one
that resulted in the capture of Jackson, Miss., by our forces was
especially severe. Not less than 800 were killed. Applying the
ordinary rule as to the relative, number wounded, there cannot
be much less than 2,000 of these, besides a large number from
the ranks of the enemy. Previous to this battle I had received
reports from Surgeons at Grand Gulf, that 500 wounded had
accumulated there. Yesterday firing was heard here all day,
artillery and musketry. It was not incessant, but at times was
rapid and heavy. The direction seemed to be southeast from
Yicksburg : distance not exactly calculable."
* *" * * * * * *
"I learned, meantime, that the purpose is to bring the
wonnded here and ship them North, as rapidly as possible. An

132
installment of several hundred is expected in to-morrow. They
will be brought on boats to the lower end of the new road— the
road running from this point to the river, twelve miles or so
below Yicksburg — thence by wagons and ambulances here. The
boats taking them hence Will have occasion to make heavy
drafts upon us for stores. And I shall make an effort to send
to the front by the return teams more or less stores for those who
will not be favored with immediate transportation. Persons
claiming and, for aught I know, possessing^ military sagacity,
regard General Grant's chances as in the highest degree pro
mising. •'The convalescents at Milliken's Bend at my last writing
have all — excepting those at the Yan Buren hospital — been re
moved to this point. They number nearly 5,000. About ten
per cent, are under medical treatment."
From Haines' Bluff, May 27th, Dr. Warriner reports :
* * * * "I have at last reached a point of com
munication with the main army. Haines' Blufl was abandoned
by the enemy when it became certain that Yicksburg would be
speedily invested by our enterprising army. Boads have been
opened up, and properly guarded, from here to the lines, and
supplies of all kinds are pouring along the route with the utmost
activity. I had the sanitary wharf- boat moved to this place
from Young's Point five days ago. Our ample supphes were'
already reduced by the convalescents and hospitals, whereof I
have already given full reports ; but we have enough left to keep
all hands busy. I have been out to the front since arriving here,
making a hurried inspection of the general condition of the
army and of the wounded."
Again, just previous to the capitulation of Yicksburg, that
watchful Inspector reports to the Commission as follows :*

* The following letters of thanks from officers serve to illustrate to our minds
the spirit of thankfulness in which the Sanitary Commission's aid was received at
the period of which we are now writing : "Hospital Uth Div., 13th A. C, )
"Near Vicksburg, June 20, 1S63. f
" Dr H. A. Warriner,
"Agent U. S. Sanitary Commission:
*' Sir,— In behalf of more than four hundred wounded men treated in this hos
pital Bince the siege of Vicksburg, and as many sick men postrated by exposure

133
" Up the Yazoo, neae Yicksbueo, )
June 23d, 1863. j
" Dk. J. S. Newbeeey,
" Secretary Western Department U. S. Sanitary Commission,
Louisville :
" My Dear Doctor,— I send herewith lists of wounded, sick,
&c, obtained from several different hospitals in the field and at
MillikenV Bend: The Nashville, since the list from her was
made out, has transferred to the transports nearly all her pa-

and fatigue, I hereby express their thanks and gratitude for the indispensable
goods with which you have supplied them. When I have told them I have got
from you ice, dried and canned fruits, lemons, spirits, shirts, drawers, slippers,
sheets, bed ticks, etc., etc., to make them comfortable, some of them have said
' God bless the Commission ! ' — others would say ' good,' and others would use the
very expressive phrase, ' bully 1 ' I have been in the service nearly two years,
and am glad to say, our sick were never so well cared for as now, and it is due to,
you to say, that we are indebted almost exclusively to the TJ. S. Sanitary Commis
sion for the means of making them comfortable. I take the liberty of making
these observations, because I have been employed by this hospital to procure of
you these supplies. May God put it into the hearts of the friends of the soldiers
to keep you well supplied. " Yours respectfully, " H. J. Eddy,
" Chaplain 33d 111b. Infantry."
"Field Hospital, 3d Div., 17th A. C, )
"Rear of Vicksburg, June 16, 1863. . J*
" Dr. Warriner, " U. S. San. Com. Boat, Chickasaw Bayou, Miss. :
" Doctor,— rMany, many thanks, we all send you and through you to the noble
ladies of Ohio, God bless them 1 for the liberal supply of sheets, shirts, drawers,
pillow-slips, comforts, fruits, and everything else you have so freely sent us.
Without these I know not what we should have done.
" Crossing the Mississippi River as this whole army did, with transportatiotfcut
down as ours of necessity was, to just enough to carry rations and ammunition, the
prpspect was anything but a cheering one to tbe medical officer looking forward to
'tne time when many of his charge must necessarily become sick from long and
wearisome marches, and many more get wounded in battle.
"The battles of Thompson's Hill, Raymond, Jackson and Champion's Hill, more
than exhausted the limited supplies of re'gimental surgeons, so that, had it not
been for the Sanitary Commission, who met our victorious army as we arrived at.
Haines' Bluff, the sufferings of our wounded at the siege of Vicksburg Would have
been far greater than they have been. The wounded have been cheered and made
contented, and many have been saved beyond all question.
" I sincerely hope you have plenty of everything on hand still, for, if I do not
mistake the signs of the times, it will not be long before you will again have
heavy draughts made upon you.
" Should you have occasion to visit the front, do not fail to call upon us and see
for yourself how much good you have done. We think our hospital will compare
favorably with any field hospital in the army. I am, Doctor,
"Your sincere friend and well-wisher, "Edward L. Hill,
"Surgeon 20th O. V. Infantry, in charge 3d Div. Field Hospital"

134

tients. The Yan Buren hospital has parted with a large num
ber of its patients. I am not able to give at the present writing
the number remaining in either of these hospitals. The num
ber of sick in the field in the rear of Yicksburg, including the
wounded not yet removed, is a trifle less than 3,000. Not over
one-third of these are grave cases.
" The three corps ' hospitals ' are now in operation and fairly
furnished with the equipments, conveniences, and supplies ap-
Eropriate to general hospitals. There are besides eleven division
ospitals — all in good condition relatively. In fact, their con
dition in all respects is unusuaUy good for the field. Begimen--

" MoPherson Hospital, 17th A. C. )
" Department Tennessee, June 18th, 1863. j
"Dr. Warriner, Agt. TJ. S. San. Com. :
" Dear Sir, — I have just received six loads of Sanitary supplies for tbe sick and
wounded of this hospital. They were much needed and gratefully received. They
supplied a want that could not otherwise have been met.
" In behalf of the sick and wounded soldiers, allow me to-present to the Com
mission their heart-felt thanks and high appreciation of their well directed efforts
in this noble enterprise. Yours is a noble and patriotic calling. Many a family
circle will be made to rejoice and many a poor soldier will be indebted to the care
and great labor bestowed on the army, by the Commission, for his life ! Many a
prayer will be offered in years to come for blessings to descend upon those now en
gaged in this good wotk.
" May God bless and prosper you in your philanthropic enterpriee, and prosper
th« right, is the wish of those whom you have bountifully supplied,
" I am, very respectfully, your ob'd't servant, " Geo. R. Weeks,
" Surgeon TJ. V., in charge,"
" Surgeon's Office, Field Hospital, )
*' 3d Div. 15th A. C, near Vicksburg, June 18th, 1863. j
"Dr. Warriner, Agt. U. S. San. Com. :
*********** " You have enabled us to fit up several hundred patients, out in the houseless
woods, with many ofthe comforts nnd even luxuries of home, when with only the
allotments of Government procurable here, our hospital regimen of diet and ward
robe would indeed have been meagre. Permit me, for these, our gallant sufferers, to
acknowledge the receipt, at your hands, of large supplies of bedding, clothing
vegetables, fruits, and a variety of those relishable dainties so opportune to reflush
the cheeks made wan by the toils of this herculean campaign.
" I certainly believe that a number of lives have been saved in this hospital from
the use of delicacies furnished by your Commission.
"Such tokens as these serve to fix yet firmer in the soldier's breast the jewels
he has preserved from the halcyon days of the past— the grateful memories of
loved ones far away.
" God bless the Sanitary Commission t * * * * *
" Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
" Geo. L. Luoas, 47th Ills.,
"Surg. 3d Div., 15th A. C."

tal hospitals are kept up, but the severer cases are chiefly senttq
one of the other two classes. The three hospital transports con-,
tinue active in the removal of patients Northwards.
*******
" Tl^e steamer City of Alton left with me eight half-barrels ale,'
two casks codfish (1>000 lbs. in all), one barrel butter, and 28
S^ks dried apples (130 lbs. to. the sack) — all in excellent condi-
tiofl, and very welcome. Since then 500 barrels *of potatoes
haye arrived from Memphis, brought to that point from Cairo
by the Dunleith. The cause that prevented the Dunleith from'
completing her trip has doubtless been explained to you. The
potatoes arrived four days since. They are all issued to-day. I
baye given them freely to the troops in camp as well as hospital,
as I have done by previous lots since being here. It is impossi
ble to preserve large quantities of them for hospital consump
tion exclusively. Besides, their value to the well is incomputi-
ble. No happier hit has been made by the generous North
than the sending of a surplus of vegetables to this army. They
have done a vast amount of good, and elicited the liveliest ex
pressions of gratitude toward the numerous donors and the,
organization through whose instrumentality they were procured..
(the service rendered by the Sanitary Commission and Western
Sanitary Commission since the arrival of the army in its present
position, in assisting to supply hospitals with needed comforts,
bas been signally important and more than ordinarily appreci
ated. I enclose copies of a few of the letters I have received.
from the recipients of these bounties, acknowledging their value.
It would be no ordinary pleasure to me tp be able to convey to
the givers of these good gifts even a glimpse of the radiantly
grateful looks I encounter in the hospitals from day to day, from
those whom their gifts have blessed. A thousand times over I
hear the expression, " I wonder if they know how much good
they are doing." I wonder too. Unquestionably, the wide-;
ppread labors of the Commission through its numerous branches
and coadjutors were never so pervasively and thoroughly ap
preciated as now ; and this, it is not to be overlooked, is partly,
perhaps largely, due to the proximate success of the efforts
to combine and systematize these labors. I may be re
garded as an interested witness in this particular, but I cer:
tainly have the best possible opportunity to see and judge ofthe
relative value of the two methods pf distributing stores ; which
piay be designated the systematic and spasmodic. And I find
it difficult to express my appreciation ofthe one, and my abhor:
rence of the other. Not an agent pf the spasmodic class has
jbeen sent hither but has expressed to me spontaneously, after
tarrying a iiew days, and with some enthusiasm, his convictions

136

of the superiority of system. I spend no more time arguing the
question. I point to work and results. They are patent and
beginning to be known of all men. I must mention in this con
nection the highest official compliment I have hitherto received
at the hands ofthe military authorities. It consists of 100 tons
of Government ice turned over to me for distribution. I asked'
General Grant, a few days since, for a barge and towage for the
same, pledging him that the Sanitary Commission would load
the barge with ice. He promptly acceded to my request. On
returning to the landing I found the above cargo just arrived.
Thinking perhaps that it would be unnecessary expense on the
part of the Commission to purchase more ice immediately, I did
nothing further about it. Day before yesterday an order came
putting the cargo into my hands. This, together with nearly or
quite as large a quantity in the hands of the Purveyor, makes
the present supply abundant.
" Our issues have been very large for the last month in all
articles and items. We are now out of lemons, canned fruit,
crackers, potatoes, pickles, crout, drawers and sheets. . Nearly
out of canned milk (24 cans on hand), running low in shirts,
and, in fact, are growing deficient in all things save ice. "But
the effect for good has been commensurate with the activity of
our issues.
" Complaints of the misuse of stores grow less frequent and
more mythical. I make it a point to follow up every instance
of it reported to me, and generally find accnsation and accuser
vanishing out of reach before the investigation is concluded.
And where I find it otherwise, competent authority is prompt
in arresting the evil. I am disposed to think that the amount
of waste occurring in this manner is too unimportant to deserve
farther consideration.
" I have been occupied for the last week with such inspections
as circumstances would permit of the troops engaged in the
trenches. They are all clustered in the ravines and on the
slopes ofthe hills descending from the city. A portion of the
line now rests on the very slopes crested by the rebel works.
The air in the ravines is most of the time stili, hot and stifling. '
They live half buried in the ground for protection against the
missiles of the enemy. The springs on the slopes and toward
the summits of the hills begin to flag, and the principal depend
ence is now upon the water in the bottoms of the ravines.
This naturally grows more and more impure from the drainage
of extensive camping grounds, besides growing gradually less in
quantity. In short, the surroundings of a large force thus situ
ated and occupied are decidedly unsanitary. No one expects
this state of things to continue many days longer, however and

137

as the regiments are successively relieved from time to time, no
considerable mischief has yet resulted from it. On the other
hand, sickness is increasing slowly, especially, intermit
tent fever and its allied ailments. This increase does not
confine itself to troops in the trenches. It is doubtless in part
'but the consummation of effects that have been daily preparing
from the commencement of the campaign. The excitement
which has held the entire army up to such a key of resistance
for these many weeks as to enable it to cope with both visible
and invisible foes, is slightly on the decline. The men are sure
of their prey. Nobody doubts for a moment the result. No one
expresses discontent or discouragement. Add to this the fact
that an abnormal tension of brain and nerve must of necessity
exhaust itself at length, and one almost wonders that the keen
edge held so long. Men obey orders now with a patient rather
than exultant courage. An order to storm would change this
suddenly enough, but meanwhile malaria and rather unwhole
some lodgings and unwholesome water « (in many cases), are be
ginning to.show their legitimate effects. I could not but notice
that the men in the rifle pits and at work on the entrenchments
wore a slightly jaded look, and were stimulated by their mo
mentous and perilous labors barely enough to exercise the neces
sary caution for thir own protection. All the points now worked
by' our forces are swept by the bullets of the enemy's sharp
shooters. Every step of our advance is along trenches and
covered ways. Entire protection is of course impossible. I
should.judge (although it is partly guessing) that fifty men or
so are wounded daily. I went into the fort nearest the enemy's
works. It is a trifle less than fifty yards distant. A hurricane
of bullets swept over. our heads incessantly, but no one at that
time had been wounded there. The rebels are throwing shell
much of the time from two mortars located so far behind their
outer works as to baffle all attempts to dismantle or silence them.
These shells do relatively little harm, as they appear to be thrown
utterly at random. They fly for the most part completely over
our line into the neighborhood' of hospitals and headquarters.
I have heard of but few casualties produced by them, and have
witnessed but one. Hospitals that were annoyed by them have
been removed to points of safety.
" I have neglected in former communications to speak of the
Soldiers' Lodge on the Sanitary wharf-boat. It is not to be
overlooked, for it is doing some good in a small way. We have
entertained in it since the 1st of May, 156 soldiers, giving an
average of two days' entertainment to each. I have an excel
lent cook for it,, and draw rations of the Government,, supple
menting them with stores of our own.

13T .
" Send ample supplies of the. following stores for coming
emergencies: Canned milk, Concent'd beef,
Dried fruit, Canned fruit,
Sour crout, Pickles,
Ale, Bromine,
Green tea, White sugar,
Lemons, Potatoes,
Drawers, Sheets,
Shirts, Soda crackers.
" I have witnessed the action of bromine in the hospital under
Dr. Weeks' care, and am freshly impressed with its value. No
one here except him has auy supply of this article, and he has
but little left. Gangrene and erysipelas are somewhat prevalent
amongst the wounded still left in the field. Most of the cases
left, as you are aware, are those that could not bear removal;"
* * * * * * * *
"H. A. WAEEmBE, *
" Inspector:*'
On the 11th of July, the Inspector again writes :
******** " I have received from an Indiana State boat, which arrived
here on the ever memorable Fourth, 218 barrels, 45 boxes, 1
sack hospital stores. The barrels contained potatoes, corn meal,
and dried apples. The boxes were not invoiced — contents va
rious. The corn meal proves more acceptable than I could hays
anticipated. Dried apples are always in order. I have alsorer
ceived from the Metropolitan Police of New York city, at I know
not whose suggestion, 50 boxes of lemons. Forty- one of the boxes
are in excellent order. No contribution could have been more
welcomed, or more happily timed. We were out of lemons, and
had been for some days ; and it 'is unnecessary to speak of they?
Value. In many and many an instance their value has been that
of a human life. Combined with ice, they make at this season
an organic whole, worth — one may almost say — all other stores
united. Ice we are out of. A barge load of it has just arrived,
claimed as private property. It is already retailing at ten cent?
a pound. It is the only ice now in port.
* * * * * * * *,
" We are now out of the following articles, in addition to those
afready named : Canned fruit, canned milk, potatoes, soda crack
ers, ale, wines, corn starch, codfish, pickles of all kinds, butter,

139

dried beef, eggs, ¦ cheese, cinnamon, pepper, allspice, all kinds of
liquors ; all articles of first rate value and in constant demand.
We are also out of sheets, drawers and slippers, also in constant
demand. A supply of sheets has accumulated at Memphis, and
will be here in a few days, making enough probably for current
use. All other articles except those named as lately received,
are running rapidly low. No doubt, however, replenishments
will arrive before you receive this."
Abundant supplies coutinued to b*e sent forward every week,
yet there never was a surplus of the staple articles of " Sanitary
scores. The Dunleith, and the Alice Dean, were exclusively
employed as Sanitary steamers.* Ice was sent down the riverfl
in barges by the hundred tons, and the Sanitary depots at Yicks
burg, Helena, Young's Point, Memphis, and Cairo, were kept in
full operation as places of distribution of every variety of " sani
tary stores," as well as deposits -for accumulation.
Dr. Newberry thus summed up the amount of " Sanitary
Btores" distributed in his department during the first five
months of the year, (1863) :
"Total number of packages to General Grant's Army, 11,926.
" Since the battle of Murfreesboro, the shipments to the Army
of the Cumberland have been by rail and steamer 8,300 pack
ages. - Of these, ,3,000 were barrels of vegetables, sent during
the month of May.
"To the preceding sums should be added the stores sent to.
Western Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, to Bowling-green, Glas
gow, Paducah, and Leavenworth, Kansas, altogether forming an
aggregate of about 500 cases.

?"Abstract of shipments of sanitary stores to the army of the Department of
the Tennessee (Gen. Grant's), since January 1st, 1863 : Pkgs.
'! By Sanitary steamer Dunleith, 8 trips  9.660
By steamer Sir William Wallace  *.  } <^
' " Lebanon  >1°?
" Alice Dean and others  }>V°
Jacob Strader  1,025
" Atlantic, from New Albany  *»
" Making a total from January 1st, to July 1st, 1863. .'.  14,'782

1'40

" Combining all these figures, we have a total of 20,726 pack
ages sanitary stores, distributed by the U. S. Sanitary Com?
mittee in the Western Department, since January 1st. These
packages will average at least a barrel's bulk each, and we shall
give hereafter a tabular statement of their contents."
Dr. Newberry, the Western Secretary states that —
" Immediately on receipt of the first news the heroic achiev
ements of General Grant an*d his noble compatriots, the various
branches of the Sanitary Commission sent forward large sup
plies of* stores for the relief of the sick and wounded.
" Pittsburg, whose Commission has from the hour of its estab
hshment, acted with great tnergy, forwarded five hundred
barrels of potatoes, and many other- choice stores, stimulants,
&c.
" Cleveland, the presence of whose noble Aid Society has been
felt through its generous contributions, as a benediction, on
almost every field of suffering since the war began, sent four
hundred packages, — and Buffalo showed her earnest and pa
triotic spirit in a very timely donation.
" The Cincinnati Branch fitted out a fine steamer, the Alice
Dean, with seven hundred packages and a full corps of surgeons
and nurses.
" The New Albany Branch sent a liberal supply bythe steamer
Atlantic. ,
" Davenport, Iowa, Quincy and Alton, Illinois, vied with each
other in loading the Sanitary steamer Dunleith, which at that
time was on the Upper Mississippi, having gone there to obtain
a cargo of stores.
" At Louisville, a pubhc meeting was held under the auspices
of the Kentucky Branch, and six thousand dollars were con
tributed by the citizens. The Governor of the State, through
an admirable representative, J. T. Temple, Esq., paid a beautiful'
tribute to the U. S. Sanitary Commission, and expressed his
desire and purpose to make it the medium of conveying the
State's contribution to the brave soldiers of the Union. The
Jacob Strader, the largest and finest boat on the river, was char
tered by Dr. Newberry, and most generously loaded with ice,
vegetables, fruits, garments, and other things adapted to pro
mote the welfare of the sick and wounded. Dr. Andrew is in
charge of her, assisted by fifteen surgeons.
"The Chicago Branch acted with its usual promptness, and
had a large contribution ready for the Strader on her arrival at
Cairo."********

141

, .The total amount of " sanitary stores " which the Commission
disbursed at Vicksburg, and in its immediate vicinity, during
the months of May and June, was classified by Dr. Newberry, as
follows :

Groceries  1,882 pounds.
Wines and liquorsl ,979 bottles.
Butter  3,557 pounds.
Apple butter  30 gallons.
Eggs  2,401 dozens.
Pickles  2,376 gallons.
Molasses  85 gallons.
Sour crout  1,532 gallons.
Potatoes  5,762 bushels.
Ale and cider  1,031 gallons.
Ice,..  27,367 pounds.
Crackers  6,898 pounds
Codfish  6,777 pounds.
Corn meal  2,485 pounds.
Tea  532 pounds.
Relishes  301 bottles.
Lemons  13,200 .
Hosp'l furniture . 1,747 articles.
Fans  ...2,347
Crutches ....."... 65 pairs.
Cots and fnatt'ses.. 199

kpices  2,006 papers.
Comforts  1,504
Pillows  2,220
Sheets  1,840
Drawers  5,376 pairs.
Towels, &c,  7,484
Farina, &c  266 pounds.
Sago, &c  1,044 pounds.
Bed sacks  758
Pillow cases  2,830
Shirts  7,909
Dressing goods.. 422
Socks,  2,453 pairs.
Slippers  1,190 pairs.
Corn starch  275 pounds.
Cloths and band'gs 50 barrels.
Fruit cans  5,114
Concent'd b'f cans. 771
Dried fruit  16,430 pounds.
Dried beef  888 pounds.
Cond'sd milk cans 5,631

These supplies were distributed to the regiments of fifteen
States, and " all the field and post hospitals, all the hospital
boats, and many of the boats of the navy, have been recipients
of these benefactions. Here, as heretofore, the question was
never asked whether the State represented by the applicant con

tributed to the stores of the Commission;
freely wherever they were needed."*

they were given.

* Disbursements f-kom tbe Vicksburg depot or Sanitaut Commission during
the months of July and August, 1863 :

Comforts  925
Bed sacks  363
Pillows  2,137
Pillow cases  3,681

Sheets  7,1 89
Drawers, pairs  ,  4,356
Socks, "  1,765
Slippers, "  814

142

The momentous results of the campaigns in the Great Yalley
durino- the year 1863, the perils to which the Federal forces
were continually exposed, and the practical bearings which the
Commission's work has had upon the work achieved by thos!
forces, have imperishably associated the history of that work,
and the people's sympathy and aid, with the history, valor, and
prowess of those armies. Such physical endurance and heroism
as they are exhibiting is one of the direct results of high healtli
and improved sanitary care. We shall again recur to the sani
tary service in this field, after we have brought up the narrative
"of similar work in other fields during the year 1863.
With the transports that conveyed the forces of Major-General
Banks' Expedition to the Department of the Gulf, the Sanitary
Commissoin sent Inspectors and Behef Agents with many thou
sand dollars worth of " sanitary stores ;" and subsequently, during
the spring and summer, frequent and large shipments of supplies

Dressing gowns  324
Towels and handkerchiefs  5,746
Farina and Arrowroot, lbs. ..... ..1,859
Sago and Pearl Barley  978
Fans  2,358
Onions, bushels  150
Corn Btarch, lbs  E47
Wines and Spirits, bottles  . . . 854
Ale and cider, gallons  2,108
Corn meal, lbs  14,556
Lemons  12,800
Mosquito bars  125
Hospital furniture, articles  415
Cans, Fruit  2,216
Conc'd beef, lbs  3,755
" milk, "  4,651
Crackers, lbs  19,619
"etc.

Dried beef, lbs  .•  60S
Tea, lbs  ."  , . 1,045
Sugar, lbs  4,455
Dried Fruit, lbs  28,972
Codfish, lbs  6,81.6
Butter, lbs  2,282
Other groceries, lbs  '478
Eggs, dozen  75
Potatoes, bushels  1,834
Relishes, bottles  861
Rags and bandages, pkgs  783
Pickles and krout, gallons  3,038
Mustard, lbs  11!8
Spices, papers  684
L. s«up, bottles  965
Ice, lbs  20,000
P. cushions.  '.. 231
etc."

"The above articles were distributed as follows : To 17 Brigade, Division and
Corps Hospitals; to 7 Post and General Hospitals; 2 Hospital Steamers; 25 ves
sels River Fleet; to the Pioneer and Signal Corps ; tothe Soldier's Home and
Christian Commission ; and to regiments from the following States: Illinois, 35
regiments; Ohio, 23; Iowa, 20; Missouri, 15; Indiana, 15; Wisconsin, 10; Ken
tucky^; Mississippi, 7 ; Michigan, 5; Minnesota, 4; U. S. Regulars, 4 ; New
Hampshire, 2; Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maine, and Kansas, each 1
regiment, besides detachments, <ke."-^[Sanitary Reporter, Nov. 1st, 1863.

143

Were Sent to New Orleans ;* and before the end of the year, the
Commission had established in that city all those systematic
methods of general and special relief, and sanitary service, which
have been brought into such complete operation at Washington
and Louisville.
The records of the Commission's work in the Department oi
the Gulf are yet unpublished, but we are informed of the pres
ence and good service of the Inspectors and Belief Agents, and
" sanitary stores," wherever the forces of that Department have
moved. Whether along the river courses, the Teche, and the
bayous of the Attakapas and the Bed Biver districts, or set
down to the relentless siege of Port Hudson, the Commission's
'Agencies and " sanitary stores " were always at hand. And
during the autumn the means of sapitary aid and special relief
Were so enlarged as to be adequate to every demand. Some
'account of the work in that Department will be given in sub
sequent pages.
With each expeditionary force that has been sent to the Depart
ment ofthe Gulf, and to different regions of the Atlantic coast,
the Sanitary Commission sent forward with the fleet of trans
ports a corps of Inspectors ahd Belief Agents, with ample in
voices of " sanitary stores." The first experiments in this way
were made in connection with the great expeditions of General
Burnside, General Butler, and General Sherman, in 1862 ; the
results were of the most gratifying character, and similar
results have followed all such expeditionary relief work since
that period. And although it has thus far been an unnoticed
and unpublished part of sanitary work, no branch of the Com-

* The Sanitary Commission purchased and sent forward with the first transports
of the expedition various supplies to the value of $-11,160. Among these were—
flannel goods, $6,477 96; beef juice, $1,000; lemonade, concentrated, $250 ; wines
and stimulants, $373 68; chocolate, $150; groceries, $590; medicines, instruments,
and vaccine, $95 ; water beds, $86, The Woman's Central Association at the same
time sent 110 packages, containing 15,854 articles.

144

mission's aid has exceeded it in practical importance. But we
must omit in this place the details of sanitary aid to particular
expeditions. We proceed to notice the progress of the Commis.
sion's work in the several campaigns of 1863. These we must
consider separately, for the movements of the several armies
were distinct, and, in this third year of the war, the plans and
service ofthe Sanitary Commission had become so methodized,
and comparatively independent, in each of the armies, and-jin
each campaign, that we can best continue our examination of
the work by following the course ofthe several campaigns. ,,,..

Sanitary Work in the Army of the Potomac during the year
1863. — Though the forces in the East have enjoyed the peculiar
advantages of nearer observation from the' Bureaux of the "War
Department, and, especially, of convenient bases of supply, there
have been during the year 1863, many demands for such services
as the Commission has been accustomed to render in that army.
A watchful public bears testimony to the faithfulness with
which the sanitary wants in the camps and hospitals here have
been studied and supplied. The Army of the Potomac has
always appeared to receive a full share of the Commission's
attention ; and until the "Sanitary Reporter," and the " Com,-,
mission Bulletin,"— the bi-weekly organs of its chief offices-
appeared, recently, there was a prevalent erroneous impression
that the Sanitary Commission's labors and disbursements were
being mainly expended upon the armies in the East. But, ,as
we have already endeavored to present the true features and
proportions of the sanitary work in the West and South, the
reader will hold us innocent of any such invidious comparison.
The work is catholic; it is Federal; and any person who will
attentively study its methods, its spirit, and the records of its
progress, will confess that its limitations or wants, in any field,

145
appear to have been the result of stern necessities or absolute
impossibilities. The Army of the Potomac, after its terrible and fruitless con
flict to gain the heights of Fredericksburgh, planted itself for a
long winter upon the hill-sides about Falmouth, and, under ex
cellent administration of its Medical and Commissariat Depart
ments, was kept in high health until late in spring, when it
marched forth to another most fearful battle with its old enemy,
at Chancellorsville. What share the Sanitary Commission had ':
in the care and the supplementary supply for our 25,000
wounded men of the two great battles upon t^e Bappahannock
need not here be dwelt upon in its details. The following facts
show what kind of service the Commission undertook, and with
what /success its work was pursued in that army during the
winter and spring of 1863.
"- 'Two Sanitary Inspectors and a Corps of Belief Agents were
on duty in that^ army when General Burnside moved against
Fredericksburg. The Elisabeth, a capacious sanitary supply
steamer, of Peninsula fame, was lying in Acquia Creek, at the
railway terminus, with its usual cargo of assorted "sanitary
stores " and battle-field supplies. Immediately the Inspector in
charge ordered forward the requisite supplies to the field, and
opened a depot near the Phillips House, opposite the scene of
action. The Sanitary Belief Corps was largely reinforced from
Washington, and the whole business of supplementary aid was
effectually systematized. Upon that occasion the organization
and working of the Medical Department were more perfect than
had been witnessed upon any previous battle-field ; yet the Com
mission had abundant opportunities for its peculiar work. The
following extracts from an official report of relief work on that
^occasion, give a good idea of the manner in which it was per
formed by the Commission's agents :

146

****#*« A propeller was chartered, laden with
stores, and with a special relief party, consisting of Dr. H. Q.
Clark, Dr. S. C. Foster, Dr. Swalm, Dr. Homiston, Mr. Elliott,
Mr. Abbott, and Mr. Walter, all connected with the Commis
sion, and, with Bev. Mr. Channing, Mr. Paige, Mr. Hall, and
Mr. Webster, volunteers, I started at evening for the front. The
regular force ofthe Commission stationed with the Army of the
Potomac at the time of the battle, consisted of Drs. Andrew and
Smith, Inspectors of the Commission, with Messrs. Haywood,
Peverly, and Clampitt, relief agents ; Dr. Smith having accom
panied it in its march from Harper's Ferry and Warrenton
Junction, and Dr. Andrew, the senior Inspector on the Atlantic
Coast, being in general charge. Our floating depot, the pro
peller Elizabetli^ with an efficient crew and well provided with
stores, was at the Acquia landing when the battle commenced.
" The regular party had been reinforced previous to our ar
rival by our Inspector, Dr. Brink, Mr. H. H. Furness, Mr. W.
S. Wood, and Mr. Peck. Mr. W. H. Furness and Mr. Lamb-
din joined us two days after.
" As soon as the movement for the crossing of the river was
made, Dr. Andrew, Mr. Wood, and Mr. Clampitt proceeded to
the front from Acquia, visited the field hospitals on the Fal
mouth side of the river, which had been organized in anticipa
tion of a battle, and distributed several wagon loads of stores1.
" After our forces had gained possession of the city, by the
successful crossing ofthe river on the 11th, these hospitals were
abandoned and others established in the churches and dwelling-
houses of the town, being nearer to the scene of the expected
contest. This came on the 13th, and to these hastily prepared
hospitals the wounded of that day's fight were removed. On
the following Monday these buildings were, in turn, vacated,
and the wounded removed to the former field-hospitals on the
Falmouth side of the river.
*******
" The scene at our field station was a busy one. Could the
contributors to the stores and the treasury of the Commission
have heard the fervent expressions of grateful relief ; could they
have seen the comfort which their bounty afforded our brave
wounded; could they realize by actual intercourse with the
wounded, the suffering from, for instance, cold alleviated by the
abundant supply of blankets which their bounty had provided ;
could they have observed the change produced when the soiled
and bloody garments were replaced'by clean and warm clothing
which they had sent, they would be eager to replenish our store
houses and keep our hands filled with the means to accomplish
these purposes.

147

" Early Tuesday morning, the rain subsided, the sun appeared,
and the weather became clear and cold. The wounded were
for the most part placed in hospital tents, upon a plentiful sup
ply of hay. Blankets had to repair the absence of stoves, which,
by some singular mistake, had arrived in a condition not to be
¦used, the necessary stove-pipe not being included in the ship
ment. The supply in the hands of the Purveyor soon became
exhausted from the unusual demands made upon him on account
of the severity of the weather. Fortunately we were enabled to
supplement his stores, and to answer his calls upon us from the
reserve of 1,800 blankets, and over 900 quilts which we had
sent forward. Many of these were employed in covering the
wounded during the period of their transportation by car an
steamboat from the field hospitals to the general hospitals at
Washington. " It is with a deep feeling of gratitude that I have'also to re
port that the last sad office could be paid to the dead, with an
approach to the ceremonies of civil life, through the stores
placed by us at the disposal of the surgeons of the hospitals.
- " The comfort of the wounded, and the result of the treatment
df their wounds, were materially affected by the change of cloth
ing provided by us. We had been able to get up to our field-
station 5,642 woolen shirts, 4,439 pairs woolen drawers, 4,269
pairs socks, and over 2,500 towels, among other articles. These
were liberally distributed wherever the surgeons of hospitals'
indicated that there was a need. Certain articles of hospital
furniture of which there was a comparatively greater want than
of anything else, were freely obtained by all surgeons at our
station. * * * *
# * * * * * * *
" In order to meet whatever demands may arise for the proper
sustenance of the wounded while on this trying journey, Mr.
Knapp, our special relief agent, was despatched from Washing
ton to Acquia Creek to provide suitable accommodations for fur
nishing food or shelter at that point. A kitchen was impro
vised upon the landing, and the first night meals were provided
for 600 wounded brought down by the cars. Mr. Knapp was
cordially assisted in this humane work by several members of
the Christian Commission who were present at that place.
Through the cordial co-operation of the Quartermaster of the
Port, Mr. Knapp had a building erected adjoining our portable
storehouse, which affords shelter and a good' bed to nearly 100
every night."
So complete had the. organization of the Army of the Potomac

148

become, that disaster failed to demoralize its ranks, and during
the long winter which that army spent on the rolling uplands
between the Bappahannock and Acquia Creek, the men main-'
tained a high state of health, while being near the great base of
supplies at Washington, and also favored with excellent med
ical care, the demands upon the Commission's relief depots were
less than in other departments of the army. Still there were
great opportunities for the Commission's aid. For example, not
long subsequently to the battle of Fredericksburg there was an
urgent demand for woolen socks, which the Quartermasters could
not at the time meet, whereupon the Commission furnished five
thousand (5,000) pairs from the principal Sanitary depot at
Acquia Landing ; these, in due time, were replaced by an
equal amount of the same class of goods from the Quarter
master's Department. The Lodge and central office of relief for
that army, at Acquia, were also of vast benefit to the thousands
of invalids who at that point were transhipped to the steam
boats ; and during the four months of its continuance there it
furnished lodgings to nearly four thousand persons, while im
mense numbers were fed and otherwise attended or aided while
m transitu from the field to Washington steamboats.
The battle of Chancellorsville, and the military movements
that followed, soon compelled the transfer of all the sick and
wounded from the vicinity of the Eappahannoek to Washing
ton. This imposed some arduous duties upon the Commission's
Belief Agents at Acquia Landing and at Washington ; and
at one of the wharves in that city those agents fed and other
wise aided, in the course of three days and nights, 8,000 of the
sick and wounded, as they were landed fiom the steamboats.
General Hooker having started in his pursuit of the Eebel
forces that were marching to invade Pennsylvania, his rapid
movement, and the prospect of a terrible collision of the two
armies upon the borders of Maryland and Pennsylvania, made
it necessary for the Sanitary Commission to anticipate the

149

wants of the prospective battle at several points along the route
which our forces were occupying, or hoping to occupy. Large
supplies of " sanitary stores " were speedily dispatched with
trusty agents to Harrisburg, Baltimore, and Frederick City ;
and, while the ordinary staff of the Commission hastened for
ward with our forces, and kept up the " flying depots " along
the right flank of the moving columns, wagon loads of supplies
were dispatched to the troops that had gathered at Harper's*
Ferry, but the man in charge of that service was captured with
his wagon and horses, and was detained in Bichmond prison
until the subsequent month of February. The " sanitary stores "
at Frederick and at Westminster, in Maryland, found timely
use, and as soon as our forces had reached the latter place, the
Commission sent forward its " battle-field stores " by the car
load daily, until direct communication by railroad had been
opened to Gettysburg from Hanover Junction. But pre
viously to this, and while hurrying forward with a Belief Agent
and a load of battle-field relief stores, Dr. McDonald, the senior
Inspector, was captured, with his personal staff and the goods,
by a company of Stuart's cavalry, near Mechanicstown, and was;
detained in Libby Prison until late in September.
Other Inspectors and Belief Agents reached the field at a
later hour, but the loss of valuable men and supplies was severely
felt. Soon, however, the Commission's usual battle-field system
of relief was in full operation. What that system, and the ear
nest men and discreet women that worked on that field, accom
plished in bringing timely succor to the wounded, we would, if
space allowed, record in these pages. But such work, like the
patient and unheralded toil and excellent skill of the army Sur
geons in the field hospitals after battle, must go mainly un
recorded, except in the hearts and memories of the thousands of
bleeding and helpless sufferers who were the immediate recipient*
of such mercy and such skillful care.

150

A woman's brief narrative of such work as women did and
helped in doing, in " Three Weeks at Gettysburg"* also a re
port (Document No. 66), published by the Commission, give
some idea of the relief and aid rendered by the 'Sanitary Com
mission upon that memorable field. We quote the following
passages :
" When the enemy was known to have crossed the Potomac
in force, responsible and experienced officers of the Commission
were stationed at Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and

* The following paragraphs from a woman's story of the Relief work at Gettys
burg, show how a few chosen women in field-hospitals, and all women at home, are
constantly aiding the Sanitary Commission and the soldier :
********
* * * * " The railroad bridge broken up by the enemy, Govern
ment had noVrebuilt as yet, and we stopped two miles from the town, to find that,
as usual, just where the Government had left off the Commission had come in.
There stood their temporary lodge and kitchen, and here hobbling out of their
tents came the wounded men who had made their way down from the Corps hos
pital, expecting to leave at once in the return cars.
"This is the way the thing was managed at first; The surgeons left in care of
the wounded three or four miles out from the town, went up and down among the
men in the morning, and said, 'Any of you boys who can make your way to the
cars, can go to Baltimore.' So off start all who think they feel well enough, any
thing being better than the ' hospitals,' so called, for the first fow days alter a bat
tie. Once the men have the surgeons' permission to go, they are off; and there
may be an interval of a day, or two days, should any of them be loo weak to resell,
the train in time, during which these poor fellows belong to no one, the hospital
at one end, the railroad at the other, with far more than chance "of falling through
between the two. The Sanitary Commission knew this would be so o£ necessity,
and coming in, made a connecting link between these two ends.
" For the first few days, the worst cases only came down in ambulances from
the hospitals ; hundreds of fellows hobbled along as best they could, in heat and
dust, for hours, slowly toiling, and many hired farmers' wagons, as hard as the
farmers' fists themselves, and were jolted down to the railroad, at three or four
dollars the man. Think of the disappointment of a soldier, sick, body and heart,
to find, at the end of tbis miserable journey, that his effort to get away, into which
he had put all his remaining stock of strength, was useless; that ' the cars had
gone.' or ' the cars were full ;' that while he was coming, others had stepped down
before him, and that he must return all tbe weary way back again, or sleep on the
roadside till the next train ' to-morrow !' Think what this would have been, and you
are ready to appreciate the relief and comfort that was No men were turned
back. You fed and you sheltered them just when no one else could have-done so;
and ont ofthe boxes and barrels of good and nourishing things, which you people
at home have supplied, we took all that was needed. Some of you sent a stove
(that is, the money to get it), some of you the beef stock, some of you the milk and
fresh bread ; and all of you would have been thankful that you had done so, could
you have seen the refreshment and comfort received through these things."

151

Frederick, and a systematic daily communication was established
between the agents moving with the different columns of the
army and the central office of the Commission. Supplies were
accumulated and held ready for movement at different points on
the circumference of the seat of war, and care was taken to have
ample reserves at the branch offices ready for shipment. With
the first news of the battle of Gettysburg, Westminster, the
nearest point of railroad communication to the battle-field, was
fixed upon as the point of approach, and authority to run a car
daily with the government trains to that station was obtained.
". Two wagon-loads of battle-field supplies had been distribu
ted to meet deficiences in the stores of the surgeons, shortly be
fore the battle commenced. These wagons returned to Fred
erick for loads, and two others, fully loaded, arrived from Fred
erick at the moment of the assault of Longstreet upon the left
wing of the loyal army, and were driven under fire to reach the
collections of wounded in its fear. As one of them came to a
point where several hundred sufferers had been taken from the
ambulances and laid upon the ground behind a barn and in an
orchard, less than a thousand yards in the rear of our line of
battle, on the left wing, then fiercely engaged, a surgeon was
seen to throw up his arms, exclaiming, ' Here is the Sanitary
Commission, now we shall be able to do something.' He had
exhausted nearly all of his supplies; and the brandy, beef soup,
sponges, chloroform, lint and bandages, which were at mce
furnished him, were undoubtedly the means of saving many
lives." * * -x- *****
" Supplies having however, arrived at Westminster, before the
close of the battle, a school-house centrally situated among the
corps hospitals, was taken vs a field depot, to which they were
as rapidly as possible brought by the three remaining wagons
then on the ground, and from which they were rapidly distribu
ted where most needed. Eleven wagon-loads of special sup
plies were here distributed to the corps hospitals and to scatter
ing groups of wounded found in the field, before any_ supplies
arrived by railroad. Additional means of transportation were
at length procured from the country people, of whom also some
6tores were obtained, and a station was opened in the town of
Gettysburg. On the 6th, the branch railroad to Gettysburg,
wliich had been broken up by the enemy, was so far repaired as
to allow a train to approach within a mile of the town. By
the first train which came over it after the battle, two car-loads
of most valuable goods were sent by the Commission, and two
or more went by each succeeding train for a week. _ The
.wounded now began to be brought from the field to the railroad

152

for removal to fixed hospitals elsewhere.. As they arrived much\
faster than they could be taken away, they were laM on the
ground exposed to the rain, or to the direct rays of the July
sun, without food. This having been anticipated and provided
for by the Commission's agents, in Baltimore, on the second day
the Commission had a complete relief station, on a large scale,
in operation, at the temporary terminus of the railroad. It con
sisted of several tents and awnings, with a kitchen and other
conveniences. " In the meantime, the movements ofthe army and the pros
pects of another great battle on the Potomac, demanded the
attention of the Commission. Six new wagons, with horses,
were procured in Baltimore and Washington, and sent to Freds
erick, to which point also supplies were forwarded by rail, and
thence transferred by wagons to Boonsboro, where a house was
taken and a depot established on*the same day that it was oc
cupied by General Meade. A house for a depot was also se
cured at Hagerstown as soon as the enemy retired from it.
Supplies were at the same time sent by rail down the Cumber
land Yalley, with wagons and horses for their further carriage^
procured in Philadelphia."
The Belief agents who accompanied the moving columns to
the field at Gettsyburg, reported their first labors as follows :
" Wednesday morning, July 1, and first day of the battle, we
were informed, while at General Meade's headquarters, by an
orderly just arrived from this place (Gettysburg), than an at
tack and a battle were expected here that day, as the cavalry
with the 1st and 11th corps had already reached this place. I
left Mr. Hoag and our wagons in the train of headquarters
(to which they had been transferred from that of the 12th army1
corps), and rode to Littlestown, Pa., thence to this place, arriv
ing at ' Cemetery HiU,' where a portion of our batteries were
situated."******** "All was quiet until four o'clock P. M., Thursday, when a
heavy firing commenced on our left, where the ' rebs ' were try
ing a flank movement. As soon as the wounded began to come
in, I started out with the wagons to distribute the stores. We
reached five different hospitals, which were all we were able to
find that night, and early in the morning three others, which
exhausted our stores. We were just in time to do the most
good possible, as the government wagons had been sent back

153

ten miles, and many of the hospitals were not supplied with
material sufficient for immediate use. (The hospitals supplied
were division hospitals of the 1st, 2d, 3d, 5th, 11th and 12th
corps.) ,
" On telling the surgeons that I was on hand with sanitary
stores, I was almost invariably greeted with expressions like
the following, ' You could never have come at a better time,'
and once on mentioning sanitary stores, I received two hearty
welcome slaps on the shonlder, one from the medical director of
the corps, and the other the surgeon of the division.
" Most of the wounded of this day's fight were carried into
the churches and public buildings of the town, under the or
ganization of the first and cavalry corps, and were prisoners at
the close of the day.
"The 3d. and l'rth corps arrived during the afternoon, but too
late to enter into battle.
'• Thursday, July 2d, and second day of the battle. The 2d
feorps arrived by the Taneytown road, below Cemetery Hill, at
daybreak. The 5th corps arrived two miles from town, on
the Baltimore Pike about ten A. M. One division of the 6th
corps on the same Pike from Westminster,, at two P. M.
" The battle opened about 4 P. M. Found our wagons early
in the afternoon. As soon as the surgeons had decided upon
the different points where the Corps Hospitals were to be
formed, Mr. Hoag moved the wagons to them at once, and com
menced to issue our stores, which consisted chiefly of concen
trated beef soup, stimulants, crackers, condensed milk^concen-
trated coffee, corn-starch, farina, shirts, drawers, stockings,
towels, blankets, quilts, bandages and lint. We hastened from
one hospital to another, as rapidly as possible, issuing to each a
proportion of our stores, until the supply was nearly exhausted,
when, upon consultation, it was decideded that I should start
for the nearest point which a telegram could be sent to Wash
ington, ordering up more supplies.
* * * * * * * *
" A car arrived at Westminster, Saturday, July 4, when Mr.
Hovey procured three Government wagons, and that evening
started with three full loads of stores, arriving early next morn
ing (Sunday) at the 1st, 2d and 3d Corps Hospitals. By your
orders, I left Washington by the 11 A. M. train, July 4, arriv
ing at Belay in time for the 2 P. M. train for Westminster.
Owing to a misunderstanding between the two conductors on the
road, the trains waited for each other at either end of the road
so that we did not get started from the Belay until 8 o'clock,
Sunday morning, arriving at Westminster at 10 A. M., where I
found Mr. Bacon in charge ofthe remainder of the car-load of

154

stores. About noon our four-mule team came in from Fred
erick, in charge of Mr. Gall. It was immediately loaded, and
early in the morning I left with it, in company of Mr. Gall, Mr.
Bacon still remaining in charge at Westminster.
" A school-house was taken on the Baltimore pike, near the-
different Corps Hospitals, and about three miles out from Get? .
tysburg, and from it our stores were thereafter issued, until the
opening of the railroad permitted our reaching the field by that
route, when, on Tuesday morning, July 7, a storehouse was
taken in .town, and the school-house closed.
" In the meantime, Mr. Hoag had been to Frederick with the
two wagons, and had returned with full loads to the school-
house, where the stores brought by him were issued.
" Mr. Hovey, after delivering his loads to the three Corps
Hospitals, returned to Westminster and took three more loads,
and Mr. Gall made a second trip with the four-mule team,-
which took the remainder of the first car-load sent from Wash
ington." Bev. Dr. Bellows, the President of the Commission; Mr.
Olmsted, the General Secretary, with other members of the
Commission, repaired to Gettysburg, and to such points upon
the routes connected with the field, as would best enable them
to aid the work of sanitary relief. Dr. Agnew, aided by one of
the associate secretaries, organized the Commission's work in
Gettysburg and the field hospitals, the Chief Inspector, Dr. Mc
Donald, who had previously been charged \vith that duty,
having been captured when hastening to the battle-ground, as
has already been mentioned ; and notwithstanding the delays in
railway connections and transportation, and the interference of
the enemy with valuable stores and assistants, a very complete
system of succor was soon in full operation. The following
account, from Dr. Douglas, the associate secretary, mentioned
above, shows how the work went on :

******* « ipkg
temporary terminus of the railway was then over a mile from
the town, and to this terminus crowds of slightly wounded men
came, limping, dragging themselves along, silent, weary, worn.

155

The moment the cars stopped, the crowd of weary and wounded
soldiers accumulated there, indicated that point as a place for a
Belief Lodge. I immediately had two of our largest tents,
t'ogether capable of sheltering seventy-five men, pitched, stoves
erected, and a lodge established. The wise foresight of Mr.
Knapp had' included these articles among the first invoice.
The two Germans, whose names I have unfortunately lost,
volunteered as cooks. That night our tents were full, and we
had the great satisfaction of not only affording shelter and
attention to the wounded, but also supplying good nutritious
food to those within our tents, and those who had taken refuge on
the cars."
* * * * * * - * * *
"Another room, on Baltimore street, was, by permission,
taken. The latter place, the store of Messrs. Fahnestock & Co.
— the largest in the town — became the centre of the busiest
scene which I have ever witnessed in connection with the Com
mission. Car load after car-load of supplies were brought to this
place, till shelves and counter and floor up to the ceiling were
filled, till there was barely a passage-way between the piles of
boxes and barrels, till the sidewalk was monopolized, and even
the street encroached upon. These supplies were the outpour
ings of a grateful people. This abundant overflow of the gen
erous remembrance of those at home to those in the army, was
distributed in the same generous manner as it was contributed.
Each morning the supply wagons of the division and corps hos
pitals were before the door, and each day they went away laden
with such articles as were desired to meet their wants. If the
articles needed one day were not in our possession at the time,
they were immediately telegraphed for, and by the next train of
cars thereafter they were ready to be delivered. Thus, tons of
ice, mutton, poultry, fish, vegetables, soft bread, eggs, butter,
and a variety of other articles of substantial and delicate food,
were provided for the wounded, with thousands of suits of
clothing of all kinds, and hospital furniture in quantity to meet
the emergency. It was a grand sight to see this exhibition of
the tender care of the people for the people's braves. It was a
bit of home feeling, of home bounty, brought to the tent, put
into the hand of the wounded soldier."
******** " The lodge, which was established at the temporary terminus
of the railway, on Tuesday, was continued there until Friday,
when the burned bridge' which had prevented the cars from
running into town, was replaced by a new structure, and the cars
resumed their regular runnings to the station. On Thursday, I
had a tent and fly erected near the depot, in preparation for the

156

change in the terminus of the road, and on Saturday the lodge
out of town was discontinued, and the tents used there added to
those near the depot. This second lodge was in successful op
eration on Friday, though it was not generally made use of till
Saturday. " Between Tuesday and Saturday noon, we provided at our
first lodge, good beef soup, coffee and fresh bread, for over 3,000
slightly wounded soldiers, whose injuries did not prevent them
from walking to this point, while we sheltered, each night, about
fifty more serious cases, which had been brought down by am
bulance, and whose wounds required the attention of a surgeoa.
We were fortunate in having, during these days, the volunteer
aid of Dr. Hooper, from Boston, who devoted himself to this
latter work. Mr. Clark, from New Hampshire, Mr. Hawkins,
from Media, Pa., and Mr. Shippen, from Pittsburg, also lent
their assistance, and all these gentlemen materially aided us at
this and at the second lodge, until it was fully organized.
" With the transfer of our material to town, the irregular or-
fanization was changed to a permanent working basis. Dr. W.
'. Cheney, who arrived on the 10th, was placed in charge ofthe
camp. , He brought with him seven assistants, Messrs. Latz,
Cooley, McGuinness, Chesebro, Blakeley, Sherwin, Freshoner,
from Canandaigua, N. Y. To these were added Messrs. Beisit-
ger and Hall, from Baltimore, and four detailed soldiers. Cooks
had arrived, a large shed for a kitchen had been erected, and
full preparations were made for feeding any number. Every
facility was granted us by the medical officers of the post, and
by the commissary. Additional tents were erected, drains made,
straw procured, and shelter prepared for 150 men. A store tent
was placed near the hospital tents, and given into the charge of
two New York ladies, whose long experience on the Commis
sion's transports, during the Peninsular campaign of last sum
mer, had made them familiar with all of the requirements of this
camp. The cars stopped immediately in front of our camp, and
distant but a few feet from it.
" During the ten days subsequent to the establishment of this
lodge, over 5,000 soldiers (Union and Bebel) received food either
in our tents or on the cars, and an average of over 100 remained
in our tents each night, and had their wounds dressed, and more
or less clothing distributed to them.
'' This lodge was continued until all the wounded capable of
being removed, were transferred from the corps hospitals to the
general hospitals of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Har-
risburg, and York.
" When the general field hospital was decided upon for the
reception of all those whose serious wounds prevented them

157

from being removed, I asked for a place to be assigned us in the
plan, and before leaving Gettysburg saw two of our tents erected
in the camp, one for our stores, the other for the ladies who
would be in charge. This design has been effectually carried
out. " Our plan of operation and our labors were in Gettysburg, as
they have been elsewhere, divided into those of inquiry and re
lief. The latter, from our experience, was subdivided into
general and special relief. The first of these was to be extended
by issues from our store-house directly to corps hospitals, in bulk,
according to the ascertained necessities, and the latter took the
direction of attending to those of the wounded — by far the
freater number — who, capable of being transported from the
eld of battle, were daily removed, until only the more serious
cases remained. I have already given the history of the store
house and lodge. The tabulated statement of the issues from
the former, and the number assisted and relieved at the latter,
will tell how well the organization worked. Few left the re
gion of Gettysburg without receiving some material aid from
Us, either in food or clothing.
" Our trained permanent corps rendered this work easy and
immediate. This would not have been possible, in the same
time, Avith a body of men unaccustomed to and ignorant of the
work. The large number of volunteers who came to our assist
ance, under the direction of those" already familiar with the
work, fell readily into the line of duty, and soon became efficient
co-workers." _ " The labor of inquiry required the daily visitation of the hos
pitals, consultation with the medical officers as to the most
efficient manner in which we could aid them, the character and
quantity ofthe supplies most needed, the daily movement in the
population ofthe hospitals under their command, with the char
acter and severity of the injuries, and all such information in
relation to the disposition of the wounded as would assist us in
making our preparations.
" Beside the visits of inquiry to the hospitals, a list of the
names and wounds of all the inmates of each hospital was taken
and forwarded to the office of the Hospital Directory in Wash
ington, and we held ourselves in readiness to attend to messages
of inquiry sent to us from any direction, in regard to any
wounded man in these hospitals. This work was performed by
Mr. Dooley, from the Directory office. Messrs. Stille, Struthers,
Hazlehurst, DuUus, Beitler, and Tracy, from Philadelphia, and
Messrs. Hosford, Myers, and Braman, from New York, assisted
in this labor as well as at the lodge, and in attending to special
cases.

158

" The duty of visiting the Confederate Hospitals was assigned
to Dr. Gordon Winslow, who reported to me soon after I
arrived: The following communication, addressed by him to
me will give briefly the result of his inquiries :
" ' Gettysburg, July 22, 1863.
« < Sir, — Agreeably to your instructions, I have inspected the
several Confederate Hospitals in the vicinity of Gettysburg,
and have indicated, on the accohipanying map, the locahty,
division, General who was commanding, surgeon in charge, and
number of wounded.
" ' It appears that the aggregate of wo&nded, at the time of
my visits, was 5,452, occupying some twenty-four (24) separate
camps, over an area of some twelve miles. The wounds, in a
large proportion of cases, are severe.' "* 
" The hospitals are generally in barns, outhouses, and dilapi
dated tents. Some few cases are in dwellings. I cannot speak
favorably of their camp police. Often there is a deplorable

* The hospitals visited by Dr. Winslow were situated as below, and contained
the number of wounded as indicated in the following table :
Location. Division. Surgeon. No.
Cashtown  Genl. Parine's  Dr. Wilson  171
On Chambersburg Road  " Porcher's  Dr. Ward  WO
On Mummasburg "  " Rhode's  Dr. Hayes  800
In Penn. College  " Heath's  Dr. Smiley  WO
Hunterstown Road  " Johnson's  Dr. Whitehead . . 311
Fairfield  60
Fairfield Road  Part of Genl. Johnson's  .Dr. Stewart  136
"  " Early's  Dr. Potts. ...-. .. 269
" "  " Anderson's  Dr. Mines  Ill
'* "  " McL'aw's  Dr. Patterson .. . WO
" "  " Hood's  Dr. Means  616
' Total  8,462
The number of wounded, in addition to those reported by Dr. Winslow, whose
wants — beyond those that a beneficent Government cared for— the Sanitary Com
mission was anxious to supply, can be stated briefly as follows ;
First Corps (2 portions) 2,519 Union, 260 Confederates  2,7W
Second " 3,500 " -1,000 "  4,500
Third *' 2,800 " 250 "  .2,650
Fifth " 1,325 " 75 "  1,40 0
Sixth " 300 "  800
Eleventh " 1,800 " 100 "  1,900
Twelfth " 1,006 " 125 "  '. . . 1,131
Cavalry " 300 "  300
Total  18,050 1,810 14,860

159

want of cleanliness. Especially in barns and outhouses, vermin
artd putrid matter are disgustingly offensive. As fast as means
of transportation can be had, those who are capable qf being re
moved will be placed in more comfortable quarters. Some
hundreds are being' removed daily. Every provision is made
by the Sanitary Commission for their comfort during their stay
at the Depot Lodge, and those who are placed directly in the
cars are furnished wholesome food."
* *¦ * * * * * *
" The labor, the anxiety, the responsibility imposed upon the
surgeons after the battle of Gettysburg were from the position
of affairs, greater than after any other battle cf the war. The
devotion, the solicitude, the unceasing efforts to remedy the
defects of the situation, the untiring attentions to the' wounded
upon their part, were so marked as to be apparent to all who
visited the hospitals. It must be remembered that these same
officers had endured the privations and fatigues of the long
forced marches with the rest of the army ; that they Jiad shared
its dangers, for one medical officer from each regiment follows
it into battle, and is liable to the accidents of war, as has been
repeatedly and fatally the case ; that its field hospitals are often
from the changes of the line of battle, brought under the fire
ofthe enemy, and that while in this situation, these surgeons are,
called upon to exercise the calmest judgment, to perform the "
most critical, and serious operations, and this quickly and con
tinuously. The battle ceasing, their labors continue. While
' other officers are sleeping, renewing their strength for further
efforts, the medical are still toiling. They have to improvise
hospitals from the rudest materials, are obliged to make " bricks
' without straw," to surmount seeming impossibilities. The work
is unending, both by day and night, the anxiety is constant,
the strain upon both the physical and mental faculties, unceas
ing. Thus, after this battle, operators had to be held np while
performing the operations, and fainted from exhaustion, the
operation finished. One completed his labors to be seized with
partial paralysis, the penalty of his over-exertion."

Upwards of twenty thousand wounded men remained upon
the field, and as Dr. Douglas has justly remarked, the medical
staff was overtasked by the demands of the occasion. Day after
day and night after night, the Commission's work of succor and
aid was extended to all these wounded men, and to the medical

160

officers such assistance was always welcome. And when all the
wounded that could safely be removed, had left the field hospi
tals by the railway and ambulance trains, and the remaining
patients had been gathered to the great field hospitals at Camp
Letterman, on the hills east of Gettysburg, the Sanitary Com
mission established its more permanent and systematic methods
of relief at that place, the veteran Inspector, Dr. Winslow, re
maining in ch irge of that service. The amount of "sanitary
stores " supplied by the Commission up to the time of that re
organization of the field hospitals was very large, notwithstand
ing the extraordinary munificence of the Government and the
authorities of the various Northern States, that sent agents and
material aid to the field. By definite advices from the medical
department the Sanitary Commission was enabled to supple
ment tbe more urgent wants of hospitals, while by the facilities
whieh its system of labor, and its command of the means of
transportation, and of the markets in Baltimore and Philadelphia
gave its Belief Agents, sanitary supplies of the most delicate
and perishable nature, as well as all ordinary stores, were fur
nished in unusual abundance.*

* The following is a statement of the quantities of the principal articles distri
buted by tiie Commission to the wounded upon the field at Gettysburg, the first
four weeks after the battle :
Of Articles of Clothing, etc., vis. .- Estimated Value.
Of Drawers, (woolen) 5.310 pairs  $9,292 60
(cotton) 1,833 pairs  1,838 09
¦" Shirts, (woolen) 7,158  14,316 00
" " (cotton) 3,'26<i  8,266 00
" Pillows, 2,1 14  1,268 40
" Pillow cases, 264  105 60
¦" Bed sacks, 1,630  8,463 75
" Blankets. 1,007  3,021 00
" 8heets, 274  274 00
" Wrappers, 508  ;  ". , . . 1,498 00
" Handkerchiefs, 2,659  ."  319 08
" Stockings, (woolen) 3,560 pairs  1,780 00
" " (cotton) 2,253 pairs  45I 00
" Bed utensils, 728  182 00
" Towels and napkins, 10,000  1,500 00

161

-' The Commission's work at Gettysburg did not cease until the
last of the wounded had left " Camp Letterman." On the 17th
of November — four and a half months after the battle, the last
¦car-load of mutilated men took its departure for Pittsburg in
the railway ambulance.
• The army of the Potomac had turned southward, and im
mediately following the great battle of Gettysburg,, the Sanitary
jOommission set about preparing for any emergencies that
.might occur from collisions,, as the forces pressed on after
-General Lee ; and in expectation of an attack upon Lee at
Williamsport, Md., the Commission made large preparations,
;both in stores and agents, with a fixed depot at Boonsboro', and
wagon-trains for field-work. Dr. Agnew superintended these

Of Sponges, 2.300  $230 00
" Combs, 1,500  60 00
" Buckets, 200  •.  75 00
" Soap. (Castile) 250 pounds  50 00
" Oil silk, 300 yards.  .-  226 00
" Tin basins, cups, etc., 7,000  700 00
" Oldlinen, bandages, etc., 110 barrels  1,100 00
" Water tanks, 7  70 00
" Water coolers, 46  230 00
" Bay Rum and Cologne Water, 225 bottles  112 60
" Fans, 3.500  145 00
"Chloride of Lime, 11 barrels  99 00
-.'" Shoes and slippers, 4,000 pairs  2,400 00
"Crutches, 1,200  480 00
" Lanterns, 180  90 00
" Candles, 350 pounds  70 00
" Canvas, 300 square yards  360 00
" sMusquito netting, 648 pieces  810 00
" Paper, 237 quires  23 70
" Pants, coats, hats, 189 pieces  98 75
"Plaster, 16 rolls  * 00
Of Articles of Sustenance, viz. :
Of Fresh poultry and mutton, 11,000 pounds  $1 ,640 00
" " butter, 6,430 pounds   •_  1,286 00
" " eggs, (chiefly collected for the occasion at farm-houses in Penn-
sylvania and New Jersey,) 8,500 dozens  1,700 00
" " garden vegetables, 675 bushels  337 50
" " berries, 48 bushels   72 00
" " bread, 12,000 loaves  645 00
" Ice, 20,000 prinhds  10° 00
" " Concentrated beef soup, 3,'800 pounds  3,800 00
" " milk, 12,500 pounds  8,126 00
11

162

preparations. The promptitude with which the means of sani
tary relief were placed within easy reach of the army as it
moved, and the improved methods that were adopted before
our forces re-crossed the Potomac, have been mentioned in
previous pages.
The history of sanitary work in the four or five other
Grand Divisions, of the Army, during and subsequent to the
period that has just passed in review, in reference to the Poto
mac Army in its campaign that culminated at Gettysburg, is
full of instructive interest ; therefore, to each of the campaigns
South and West we must devote a separate section of this nar
rative of the Commission's work. But before taking up the line
of our narrative of sanitary work in these important campaigns,
we must record an event that occurred soon after the Gettys,-

Of Prepared farinaceous food, 7,000 pounds  $700 00
" Dried fruit, 3,600 pounds  860 00
" Jellies and conserves, 2,000 jars  1,080 00
" Tamarinds. 750 gallons  600 00
" Lemons, 11 6 boxes...  680 00
" Oranges, 6 boxes  230 00
" Coffee, 850 pounds  272 00
" Chocolate, 831 pounds  249 30
" Tea, 426 pounds  383 40
" White sugar, 6,800 pounds  1,166 00
" Syrups, (lemon, etc.) 785 bottles  596 25
" Brandy, 1,250 bottles  1,260 00
" Whiskey, 1,168 bottles  700 80
" Wine, 1,148 bottles  861 00
" Ale, 600 gallons  180 00
" Biscuit, crackers, and rusk, 134 barrels  670 00
" Preserved meats, 600 pounds  125 00
" Preserved fish, 3.600 pounds  lit) 00
" Pickles, 400 gallons  120 00
" Tobacco, 100 pounds  70 00
" Tobacco pipes, 1,000  6 00
" Indian meal, 1,621 pounds  40 50
" Starch, 1,074 pounds  76 18
*' Codfish, 3.848 pounds....  269 36
" Canned fruit, 682 cans  486 50
" " oysters, 72 cans  36 00
" Brandy peaches, 303 jars  808 00
" Catsup, 43 jars  '  H 00
" Vinegar, 24 bottles  g 00
" Jamaica ginger, 43 jars  37 25
Total  $74,838 52

163

burg battle, and which, in the history of the Commission's work,
is associated with that period.
Early in the month of September, Mr. Fredekick Law Olm
sted resigned his position as General Secretary of the Commis
sion. From the commencement of the work, in June, 1861,
Mr. Olmsted had devoted himself most assiduously to the duties
of organization and superintendence of the plans and the means
by which the great purposes of the Sanitary Commission were
to be accomplished. While the several members of the Com
mission gave to the councils of the Board their best efforts, and
also accepted such special duties as occasions required, to Mr.
Olmsted, as the General Secretary and representative of the
Commission at Washington, was assigned the very responsible
duty of methodizing, co-ordinating, and engineering the whole
work, so far as the Central Office could determine and guide the
Commission's affairs.
For more that two years the first General Secretary had given
to this work of organization and superintendence of the Com
mission's work his greatest energies and all the skill and power
of his remarkable genius. How faithfully and successfully he
followed out and elaborated those grand designs that had been
conceived during the early councils of the Commission, are
abundantly testified by the machinery and the working of the
various departments of the Sanitary and Belief service witnessed
in our armies to-day.
Mr. Olmsted had attentively studied the material and social
causes of the Bebellion, and as a tourist he was familiar with the
Cotton States and the back country through which the Federal
forces must make their way to the ultimate triumphs of our
national cause ; and, whether judged by his pre-rebellion obser
vations and writings, or by his efforts and influence in the Com
mission's preventive work and relief-plans in his office as Gen
eral Secretary, his purposes'" and his influence have justly been

164

regarded as being most emphatically national, loyal, humane,
and ennobling.*
„ In thus alluding to the invaluable services and extraordinary
genius of the first General Secretary of the Sanitary Commission,
the labors and qualifications of other members of the Commission

* The following paragraph, from a morning paper, upon the departure of Mr,
Olmsted to a new field of labor, renders an appreciative tribute to his character
and public labors ;
"Mr. P. L. Olmsted sails to day for California, where he is about to assnm»
the position of Manager for the Mining Company which has recently purchased the
Mariposa estate from General Fremont. His loss will be felt keenly in the East,
not only by troops of warm and admiring personal friends, but by the public,.whicli,
for more than seven years, he has served with a fidelity for which, in our day.it
has almost ceased to look. It is less than ten years since he wrote the remarkable
series of letters, which he afterwards republished in the volume known as the
Seaboard Slave State', and which, followed by the Journey Through the Back Coun
try, and the Texas Journey, have, perhaps, done more to influence public opinion
touching the social and economical results of slavery than all the rest of the innu
merable publications put together, whieh this absorbing controversy has called
forth. Jn fact, they may be said to have settled at least the economical side of
the question in the eyes of all reflecting men here, as well as in England, where
the bitterest enemies of the North still quote Mr. Olmsted's statements as
conclusive proof." *****
" He left the Park to become General Secretnry of the Sanitary Commission at
the outbreak or the war. How well he discharged this mission of mercy, thousands
on thousands of the victims of thiB great struggle can testify." * * *
*. * * * "The war has furnished many noble chapters to history,
but in the noblest one of all — that which records the volunteer efforts of the nation
to lessen the sum of its misery — Mr. Olmsted's name, and those of his coadjutors of
the Commission, will appear in shining letters." — New York Daily Times.
The following resolutions, respecting the resignation and the labors of the
First General Secretary, were adopted by the Sanitary Commission, at its session ia
Washington, October, 1863;— we copy from the published Minutes ofthe Board:
"The President communicated the previously announced resignation of Mr. Olm
sted, as General Secretary, and as a member ofthe Commission, and offered resolu
tions expressive of the feeling of the Commission, viz. :
_ " Resolved, That tbis Board accepts the resignation of Fred. Law Olmsted, ns
General Secretary, with profound regret.
¦u "¦Rf!">lm^ 'rliat irom the beginning of our enterprise, the organizing genius of
Mr. Olmsted, trained by rich experience in other large and successful undertaking?,
has been a chief source of whatever merit has characterized the operations of the
Sanitary Commission ; and that we find our consolation in the loss of his personal
services in the fact that his plans and ideas are so ineffacably stamped on our
work, that we shall continue to enjoy the benefit of his talents and the inspiration
of his character, as long as the Commission lusts.
" Resolved, That these resolution's be transmitted to Mr. Olmsted with a letter
expressive nf our warm personal attachment, and an earnest expression of ourwish
-tbat he wil' witlidraw his resignation as a member of the Board
" The u solutions were adopted, and the President was requested to prepare the
letter referred to. r r

165

are not depreciated or overlooked ; nor can the faithful and self-
sacrificing services and excellent skill of the Sanitary Inspectora
and Belief Agents be the less esteemed because the scheme of
their united labors and counsels was committed to the organizing
and guiding hands of the General Secretary. The marked suc
cess, and the constantly increasing extent of sanitary works in
the array and hospitals during the period that has elapsed since
Mr. Olmsted resigned service in the Central Office, prove how
intelligently and how devotedly the entire Commission and each
subordinate officer have appreciated their individual responsi
bilities. To proceed : during the summer and fall the Sanitary steam
boats .continued their transportation of " sanitary stores " upon
the Western rivers ; the Hospital Train continued' its merciful
errands upon the railways of Kentucky and Tennessee ; and
the Hospital Directory at Louisville, the Homes, Lodges, Sup
ply Depots, and Offices for Advice and Aid, at Cairo, Louis
ville, Nashville, and elsewhere, continued' their beneficent
operations.*

* The following is a condensed statement of Supplies distributed by the TJ '. S. San
itary Commission in the Western Department, to September 1st, 1883;
BEDDING AND CLOTHING.

Blankets  13,402
Bedticks  25,377
Boots and Shoes, pairs  682
Comforts and Quilts  40,159
Coats, Pants, and Vests  9,382
Dr«wers, pairs  113,329
Dressing-gowns  12,610
Haveloehs  1,864
HatsandCaps  691
Mattresses  716
Mittens, pairs  9,764

Mosquito Bars,-  1,410
Neck Ties  554
Night Caps  4,817
Pillows  84,106
Pillow Cases  161,(572
Sheets  92,067 !
Shirts  201,608
Slippers, pairs  16,172
Socks, "  90,528
Straw, bales  131
Towels and Handkerchiefs  297,960

HOSPITAL FURNITURE AND BURGKONs' SUPPLIES.
Bedsteads 
Beds, Feather.......
Bed Pans.

Adhesive Plaster, yards  1,298
Arm Rests  1,249
Bags  1,863
BathingTubs  11
Bandages, Oomp's and Lint, lbs. 229,948

 835
 9
 389
Books and Pamphlets..  233,000
Brooms  355

166

Sanitary Work at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. — With the
forces that moved upon Tullahoma and towards Northern
Georgia, at the end of summer, the Sanitary Commission sent
forward its agents and supphes. On the first of September, Dr.
Newberry reported to the Commission as follows :
* * * * " All of the regiments comprising this
army, I believe, without exception, have received careful special
inspections, the inspection returns having been forwarded from
time to time to the Central Office. I am happy to be able to
say, that their sanitary condition is now, and has long been, re
markably good. The percentage of sick is as low, if not lower,

Buckets  639
Candles, lbs  2,306
Candlesticks  170
Carpeting, yds....  246
Chnira  429
Clocks  6
Combs and Brushes  2,683
Cooking Stoves and Furniture ... 10
Ranges....  2
Coffins  73
Coffee Pots  118
Cots  442
Chambers  765
Cups and Saucers  791
Cushions and Pads  63,142
Crutches, prs  3,321
Desks  25
Dippers  81
Drinking Tubes,  108
Tables  53
Table Cloths  822
Tiq Cups,  6,852
Tumblers  862
Envelopes  76,00n
Eye Shades  3,360
Fans.  12,600
Furnaces  9
Hatchets  41
Lamps  48

Lanterns 
Lamp Oils, galls 
Lumber, feet. 
Kettles. 
Knives and Forks, pairs.
Matches, gross 
Mats, Door 
Matting Cocoa, yds 
Mops 
Oakum, bales 
Paper, reams 
Pens 
Pincushions 
Pitchers 
Spittoons 
Spit Cnps 
Sauce Pans 
Scissors 
Soap, lbs 
Splints 
Spoons 
Sponges, lbs ... 
Stoves 
Urinals 
Wash Basins 
Wash Tubs 
Wash Beards 
Washing Machines 
Tin Plates 

309 130
118,000 20
1,883 18
43
190153 6
360
6,000
, 27,851 119641
1,825 100 48
4,602 120
2,504 230 8
S13
. 1,100 10
12 9
. 4,016

ARTICLES OF DIET AND DELICACIES.

Ale and Cider, galls  11,584
Apples, bush  1,386
Apple Butter, galls  2,16n
Arrowroot, lbs  3,561
Rarley, lbs. ,'.  10,204
Beef, Driqd, lbs  18,7 10
Reef, Cou'd, lbs  33,873
Beans, bush  21)

Bread, lbs  10,304
Broma, lbs  200
Butter, lbs   41,197
Crackers, lbs  102,014
Cocoa, lbs.  455
Ohocolate, lbs  9S
Chickens  v  4,114
Chicken, cans  905

167

I

than _ in any other army, and protective measures, such as the
johcing. of camps, &c, are so thoroughly observed that little ia
eft to desire in that respect.
" By reference to the accompanying schedule of disbursements,
it will be seen that the amount of supplies furnished to the Army
of the Cumberland has been very large (over 10,000 bushels of
vegetables alone since Jan. 1st)." * * *

And from Inspectors in the field messages like the following
were continually received at the Secretary's office ; at the same
time that officer was as constantly ordering to the front " sani-

Coffee, lbs  2,009
Coffee, Con'd, lbs  105
Corn Meal, lbs  23,119
Cheese, lbs  12,113
Oorn Starch, lbs  3,253
Corn Dried, lbs  644
Cakes and Cook's, lbs  4,204
Cranberries, bush.  5 J
Catsup, bot  1,339
Codfish, lbs  52,862
Eggs, doz  87,638
Farina, lbs  8,344
Figs, lbs.  60
Flour, bbls  37
Fruit, Preserved, cans  103,830
Fruit, Dried, lbs  497,365
Gelatine, lbs  31
Groceries, lbs  61,614
Grapes, lbs  1,650
Hops, lbs  395
Herbs, lbs  1,502
Herrings, boxes  25
Halibut, boxes  40
Honey, lbs  632
Hominy, lbs  640
Horse Radish, bot  674
Hams, lbs  9,314
Ice, tons  270
Lemons, boxes  337
Lemon Syrup, bot  2,698
Milk, Con'd, lbs  46,807
Mustard, lbs  •  1,866

Maccaroni, lbs  160
Mackerel lbs  60
Oat Meal, lbs  1,878
Oranges, boxes  98}
Oysters, cans,  1,094
Onions, bush  3,835
Peas, Split, bbls  2
Pepper, Ground, lbs  768
Pepper Sauce, bot  2,076
Pie Plant, boxes  61
Porter, bot...,  1,008
Potatoes, bush  49,141
Pickles, gals  28,573
Rice, lbs  3,872
Raisins, lbs  25
Sago, lbs  2,608
Salt, lbs  1,170
Sardines, boxes  44
Sausages, lbs....'.  427
Sour-krout, gals  3,780
Shoulders, lbs  4,160
Spice, lbs  68
Strawberries, qts-  896
Sugar, lbs  26,066
Syrup, gals  688
Tapioca, lbs  1,409
Tea, lbs  8,006
Toast, boxes  76
Tobacco, lbs  1,304
Tongues  238
Vinegar, gals  1,514
Wines and Spirits, bottles  36,399

[Miscellaneous articles omitted for want of space.]
A careful estimate of the cash value of stores known to have been distributed
bv our agents in the Western Department during the past two years, fixes it at
TWO MILLION. TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTi" THOUSAND DOLLARS.
The expenses attending their distribution have been thirti-five thousand dollars,
or one and one-half per sent, upon their valuation.— Sanitary Reporter, Dec. 1st,
1863.

168

tary stores," and whatever could be pushed forward for the re
lief and benefit of the so'diers : "TULLAMOMA, » * *.*
* * * * " Having procured transportation on
the 11th inst., I came to this place with a car load of assorted
stores. Arrived here at two o'clock P. M. ; had some difficulty
in obtaining storage, and was so much delayed in waiting for
detail and transportation from depot, that it took me till in the
night to get my stores secured under cover. I was worn out. ¦¦
* * * * * * *
* * " Having supplied the hospitals (both gen
eral and regimental) about lullanoma as well as my limited sup?
ply would permit, I sent this morning, on the telegraphic requests
of the Medical Directors, a wagon load each to Thomas' and
McCook's corps, and, on the requisition of Dr. Bache, Assistant-
Medical Director of the Army, a small load to Hospital No. 1,
at Winchester." * * * *
*******
* * * "In my walk around the camps, I could not
overlook the filthy and unhealthy condition of the town recently
evacuated by the rebels. It is the dirtiest, nastiest (no other
word will express it) place I have ever been in. I can scarcely
imagine any kind of filth, or any combination of vile stench,
which is not found here. A small stream, filled with carcasses
of mules and horses, washes the town.
" The river Rhine, to all 'tis known,
Washes the city of Cologne.
But who can tell what pow'r Divine
Can ever wash the river Rhine ?"
" I have presented the importance of this subject strongly to
the A. A. General, to the Provost Marshal, and to the sur
geons." Thus the Commission kept up its methodical sanitary care in
the camps and along the line of march, supplying, until the
army of the Cumberland confronted the concentrated rebel
forces upon the bloody field of the Ohickamauga, on the 19th,
20th, 21st and 22d of September. During all the preceedmg
weeks of the army's toilsome march over the mountains, the
Commission's agents had been massing its battle-field supplied

169
and "Battle-Eeserve Stock," at Nashville and at Stevenson, and,
the day previous to the commencement of the conflict, the Chief
Inspector, Dr. A. N. Eead, reports to the Western Secretary as
follows : " Chattanooga, September 18.
"We are expecting a general battle. Dr. Barnum came last
night— was very energetic in getting through. Mr. Crary came
yesterday morning with seven loads of stores. Mr. Bedding and
his companion were left at Bridgeport, expecting to come on as
60on as possible. They are wanted now at Bridgeport and
Stevenson more than here. I shall try to communicate with
them to-day by telegraph. Stores designed for this place must
be sent to Bridgeport at once, so as to be ready for the trains.
They can be stored in tents, which have been furnished to us.
We are practically farther from Bridgeport than Bridgeport is
from Louisville, and regard ourselves as exceedingly fortuuate to
get goods through as we have."

In compliance with orders from the Commission, addi
tional and large supplies were hurried forward from Stev
enson, while that temporary depot was being daily replen
ished from the permanent depots of Nashville and Louisville.*

* Inspector Reed had pressed forward with the moving columns, and from
Chattanooga he wrote as foUows, on the 10th of September:
" Between this and Bridgeport we have passed, as all the army trains have, two
high mountain ridges over almost impassable roads ; so bad, indeed, that we can
hardly hope for much transportation lor our stores until the railroad is again re
paired or a steamboat is put upon the river, and this will not be done for some
weeks. " All things indicate tbat this must be our headquarters as soon as we can ob
tain stores. The sick cannot be sent back until that time, and we can send for
ward but little, I fear.
"The health ofthe army in the field is so far good, but the men cannot endure
long all they have to bear without increasing the sickness.
" There are good hospital accommodations here— good buildings built and va
cated by the rebels. The sick must be sent here, and I shall do all I can to bring
stores forward. We are liberally supplying with onions, potatoes, milk and beef,
and, eo far as is needed, with clothing, the general field hospital at Stevenson and
two large convalescent camps, one at Uridgeport and one at Cowan, in which there
are many sick. After this there will be comparatively few sick at Nashville, and
I think that Chattanooga will be to us a center of work as Nashville has been.''
Sanitary Reporter, Vol. 1, No. 10.

iro

The rugged steeps of the Cumberland Mountains, and the ob
structed transportation of their over-crowded and rocky roads,
did not keep back those sanitary trains. The first trains
however, after the battle, comprising seventeen wagon-loada
of " sanitary stores " for the wounded, was mercilessly destroy
ed by rebel raiders in a mountain pass.* Ten loads had
previously reached the sufierers at Chattanooga ; and thus writes
Dr. Andrews, another Sanitary Inspector :
******** " These stores constituted almost the entire dependence of
.  L  __
* The Relief Agent at the temporary depot of "sanitary stores," at Stevenson,
Ala., soon after the battle, tbns mentions the wants and the means of succor at
that station :
" Large supplies of vegetables were obtained from the garden at Murfrf esboro',
including potatoes, sweet-potatoes, tomatoes, etc., in abundance, and such other
articles as were required from the Sanitary Rooms.
" Receiving word from Dr. Andrew at Chattanooga, who was in temporary
charge of the general work in the department, to report at that place, I rode
through from Bridgeport on the 3d by the courier route expecting to find our rooms
full of stores. But they were entirely empty, our men were living on hard tack,
bacon, and coffee which could be purchased only a few rations at a time of the
commissary ; horses and men all on short rations, and hard tack fast becoming a
luxury. A train of about 400 wagons had been destroyed on the second, and
with it, our seventeen wagons and all other trains temporarily slopped. About
this time, the last of our wounded were sent in from the rebel hands and were in
want of all things. Some of them were without shirts, a few without any cloth
ing whatever, the most fortunate with torn clothing, begrimmed with dirt and
clotted with blood. I purchased at the only army clothing store in town a few
shirts (all I could obtain) and gave them to the most needy. Upon the 6th, I re
ceived notice that eight wagon loads of stores were on the way, and on the 7th,
procured an order for twenty wagons more to report at our rooms in Stevenson
to bring forward stores.
" The work of procuring transportation, I found beset with many and unlooked-
for difficulties. The loss of a large" train and the interruption of communication
had produced some confusion; the army was Bhort of all supplies, and the res
ponsible officers of every department were clamorous for transportation. At the
same time, it was evident, that the wounded men left here, numbering about 1,400,
must be saved, if at all, bv feeding them, and they must have something better than
army rations. The sick also, of whom there are many, not an unusual number,
stand in almost equal need of better articles of diet. By engaging to ship for the
present only articles of diet for the sick and wounded, I have secured a train of
forty wagons to be run constantly under our supervision in bringing stores from
Stevenson, as long as the necessity shall exist, or until river or railroad communi
cation is opened."
• *««****»##

171

the hospitals at Chattanooga until the Tuesday and Wednesday
succeeding the battles. On those days trains containing por
tions of the Medical Purveyor's stores reached the front ; thus
furnishing another instance of the necessity of independent
medical transportation.
" On Monday the 21st, partly because ofthe pressing necessities
of the hospitals, partly because of possible military contingencies,
the order was given to distribute all the Sanitary and medical
stores on hand among the hospitals, and by Tuesday evening the
Commission's rooms were" cleared of their contents, and were oc
cupied by our wounded men. Those who had not fallen into the
hands of the enemy were made measurably comfortable.*"
The Chief Belief Agent, Mr. M. C. Eeed, under date of Sep
tember 24th, reported as follows :

" On Saturday, the 19th, the general engagement commenced
and continued, suspended at intervals, while changing positions

* Tbe following additional extract from the same Inspector's report, presents at
once a truthful view of the difficulties and the zealous energy in the work :
• ********,**
"Tbe wounded are generally doing well, and bear with patienee the privation*
which appear unavoidable ; but a generous supply of edibles suitable for sick and
wounded men is indispensable to their recovery. I trust a supply of these articles
will be ready at Stevenson to fill at any time, the twenty (20) wagons and as often
as they can make the trip, and if more than that are accumulated there, we will un
dertake to get them through. There is a demand also for flannel shirts and
drawers, sheets, blankets, etc., which, while the present pressure continues, we
cannot forward in the " Sanitary train." But let them be accumulated without
stint at Stevenson for we hope that communication by the river and by railroad
will soon be opened, and I have requested the surgeons here, while waiting for
that event, to make requisitions at every opportunity, for articles of the latter de
scription, upon the Agent at Stevenson, and in that way, a very fair supply can be
got through by ambulances and hospital wagons.
'! As you are aware, the occupation of the railroad for many days in transport
ing and the subsequent raids upon it between Stevenson and Nashville, stopped
for some time, tbe receipt of stores at Stevenson. The same events caused an un
expected accumulation of sick at the latter place, calling for large issues of sani
tary stores there, leaving only enough to fill fifteen of the wagons ordered to re
port there. These are now on the way, and we look for their arrival to-morrow,
the 14th. And as the 20 wagons constituting our train, have probably already re
ported at Stevenson, where we suppose there are now abundant supplies, we are
in a measure relieved of anxiety, and anticipate a constant and tolerably abundant
supply. ,..,..
" I have to-day received a note from Rev. O. Kennedy, who is aiding in our
work, that he has reached his post on the west side of the mountain and pitched
the tents for the Mountain Lodge."

172

or falling back, throughout Saturday, Sunday, Monday and
Tuesday. During this time, there was no opportunity of mak
ing even the briefest memoranda, and the events, of which I am
giving you this hurriedly written narrative, may not all be de
tailed in the order of their occurrence."
* * * * * * * #
"Not a great many wounded were sent back on Saturday^
but on Sunday they came in in numbers, far beyond the abihty
of all of the medical officers to provide even tolerably for their
comfort. At the request of the medical director, Dr. Barnum
took possession of two large blocks, cleared out the rooms, fitted
them up temporarily for the wounded, supplying them with
clothing, bandages, and edibles from our rooms, procured and put
up stoves, dressed the wounds of those most requiring immediate
assistance, and superintended the providing and cooking of ra
tions for the men. All of the rooms were soon filled, and by
his untiring efforts from 1,500 to 2,000 were rendered tolerably
comfortable. On Sunday, I visited all ofthe hospitals and tern-*
porary resting places for the wounded, notifying the officers in
charge of the location of our rooms and the nature of our sup
phes, asking them to send for everything we had, so far as it was
needed. Returning late in the evening, I found a large church.
on Main street where services had been held during the day,
and saw that the steps were crowded with wounded men. En
tering the church, it was found filled with a congregation' from
the battle-field, crippled with every variety of wounds, with no
medical or other officer in charge, without food of any kind,
without water, and without even a candle to shed a glimmering
light over their destitution, silent worshippers in the darkness,
patient unmurmuring martyrs in a noble cause, apparently de
serted by all except Him in whose sanctuary they had taken re
fuge. I immediately carried concentrated beef to the residence
of Dr. Simms, near the church, a resident physician of rebel
sympathies, but a generous, warm hearted man, in whose office
we had some days before found quarters, and where my brother
superintended the preparation of soup, while I bought candles
and a box of hard bread, had them carried to the church, and
procuring water, distributed it for the thirsty. Never before
had I so high an appreciation of "nature's sweet restorer,
balmy sleep."
" Two-thirds ofthe occupants ofthe church, some with shat
tered arms, and some with other ghastly wounds, were sleeping
quietly upon the seats and the floor, unconscious of their many
wounds. The soup was brought and distributed to the
wakeful, and my brother and Dr. Simms commenced dress-,
ing the wounds, and continued their labors till sheer ex
haustion compelled them to desist. The waking men pro-

173
yided for, the sleeping were allowed to sleep in peace. I re
ported the condition of these men to the medical director, and
medical officers were put in charge of them, and in the morn
ing a chaplain took charge of vegetables and other eatables which
I sent from the rooms, and superintended the preparation of food
for the men. At this time, Monday, the streets were completely
blockaded for their whole length with army wagons, as an order
had been issued on Sunday for the whole train to be sent across
the river. This was done apparently to avoid confusion, and
to save the train if our forces should be compelled to evacuate
the place. The only means of crossing was one narrow pontoon
bridge, and for two days the trains filled all the streets. Our
stores were needed everywhere, but nobody could get to our
quarters. After applying to several headquarters, I procured an
order for three army wagons to report at our rooms for the dis
tribution of stores. And hastily riding to the different hospitals,
obtained approximately the capacity of each, the number ofthe
,inmates, and the nature of the articles most needed. The usual
answer, however, to the question, ' What do you need most V
was, ' Everything,' a comprehensive, but almost literally a truth
ful answer. Returning to the rooms, I gave general directions
to Messrs. Redding and Larrabee, who superintended the loading
of the wagons, and piloted each one when loaded through the
dense mass of teams to its destination. At first sight, an ap-
Iiarently hopeless undertaking, but the words, ' Tbis wagon is
oaded with stores for your wounded comrades, can you make
room for it to pass V operated like magic everywhere, and in no
single instance did I find a driver who did not promptly and cheer
fully open a way for the supplies, and that, too, through streets
where there were three, four, and five parallel trains, the drivers
all eager to reach the pontoon bridge first and secure precedence
in-crossing. In this way we succeeded in getting a good supply,
a full wagon load each to the seminary building and old rebel
hospitals on the hill, to the old rebel hospital uear the Critch
field Hotel, (now called No. 2), to the Critchfield Hotel, where
there were about 1,500 wounded, to two churches west of the
Critchfield house, to the Presbyterian Church, and to three
blocks of buildings on Main street, and to the officers' hospital
in a large brick building, east of Main street.
" This work left no time for gathering statisties, no time to
get the names of the hospitals, or the number of the inmates,
even had the-surgeons had time to give their names or make out
registers. Clerks were busy at the latter task, but in no place
had they completed their labors. This work consumed the day
and my strength, but I felt that my health was good, and with
a few hours rest could start afresh. I determined to remain if

174

the place should be evacuated,~and if allowed to do so, make out
a register of the wounded who were left behind."
#* * * * * * *
" If, when this reaches you, the telegrams from the front ad
vise you that we still hold Chattanooga, my advise would be to
send of all supplies as large quantities as possible, for I believe
that already this battle is one of the bloodiest of the
war. Our loss must already be greater than it was at
Stone River, and I do not believe the rebels will fall back before
our re enforced army without another desperate struggle.
"Among the stories distributed at Chattanooga, especial
mention aught to be made of a box of excellent ' arm-slings '
from 'the Aid Society in Pittsburg. Though not as many as the
arms needing such a support, they were valued beyond price by
every man who secured one, and were in every respect a valu
able article."
******** Hastening back to Stevenson to push forward the " sanitary
stores," of which our men stood in perishing need, about the 1st
of October, this energetic Relief Agent reported as follows :

" Every department of the army at Chattanooga is suffering
for the want of supplies, and the problem for those in charge of
transportation, is how to dispose of it, and apportion it so as to
do justice to all. At such a time constant watching, and an im
portunity which does not offend, is indispensable, in order to
secure any transportation for us.
" Under the circumstances, I think we are having good suc
cess in getting our stores through. I think a large accumula
tion here is desirable, as soon as we can secure transportation
by rail, that they may be pushed on to Chattanooga by every
means possible.
" As soon as our army is sufficiently re-inforced, a battle may
be expected, exceeding the recent struggle in the number of
wounded. If the rebels fall back and the battle is postponed,
Chattanooga will become the base of operations, and of supplies,
and the larger supply we can get the better."
* k- * * '' * * * *

The loss of seventeen large wagon loads of most valuable
" sanitary stores," at the hands of Wheeler's rebel raiders, im
mediately after the last of such supplies at Chattanooga had been

175

exhausted, was sorely felt at the time ; but that disaster gave
additional energy to the Commission's efforts to push forward
still larger quantities, and to prepare, if need be, for still greater
losses. But the formidable difficulties of transportation from
the railway terminus at Bridgeport over sixty miles of steep
mountain passes, requiring several days for a single trip, with
army trains, miles in length, obstructing all hurried efforts in
the forwarding of " sanitary stores," rendered it necessary for
the Commission to multiply its resources of relief at or near the
field in every possible manner. The situation at Chattanooga
was eminently precarious, no less in a sanitary than in a military
point of view. For weeks after the battle, the forces subsisted
on 1 alf rations, and hard ones at that, while the wounded and
the sick were in great need of hospital delicacies and an anti
scorbutic diet.
It was no fault of the Medical Directors, that the patients in
hospital suffered thus,* and until the enemy could be driven
back from the river and the railway between Stevenson and
Chattanooga, neither the Sanitary Commission nor the Medical
Department could do more than they actually1 did to succor the
men in the hospitals about Chattanooga. As rapidly as possible
the wounded men who could bear transportation were removed

* The Chief of the Relief Corps, Mr. M. C. Reed, writing from Stevenson, on
the river, says :
» * # # " We are able to provide for those who get through to
the railroad what is needed in addition to government supplies, but it is essential
that large quantities of all the usual articles be shipped through to Chattanoogo as
fast as possible. There the destitution and suffering have been, and must for some
time be very great. Yet, you must not construe what I write here, or have writ
ten above, ns an implied censure ofthe medical officers of the army. I know how

Chattanooga. <>ven mercy to the wounded required that the army, yes, and the
horses, should be fed, although the wounded suffered until the battle was over.
Over roads the difficulties of which no one will appreciate until he has tried them,
supplies had to be carried for men and horses whose strength and endurance alone
could save all of the wounded from the hardships and destitution which the
wounded prisoners would encounter at the hands of rebels."

176

over the mountains, in ambulances, and on foot, to Bridgeport
and Stevenson, and so onward to Nashville. Weary, exhausted.,
and famishing with hunger, the ceaseless trains of those disabled
men, as they wended their way down the ravines of the Sequat
chie towards the town of Jasper, halted at a row of tents which
the Sanitary Commission erected there and christened as the
" Soldiers' Home." That Mountain Lodge was like an oasis
in the desert * and it will live in the life-long remembrance
of hundreds whose sufferings were assuaged there.

* We append the following from tbe Cincinnati Gazette :
" Cincinnati, October 81.
"Eds. Gazette, — It i3 not unfrecjuently stated that the contributions made by
our benevolent citizens to the United States Commission seldom reach those for
whom the donations were really intended. Such statements have a tendency to
diminish public confidence, and retard the operations of the Commission. I desire,
in a public manner, to testify to one act of the Sanitary Commission, done at a
time and place to fully testify to the indispensable benefits that institution has
done to our suffering men.
" On the 24th inst., I came down the cheerless and horribly muddy road leading
down the valley of Sequatchie, from Chattanooga to Stevenson. Major Welsh,
of the 1 8th, was with me, and in an ambulance we had Lieut. D. B. Carlin, a brave
and valuable officer of the ISth, who was slowly recovering from a severe wound
received at Ohickamauga. This officer was yet totally helpless, and had been sent
out from the field hospital with less than a day's rations to accomplish a maich of
four days. The country on this route affords nothing for the subsistance of either
man or beast. In this emergency I knew not what to do. The officer, as well as
the driver of the ambulance, and the officer's attendant, were likely to suffer
severely. "At a point just eight miles above Jasper we espied, on the river bank, three or
four hospital tents, and near by a few smaller Jents ; and riding up to one of these,
we discoved a small placard, with the words, 'Soldiers' Home' on it, and we re
joiced to discover the jolly countenance of the kind-hearted chaplain of the 101st
Ohio Volunteers, now doing detached duty as agent of tho Sanitary Commission in
this isolated spot, for the benefit of the sick and wounded soldiers being sent to the
rear. " We stated our case, and were liberally supplied with fruit, crackers, tea, &e.,
Ac, with a good bottle of the best of ale (Walker's best), and were kindly urged
to remain and partake of a warm supper. Thil invitation we were reluctantly com
pelled to decline, on account of the lateness of the hour, and the necessity existing
to reach Jasper. This is only one of a thousand similar instances occurring daily
everywhere along this line. The fact that this aid, so much needed, reached us
when so unexpected, made an impression on my mind.
" Let ine urge the people to continue their generous donations. Through this
source more aid is rendered us than through all others combined. This conduct
of the agents has been such as to improve rather than diminish confidence.
" Yours, " C. H. Grosvenor,
"Lieut-Col. 18th O.V.I."

177

The severely wounded that had been left in the hands of the
enemy on the fields of the Ohickamauga were soon permitted to
retnrn in the ambulance trains that had been sent out under flag
of truce ; yet there were but few of them that could endure the
journey over the mountains. One of the Relief Agents writes
from Chattanooga, the middle of October, as follows :

" The wounded are generally doing well and bear with pa
tience the privations which appear unavoidable ; but a generous
Bupply of edibles suitable for sick and wounded men is indispen
sable to their recovery. I trust a supply of these articles will be
ready at Stevenson to fill, at any time, the twenty (20) wagons,
and as often as they can make the trip ; and if more than that
are accumulated there, we will undertake to get them through.
There is a demand also for flannel shirts and drawers, sheets,
blankets, &c, which, while the present pressure continues, we
cannot forwarward in the " sanitary train." But let them be ac
cumulated without stint at Stevenson, for we hope that commu- -
nication by the river and by railroad will soon be opened, and I
have requested the surgeons here, while waiting for that event,
to make requisitions at every opportunity, for articles of thfe
latter description, upon the Agent at Stevenson, and in that
way, a very fair supply can be got through by ambulances and
hospital wagons.
" As you are aware, the occupation of the railroad for many
days in transpdrting, and the subsequent raids upon it between
Stephenson and Nashville, stopped for some time the receipt of
stores at Stevenson. The same events caused an unexpected
accumulation of sick at the latter place, calling for large issues
of sanitary stores there, leaving only enough to fill fifteen of the
wagons ordered to report there. These are now on the way,
and we look for their arrival to-morrow, the 14th. And as the
20 wagons constituting our train, have probably already reported
at "Stevenson, where we suppose there are now, abundant sup
plies, we are in a measure relieved of anxiety, and anticipate a
Constant and tolerably abundant supply."
In the Sanitary Reporter we find the business of supplies to
the wounded at Ohickamauga during the, first ten days suc
ceeding the battle, summed up as follows :
12

178

******** * * * * "It was for some time impossible to
get forward the whole, or eyen a considerable portion of the
* Battle Reserve Stock,' which had been accumulated at Steven-
eon and Nashville, especially the latter. Transportation was,
under the circumstances, simply impossible, and was acquiesced
in as one of those distressing necessities incident to a state of
war, particularly where the theatre of operations was at so great
a distance from the base of supplies. With provident care the
Commission had accumulated a large stock ofthe articles which
long experience has shown to be necessary after a battle, as near
the theatre of operations as was consistent with safety.' They
were pushed forward as rapidly as the other exigencies of the
military service would permit. That they have been useful no
one can doubt after reading the testimonials of the Surgeons in
charge of the various hospitals, which may be found in another
part of this number.
" The following table will show what the Commission has at-
'tempted since those battles. The ' Reserve Stock,' and much of
that which has been shipped since, has gone to Stevenson,! and
as large a proportion as possible has been forwarded to Chatta
nooga :
"Disbursements from the Nashville Depdt, TJ. S. Sanitdry
Commission, to the Wounded of the Battles of Chickamauga,
to Oct. 1st, 1863 : " Battle Reserve. Additional
"'Blankets  89 12
Bedticks  300 301
Bed Spreads  10
Comforts' and Quilts  695 230
Coats, Pants, and Vests  395 175
Drawers, pairs  1,369 5,554
Dressing-gowns  458 107
Mittens, pairs  265
Night Caps  57 4
Pillows  1,827 683
Pillow Cases  2,881 1,191
Pillow Ticks  7102
Sheets  440 661
Shirts  >  10,163 3,448
Slippers, pairs  468 107
Socks, pairs  3,674 413
Towels and Hankerchiefs . . . .'  6 252 5 039
Arm Rests  199 ' 59
Bags  75 107

179
_ s, lbs  .-  7,167 315
BedPans  20
.Books and Pamphlets, &c  2,545 6,458
Bowls  5
jBrooms  48
Buckets  ;  . 27
rCandles, lbs  40
Candlesticks  t 23
Combs and Brashes  288
.Compresses, lbs  4,185 583
Coffee Pots and Tea Pots  15
Chambers  19
nCushions and Pads •  1,023
¦Crutches pairs  55
Eye Shades  102 18
Fans  2,495
Envelopes  2,500
Hospital 'Furniture, articles  105 95
India Rubber Cloth, yds  8
iLanterns  1
Lint, lbs  ,  200 28
Kettles (32 gals, each)  5
patches, gross  *  3
Mops  24
Nails, lbs  ,  5
Pincushions  1,344 180
Spittoons  '  46
Rags, lbs  983
Pans  35
Scissors  30
Soap, lbs  143
Spoons  122
Sponges  36
Stoves and Furniture  2
Stationary, reams  ,  5
. Tin Cups  348
Tin Plates  50 394
"Wash Basins  99
Baskets  12
Camp Chests  1
Camp Stools  12
Camp Kettles  •• . . . 27
Coffee Boilers  4
:Soup Boilers, large  ,  1
Ale and Cider, galls  500 400
Apple Butter, galls  4

180

Arrowroot, lbs  80
Barley, lbs  190
'Beef, Dried, lbs  205
Beef, Concentrated, lbs  4,826 1,375
Gutter, lbs  ,  150 433
^Crackers, lbs  4,597
Gocoa, lbs  140
•Citric Acid,Jbs  20
Corn Meal, lbs  -.'  175
^Cheese, lbs...  103 281
Corn Starch, lbs  208
Codfish,lbs  .,  344 2,O0Q
Eggs, doz  72 205
-Farina, lbs  260
Fruit, Preserved, cans  800 793
^Fruit, Dried, lbs.  3,800 4,395
Groceries, lbs  34
Herbs, lbs  200
1 Jelly and Shrub> qts  91
^Bay Rum, galls  16
(Lemons, boxes  '  . 1
- Milk, Concentrated, lbs  2,707 5,712
"Mustard, lbs  3
^Prunes, boxes  10
Oysters, cans  480
Onions, bush  ;.. 188 377
Pepper, Ground, lbs  , 11
iPotatoes, bush  397 723
Pickles, galls  26 201
Raisins, lbs  20
Sago, lbs  100
Tamarinds, lbs  25
Spices, lbs  12
Sugar, lbs  1,811
Tea, lbs  ..:... 46 878
Toast, lbs  14
Tongues,  48
Vinegar, galls  480 40
?Whisky, bot  , 1 425
fWine, bot  692 '430
'Blackberry Cordial, bot.'  ;  124
" Since October M, eigfit hundred and sixty boxes, seven
hundred and seventy-five barrels, and one hundred and ninety-
three kegs, sacks, &c, making 1,834 packages, have been sent
to Nashville by railroad, and about nineteen hundred packages
by river, in addition to the above.

181
" P. S. * * * * we are now reaching the wounded ot
Chickamauga with not less than a car load qf valuable stores,
per day."
l? This life-preserving work of incessant supply and careful dis
tribution of " sanitary stores," was continued, in spite of the de
ficient and obstructed transportation, until General Hooker'*
forces opened the way up the river to Chattanooga. But during
that anxious period of two months when none except the
wounded were sure of sufficient daily food, the Sanitary Com
mission's agents had made ready for the next great battle by
ordering forward from Nashville to Bridgeport all the supplies
that the Director of Transportation could daily permit to gO by
railway, viz., one car load of ," sanitary stores " each day ; and
as soon as navigation became practicable as far up as Kelley's
Ferry, such stores were hastened forward to that point, ten miles!
from Chattanooga. Inspector Reed reported .the progress of
work at that period as follows, under date of Nov. 16th :

. "Rev. Mr. Kennedy who had tents and the charge of the
Lodge at the foot of the mountain, was informed that he was
more needed at the Ferry — both that he might aid in taking
care of the goods as they were unloaded from the boats, and also
that he might lodge and feed the sick brought to that place by.
ambulances and who must wait for the boat to return.
" Writing to Mr. F. R. Crary our store-keeper at Stevenson,
he says, ¦ I want you to be here when the goods arrive that you
may enjoy with me the»pleasure of seeing these hungry men re
ceive their first supply. The want of food here is so pressing
that I have often seen the soldiers gathering the grains of corn
which had fallen from the feed troughs of the mules, roasting
and eating them.'
" The pleasure alluded to they have experienced, and now are
sending to Bridgeport, and have been 6ince the 3d of this month,
one car load each day— and these stores are sent promptly from
Bridgeport to Chattanooga."
* : * * * * * * *
-"Mr. E. I. Eno sent by 'the State of Illinois to look after the
interests of her soldiers, is with us and of us and ever ready to

182

co-operate in the general work. All stores at his command, and
they are many, are turned over to the Commission for general
distribution. Mr. Eno also left his office and endured great per
sonal exposure and hardships in organizing our depots at Bridge
port and Kelly's Ford — and the removal of the stores from
Stevenson. We are under very great obligations to him, for
his timely and valuable assistance. His acts all show that he,
regards the struggle in which we are now engaged as National,;
and that our sympathy and help should be given ahke to all
the sufierers. The only question to be asked in the distribution.
of our stores being : Is he a soldier of the Nation ? Is he in
want: " At Murfreesboro' the hospitals are again enlatged ; and a
larger number ofthe sick and wounded will be accumulated
there, than have been for many months.
. *' There is one general hospital at Tallahoma in charge of Dr.
Woodward, our excellent friend, because he is the true friend of
his patients. As usual his hospital is in the best possible con
dition. At Cowan there is also at this time a large number -of
sick. The hospital at Stevenson is being removed. At Bridge
port there is a hospital, where those brought from Chattanooga
are to remain until taken on by rail. Here we have been feed
ing them on their arrival. Mr. Pocock tetegraphed me that he
fed 100 in one day, which he did with very little material to
work with ; had a tolerable supply of tin-cups, but had no
spoons for his soup. He obtained volunteer help from one of
the regiments stationed near.
" Mr. Kennedy is also doing the same work at Kelly's Ferry
with better accommodations. Mr. Eno informs me that he saw
him feed about 100 as they lay in ambulances, too badly wounded
to get out, but compelled to wait for the boat. The passage from
that point by boat to Bridgeport is made with little comfort and
jgreat exposure ; but it is luxurious when compared with the
former dreadful ride in ambulances over the mountains, a dis
tance of some sixty miles ; climbing the most rugged mountain
Sides with great difficulty, and then goirrg down the other side
as rocky, steep, and rugged ; the rocks so large in the path that
the patient who had become too exhausted to hold on to the
sides of the ambulance, is from the motion dashed from side to
side ; or if there are two, they are thrown alternately one upon
the other.
• " Col. Paine of the 124th O. V. I. shot through the thigh,
was one of the thousands that took such a ride — and he assured
me that he suffered ten thousand deaths — that he would much
prefer death to such a ride again ; and he had ho bones broken.
" The ride now by river occupies about twelve hours, while

183
by the ambulances over the mountains, the average time I have
been informed, was five days, and sometimes much longer."
******** 7 We introduce this interesting record of the Commission's
work after the battle of Ohickamauga, much abbreviated, though
connected, believing that it eannot fail to present to the reader's
mind the best possible amswer to the question, " whether, after
all, .there is any sober necessity or fitness in this exertion to sus
tain an institution which aims to supplement Government sup
plies for the aid or relief of the soldiers."
But the battle of Ohickamauga constituted but one act in the
grand strategic drama of Generalship and soldierly heroism and
sacrifice, that has given to the Federal forces in Tennessee and
Virginia the key to the very fastnesses of the rebellion. Just
two months after that first terrible conflict, the second great
battle before Chattanooga crowned our arms with success, such
as hardly finds a parallel in the history of modern wars. What
the Inspectors and Rehef Agents of the Sanitary Commission
* found to do on that battle-field, and subsequently in the hospi
tals and camps of that army, let us here briefly state.
The Western Secretary, Dr. Newberry, as the witness and
,., 'director of the Commission's work, there reported, under date
of Dec. 7, 1863, as follows :

' " I have passed the last two weeks, from a tour of inspection
through the chain of agencies .of the Commission which extend
from Louisville to that point. -It chanced, luckily enough, that
I was at Chattanooga through all the exciting scenes of the re
cent battles, and was able to contribute something to the success
whieth attended the efforts of the Agents ' of the Commission, to
relieve the wants and sufferings of the wounded.
" As you are doubtless impatient to learn more than you know
of the recent important events to which I have referred, and
more particularly how fully the Commission has sustained
its responsibilities, I hasten to make my report as promptly- aa

184

possible, and shall make it as full as the great pressure of other
duties will permit.
" As a pre-requisite to a clear understanding of the mihtary
operations, the work of the Commission in and about Chatta
nooga, and a proper appreciation of the difficulties overcome, it
is quite necessary that anyone should have gone over the ground
himself." ******** " Until I had been myself to Chattanooga, I had no just ap
preciation-, even with description after description, of the daring
and energy which had led General Rosecrans to follow to the
very heart of its mountain fastnesses, the retreating army of
General Bragg; and after overcoming obstacles at first sight in-
surmonntable, to seize and hold the Key to all the hnes of com
munication through this great mountain-labyrinth.
" From near Tallahoma to Chattanooga, the whole interval is
occupied with mountains of formidable height, terminating
laterally in precipitous escapments, separated by deep and narrow
valleys, over which even a footman finds his way painful and
perilous. In justice to those who planned and executed the
military movements prior and preparatory to the late victories^
I must say that our people of the Northern States have no justo
conception of what our army has done and suffered in reaching
and holding Chattanooga ; and I am sure if all could see what
I have seen, of difficulties overcome, hardships endured, and
privations so cheerfully suffered, there would be much less than
there has been of flippant criticism of the soldiers and the Gene
rals of the Army of the Cumberland."
******** " Chattanooga itself must have been, before cursed and blasted ¦
by rebellion, one of the most charming places on the continent.
It stands in the valley of the Tennessee, shut in on all sides by
picturesque mountains, from a thousand to two thousand feet in
height, while the town itself is in part perched on eminences of
two or three hundred feet, from wliich the lowlands, reaching to
the base of the mountains, are all clearly visible. When, there
fore, I tell you that the last battles were fought in a semi-circle
around the points of view in the plain or on the mountain side,
never more than three miles distant, you will concede that those
of us who were present enjoyed an opportunity of witnessing
military evolutions — all the varied phases of attack and defence
by artillery and infantry, of assault and repulse, of victory and
defeat— such as has fallen to the lot of few since Priam watched
the struggle between the Greeks and Trojans from the walls of
Troy. " Of the battles themselves, I do not now propose to say much,

185

as it will be foreign to my purpose, and they have already been
described to you in the letters of Army Correspondents and the
admirable telegraphic summary of General Meigs — so fully that
it would scarcely be desirable, if possible. I, however, enclose
a topographical map, which was made at Chattanooga, more full
and accurate than any yet published. With this and the de
scriptions you have at command, you will be able clearly to com
prehend the successive steps by which our army secured its final
victory, and appreciate, in some measure, the daring bravery of
our troops in scaling the heights of Lookout Mountain and Mis
sion Ridge.
" My business, however, is with the noble spirits who fell in
these glorious charges, and it is with no ordinary satisfaction
that I can say that, thanks to the proximity of the battle-fields
to suitable receptacles for the wounded, and to the wisdom and
energy displayed by the Medical Officers, and last, not least, the
proftipt and potent aid that the Sanitary Commission with its
abundant stores was able to render, none of those cases of neglect
or protracted suffering which have been considered as insepar
able attendants upon the carnage and confusion of battle-fieldSj
bo far as I know, were permitted to occur. Lam quite sure that
I do not exaggerate when I say that the wounded in no consi
derable battle since the war began have been so well and promp
tly cared for ; and I can say also with equal confidence, that the
aid rendered by theSanitary Commission has never been more
prompt and efficient, more heartily welcomed, or more highly
appreciated. " Owing to the difficulties of transportation — difficulties which
had prevented the issue of full rations^to the army since the
battle of Chattanooga — our stock on hand previous to the battle
was not as large as I could have wished ; but we were accorded
even more than our full share of such facilities for transport as
were at command of the Quartermaster's Department, and fresh
supplies of the most needed articles, including all the staple
battle stores, continued to arrive, so that our warehouse was
constantly replenished, and every requisition was promptly filled.
Of concentrated beef, milk, stimulants of various kinds, com
presses, bandages, dried fruit, vegetables, shirts and drawers, we
nad a sufficient supply to meet every demand.
" In order that you may see precisely how our work was done,
permit me to take up, in the order of their succession, the prin
cipal events connected with it during my stay at Chattanooga.
<' Toward midnight of Saturday, the -29th of November, in
company with Dr. Soule, I arrived at Kelly's Ferry, ten miles be
low Chattanooga. Here we were hospitably entertained by our
agent, Mr. Sutliffe. As I shall have occasion to return to this

186

point in the course of my narrative, I will for the present defer
reference to the great good which he has been doing here. On
Sunday morning we started for Chattanooga on foot. Kelly's
Ferry was at this time the head of navigation — the river being
blockaded above by the rebels — and all supplies were trans
ported from this point in wagons. As a consequence, we found the
road blocked up for miles by trains going and returning, all
hurrying to accomplish their almost impossible duty of prevent
ing the army above from perishing by actual starvation. Cross
ing Raccoon Mountain, we came into Will's Valley, where we
found Hooker's forces occupying the vantage ground gained by
their night descent of the river, and came into full view of the
rebel encampments on the side, and rebel batteries on the sum
mit of Lookout Mountain. From the latter, from time to time,
came a puff of white smoke, and the sullen boom of the forty-
pound Parrots, which had continued day after day to throw shells,
fortunately without practical result, sometimes into Chattanoo
ga above, sometimes into Will's Valley below their commanding
position. Descending the valley, we crossed the river at Brown's
Ferry, and traversing an isthmus some two miles in width, re-
crossed the river to the town. At this time large detachments
of Sherman's forces were leaving their encampment in Will's
Valley and moving up the river, nobody knew whither.
" In Chattanooga I found our Agency in charge of Mr. C.
Read, occupying fine rooms which, with characteristic partiality,
the authorities had assigned to our use by displacing the Chief
of Police who had previously occupied them. Soon after my
arrival I ealled on the Medical Director, Dr. Perm, by whom 1
was most cordially received, and was gratified to hear him ex:
press not only a high respect and appreciation for the Commis
sion, but bear strong testimony to the value of our Agency at
this point, to him and to the army, as well as to the energy, and
discretion of our chief representative, Mr. Read. The corps of
agents on dnty here were as follows : M. C. Read, in charge ;
Rev. W. F. Loomis, hospital visitor ; F. R. Crarey, store-keeper,
with two detailed men as assistants ; M. D. Bartlett, agent tof
hospital directory ; A. H. Sill, transportation clerk. With Mr.
Read, I called at several of the headquarters, and from all the
officials heard only kind words for the Commission, and assur
ances of their readinees to co-operate with it by all means in
their power."-
******** " On Sunday evening a large part of the 11th Army Corps
came up from below, passed through the town, with three days'
rations in their haversacks, and took their position, without tents
or baggage, in front of the fortifications. On Monday our forces

187

moved out, formed in double line of battle, with a front several
miles in length, posted reserves in the rear, threw out skirmish
ers, and made a general advance, taking possession of the first
line ofthe enemy's entrenchments, and occupied Orchard Knob
in the centre of the valley, on which batteries were planted.
This advance was made in excellent order, and the ambulances
following close in the rear and through the skirmishing, ex
tended along the whole line. The number of wounded was
comparatively small, and they were immediately picked up and
carried to the hospitals in time. On Tuesday, General Sher
mah having crossed the river three miles above, advanced, and
without serious opposition took possession of the north end of
Mission Ridge.
On the morning of the same day General Hooker moved up
from Will's Valley and attacked the rebel forces occupying
Lookout Mountain, and by a most daring assault gained posses
sion of all the northern portion, with the capture of many pris
oners and the loss of 250 killed and wounded. The latter were
immediately carried to the hospital established near his head
quarters, where they were well cared for by their own officers,
supplies being sent to them from our depot at Kelly's Ferry near
by. Early the next morning Mr. Read ahd Mr. Sill went down
and saw that all the aid which the Commission could render
Was furnished them.
"On Tuesday night the north ends of Lookout Mountain and
' Mission Ridge were aglow with the camp-fires of our forces, and
we had the satisfaction of knowing that by the brilliant achieve
ments of the morning the blockade of the river was raised, and
advantages had been gained which promised important results
in the impending struggle of the morrow.
" Wednesday morning our flag floated from the summit of
Lookout, and our forces advanced on the rebel stronghold of
Mission Ridge, from our right, left, and front. After much se
vere fighting on our left, in which Sherman's forces suffered very
heavy loss, the rebel entrenchments along the "base of Mission
Eidge were stormed by our advancing lines, and then began
that perilous but glorious ascent of its slope of 1,000 feet at six
different points, which so surprised and appalled the rebel garri
son, and has covered with glory the brave men who dared at
tempt it. After an hour of suspense, inexpressibly painful to
the thousands who were merely powerless spectators, the summit
was gained and held, the roar of the forty pieces of artillery
which crowned it was suddenly silenced, and we knew that a
great victory had been won.
"'" Two wagons had been secured before hand, with which to
transport stores to any point where they might be required ; but

188

no part of the battle-field being more than three miles distant
from headquarters, and ample provision having been made by
the Medical Director for the immediate removal of the wounded
to hospital, they were held in readiness to use, if needed, while
Mr. C. Read and myself, with a small supply of stores, went
over to the battle-field along the middle line of Mission Ridge,
and Mr. Loomis went toward the northern end, to see if any
help were required by the wounded of Sherman's Corps. By
midnight all the Union wounded men on that part of the field
which we visited had been transferred to hospital, and such of the
rebels as remained in the houses to which they had been carried.
had received all the aid we could give them ; and so, at 1 o'clock,
we returned to the town. Just as we arrived, Mr. Loomis came
in and reported that the wounded of the 15th Army Corps had
all been gathered into the Division Hospitals, but that their ex
pected supplies had not arrived, and they were greatly in need
of our assistance. A wagon load of milk, beef, crackers, tea,
sugar, stimulants, dressings, &c, was immediately dispatched to
them, and was, as may be imagined, of priceless value.
" Early the next morning, Thanksgiving Day, Mr. Read and
myself visited the hospitals of the 2d, 3d, and 4th Divisions of
the 15th Army Corps, situated three miles up the river. The
4th, containing the-largest number of wounded (399), we found
pretty well supplied, for the time being, with the stores we had
6ent up the night before ; but these were rapidly disappearing,
and, at our suggestion, another load was sent for and received
during the day. The 2d and 3d Division hospitals, situated on
the bank of the river, containing respectively 75 and 230 pa
tients, had received, up to this time, no other supplies than such
as had been carried in their medicine wagons, sufficient to meet
the first wants ofthe wounded, but by this time almpst entirely
exhausted. Just as I was offering to Dr. Rogers, the Surgeon
in charge of the 3d Division hospital, the resources of the Sani
tary Commission, one of the assistant surgeons approached and
said to him, ' Doctor, what shall we do . Our supplies have not
arrived ; our men are lying on the ground, with not blankets
enough to make them comfortable. We've no stimulants, or
dressings, or proper food. Now, if the Sanitary Commission;
only had an agent here, we should be all right.' I was happy
to inform him that the spirit he invoked had come at his call,
and when I promised that in an hour's time he should have con
centrated beef, milk, stimulants, dressings, fruit, vegetables,
clothing, bedding, and some ticks stuffed with cotton, his satis
faction shone from every feature, and both he and the surgeon
in charge spontaneously ejaculated, ' Bless the Sanitary Commis
sion ' — an institution of which they had abundant experience on

189

^he Mississippi, where the kind and efficient, ministrations of
Dr. Warriner were remembered with pleasure and gratitude.
At the 2d Division hospital I met two old professional friends,
Dr. Potter, the Division Surgeon, one of the most efficient medi
cal men _ the service, and Dr. Messinger, formerly from Cleve
land, Ohio. The meeting, I think, was mutually pleasant, and
Dr. Potter, who was just mounting his horse to follow his, Divi
sion, expressed great satisfaction in leaving his men with some
other resources than the light stock of supplies which they had
brought in their wagons all the way from the Mississippi, and
most of which must be immediately hurried to the advance, for
other battles were impending. All these hospitals continued to
be supplied from day to day with such things as were needed.
* * * -» * * * *
"On Thanksgiving afternoon occurred the bloody fight
at Ringgold, in which we lost, in killed and wounded, 500 men.
Most of those wounded were soon brought into Chattanooga,
but our stores, which were promptly sent, and in abundancy,
reached them in good time, and became of great value to them.
. : " During the week succeeding these battles, through which I
remained at Chattanooga, large quantities of stores were daily
issued from our rooms to all the hospitals in the vicinity ; timely
arrivals of the more important articles compensating for the
heavy drafts made on our stock. Of the kind and quantity of
goods thus issued, you will in due time, get a full account from
the storekeeper, Mr. Crary.
The- subsequent advance of our forces towards Knoxville was
accompanied by two of the three steamers plying on the river,
both loaded with supplies. By this means our transportation
was again reduced to its minimum, and for a few days, in com
mon with all departments of the army, we shall be able to get
forward a smaller quantity of supplies than could be advantage
ously used. We can calculate, however, upon a continuance of
the cordial co-operation of Gen. Meigs, Dr. Perm, and the other
military and medical authorities, and the good work which we
have been doing will not be allowed to languish.
* * * * * * * -s *
" I am sure that after the battle of Chattanooga there was
neither the opportunity nor inclination, on the part of surgeons
or nurses, to misappropriate stores furnished by the Sanitary
(Commission ; and the Metropolitan Police, who enabled us to
distribute to the sufferers the rare and much prized gifts of sound,
fresh lemons; the loyal women who stitched the shirts and
drawers, who rolled the bandages and made the arm-slings ; the
Aid Societies and Branch Commissions who have sent us so
liberally of dried and canned fruits, of milk and beef, wine,

190

spirits, ale. butter, tea, sugar, farina, codfish, and other precious
articles, which we were able to distribute in abundance — may
rest assured that here, at least, they have accomphshed all the
great good which they had hoped of them." ;
|&* * J * r * * * **
While these means of relief were being thus widely and pru
dently administered to the wounded at Chattanooga aud along
the line of depots and hospitals between that place and Nash
ville, agents from the Commission's Central Depot at Louisville
were pressing forward with wagon trains of " sanitary stores " to
Knoxville, aud at the same time a reserved stock of choice hoB-
pital supplies was in readiness to be moved up the Tennesse'e
River by the first boat or train that should go towards General
Burnside's beleagured forces. December 6th, a Rehef Agent,
Mr. Strong, who had reaehed Knoxville by way of the river, re
ported as follows to Dr. Newberry :

" You have little idea how badly the sick here need sanitary
supplies. While there are about 1,800 patients, a third of whom
are wounded, the present supply is scarcely sufficient for one-
half. The sick have nothing to eat but such as the common sob
dier in health receives. Stimulants, dried fruit, delicacies, &c,
are above all very much needed. I will not specify in detail
further, as the requisitions of surgeons enclosed are explicit.
" Sanitary stores should come with all possible despatch.
What will be done until your supplies arrive, I cannot say. I
hope to get the ladies here interested in the matter of furnish
ing what bedding and clothes they can spare, while I may in
duce some from the country to send in chickens, fruits, &c. But
every thing is very scarce. The two armies have exhausted
this country. Your agents can appreciate the condition of
affairs aud send such articles and such amount as they see fit.
But by all means let them come soon."

Another Agent, Mr. Butler, who had gone forward from
Louisville with supplies early in November, and from Camp
Nelson, Ky., Dec. 3d, succeeded in entering Knoxville, Dec.

191

26th. An extract from his first report will serve to illustrate
¦s?bat such relief work is, and what obstacles have to be en
countered in it :

" Leaving Camp Nelson on the 3d, we reached the foot of
'Big Hill' at noon on the 7th, without trouble or adventure,
notwithstanding that the guerrillas had appeared in Mount
Sterling, Ky., and were frequently reported in, the vicinity of
our train, we did not see tliem. We had been so far favored with
agood road that we made moderate progress, but now the Big
Hill was before us. The ascent, though only one mile, occu
pied two of the hardest days' work that we had yet known, and
involved considerable destruction of mules, harness, and teams.
"From the foot otBig Hill, we look in vain for anything but
rocks and ruts, consequently a few miles — from three to fifteen,
suffice for a days' travel."
*******
" In nearly every house from the top of Big Hill I found that
soldiers in every degree of disease had been left upon the hospi
tality and care of the people. In one house I found six soldiers
occupying beds, and the constant attention of a widow lady, and
her two daughters. The poor sick and weary men were unable
to proceed any further, and these patriotic Samaritans, whose
brothers were among our so'diers in the field, were, out of their
scanty means, administering to their relief and comfort.
" Having received information of such necessities before leav
ing Camp Nelson, I had provided a quantity of beef extract,
milk, crackers, an assortment of woolen under-wear, and sundry
other things, which I found were actually required by men sick,
hungry and naked.
"I found Dr. Burd collecting these poor fellows and afford
ing all aid possible within his power. He had procured a build
ing, which he had made as comfortable as his resources would
allow, and he strove arduously to make his miscellaneous Hos
pital as effective as the emergency demanded. I was gratified
in being able to furnish him with a variety of stores for his sick
patients, for I know him to be one of the kindest and most
faithful of men.
" During the forenoon of the 16th inst., I reached a house on
Lincamps Creek, and saw two men working at a coffin.
" After some inquiries, I learned that twelve days previously
a soldier had stopped at the house, complaining of chronic diar
rhea and rheumatism. The people shared, their morsel with

192

him, and employed their hmited knowledge of Medicine for his
relief. " The poor fellow also suffered with colic, which finally set
in as an adjunct to his complicated disorders and tortured: .him
until he threw his armor down for his long rest in a mountain
grave. I desired the sergeant of the guard to ascertain his
effects, and finding only ninety cents, I threw the sum over to
the poor family as a very small remuneration for their attention
to the soldier.
" Turning one day, a mile from the road, I found a grave,
which, I was informed, contained six soldiers who had died, in
the neighborhood ; but no human scribe was found to register
their names ere death made them oblivious to all but God. And
so it has been with many others, how many God only knows.
But in the case of him whose rude coffin was being made before -
my eyes, I especially realized my duty to the soldier, although
dead, and also to his parents.
" I gleaned from the family all the particulars necessary to
advise his parents of his disease and death, and also the locality
of his grave. I wrote at Barboursville to his father, &c."
* * * * * * * #
" Before leaving Camp Pitman we obtained a new supply of
mules, harness and wagon tongues, also a large amount of for
age. No event, except such as have become of common occur
rence, transpired until we passed through Cumberland Gap, on
the 20th inst., when a rumor was afloat that no train would be
allowed to pass on the direct road to Knoxville, as the rebels
were infesting that portion of the country. By the advice of
the Post Commandant we took the Jacksboro road, though
twenty miles further, as it was considered safe.
. " Leaving Cumberland Gap on the evening of 21st, we made
better progress, while the forty guards, who had heretofore been
employed m assisting the teams, were ordered by the officer; in
command, to march in advance of the train under arms."
******** " Several encounters had taken place in our vicinity, between
General Wilcox and Longstreet, only avfew days previously, and
' others were pending, while the cannonading was distinctly audi
ble in our train.
." There was marked anxiety among the guard to protect the
train to Knoxville, as they knew the great need which existed
in the hospital there."
******** " On Monday, the 28th instant, Mr. Crary arrived from Chat
tanooga with three hundred packages of select stores. Other
shipments have been arranged from and by way of Chattanoo
ga. '

193
At this period the ever faithful Inspector, Dr. Reed, wa3
with the army at Chattanooga, superintending the Commission's
work there. December 25th, he forwarded by steamboat to
Knoxville, 200 boxes of " sanitary stores," and before New
Year, the Commission's supplies were coming forward from
Bridgeport and Nashville with less delay, the Hospital train
having resumed its full trips, and returning from Nashville with
its cars loaded with stores from the Sanitary depots. Quarter
master-General Meigs, who was then in that field, had rendered
all the aid in his power to facilitate the work and purposes of
• the Commission, but until the bridges had been rebuilt upon
the river, and the railway trains were run directly to Chatta
nooga, sufficiency of transportation was an impossibility*
During' the tedious months, that had elapsed before supplies
could be adequately provided at Chattanooga and Knoxville,
Bcurvy, the inveterate pest of camps in such campaigns, had be
gun to manifest its various symptoms. At the beginning of
winter Dr. Read writes to Dr. Newberry :
*******
I"" Now that the railroad is open to Chattanooga, I trust that

* In a communication to the Central Office of the Commission, Dr. Newberry
"wrote, at this period :
********* "We had the entire and hearty co-operation of the military and medical au
thorities, and yet were, of course, compelled to share with them the mevitable
necessities by ihich they were controlled. More than our share of flt»n.por tation
ww wanted at once, and when our first tram of seventeen loaded wagons wei e
included in the^destrnction of the three hundred loaded with Government stores
another train of twenty wagons was ordered for us, and from that time to the
opening ofthe river we'fully shared all the resources of the military and medical
au hoi-ft°es. On the first trip of the steamboat, by the authority of Genera Meigs
himself who was there, we were allowed to make up a liberal share of its load,
ad from that time to this, by special and comprehensive orders, we have been
furnished with a regular allotment of transportation of a car-load a day from
NaTvUle o Chattaooga. From here we forwarded all andmorethan could by any
JIZ reach the sJe of suffering. .In addition to th • v«T Jber. stock he d
in reserve at Nashville and below previous to the battle, we have since loi warded
there over 5,000 packages."
13

194

soon the more pressing wants of the sick will be relieved. Then
will come the question of furnishing a supply of fresh vegetables,
which must be done, or scurvy in all its Protean forms will
come ; it is already upon us. The hardships and privations en
dured by the Army of the CiWberland, since the battle of Chick-
amauga, have produced such changes in the constitution, that
the wounds of the battle of Chattanooga have been far more
fatal than those of Chickamanga.
" Scarcely one case of amputation of the thigh has recovered,
and all wounds, while they have had more care, have been more
serious ; comparatively slight wounds have been fatal. To obvi
ate this in part, the Medical Director is desirous that hospital
gardens be made at Chattanooga, Tullahoma, and Murfrees
boro'. He has given me a list of the garden implements and
staple garden seeds which he desires the Commission to pur
chase, and forward to Chattanooga as soon as possible. Onions
and peas can be advantageously planted as soon as the middle; of
February. " I have promised him that the Commission will aid him in
procuring all that may be wanted in either place. And while
writing this, I have received a similar request from Dr. J. Moses,
Medical Director in Murfreesboro'. He says : ' We are now
commencing our arrangements for a garden at this post. May
I ask if we can obtain seed, &c, &c, from your Commission^

Immediately the Inspector set about the duty of extensive
official inquiry concerning the demand for anti-scorbuftc sup
plies, and also to what extent the scorbutic taint? was receiving
the attention of Surgeons and Commissaries. Good results
could not fail to flow from such inquiries, for they not only
helped to keep alive the vigilant attention of military officers in
reference to the importance of the subject, but the aid of the Sani
tary Commission was invoked on every hand. General Hooker
sent to the Sanitary depot at Bridgeport for eighty barrels of the
Murfreesboro' potatoes, and Medical Officers urged the enlarge
ment and continuance of the Commision's supplies of anti-scor
butics. The following extract 'from a letter which was ad
dressed to Inspector Read, by a distinguished Medical Inspector
of the army, Dr. R. H. Coolidgefproves the justice of the esti-

195

mate which is placed upon the work in which he found the Com
mission's Agents engaged in Eastern Tennessee :
" Doctor, — I am on my return to Washington, from an in
spection of the hospitals and troops at and near Knoxville, and
would represent to you that, in my opinion, the Sanitary Com
mission can do a great deal of good, by sending to that point
oMi-scorbutics and garden seeds.
¦ " The troops are comparatively healthy, but they have been
deprived of vegetables so long, that there is danger of scurvy ;
indeed some of the premonitory signs of that disease are now
apparent. "In reply to your note of inquiry, I have to state, that raw
potatoes, sliced and pickled, or preserved in molasses, are an ex
cellent anti-scorbutic. Indeed, when I have the fresh potatoe
and can have it cooked, I prefer using it raw, sliced and dressed
as salad, for my scorbutic patients.
ft I have advised the Medical Director at Knoxville to have
one garden made for the hospitals in that city, which now ac
commodates 2,500 patients. I have also advised that gardens
be made for the troops now in winter quarters in the vicinity of
Knoxville, even though there be no possibility of the troops re
maining long enough to reap the fruit of their'labor further than
relates to early greens, such as lettuce, turnip-tops, spinach,
radishes, mustard, &c.
¦:• "The seeds most needed are lettuce, beets, turnips, tomatoes,
radishes, spinach, mustard, pea, early cabbage, onion sets, corn,
potatoes, and a general supply are wanted."

,,Iestimony and urgent requests upon this subject are being con
tinually received by the Sanitary Commission,* and help to give

* The following extracts give further illustrations of the practical value and
necessity of the Sanitary .supplies furnished by the Commission :
" Headq'rs 1st Bbig. 3d Div. 14th A. C, )
"Chattanooga, January 4, 1864. J
" Dear Sir, — The accompanying document of Dr. Whitford, my Brigade Surgeon,
induced me to address myself to you, asking for vegetables.
"It is important to heal the sick, but it is just as important, and more so, to pre
serve the healthy from sickness. We have not seen vegetables since the battle of
Ohickamauga!, September 20th, 1863, and although the health of my brigade was
excellent at that time, it is now shattered to such an extent, that Scurvy com-
tnences — and onoe that plague breaks out, its ravages will be tremendous if not
stayed in time.

196

shape and energy to its well-formed purposes of Sanitary care.
It was not alone the twenty thousand men in hospitals after the

" We have now fifteen cases of scurvy in camp, and about fifty cases showing
signs of it. But this is nothing compared with the fact that hundreds are predis
posed to it, and liable at any moment to be covered with sores, and be unfit for
duty. It is a sad state of things, produced by dire military necessity.
" Next sprjng will be telling on our numbers, if the troops are without vege
tables till then. A good many men, whose limbs were amputated after the last
battle, died from exhaustion, they being too weak to withstand the shock. We
hope tht our communication will be tiettered, and that before long we will be gen
erously supplied with vegetables. But before that time comes, yonr supply of
vegetables for this command Will be gratefully appreciated.
" Very respectfully, I remain yours, Ac.
" F. B. Turchin.
" Brig.-Gen. Commanding.
*' To Dr. A. N. Read,
" Sanitary Commission, Chattanooga." " Chattanooga, Tenn., Jan. 4, 1864.
" General, — In compliance with your request to be furnished with a statement
ofthe sanitary condition ofthe 1st Brigade, I beg leave to submit the following:
" From the reports furnished by the regiments composing tbis Brigade, I find
that the general health of the men is as good as at any time since the organization,
but owing to the total exclusion of vegetables, from the short supply of rations
furnished the men for the past three months, and insufficient supply of wood
to make them comfortable, I find that twelve or fifteen marked cases of scurvy
have already been reported, and a large number who are beginning to show
symptoms of that disease, and, in fact, nearly all the camp diarrhoea we are now
having throughout the different regiments, partakes more or less of the scorbutic
character. This is plainly shown by marked improvement in their condtion, by
having a few day's supply of vegetables furnished by the U. S. Sanitary Com
mission, and could there be a liberal supply of vegetables furnished for all the
men, scurvy would soon disappear, and all other diseases which originate in an
impoverished condition of the blood. I would, therefore, urgently request that
means be taken to procure tbe kind of diet so much needed to make our men
efficient, and able to render good service by the opening of the spring cam
paign, "J. H. Whitford,
"Senior Surgeon 1st Brigade.
"To J. B. Turohin, Brig.-Gen." " Gkhkkal Field Hospital, )
" Chattanooga, January 7th, 1864. \
" Doctor, — I have to state, in answer to your inquiry, that the chief necessity
for sick and wonnded men at this point is a supply of vegetable food, milk, butter,
and similar articles, and that the principal cause of the mortality from gangrene,
Pyaemia, and allied diseases, is due to impoverished blood, the consequence of de
fective nutrition. " I am, Doctor, very truly,
" Your obedient servant, " Roberts Bartholow,
" Ass't Surgeon U. S. A., in charge.
" Db. Read, Sanitary Commission."

197
battles of Ohickamauga and Chattanooga who needed sanitary
supplies from the Commission; a few weeks elapsed, and then
the occasion for battle-field relief and special aid to the wounded
became far less important than the supplying of antiscorbutics
to the camps. Upon evidence like that furnished in the follow
ing official statements, the Western Agents of the Commission
have set about their work at the beginning of the year 1864 :
" Office Medical Dieectoe, 11th Coeps, )
"Lookout Valley, Tenn., Jan. 11, 1864. f
" Sir, — In accordance with your desire expressed during your
visit on the 6th ult., I take pleasure in laying before the Sanitary
Commission through you, the following statement of the hygie
nic condition of the 11th Army Corps, and earnestly solicit any
assistance that the Commission may be able to furnish.
" Reports from regimental medical officers show an alarming
increase of sickness during the last month, the number daily ex
cused from duty on this account, varying from five to fifteen per
cent, of the effective force, while the number prescribed for, of
course much exceeds this. The principal disease, that indeed

*' Officers' Hospital, )
" Chattanooga, Oct. 26, 1863. j
"In the midst of the confusion and suffering immediately after the battle of
Ohickamauga, the Sanitary Commission came nobly to the rescue ; nourished
the wounded and famished soldier, pillowed bis weary head, and by their timely
aid saved many valuable lives. "C C. Byrne,
" Ass't Surgeon U. S. A., in charge."
"Hospital No. 2. )
"Chattanooga, Oct. 26, 1863. f
" It is with feelings of the deepest gratitude aud admiration that I recall to
mind the donations from the Sanitary Commission to this Hopital immediately
after its opening.
" After the battles of the 19th and 20th ult., outside this city, the wounded
were brought in in thousands, and this Hospital, in common with the rest, was
filled to overflowing. Here was a state of affairs suddenly brought about, and
to be immediately provided for — and here was the Sanitary Commission — here
the hour of need — it wa3 an oasis in the desert. Here we received from it
dressings for our wounded men, wines, clothing, and several luxuries and ne
cessaries. No one who at this time witnessed the timely and material aid of the
U. S. Sanitary Commission, but must say, ' It is truly a heavenly institution —
may heaven bless and preserve its supporters.' "Peter H. Clkart,
"Surgeon U. S. V., in charge."

198

which, in its prevalence, its obstinacy under treatment, and its
frequent fatal termination, becomes our most dangerous adver
sary, is chronic diarrhea. Within the last three months, the
141st N. Y. V., has lost from this cause six per cent, of its
aggregate strength present, while the mortality in the 143d N.
i. V. is even greater than this, amounting to twenty-five deaths
since the 1st of November, 1863, to an average strength of 450
men. Of those remaining, 174 are reported sick by Assistant-
Surgeon Craft. Some of these have died in corps hospital, some
in camps ; and it has been observed as a strange and enigmati
cal feature of the disease, that its victims have been the sturdi
est and ruggedest men in the regiment. No effect whatever has
resulted from the various plans of treatment tried. Some of the
men did duty up to the hour of death, and several surgeons
have expressed their astonishment, that so near their end, men
could display the muscular force they do. Such is not the char
acter nor course of ordinary camp diarrhea, and it leads one
to seek some complication which may explain it."
******** " Though few cases of positively marked scurvy were reported, ,
the symptoms of the scorbutic blood-poison, the peculiar gums,
the hemorrhagic cachexia, the want of union in new, and the
re-opening of old wounds, listlessness and hebetude, the purpural
discoloration of the skin, etc., were noted in very many of the
regiments present.
******** " The type of disease is low, the fevers of malarial and sporadic
character rapidly assuming a typhoid aspect, and the general
appearance of the men, especially in the regiments comparar
tively lately enlisted, is depressed. They are in need of clothing
and blankets. Many have no change of clothing, nor have had
for many weeks ; consequently they are filthy in the extreme.
This is especially the case with the 33d New Jersey.
" All the hospital stores of this regiment — and it came out ex
cellently provided by State authorities — were lost in the Ten
nessee river by the capsizing of the boat in which they were.
Shoes, blankets and pants have not yet been furnished in suffi
cient quantity by the Quartermaster's department, and changes
of stockings, shirts and drawers are generally wanted. The
Commissary Department is tasked to its utmost to furnish the
absolute necessaries of life, and there have been no issues of
potatoes or onions since our return from the fall campaign. A
limited supply of beans and rice has as, far as I am, aware, been
the only issue of dry vegetables, and one three-fourths ration of
whiskey partially distributed, the only issue of spirits in the
same time. The amount of fresh meat furnished has also been
hmited.

199

" The following extracts from the reports of different regi
mental surgeons, will illustrate our present condition.
" 'Not over one-third of our men have a ehange of under cloth
ing, and not one-half have sufficient clothing to Keep them warm
while on duty ; nearly or quite all are compelled to do their
cooking in parts of old worn-out canteens.' — (Surgeon Spooner,
61st O.Y.I.)
" ' Diarrhoea prevails to an'alarming extent and of a character
not to be controlled, to any great extent, by medicines. About
two-thirds of the whole command are more or less affected by it.
The rations are scanty and ill-cooked, scarcely any vegetables
being furnished.' (Report of Asst. Surgeon Matthews, 143d
N. f. V.)
" ' For nearly a year no full rations of vegetables have been
issued to the 141 st N. Y. Y. During this time vegetables have
not been issued in one-tenth the quantities allowed by army re
gulations to men in the field. The men have lost their relish for
hard-bread and bacon. Their blood is impoverished and symp-J
toms of scorbutus appear. When they get sick, it is Impossi
ble to treat them with desirable success, from this cause.' (Re
port of Surgeon Blake, 141st N. Y. Y.)
" ' The prevailing disease is diarrhea and other affections of
the alimentary canal, which can be traced directly to the in
sufficiency and irregularity of rations and cooking and particu
larly to having been without vegetables,' (Report of Surgeon
Hubschman, 26th Wis. Volunteers.)
" ' An unusually large number of our men are suffering from
diarrhea, and of that character over which medicine seems to
have but little control.
" ' We can attribute this condition only, I think, to an im
poverished condition of blood, caused by an improper and scanty
diet.' (Report of Asst. Surgeon Hoag, 134th N; Y. Y.)
" I would not have you think that this is owing to any lack
of efficiency in the officers managing Quartermaster and Com
missary departments, for I am convinced, that as far as those in
this corps are concerned, no exertion has been spared and no
trouble avoided to remedy it, but such are the facts, and I state
them plainly, in order to explain the present sanitary condition
of the corps, and to lay its claims fairly before the Sanitary
Commission. "The articles that are imperatively needed both as prophy
lactics, with the well, and remedies with the ill, are potatoes,
onions, vinegar, soft-bread, dried and subacid fruits, fermented
cabbage, pickles, soup, and spirits, in diet; and shoes and
under-clothing of all kinds ; in quantities sufficient to restore a
normal functional action, and furnish healthy blood for several
thousand men.

200

" Until this change is effected, the surgeen must continue to
witness his most approved remedies fail, and all his cases one by
one approach an inevitably fatal termination. It is the unani
mous opinion of all the medical officers, that no symptoms of
improvement are manifesting themselves, and that on the con
trary, the hygienic condition of the corps is deteriorating day by
day. We need help and we need it soon, and I cannot refrain
from repeating my earnest solicitations to the Sanitary Commis
sion through you, that early efforts be made to provide, at least
to some extent, for these our urgent necessities. I am aware how
many appeals for aid the Commission receives, but 1 am also
aware how nobly it responds to them, and this it is that embold
ens me to state our wants plainly, and perhaps with some im
portunity. " I have the honor to remain, with great respect, yohr obedi
ent servant, " D. G. Beinton, Surgeon TT. S. Y.,
" Medical Director 11th Army Corps.
" A. N. Read, Sanitary Commission,
" Nashville, Tennessee."

Scattered and wasted by the continued presence or transit ol
vast armies the entire region of the Tennessee and the Cumber
land Rivers, as well as the regions southward from them,
no longer supplies the means of healthful subsistence to the
armed forces, nor even to the fixed population of these districts.-
All the able-bodied male population, even to the boys, appear
to have gone into the ranks of the army. And now, with
numbers vastly augmented, our forces are pressing onward to
finish up the business for which they left their homes. But an*
other year of toil is before them, and while some must inevita
bly fall in stern conflict with the enemy in battle, the Medical
Officers and the Sanitary Commission see and prepare against
perils more certain and more dreaded than rebel sabres and
cannon. The latest intelligence from the great field in Tennes
see, Northern Georgia, and Alabama, received just as this
volume is going to press, reads as follows :

ll

201

IT. S. Sanitaet Commission, )

" Chattanooga, February 24.
"De. J. S. Newbeeet:
" My Dear Sir, — I am able to report some progress in garden
arrangements, but it is after great tribulation, for all eftbrts of
officials, Medical Director, and others, failed. But to-night
eight good men are encamped on the grounds selected for the
garden, with twelve horses and harness, one wagon, ploughs, a
tent and necessary fixtures- for camp-keeping, and now the
ploughs are to start in the morning surely. I have work which
will keep me busy to-morrow, in receiving additional material
and orders, and the next day I shall endeavor to go out through
the lines with a wagon and guard, and procure half a dozen
more ploughs, for the time is slipping away so fast that it is in
dispensable that a large force be put to work.
" The seed I have sent for will be needed as soon as it can be
got through, and I hope that you will not be frightened at my
large estimate, but send it all. I will see that it brings forth,
some forty, some sixty, and some a hundred fold.
" I believe I wrote you hi regard to that large vineyard.
There are in it 14,400 bearing vines (Catawba), and our gardener
says it can be made to yield about 130,000 pounds of grapes this
year, if it is a fair bearing season. I told him that he must raise
this year's and next year's crops this season, and I see by his
talk he knows how to do it. Of course, it will spoil the vine
yard for a couple of years, but; the crop is needed now.
" I have had to make myself personally responsible to the
Quartermaster for all the Government property turned over to
us— horses, harness, wagons, tents, spades, shovels, axes, ~&c. —
so you see that I am dipping in pretty freely."
* * *** * * *
"M. C. Read."

" U. S. Sanitaey Commission, ) .
" Chattanooga, February 29, 1864. Jfl
" De. J. S. Newbeeey :
" Dear Sir, — Yours of the 25th was received to-day, and shall
have as prompt attention as possible.
* * * * * * *
"To-day it rained too much to plough. To-morrow, I think,
if pleasant, we shall have nine ploughs running. I have twelve
horses in the camp, and shall take out ten to-morrow. To ob
tain teams seems the great difficulty. General Thomas'_ Adju
tant and Chief Quartermaster both said it was not possible to
spare a single horse or mule for ploughing, and to avoid a fail-

202

nre, I have culled the best from the convalescent corralls, and as
I work them with convalescent soldiers, everything corresponds*
"M. C. Read."
" IT. S. Sanitaey Commission, )
" Knoxville, Tenn. March 1, 1864. j
" De. J. S. Newbeeey, Sec'y West, I^ep't :
" Dear Sir, — The bearer, Mr. Win.' M. Culbertson, who is in
the employ of the Commission, I have sent to you for the pur
pose of procuring a supply of seeds and implements for a garden
at this place. _ He is a practical gardener, and will be able to
five you all the necessary information respecting our plans.
?~e propose to have put under cultivation from 50 to 75 acres,
and if it meets your approbation, to have him superintend it.
I think it very important to have a garden at this place. All
the potatoes, onions, and ether vegetables we can raise here, will
save a vast amount of transportation and expense.
" Enclosed I send you a request of the Medical Director, with
the proper endorsements.
" I should have moved in this matter earlier had we not been
in so unsettled a state in military affairs. Now that Longstreet
has retired, and our army advanced, we can go on with the work
without molestation.
" Mr. Culbertson will confer with you respecting some ploughs
that are here belonging to parties in Louisville.
**** ****
¦" Yegetables and all eatables are very much needed here,;
You cannot send too many potatoes and onions, also krout.
Good ale is much wanted in hospitals. We want all the socks
you can send. The Government are wholly destitute of them;
Should like some shoes, hats, and pants. It may soon be neces
sary to establish a post in front.
****** **
"M. M. Seymoue, M. D."
The soldier, the surgeons, and our best Generals, acknowledge
that the Sanitary Commission is in earnest, and there is every
reason to believe that there will be but little rest either to the
Army of the Great Yalley, or to the Sanitary officers in it, until
the war is ended.
Sanitary Work on the Mississippi and Westward. — Imme
diately after the fall of Yicksburg and Port Hudson, General

203

Grant's forces were sent in various directions, both eastward and
westward, but they were everywhere exposed to the malarious
influences of the districts they traversed, as well as to occasional
want of fresh vegetables in their subsistence stores. The sick
.and wounded were mostly ordered to Northern hospitals, yet
there remained within the Department then commanded by
General Grant, from 6,000 to 8,000 patients at the beginning of
September. The " Clara Bell," the " Dunleath," and the "Im
perial," were in service as " Sanitary steamers," conveying sup
plies from the Commission's depots at Louisville, Cairo, and
Memphis, down the river. The Western Secretary, himself a
veteran campaigner, anticipated the perils of malarious expo
sures to which "the patients along the Mississippi, as well as the
military forces there, were exposed, and sent forward timely
shipments of quinine bitters, for prophylactic use under direc
tion of the medical officprs. By advice from General Grant,
immediately after the capitulation of Port Hudson, the agent of
the Commission sent down to General Banks' forces a cargo of
fresh vegetables, &c, and when the expeditions were ordered up
the Arkansas and the White Rivers, the military authorities
provided a steam -transport for the Commission's "sanitary
stores." Dr. Warriner, the Inspected, writing from Yicksburg,
under date of September 9th, 1863, says :
" I have secured an order for a boat to take the place of the
Dunleith. The boat is here and will be turned over to me in
the morning. I wrote you, three days ago, the difficulties in the
way of such an order growing out of the necessity of sending
troops to reinforce General Steele. And the order has this pro
viso, that the boat shall be used, in the present emergency, for
the transportation of troops up the river to some point not di
vulged. 1 shall, nevertheless, put aboard such stores as we can
spare from this point and accompany the expedition. I have
invited Mr. Plattenberg, agent of the Western Sanitary Com
mission, tp add what he can and go with me. He accepts.
Should the troops be disembarked this side of Helena, we shall
run the boat at once up the White River. Otherwise we may

204

go on to Memphis and complete a load there first. We shall
not have much in quantity and but a small variety of stores to
spare from here. This brings me to mention the stores that are
exhausted here, and which form a great part of what we are ac
customed to issue. They are in constant demand— many of
them of first-rate importance, as follows : •
" Farina, corn starch, canned milk, arrow root, canned fruits,
liquors, spices, pickles, soda, butter, raspberry vinegar, pillow
cases, socks, comforts, slippers and bed sacks.
" The quinine bitters, as I anticipated, was a great hit. I
should deem it a capital investment to purchase as much more
at once, and prepare in the same manner. Not a surgeon here
was using the article as a prophylactic, and not one but highly
appreciates its importance as such. The Government supply
remains, and will continue, inadequate."

Sept. 12th :
" The expedition to Arkansas, including the Sanitary steamer
Clara Bell, has just moved from here. Dr. Fithian arrived just
in time to take charge of the stores and relieve me for more im
portant work here. I put on the boat 24 barrels crackers, 22
barrels dried fruit, 10 barrels quinine bitters, 20 boxes concen
trated beef, 5 boxes codfish, 1 box fans, 1 box coffee, 6 boxes
l&non syrup, 5 caddies tea, 144 sheets, 375 pairs drawers, 500
shirts, 200 towels, 500 handkerchiefs, 3 kegs crushed sugar, 1 box
pepper, 1,100 pillows, 36 quilts, 130 pads, and 235 pillow cases.
*******
* * * n j)F Fithian has full instructions to carry
out the programme mentioned in my last respecting the move
ment of the boat. ' IT. S. Sanitary Commission ' is already
nailed to the vessel.
" I shall proceed to set the. Hospital Directory going here! Ro-
5orts of disbursements for July and August are nearly finished
'one is sick again, and the other boys nearly so. So we go.
*******
" Dr. Fithian brings a good report of affairs from Natchez.
He also brings Hospital Directory report and report of disburse
ments there for August. The agency commenced operations
there on the 6th." ********
Before the end of September, the Inspector who went with
these stores for General Steele's expedition, wrote to the Com
mission :

205

" I am happy to report to you the successful and expeditious
accomplishment of our trip up White River, to the Arkansas
expedition under General Steele. We were not of the sunk,
burned, or captured, as reported in newspapers. We left Mem
phis on the 1 7th, and returned yesterday. It was a trip of 800
miles, half of which was in the difficult and dangerous stream of
White River. Our stores consisted of 1 53 barrels, 227 boxes, 3
kegs, in all 390 packages, being all that could be spared, and
gathered on board at Yicksburg, Memphis and Helena. The
troops and sick of the expedition are found to be at Helena,
Duvall's Bluff and Little Rock."
******** " I found that our advanced Sanitary supplies, taken from
Helena by Dr. Casselberry, medical director, were well disbnrsed
and appreciated, and that the lot of stores subsequently brought
there from the Western Commission were opportune, yet but
partially disbursed. The gunboats then had received no sup
plies, and many articles were still Ranted in the General Hos
pital. Our stores on the Clara Bell supplied what was needed
thfcre and at Little Rock. We left on the morning of the 23d,
safely reached Memphis on the 25th, and are now duly proceed
ing up the river to Cairo for another and full load of stores for
the lower Mississippi, as instructed by Dr. Warriner.
" The Sanitary boat Imperial had left Memphis before we
arrived, and passed the mouth of White River the night before
we came out. She left no supplies at Memphis or Helena, and
will discharge all her load, I suppose, at Yicksburg."

At the end ofthe year 1863, another Agent reports :

" The Sanitary steamer Clara Bell left Cairo on the evening
of November 20th, with orders from Dr. Warriner to proceed
to Yicksburg and Natchez, supplying intermediate points, and, if
there still remained a stock sufficient to justify such a course, to
go on to New Orleans.
"Ihe cargo consisted of 939 barrels, 672 sacks, 215 boxes and
33 kegs, mostly vegetables and in very bad order ; nearly one-
half the packages being broken before finally stored.
" The boxes especially were many of them large and un
wieldy, containing from six to twelve, bushels of vegetables, and
after the amount of rough handling to which they were neces
sarily subjected in the> process of transportation from Chicago

206

to some point on the Mississippi below Cairo, were generally
shattered and broken.
" The practice of putting vegetables in old dry goods boxes,
is always attended with considerable loss, to say nothing of in-
eonvience in handling.
" At Memphis I left about one hundred and fifty packages,
this being thought sufficient to last until more would be received
from Cairo.
" The demand for sanitary stores at Memphis is slowly de
creasing, one hospital (church) having been discontinued, an
other (Union) having received orders for breaking up, and four
more (Webster, Washington, Jefferson and Officers') being ex
pected soon to follow. There will still remain to be supplied
four large general hospitals (Overton, Adams, Gayoso and Jack
son), besides the post and regimental hospitals of the 16th Army
Corps. The supply was very limited, and I regretted that I
could only assist them in the matter of vegetables.
" At Helena I left thirty sacks of vegetables, Dr. Weeks,
Medical Director thinking that quantity sufficient for present
use. " At Skipwith's landing and Milliken's Bend are several regi
ments of colored troops, but these places being in direct and
regular communication with Yicksburg, from which point they
were in the habit of drawing supplies, none were left there.
" At Yicksburg I found a Targe supply of vegetables. * *
* * Mr. Benson was issuing onions to regiments for gen
eral use, at the rate of one bbl. to fifty men."
* * * * * * * ' *
"Between Natchez and New Orleans supplies were7 furnished
to the gunboats Osage, Chilicothe,' Choctaw, Lafayette and
Champion. Receipts for the articles thus issued were left at
Yicksburg , and will appear among the distributions of that de
pot. "The remainder ofthe cargo (about 1,500 packages) was de
livered to Dr. Blake in New Orleans. The vegetables were con
sidered a Godsend, this being the first adequate supply he had
received. Dr. Blake informs me that vegetables for the De
partment of the Gulf will have to be brought down the Missis
sippi, the loss in transporting them by sea being too great to
justify that method of shipment. Other articles can be better
supplied from the East. While the Clara Bell was in port, he
received a large shipment from New York."

Thus the work went on in that department during the be-

207

ginning of winter, and, on the 17th of February, the Inspector
at Memphis wrote to the Commission : " Our boat, the Missis
sippi, has just arrived here. She left Cairo at 7 P. M., yester
day." * * * * " Our shipment to Yicksburg
will be most timely. Already over two thousand sick and
wounded have accumulated there, and wounded are arriving all
the while from the advance, skirmishes being of daily occur
rence. At this place there are two thousand five hundred sick
in hospitals1. Our rooms are quite bare of bed-clothing. Bed-
tick?, sheets, drawers, and pillows, are the only dry goods on
hand. These are in fair abundance for the present. I leave
some 150 packages, mostly barrels of vegetables. Yicksburg
promises to become once more, for a season, a main base of sup
plies. I shall' probably leave the larger part of my cargo there.
The residue will go on to New Orleans. The demand for
vegetables there is very pressing."
The people in the State of Maine had contributed large quan
tities of potatoes and other vegetables to the Commission, which
were shipped by the cargo to New Orleans, but similar supplies
that were sent down the Mississippi from the Western Depart
ment were most timely. At the same time the Chief Inspector
of the Sanitary Commission, in General Banks' Department,
having fitted up the steamer Laurel Hill as a Hospital Trans
port, to ply upon the Mississippi, was enabled to receive by that
vessel return cargoes of " sanitary stores," from Cairo and the
Northwest. Thus the labors and the "sanitary stores" ofthe
Western Department, over which Dr. Newberry presides, har
moniously meet and commingle upon the lower Mississippi with
those of the Eastern Department, over which Mr. Knapp pre
sides. The work is one, the purpose one, and the results one,
harmoneous and national. And these characteristics have become
so apparent as to disarm and dispel the petty jealousies and the
tendency to " State exclusiveness," that for a year or two had

208

been seriously threatening to diminish the utility of the popular
sympathies and spontaneous contributions of the people. State
Agents, for relief of State troops, have found the National Sani
tary Commission already disbursing equal and impartial aid and
means of succor to the soldiers from every State, as Federal
troops, and into the common depots and channels of this Com
mission, the several States and their special Agents now most
gladly pour their gifts ; and the special Commission that was
organized at St. Louis, under General Fremont, while it has
brought into the work of humane succor and sanitary aid
vast resources and the long continued and energetic personal
labors of such noble philanthropists as Mr. Yeatman and Rev.
Mr. Eliot, has earnestly and often co-operated most opportunely
with the Agents of the Central Commission. The loyal forces,
and refugees in Kansas and Arkansas have not been overlooked
a permanent agency of the Commission, under the care of Mr.
Brown and Dr. Slocum being long established at Leavenworth,
and, through Medical Officers and otherwise, the troops at Little
Rock and along the Arkansas and White Rivers, "sanitary
stores " from the Sanitary Commission are being continually re
ceived and disbursed.
The great central channel of our national commerce is again
open to the use of the long line of States which before the
rebellion proudly claimed it as the grand avenue of mutual
wealth and a trusted material bond of Federal unity. Rescued
from disloyal rule by military valor in battles that live in his
tory, that great channel of the Mississippi will be guarded by
forces that will never yield any portion of its course to insuro--
ent obstruction, though for more than a thousand miles our
most trusty troops must, for this purpose, continue to brave the
perils of its malarious flanks of bayous and bottom lands. Tl e
Commission has thoughtfully foreseen this, and is now pre
paring for such sanitary service and aid as may be required. The

209
Medical Department and the Government at Washington are
preparing for the better care of the Colored troops in that re
gion, and the Commission has appointed a special Inspector to
investigate and report the w«nte of that important class of the
National forees in the Great Yalley.
State of the Sanitary Commission's work in the Department
ofthe Gulf— The iarge cargo of " sanitary stores " that was sent
forward with General Banks' expedition, was advantageously
applied by the Commission's Agents, as our forces moved across
the Teche, and subsequently against Port Hudson. A special
depot of supplies having been established at Baton Ronge, a
Field Relief Corps, with ample stores went forward with the
forces that were sent into the Red River country, and the aid
then rendered was most timely. One of the Sanitary Inspec
tors, who had been officially requested to aid in providing for
the wounded who were to be sent to the rear, from the vicinity
of Franklin, writes, under date of April 22d, 1863 :

• ". Orders having been given to the captain of the Laurel HiU
to proceed with his boat up the '1 eche, and receive on board the
wounded lying at Grover's division hospital. At the special re
quest of Dr. Reed, the Medical Director of General Grover's
division, I took charge of. this boat, saw that two days' rations
of beef, pork, tea, sugar, etc., for three hundred men were placed
on board, and that the boat was prepared to receive the
wounded. Having left Mr. Mitchell to go on with the army,
I reached the hospital with the Laurel Hill about two o'clock
in the afternoon, and immediately reported to Dr. Pease, ofthe
6th New York Regiment, the surgeon in charge. The work of
placing the wounded on board was at once commenced, but the
hospital was at some little distance from the river, and our corps
of assistance small; we succeeded, hewever, after impressing
into service a few negroes and mule teams, which we found on
the plantation, in getting all our wounded comfortably on board
the transports, by two o'clock the following evening ; about one
hundred of the wounded lay on the floor of the, main saloon, as
many more on the main deck, partially protected by the upper
14

210
deck and some canvass awnings ; most had either a blanket or
an overcoat, many had both — many had neither. As the night
was quite cool, there was probably more suffering from a want
of clothing than from any other cause which it might have been
possible for us to remedy. i *
" I saw that all were furnished with a supper of beef broth,
made from beef which we had shot and dressed the same after
noon, and with which we were abundantly supplied. The boat
gtar'ted down the river about sunrise, when we all recommenced
our labors adjusting, dressing and serving to* all beef broth, tea
sind bread. Late in the morning we had a quantity of most ex
cellent milk punch, made from the milk which I had brought
on board, which was administered to those who needed it.
About one o'clock, P. M., we reached Brashier City, and with
in two hours fifteen cars were ready to receive the wounded, all
of which, with the exception of about thirty of the severest
cases, it was proposed to- move to New Orleans. The work of
transferring from boat to the cars was now commenced, and
continued until about nine o'clock in evening. In the mean
time I brought on board another supply of milk, by means oi
which we were able to prepare a large quantity ' of very
nice coffee, several canteens of which were given to each
nurse to be issued on the way down. I also purchased . all
the soft bread which I could find in the town — seven or eight
dollars' worth — had it cut into slices and buttered, and distri
buted it myself through the train before it started for New Or
leans. ' " Two facts are noteworthy in the whole of this expedition.
First, the wounded had plenty to eat and drink. Second, there
were no tedious and wearisome delays in our transportation.
Indeed, I think I may say, with truth, that nowhere within the
range of my experience have wounded men been transported so
great a distance with less discomfort; and it affords me the
greater pleasure to make this statement as I am representing
what has. occurred in the far Southwest, in a department so re
mote as to be almost beyond the reach bf criticism, as well as in
accessible to that kindly succor which has so often come to the
relief of the armies of Yirginia and the West."*

* We find the following statement respecting tho Commission's work in tbe De
partment of the Gulf, in a communication from a well known Surgeon, published
in the Stamford (Cl.) Advocate;
" My first acquaintance with the Sanitary Commission, came through a small
pamphlet, sent nie by its agent, soon after our arrival at Camp Parapet. Follow
ing up the invitation contained ia it, I made the acquaintance of its agent, and

211

With the army investing Port Hudson the Sanitary Commis
sion had sent up such means of supplementary relief as it was
able at the time to command, but there began to be experienced
a -great want of fresh vegetables, and at the time the enemy
capitulated, the most important sanitary aid that could be ren
dered was the supplying of that want ; and this, as we have

found that through him I could obtain, without circumlocution, the essentials for
the housekeeping department of a military hospital, whether in active campaign,
or guard duty, or the more settled condition af post, or city hospital, and whether
the patients were suffering from disease incident to the locality in which they
were situated, or from wounds received in battle. And, Mr. Editor, I wish to bear
testimony to the fact that, in all these various conditions, the Sanitary Commis
sion furnishes to the suffering soldier just that kind of delicacy or substantial which
a judicious mother or wife would furnish if they had opportunity. I have seen
empty old buildings, as by magic, assume in a day the air of comfort and order of
arYangement of long-established city hospitals. Not soon shall I cease to warm
over the recollection of some of these transformations. For example, men to the
number "t several hundreds, after the fight at Bisland, were brought to Berwick
City in flat-boats, skiffs, and little steamers; wounded in every conceivable man
ner. They had received all tbe attention that good medical Bkill could afford
amid the din and smoke of actual conflict, but were so dirty, black, and uncom
fortable, as not to be recognized by their most intimate friends, until the renovat
ing hands of tender nurses had washed away their blood and dust, and' put on
them and their beds clean clothes ; all which, not excepting a piece of soap or a
row of pins, were furnished by the model department of the Gulf, and the Sanitary
Commission, sent thence eighty miles over a slow railroad, but in time to do all I
have intimated. And I must say, that he who had looked, on the morning of
April 18, at the interior of that deserted building in Berwick City, store below and:
tenements above, its large and small rooms, dusty, cobwebbed, gloomy, and also
at the large hall of an adjoining building in the same condition, making in all a
floor area of about 1,800 'yards, had seen on the following morning every availa
ble yard of this space covered with wounded men, our country's braves, suffering
anguish such as a wounded soldier only knows, without the shadow of comfort; en
the same evening again seen all these sufferers arranged in trim rows, on iron bed-
i steads and good mattresses, clean wounds, clean bandages, clean lint, dressings,
<fcc., clean shirts, clean drawers, clean sheets and pillow-cases, clean wards, with
towels, and bowls, and brushes, and rows of pins in their places, tables supplied
with vases of flowers, pitchers of ice-wnter, tumblers, bowls, vials, packages, all in
their places/and the poor sufferers sleeping quietly under their musquito nets, all
order, all cleanliness, all beautiful, at Post Hospital No. 2. Anybody, I say, that
saw, as I saw, all this, and was not moved with deep gratitude towards the institu
tion that furnished the means for all this magic change, is a character for a cage in a
menagerie The Post Hospital, No. 2, is but an illustration of Mos. 1, 3, 4, at Ber
wick City, at the same time, also at Brashear City at different times ; also at La
fourche Crossing. In short, it but illustrates what may be at every hospital, ex
temporized or appointed, in the field or in the city, all over the Department of the
Gulf, as no doubt is the case in every department; and if all or any of this ia
wanting in any case, it is due to negligence on the part of. officers in charge of hos
pitals, not to want of means furnished by Medical Department and Sanitary Com
mission. „ . m.
* *.* * * * # #
" W. H. TaowBEinoE,
" Ex Surgeon, 23d Kegt. C. V."

212

already noticed, was being done through the thoughtful co-op
eration of Dr. Newberry, the Western Secretary, and at the
earnest suggestion of General Grant. At the saxe time the
Commission was sending forward to New Orleans, from New
York and Boston, large invoices of anti-scorbutic supplies, and
it may justly be inferred that the excellent results of surgical
and hospital treatment generally in General Banks' command,
and the remarkably small sickness-rate of his forces have not
been uninfluenced by the co-operation of the Sanitary Commis
sion with the intelligent Medical Officers ofthe Department.
During the autumn and winter, the Commission has shipped
immense quantities of potatoes, onions, cabbage, and other anti
scorbutic supplies to its depots in that Department. At the same
time, all the Commission's methods of Special Relief have been
put into successful operation at New Orleans,* and at other points
in the Department, Lodges and Supply Depots have been estab
lished. A remarkably high state of health has for many months
prevailed among all the forces of the Department. At the close
of the year Dr. E. A. Crane, one of the Commission's Inspectors,
reported from New Iberia, La., as follows : " The sanitary
condition of the army is remarkable. I have never seen in any
of our armies so little disease. But little 'over four per cent. (4.3)
of the present force is on sick list. Only 5.4 per cent, have been

* The following notice is to be seen in all parts of New Orleans, and in the
hospitals and places of military rendezvous in the Department of the Gulf :
DISCHARGED SOLDIERS
Can obtain all neeled Assistance and Information in
regard to their Papers, Claims for Arrears of Pay,
Bounty, and Tension, without charge, at the Speeial
Belief Office i f the United States Sanitary Commission,
No. 96 Joua Street,
between Camp and Magazine Streets. 0. 0. Bollard,
Special Relief Agent.
New Orleans, La., Nov. 20th, 1863.

213

reported sick, including those sent to General Hospital since
Oct. 1st. The highest rate obtains in the cavalry division, as
most of the picketing now falls upon it. One division of the
army reports only l.iper cent, sick."
The Inspector attributes this remarkable freedom from sick
ness to " light duties, fair rations, including sweet potatoes.
and an abundance of fresh meat, and a healthy climate."
7 The work of the Relief A gents in that Department is occa
sionally varied by opportunities for rendering aid to returning
prisoners, as in the following instance, which was recently re
ported by Mr. J. Stevens, Jr., in the Teche and Red River dis
tricts :
" I have given out the larger portion of my stock, and am
now packed up ready to leave for Franklin to-morrow, if pos
sible. 1 have determined to make this move after consultation
yith those who know best here. There will be no need of me
for a few days at least, and I can easily return if necessary.
Nearly all the sick have already been sent from the General
Hospital. When the vegetables and pickles arrive I wish you
would advise me, for they are needed here, although there is
plenty of fresh meat.
"On Christmas, at the invitation of Dr. Sanger and Col.
Molyneux, I went out with a flag of truce for the exchange of
prisoners, taking supplies for the sick. An ambulance for chests
and a horse was placed at my disposal. There was quite a large
party of officers, making it very agreeable. We took out some
two hundred and fifty rebels, and received seven hundred
of our own men. . They were a most forlorn looking set of
men. Covered with rags and dirt ; many of them foot-sore
and worn out by the long march, hardly one with a whole pair
of shoes,' they had not even their nakedness covered. I had
punch, coffee, and beef stock made for the sick, who took it
greedily, and seemed refreshed. The rebel officers thought the
Sanitary Commission was ' quite an institution ;' said they had
heard of it before."
Sanitary watchfulness and work in the Department of the
Gulf, will continne to be of the utmost importance until the end
of the war. In that climate— especially in camp life— the pried

214

of health is eternal vigilance ! And the fact should here be
stated that the unceasing thoughtfulness and official attention of
the successive Military Commanders in that Department, re
specting all matters affecting the health of New Orleans and of
the military posts of that region, are to be mentioned as among
the most essential causes of the high state of health in the large
towns and the military commands of the Department.
Sanitary Work in North Carolina. — Malaria and scurvy have
continued to be the chief sources of peril to the Federal troops
along the coast of North Carolina, and the Sanitary Commission
has always instructed its Inspectors to render all necessary aid
in providing the great prophylactic or preventive means against
the prevalence of those important causes of sickness. This pre
ventive work has been of priceless value to the soldier. The
same is true of vaccination, which, as in almost every other di
vision of the army, has been continually urged and practically
aided by the Sanitary Inspectors. Particularly has this been
important wherever colored troops are recruited, for, as a gen
eral fact, they come into the ranks unvaccinated. The various
hospitals of our forces in that district have continually received
euch aid as occasion required, and whenever the troops are in
active service, the Commission's Agents go with them' and ren
der such service as they can.
Dr. Page, who is the Commission's Inspector in that district,
is a gentleman of great intelligence, and was for several years a
resident at Newberne. He has urged the necessity of making
adequate preparations for the protection of the troops against
scurvy, which from time to time manifests itself among them.
Potatoes, onions, and the cruciferous vegetables are now being
largely cultivated under his direction and advice, seeds and im
plements having been furnished by the Commission. He writes
in March :
****** * *

215

¦ " By the interest of General Peck, we have secured the dis
posal of fifty acres of good land, of proper exposure ; some of the
coarser implements, such as ploughs, hoes, &c. have been ob
tained from the service. Any amount of manure is at hand,
and the transportation furnished ; and the labor is secured partly
by volunteers 'from the, soldiery, and partly from detailed con-
trabands.^ An intelligent Lieutenant of the 19th Wisconsin ha$
charge of the practical working of the farm, and there is much
of emulation and intelligent zeal among the volunteer yoemen-
goldiers engaged. It will teach them a lesson of the yield of this
soil, and of its capabilities under our warm sun and long season,
which will surprise and delight them.
' , " I am encouraging, in every way, the disposition of our hos^.
pital iSUrgeons, stewards, and others to establish gardens, large
and small, . My own little patch of last year and this winter
seems to act as a strong stimulant. The movement will be a
God-send, literally, to our troops."

At an earlier date, Dr. Parrish, who visited the district, re
ports :

" The district allotted to the doctor covers a wide range, em
bracing in all sixteen general and post hospitals, including a
convalescent camp. To all of these stores have been supplied
upon the requisitions of the surgeons, and I am happy to know
that the most cordial relations exist between the surgeons and
the Commission, and that they co operate most earnestly to pro
mote the well-being of our troops. During my visit it was my
Erivilege to accompany Dr. Samuel McCormiek, the Medical
•irector of the Department, whose inquiries into the condition
of the hospitals were through and accurate. It was equally
pleasing to notice the readiness with which the Medical Direc
tor ofthe post and his associates not only responded to the in
vestigations of their superior officers, but were anxious to make
a full exhibit of all the affairs intrusted to them. Dr. Page5
accompanied the Medical Corps, and the occasion presented a
cheering evidence of the unity and fellowshipexisting between
the surgeons and the Commission, and their joint efforts to aid
each other in the great work of promoting the comfort of our
soldiers. " The Stanley Hospital, at Newbern, the Mansfield, at More-
head City, and the Hammond, at Beaufort, are the chief in size and
importance. The two first are erected on the pavilion plan,

216

and are well ordered in all respects. Dr. DcCormick directed
the use of china table furniture where tin was used, because of
its wholesome moral influence upon the troops. It is more
home like, and promotes the reflection that the Government is
careful for the comfort and well-being of its defenders.
"During the seige at Washington, N. 0,'the agents of the
Commission were on hand with their varied stores, and their
usefulness is a matter of record. All the hospital transports
were well supplied with the means for ' aid and comfort ' from
the depot atNewbern. About forty regiments have been under
inspection, and I judge, from an examination of many of their
camps, that they are well policed in most regards. I was par
ticularly impressed with the substantial and comfortable appear
ance of many of the camps. Log houses, with glazed windows
and open fire-places, are common. The regimental hospitals
are generally comfortable and well supplied.
"In the marshy district between Newbern and Morehead City,
and on the line of the railroad between these' two places, there
are several encampments, in which there has been much sick
ness. At Newport barracks, especially, the men have suffered
from intermittent fevers. It is unsafe to allow the same troops
to remain long at a time at this point. The quinine ration has
ieen used freely, and in some localities with marked advantage.
If company officers were held to strict account as to the care of
their men, and were required to inspect each one daily, with re
ference to under-clothing especially, cleanliness, the use of pre
scribed prophylactic means, the temperature and ventilation of
Suarters, &c, I am satisfied much' sickness would be prevented.
t is not unfrequently remarked that some companies in the same
camp are more sickly than others, and the difference is doubtless
owing to the difference in the attention and care given to the
men by tlieir officers.
" Ihe prisoners of war, confined by rebel authorities, have also
been the recipients of aid from our agents in this department ;
and the cases of individual relief afforded refugees and to sol
diers needing transportation, &c, are not a few. Mr. Geo. B.
Page acts as the relief agent, and is an earnest worker in the
cause." From these statements it is manifest that although attracting
but little public notice, the Sanitary Commission's work in
North Carolina is too important to be overlooked.
The Sanitary Commission in the Department of the South. —
The statistics of the sickness and mortality in General Gilmore'a

217

army present conclusive evidence that at the date of the occu
pation of Jacksonville, and the battle of Olustee, the sickness-
rate of the forces in that Department had become reduced to a
minimum almost unprecedented in the history of armies in any
latitude. Yet at that period it appears that the Sanitary Com
mission's preventive methods of labor there were continued in
full activity, and, as we shall presently have occasion to notice,
the means of battle-field relief were in perfect readiness for every
exigency. The present Sanitary Inspecter and Superintendent
ofthe Commission's work in that department, Dr. M. M. Marsh,
had at that period, just completed his first year of service there.
The following extracts from his annual report will satisfactorily
present the record of Sanitary work accomplished. Better re
sults could not be desired by the Sanitary Commission and the
people :
Dr. Marsh commenced his labors in the Department in the
month of February, 18(33. At that time the forces then under
General Hunter were stationed at eleven different localities, and
extended a distance of M50 miles along the coast. He says :
f Thelargerportion of this command, mostly from New Eng
land and New York, had been here from the occupancy of these
islands in November, 1861. They were innured to toil, obedient
to discipline, observant of sanitary laws, in person and quarters,
and were an efficient contented body of men. By the side
of these were regiments from the  army corps, who_ were
discontented, and occasionally accused of a tendency to insub
ordination, neglectful of conditions essential to health. Among
these there was a much greater percentage of sickness than in
other portions of the army similarly situated. The first business
ofthe Inspector was to advise officers and privates of the neces
sity of strictor compliance with sanitary laws, to secure an in
creased standard of health. And with this compliance came not
health, simply, but a marked improvement in efficiency and dis
cipline. This fact was subsequently acknowledged by those in
command. We are justified in asccribing the approved morale
to attention to sanitary rules, hithertoneglected, by the fact that
in this  corps were regiments subjected to all the conditions

218
of locality, &c, which produced in contiguous regiments a dis
orderly spirit, but which were efficient, contented, and happy;
and that these were the regiments most remarkable for personal
neatness, and for the cleanliness of their camps and quarters.
Your Inspector believes that not the least of the benefits in this
war rendered to officers by the Sanitary Commission, itas been
its indirect influence in promoting discipline by increased at
tention to sanitary precautions, among the men of their respec
tive commands.
" Among the first efforts to mitigate suffering in this depart
ment, was the attempt to alleviate the condition of the soldier
going North, discharged from the service in consequence of sick
ness. Up to this time, the man who had served his country
faultlessly, and sickened in her service, was discharged; and
without any provision for his enfeebled condition, in clothing or
care, was shipped upon any Govemment transport, as a thing
no' longer useful. The consequences can be readily seen — much
suffering and many deaths in transit. The Inspector immediate
ly supplied all that could contribute to the personal comfort of
these unfortunate men ; and, in some instances, sent attendants
to minister to their wants upon the voyage. This, however,
could not meet the exigency entirely. Upon these transports
was no accommodations, nor proper medical care. After con
sultation by your Inspector with members of the Commission,
and subsequently with Gen. Hunter, the Cosmopolitan, a spa
cious steamer, with capacity for three hundred and twenty-five
beds, was set apart by the General as a hospital ship, for the
purpose of conveying the sick or wounded to their destination,
and consigned to the Medical Director of the Department.
" The Commission immediately issued to this steamer two hun
dred and fifty beds, and other requisites ; and has since continued
to contribute supplies. This provision has been crowned with suc
cess ; and under the able management of the surgeons assigned it
by the Medical Director, many lives have been saved that must
by ordinary modes of transportation have been sacrificed.
" The last two weeks in March, and first two in April,
were devoted to preparation for the first Charleston expedition.
Abundant preparations were made by us for any exigency ; but
happily no casualty occurred, nor was there any call upon our
stores. " A schooner of ample dimensions had been assigned us by
General Hunter, giving, as was his wont, timely notice for pre
paration. And here it is but simple justice to this officer to re
mark, that there has been no reticence" in his communications to
the Commission of whatever would contribute to an early prepara
tion for any emergency. Immediately after this unsuccessful
movement, preliminary steps were taken towards a repetition of

219
the advanee upon Charleston, by way of Morris Island, &c.
General Gil more has since secured Morris Island as the base for
further advances.
" The months of May and June were devoted by your Inspec
tor and his assistant to the wants of the troops conducting offen
sive operations against Morris Island, and of those stationed at
Hilton Head, Beaufort, Fernandina, and other posts in the De
partment. " "Very early in July active operations commenced on Folly
Island. A large brig (and a tow) had been assigned us by the
General commanding to transfer all necessary stores. On the
8th and 9th we took in cargo from the depot at Beaufort ; on
|he 9th left Port Royal harbor ; and early on the morning of
the 10th, in the waters of Stono, threw out to the breeze, from
the mast-head, the flag of the Sanitary Commission. The suc
cessful assault was made on that morning, with trifling loss on
our part. The circumstances connected with it have been al-,
ready communicated, and I will not repeat them. It is proper,
however, to remark, in this connection, that the Cosmopolitan,
which was returning from a trip north with disabled men, was
at 8 A. M. passing off Stono, and noticing what was transpiring,
ran to Hilton Head, fifty-two miles distant,- reported, and re
turned to the scene of operations before 4 P. M. ; thus making
one hundred and four miles in less than eight hours. I mention
this to show the zeal of the Medical Department in the discharge
of its obligations. And if at any point in this article I speak of
Seeming deficiencies in that department, I wish it distinctly un
derstood that these arose from circumstances beyond control,
and not from any lack of sympathy, activity, or intelligence on
the part of the medical staff.
"If the history of this war is ever properly written, its bright
est page will be that which recounts (imperfectly even) the un
tiring assiduity' and self-denial of the Medical Staff in the dis
charge of its immense responsibilities.
" Dr. Crane, Medical Director, and Dr. Dibble, Chief Medical
Officer of the island, with ambulances, immediately proceeded to
the upper end of the island, where, early in tho day, hospitals
had been improvised for the wounded, principally Confederates,
few of our men having suffered. These wounded were consigned
to your Inspector, who transferred them to the Cosmopolitan, in
charge of Dr. Bontacue, for which position there are few "so well
qualified by professional ability and energy.
. " The wounded, comfortably placed in berths, were the same
night removed to Hilton Head ; and the next morning at eight
o'clock, the Cosmopolitan entered the harbor. During the
morning it was ascertained that the boat could ascend Folly
River, on the opposite side of the is:and, within a half mile ol

220
the hospitals. At 11 A. M. the boat was anchored there At
12 M., of the same day, (July 11), an unsuccessful assault, in
which we lost one hundred and thirty-one men, was made upon
Fort Wagner, to which the enemy had retired the morning pre
vious. These wounded were first cared for at the hospitals, and
thence transferred to the boat. And here I ought to pay a
tribute to the untiring energy and tact of Messrs* Hoadley and
Day, of the Commission, who, with their assistants, met the ne
cessities of every wounded man on the preceding, on this, and
on subsequent days ; administering to their wants in the tem
porary hospitals, supplying clothing, accompanying the ambu
lances to the boat, furnishing extra clothing and stores upon it,
if needed, on its passage to the general hospitals at the Head and
Beaufort ; cheerful under exhausting labors, and inspiring the
sufferer with hope. From the 11th to the 18th the willing
strength of the whole command was taxed continuously in pre
paration for the coming assault. Every particle of transporta
tion was necessarily devoted to the munitions of war, which ac
counts, in part, for any deficiencies that may have been experi
enced in the medical and commissariat departments. In this
interim the Commission added in large quantities to the stores
it already had on Morris Island ; conveyed thither by a circui
tous route, not less than seven miles, in rowboats, furnished, and
in part manned, by the obliging quartermaster, Captain Dunton.
The men detailed for this unusual and somewhat hazardous em
ployment (the enemy holding one bank of the stream), worked
night and day with a will; and many a poor fellow who sub
sequently received the benefit of the supplies of the Commission,"
may thank these soldiers for the sole and laborious method by
¦ which these abundant supplies were placed within available dis
tance. On the evening ofthe 15th our tents were arranged and
flag floating. After consulting Brig. General Seymour, com
manding the advanced force, it was resolved to supply every
man in the front, and ultimately all who should participate in
the assault, with tea, Boston crackers, and concentrated beef
for soup. This provision was absolutely essential, from circum
stances already given ; and many a poor fellow, on the night of
the 18th, fought with great bravery, aided by the encourage
ment and. strength afforded by this food, continuously bestowed
by the Commission for nearly seventy-two hours previous.
" The manner of the attack, (on Saturday night, the 18th July),
incidents connected with it, disposition of the respective forces,
numbers, &c, being purely military matters, I shall pass over.
The participation of your employees in the scenes which trans
pired I will briefly describe.
" On the afternoon ofthe 18th each individual attached to the
Commission had his work assigned, and the means with which

221
to accomplish it put within his reach ; and greater praise cannot
be given than the statement of the simple truth, that the next
morning witnessed that each man (with one or two exceptions,
and for a few moments only, and in circumstances of great peril)
had faithfully discharged the duty appointed him.
" The Sanitary corps were distributed as follows : A portion
to act as auxiliary to the medical force in the front and in the
hospitals; another to assist the wounded at the hospital, and
conduct them thence to the boats, (two besides the Cosmopolitan
had been secured), which were to convey *them to the general
hospitals at Beaufort ; and a third to render any additional assist
ance which might become necessary in their transit. This terri
ble repulse illustrated the benefits and defined the position of
the Sanitary Commission. For on this fatal night, to the ex
tent of my knowledge, not a blanket nor change of apparel, nor
bedsacknor pillow, to save torn limbs or fractured heads from
the crowded decks, but was furnished by the Commission. As
previous to the assault the Commission. fed, so now it -supplied
whatever could mitigate the sufferings of the unfortunate soldier.
Abundant changes of clothing were placed upon each boat, to
use if necessary during the voyage., In anticipation of casualties,
the Commission, previous to the expedition, had supplied the
five hospitals in Beaufort to the extent of their capacity. On
the arrival of the wounded six more hospitals were opened, and
fully furnished from our stores.
"We will pass over the interim of ten days on the field. Na
ture, meanwhile, is not forgetful of her dues. For weeks previ
ous to the assault, in the enthusiasm of toil and confidence of
triumph, she had given the soldier credit for her expenditures ;
but now in the despondency which ever follows defeat, the ex
haustion of -vital force, the scantily furnished and unsuitable
diet, with depressing climate and continuous labor, she prose
cutes her claim. Decisive evidence of a tendency to scurvy be
comes quite general throughout the command. And although
inspired by the unwavering hope of ultimately reducing Charles
ton, the vital forces were compelled to succumb, and soon, in
many instances, one half the regiment answered to the sick call.
Here again the untrammeled capacity of the Commission for
immediate action demonstrated its utility. Your inspector made
at. once immense requisitions on the Commission, which were
honored with a liberality that will forever endear them to these
¦ suffering patriots. The abundance of fresh vegetables and acid
fruits which they furnished, soon produced a decided and happy
change. And here it may be remarked that the Ordinary diar
rhoeas and even dysentery, of this region are most successfully
treated by the exhibition of acids. Pickles, onions, vinegar,
lime juice, the mineral acids, particularly nitric, and the ' Liquor

222
Ferri Nitratis,' proved the most certain remedies. At this point
was introduced a new feature by the agents of the Commission
in this department, and ultimately sanctioned by their superi
ors. This was to supply with vegetables not only the sick and
wounded, but all on duty ; which seemed the only way to check
the prevailing malady. The malady was thus not only checked,
but eradicated ; for at the present time not one well-marked case
of scurvy — the scourge of crowded, ill-nourished troops — iS.' re
ported in the entire command. The appreciation of this act of
the Commission in furnishing these absolutely essential supplies,
cannot be better illustrated than by the congratulatory order ofthe
Major General Commanding, which was read at the head of
every regiment throughout the department ; unless, indeed, the
voluntary honor paid the flag of the Commission by the passing
salute of various regiments be so considered.
" Another feature peculiar to this department has been a
liberal supply of ice, furnished by the Commission to all privates
in the command. The .frozen streams of Maine have been made
to cool, not only the burning lips of fever, but to assuage the
thirst of exhausting toil in South Carolina. It is believed a far
greater amount of labor and a higher standard of health have
been secured by these daily issues of ice to every soldier.
" There are two points in connection with this campaign that
deserve special notice. One the constant and still continued aid
rendered your employees by. the military authorities. Not a
wish could be suggested but it was complied with, and not un-
frequently requests were anticipated. Fines and goods confis
cated for infraction of laws of trade have been turned over tothe
Commission for distribution to the soldier. And especially has
the nurturing care of the head of the department Maj.-Gen. Q.
A. Gilmore, been extended to the Commission.
"The other point to which I would call attention is, the fra
ternal welcome and assistance in the discharge of duty extended
by the entire medical corps in the department. Their systema
tic aid has rendered unnecessary the employment of numerous
agents, lightened the personal labors of your inspector, and con
ferred upon him obligations that he will ever remember. And
here it is proper to state that the devotion of many of these
medical men to their regiments has awakened everlasting grati
tude in the hearts of the recipients, and called forth the admira
tion of every beholder. Though not so directly exposed to the
bullets of the enemy, yet to a danger even greater, by constant
contact with disease, no class of men in the army deserves so
well of their country as the regimental surgeons.
" The enthusiasm that fired the soldier in the earlier period of
the siege may have somewhat abated, but his determination to
do remains unchanged. Many instances of chivalrous daring

223
gauld be given, but these belong to military history, The health
of the command is good ; the total of sickness and casualities at
present not exceeding 6} per cent.
" The amount of expenditures during the first eight weeks of
the siege was exceedingly liberal, and has secured for the Com
mission a character for acute discernment and active sympathy
with the suffering soldier that will ever be remembered by the
army in this department."*

•'Receipts and Issues in the Department of South Carolina foe the Cukbent
Year, 186S. Received. Issued. Jn Store.
Cotton shirts....  4,900 4,844 356
Woolen . "  6,758 3,534 2,224
Cotton drawers  3,163 3,013 150
Cotton flannel drawers  568 406 162
Woolen "  2.676 1,552 1,124
Cotton soaks  2,107 1,890 217
Wbolen "  .T  3,532 1,271 2,261
Slippers  2,736 2,499 237
Wrappers  1,089 789 300
Handkerchiefs  9,154 6,814 2,310
Outside clothing  boxes 6 5 1
Bed-sacks  1,472 1,350 122
Pillow ticks.;  1,888 1,517 .371
Pillows   1,263 1,118 145
Pillowcases  3,206 2,396 610
Sheets  2,859 2,531 828
Blankets  701 435 266
Quilts  f'2 682 30
Towels  9,776 7,106 2,670
Cushions  2,213 2,023 190
Lint  bbls. 39 32 7
Bandages  " 34 31 3
Old cotton  H2 91 21
Groceries, miscellaneous  lbs. 104 104
Beef-stock  " 3,629 2,885 744
Dried-fruit  bbls. 70 63 7
"Apples  " 87 82 5
Green "  " 209 209
Ale..'  "5 5 ..
Crackers   " »92 330J 61*
Sugar; white  " Mh 32* • a
Vinegar  '| ?6 30 6
Cabbage in currie...  " 255 253 2
Onions.  " 219 217 2
Pickles  " "9 1W 2
Jellies and preserves  boxes 65 63 2
Domestic wines  " 7° 63 '
FoVeign "  botts.. 619 583 36
Brandy  '.'.'.'..'.'. . .'. '.  •  " 612 545 70
Whiskey  '.  " 638 566 72
Berry, Cordial  " 582 626 66^
"Shrub  " 324 300 24
Cherry brandy  " ?f4 472 12
Blackberry''  " isi lSi

224

Probably there could not be found in the history of armies
a better example of the utility of sanitary works and the ap-

Received. Issued. In Store.
Lemons  boxes 40 40
Conct. Lemon  " 6 6 ..
Cider  cases 16 15 1
Syrups  boxes 4 3 1
Ext. Ginger  15 J3 2
"  bbls. 2 2
Arrow Root  lbs. 225 - 182 43
Apple liutter  galls. 60 57 3
Beef-stock  lbs. 3,629 2,885 74t
liutter  " 375 355 20
Bronm  " 216 192 24
Candles  " 103 81 27
Cheese  " 1X5 115 20
Cocoa  " 400 359 41
Chocolate  " 1,400 920 480
Coffee  *  " 1,452 1,071 881
Ootid*. Milk  " 4,002 3,170 832
Corn Staich  " 2,150 1,366 784
Tapioca  " ](00 100
Faiim   " 2,300 1,436 864
Ext. Ginger  I  ...boxes 15 13 2
"  bbls. 2 2
Cider  rases 16 15 1
Gelatine  boxes 10 8 2
Nutmegs  lbs. 2 2..
Oat Mi-id  " 150 150
Tea  " 660 510 50
Tomatoes  boxes 107 101 6
" fresh  bushels 50 50
Fish, preserved  lbs. 5,000 5,000
Mustard  " 25 22 3
Tamarinds  ..bbls 10 10
Lemons  boxes 40 40
•' Concent  " 6 6
Oranges  bbls. 70 70
Hospital utensils  doz. 12 12 ..
Alcohol  faults. li) 7 3
Bay Hum and Cologne  ¦  bolts. 200 ISO 20
Fans  2,000 2,000
Cojnbs  gross 10 6 4
Lanterns  26 22 4
Sponges  lbs. 8 5 3
Tin i nps  1,705 1,693 12
. " Puns or basins  804 792 12
" Plates..-  925 920 5
"Spoons  1  1,000 978 22
Flannel bandnges  2,236 1911 825
Lime and Disf. Agents  bbls. 8 4 4
Pipes  box. 11..
Tobacco, papers  JoZ. ou5 205
Heading matter  boxes 6 6
Ice  tons 390 300 90

225

plication of the plainest principles of hygiene, than has been
presented in General Gilmore's army these many months past..
A large army of volunteer troops, occupying the marshy islets
in front of Charleston and southward along that malarious coast,
after maintaining continued and laborious seige operations and
keeping up an unremitting hne of pickets, and guarded defences
upon that perilous coast from Morris Island and Beaufort
to St. Augustine, instead of being annihilated or even weak?
ened by the peculiar insalubrity of climate and the exposures of
camp-life in that region, at the end of a year's service is reported-
to be suffering a percentage of sickness not greater than the same
classes of men usually suffer while pursuing their ordinary avo
cations in civil life. And that this result is largely owing to the
unceasing vigilance and faithful service of Sanitary and Medical
'¦ officers, those who are best informed entertain no doubt.
The energy and constant watchfulness that have characterized
the management of the Commission's work, have won the con
fidence and admiration of military officers of every rank,* while
Received. Issued. In Store.
Quinine  ozs. 62 29 33
Morphine  " 3 319 53
Chloroforom  lbs. 25 22 3
Tannin  ozi»- 6 6
Liq. Ferri Nitralis  lbs. 55 44 11
Mosquito Netting  pieces 60 60
Eggs  f.  ..do-. 79 79
«¦ jfog  boxes 2 2
oil siik :.'.'.'::.'.'.'  *> ss *j
Rubber Cloth  63 35 28
Miscellaneous   boxe9 ™ 69
Hops  v  barrels 2 1
Fresh garden vegetables  15 *°
Potatoes  354 354
[" Sanitary Commission Bulletin," No. 8.]
* The following General Order which was issued by the General in command o
the Department, shows how sanitary work is regarded by that distinguished officer
" Dep't of the South, Headq'rs in the Field, )
" Morris Island, S. O, Sept. 9. J
" General Orders,! No. 73.
"The Brigadier-General commanding desires to make this £»"»« «^£fc;
ment of the benefits for which his command has been indebted to the United States
15

226

the soldiers in the camps and trenches, as well as in the hospitals,
express their gratitude by voluntary offerings to the Sanitary
Treasury. They keep in grateful remembrance the watchful
care that brought ice and wholesome beverages to them when
sweltering and fainting on Morris Island, in the approaches to
Fort Wagner, and in the planting of their mqrter batteries
against Sumpter and Charleston, and they never forget the
thoughtfulness and heroism that were displayed by the
Sanitary Eelief Corps in the trenches and moat before Fort
"Wagner, on the 18th of July ;* nor can the sick be unmindful
of the aid which the hospitals have been continually receiving

Sanitary Commission, and to express his thanks to the gentlemen whose humane
efforts in procuring and distributing much needed articles of comfort have so ma
terially alleviated the sufferings of the soldiers.
" Especial gratitude is mie to Dr. M. M. Marsh, Medical Inspector of the Com
mission, through whose efficiency, energy, and zeal, tho wants of the troops have
been promptly ascertained, and the resources of the Commission made available
for every portion of the army. " By order of, " Brig.-Gen. Q. A. Gillmore.
" Ed. W. Smith, A. A. G."
* A writer in the North American Review, in illustrating the Sanitary Commis.
sion's methods of Preventive and Relief work, makes the following allusion to
the battle-relief at Fort Wagner :
*****" The reader cannot fail to notice that, in a great
Tariety of labors upon which the Commission has entered, these two grand divisions
ef its work and purposes are necessarily and happily conjoined and co-ordinate. It
would be difficult to say whether the one or the other element, in this theoretical
division of the work, predominates in such labors as we. have been describing,
And when, for nearly seventy-two hours previous to the terrific assault upon Fort
Wagner, upon the night of July 18th, the Commission's Inspector, Dr. Marsh, with
the cordial approval of the leader of the assault, held his brave detail of aids un
flinchingly to the duty of supplying the storming party in front with nourishing
food and beverages until they reached the fatal inoat, and then himself led his
heroic helpers in the humane and perilous work of rescuing the wounded, and at
the same time supplying almost all the means of succor and comfort which those
mangled soldiers received until they were brought to the general hospitals, sixty
miles away, that succor and relief was the best, the only, sanative care those brave
men could receive. By such beautiful illustrations, which have continually marked
the war-w»rk of our army, often upon a grand scale, yet ever regarding the indi
vidual wants of the sufferers as well as the general results to be reached, has the
Sanitary Commission's first postulate been proved both true and practicable, 
namely that ' this war ought to be waged in the spirit of highest intelligence, hu
manity, and tenderness for the health, comfort, and safety of our brave troops.'"
—North American Review, April, 1864.

227

in the line of special comforts and home-like delicacies, together
with an abundance of fresh supplies for each hospital by every
steamer from New York.*
While the reader cannot fail to notice the vast quantities in
which certain articles were supplied to the troops before Charles
ton during the summer and autumn, — for example, ice to the
amount of 390 tons, cabbage in currie [a very nicely prepared
anti-scorbutic] to the amount of 255 barrels, &c, &c.,— - it should
be remembered that the example and influence of the Sanitary
Commission, while furnishing such special sanitary supplies
were even more important than the supplies themselves, for the
Sanitary Inspector made it an object of chief concern to advise
and aid the proper authorities to procure and regularly furnish
all the staple articles for an anti-scorbutic diet, and also to im
prove by every possible means the essential conditions of per
sonal and camp hygiene.
Just previous to the movement of General Seymour upon
Olustee, in Florida, Dr. Marsh reported that a "critical re-
inspection of most of the troops (in the vicinity of Charleston) haa
been made within the last four weeks, their wants ascertained
aud supplied, and their sanitary condition closely scrutinized.
The percentage of sickness in the force is very low. It would not
be proper to state here how low. Almost the only malady is
chronic diarrhoea."
He also states that he " has endeavored, by a free issue of
vegetables, to supplement the Government rations, and thua
diminish the tendency to diseases arising from a want «f variety
in the food of the men." And while thus engaged near Charles
ton, the Inspector was also ordering " sanitary stores " forward
to Jacksonville, Fla., so that the first men who sickened or were-

* These fresh supplies for the extra diet of the hospitals, were requested by the
Medical Director, and are not included in the list given on pages 237 and 238.

228

wounded after the occupation of that place, received all needed
aid. Then came the sudden order from General Seymour to
move forward some fifty miles, where, in the swamps of Olustee,
a large number of his brave men suddenly encountered a
tragical fate. The Commission's Belief Agent, Mr. Day, with
a select corps of assistants, had pressed forward from Jackson
ville, taking with him all the battle-field stores he could trans
port. What duties occupied the hands of those fearless and
thoughtful Belief Agents, and what necessities there were for
the means of succor which they had so hurriedly brought with
them, let the following statements from eye-witnesses of that
murderous battle explain. A correspondent of the New York
Daily Times says :
* * * n Qn the anticipation of an immediate action, the
Chief Medical Officer, who, by previous experience, knows upon
what source to rely, telegraphed to the Post Surgeon at Jack
sonville, who informed the Commission of the emergency, and
also the fact of his utter inability to furnish any supplies of any
nature. The Commission immediately forwarded its stores, with
a corps of efficient workers, under the direction of one to whom
such scenes were not unfamiliar. The first ten miles of this roll
ing road was a foot-race, and quickly performed. The services
of the Commission on this field are represented by all as inestim
able. Indeed, no other supplies were on the field. This fact is
universally acknowledged. Thus your readers, whose hands are
toiling to furnish means to alleviate suffering, can know that the
efficiency of their agents accomplished all that human effort
could to lighten suffering and strengthen the ebbing current of
life. The Commission first met the wounded and saw the last
placed on the cars to leave for the hospital in Jacksonville. This
brief notice is but a faint expression of remarks spontaneously
given, from the private to the highest in command?'
All this occurred as a matter of course in the regular way of
the Commission's method of operation in that department of
the army. The Chief Inspector had promptly sent forward an
ample supply of " sanitary stores " and competent Behef Agents
to Jacksonville. He was ready to render aid to the Medical

229

Officers and to the wounded ; and when the Medical Director
summoned that aid at Baldwin and Sanderson, it was promptly
rendered. Whatever were the causes of delay and insufficiency
of the regular medical supplies, the Sanitary Agents had pru
dently avoided the necessity of any explanations and apologies
to the Commission. Such an illustration of the method and
utility ofthe Commission's work in the most distant fields and
upon the most sudden and trying emergencies, will never be
forgotten by the men and officers who witnessed the service.*
The people at home will never forget it.
But while praises are awarded on every hand to the Agents
of such Battle-field Relief, the Preventive or strictly sanitary
work of the Commission goes on noiselessly and unseeri, produc
ing results equally as humane and far greater in their import
ance to the health and strength of the army than any means of
succor that could be brought to the men who fall in battle. To
aid occasionally in giving needed succor to hundreds of wounded
soldiers upon the field, and for weeks subsequently in the hos
pitals, is a work worthy of all the care and cost of the Commis,-
'sion's sanitary establishment in any Department ; but the saving
of thousands of troops every month from disease, by means of

''lorida, J
th, [
3, 1864. )

* The following Order was fpromulgated by the General in command, on his
return to Jacksonville : " Headquarters, District of Florida,
" Department of the South,
" Jacksonville, Florida, March 3,
" General Orders No. 10.
" The Brigadier-General commanding gratefully recalls to the recollection of the
troops of this command, the debt incurred by them during the recent movements, to
the Sanitary Commission and its Agent, Mr. A. B. Day. Much suffering has been
alleviated and many inconveniencies removed by the energy and promptness with
which the supplies of the Commission have been placed at the control of our medi
cal officers ; and for those who have been so benefited, officers and men, the
Brigadier-General offers his own and their most sincere thank*.
" By order of, " Brig.-Gen. T. Seymour.
(Signed) " R. M. Hall,
"First Lieutenant First U. S. Artillery,
" Acting Assistant Adjutant-General."

230

well-directed preventive labors and " sanitary stores," adds to
the humane character of such labors the attributes of military
strategy and patriotic aid in sustaining our country's cause.
The perfect cordiality that characterizes the official relations
of the military authorities and the Sanitary Commission's Agents
in the Department of the South, and the earnestness with which
they co-operate, prove that the sanitary work and "sanitary
stores " are regarded as faithful allies to the heroic work and
engineering in which our army there is engaged.
Latest aspects of the work of Special Relief. — The Sanitary
Commission's Homes, Lodges, Hospital Directory, and the vari
ous offices and methods for relieving special distress, may justly
be regarded as permanent institutions, whieh the Commission
must maintain until the end of the war. There are now [March,
1863], twenty-five Homes and Lodges scattered along theiines
of our armies; and, "in these Homes and Lodges," says the
President of the Commission, in a letter to Bev. H. W. Beecher,*
" twenty-three hundred soldiers (different ones) daily receive shel
ter, food, medical aid, protection, and care. These soldiers are
such as are crowded by the rigidity of the military system out of
the regular channels ; soldiers left behind, astray, who have lost
their military status, convalescents, discharged men, not able to
get their pay. Of these, the average length of time they are on
our hands is about three days. The priceless value of this sup
plementary system no tongue can tell. The abandonment of it
would create an amount of suffering which a multiplication of
2,300 by 365 days in the year, will but serve to hint at.
" In connection with these homes, at the great military cen
tres, New Orleans, Louisville, Washington, are bureaus in aid
of the discharged soldier's great necessities, growing out of his

See Rev. Dr. Bellows' letter in Sanitary Commission Bulletin, Feb. 15, 1864.

231

loss of papers in battle, or during the bewilderment of sickness-,
or through the ignorance of his superiors, or his own : 1. A
Claim Agency, to secure his bounty. 2. A Pension Agency.
3. A Back-pay Agency. The mercy of these ministries, by
which soldiers and their families, helpless without this aid— the
prey of sharpers, runners, and grog-shops — are put in speedy
possession of their rights, is inexpressible; We have often $20r
000 a day of back-pay in our office at Washington alone, -which
might have been lost forever, or delayed until it was no longer
needed by the soldier's own family, without this system."
This is a kind of service for the soldier that will necessarily
tend to increase rather than diminish, while the war continues ;
-and, experience is showing the Commission, daily, the necessity
,of still farther enlarging its agencies and means of Special Be
lief as our armies move forward still further from the basis of
operation and points of rendezvous, recently near the front.
Meanwhile, invalids and claimants for pension increase, while
freshly recruited forces are hurrying to the field.
For our famished and sickly prisoners in the hands of the
enemy the Commission has exerted itself to the utmost to con
vey the means of relief, and whenever the door has been opened
its supplies have been quickly sent forward. And it may here
be remarked, that the means for meeting such opportunities for
conveying succor to Federal soldiers in prison, must be kept con
stantly in hand by the Commission. Both the treasury and the
depots must be abundantly supplied.
To the Confederate prisoners in our keeping, the Sanitary
Commission has extended all the succor that has been allowed
by the military authorities. To their sick and wounded, when
"accessible to the Agents ofthe Commission, such means of suc
cor and humane care have been extended as the claims of a com
mon humanity have required. In its regard for the woes of the
enemy's wounded and sick, when they have fallen into the hands

232

of our forces, the Sanitary Commission has practically esta-
blished the principle and usages of neutrality in respect to the
treatment of such persons.
The Commission's concern for our disabled soldiers, wherever
they may be found in need of sanitary care or friendly aid, cannot
be essentially diminished at any point during the war ; and several
questions are now assuming great importance respecting the
more permanent wants of the disabled classes. To these ques
tions the Commission must give increasing attention.
At an early period of the war the Commission's methods of
Special Belief brought to light important facts relating to the
present system of invaliding and pensions. Indeed, the whole
subject of the sanitary and social welfare of the permanently in
valid class pressed itself upon the attention of the Commission-,
and in the month of August, 1862, the special inquiries upon
this subject took shape, and have been pursued with increasing
interest until the present time. An associate member of dis
tinguished ability, then undertook, without cost to the Board,
the work of personal inspection and inquiry respecting the mili
tary invalid systems of Europe, and he has since reported very
fully upon the subject. Other associate members have been.
giving continued attention to the study of the subject in its
various aspects at home, until conclusions well based and highly
important to the welfare of the invalid class, as well as to the
economical and social interests of the nation, have been reached.
That these inquiries were originally undertaken in the full
belief that the absorbing capacity and tendencies of our social
state and the patriotic spirit of each community, would render
great national Asylums or "Hotels des Invalides " unnecessary
and unsuited to our wants, is evident from the following passage
which we quote from a Document of the Commission, published
in the autumn of 1862 :*
* Document No. 49, Sanitary Commission.

233

" The Sanitary Commission are much exercised with the sub
ject of the future of the disabled soldiers of this war. They cal
culate that, if it continue a year longer, not less than a hundred
thousand men, of impaired vigor, maimed, or broken in body,
and spirit, will be thrown on the country. Add to this a tide
of another hundred thousand men, demoralized for civil life by
military habits, and it is easy to see what a trial to the order,
industry, and security of society, and what burden to its already
Btrained resources, there is in store for us. It is, in our judg
ment to the last degree important, to begin now, to create a
public opinion which shall eonduce to, or compel the adoption o^
the wisest policy on the part of our municipal and town govern
ments, in respect of disabled soldiers — so as to discourage all
favor to mendicity. * * * *
*******
* * * * " We don't want a vast network of
soldiers' poor-houses scattered through the land, in which these
brave fellows will languish away dull and wretched lives. Nor
do we want petty State asylums, to be quarrelled about and
made the subject of party politics. We want to economize our
battered heroes, and take care of them in such a way as to main
tain the military spirit and the national pride; to nurse the
memories of the war, and to keep in the eye of the Nation the
price of its liberties." *****
After much experience and observation in connection with the
Special Belief work — in the matter of discharged soldiers, inva
lids partial and permanent, back-pay, pensions, &c, as provided
for by that branch ofthe Commission's service — it was finally
resolved, at a recent session of the Commission, to give authority
to a sub-committee' of the Board to estabhsh experimental Sani
taria for certain classes of disabled soldiers.*

* The following were the resolutions adopted at that meeting, [March 10th,
1864], upon the subject of the Invalid Class :
"Resolved, That a Committee of four be appointed by the Chair, to consider the
subject of the organization, location, and final establishment of National Sanitaria
for disabled soldiers, to report at their earliest convenience.
" That said Committee have power to employ any necessary number of skilled
agents to collect all available information in regard to the number of persons des
tined to be thrown on the public care by the war; to inquire what portion of these
are likely to fall under the protection of the States, and what of the Federal Gov
ernment"; to learn what iState enterprisea are already a-foot, or in operation, and

234

Meanwhile the great struggle for subduing the rebellion
goes on with increasing vigor, and the number of soldiers who
must receive Sanitary care and Special Belief in various wayB
at the hands of the Commission, is continually increasing.
A brief statement must be made in this place respecting the
present plan of Sanitary aid in the Convalescent Camp near
Alexandria, Ya. ; and likewise respecting Fresh Supplies to the
great Hospitals in the Department of Washington.
" Camp Convalescent," near Alexandria, will long live in the
memory of the thousands of soldiers who have tarried there as
convalescents, preparing for their return to their regiments after
leaving the hospitals. It is now known as the " Bendezvous of
Distribution," and about the period that the Sanitary Commis
sion commenced its labors there, it was popularly known among
soldiers as " Camp Misery." The frequent inspections and re- -
ports for the benefit of Camp Misery had failed to reform its
sanitary and social condition. Several thousand feeble and
needy men from the hospitals were every week added to its
population, and as many thousands departed thence for the
field, or again to hospital. Under the direction of the military
authorities and Surgeon-General Hammond, a radical improve
ment of the administration and medical care of the Camp and
its vast population was commenced, and for the Sanitary Com
mission's share in the work of reform there a lady was selected
as the Agent. A recent number of the "Bulletin " refers to the
history of her labors as follows :
" At the late quarterly meeting of the Commission, a very full
and interesting report was presented by Miss A. M. Bradley, the

their character and prospects ; and what Federal provisions are under consider
ation. Also, to tabulate and systematize the results of the inquiries pursued by
Mr. Olmsted, Mr Perkins, and Dr. Ordronaux. in relation to this subject.
" Resolved, That under the advice of the Standing Committee, this Committee
have power to establish such experimental Sanitaria as they may think necessary,
to settle questions that cannot be reasonably determined on theoretical grounds."-

235

agent of the Commission at the Convalescent Camy, Alexan
dria, Va. It covered the operations of Belief from.- January
TTth to December 31st, 1863.
, " During this period of twelve months 111,825 soldiers entered
the camp, in passing from the military hospitals to their respec
tive regiments, or to their homes, on certificates of permanent
disability. To these soldiers, including the inmates of the Camp
.Hospital, Miss Bradley distributed the following ' Sanitary
Stores ' among others : 64 blankets, 67 quilts, 355 pairs of slip
pers, 10,096 towels, 100 woolen vests, 850 woolen mittens, 1,263
woolen shirts, 200 woolen drawers, 500 cotton drawers, 24,200
envelopes, 1,272 cotton shirts, 803 coarse combs, 178 fine combs,
besides corn starch, cocoa, beef-stock, brandy, rice, sugar, tama
rind vinegar, &c, &c, &c."
* * ******
" I arrived on the 17th December. On the 21st, when the
soldiers were all assembled in line for inspection, I passed around
with the officers and supplied seventy-five men with woolen
shirts; I worked on the principle of supplying only the very
needy. The same day I visited the tents, and finding many
sick men, induced the commanding officer to place at my dis
posal some hospital tents. I soon had a hospital, and com
menced to nurse such poor fellows as I gathered from among
the well men of the camp. I \ found others whose discharge
papers had been lying in the office for some time ; these men
being too feeble to stand in the cold and wet and wait their turn.
I carried them to my hospital and warmed and clothed them,
applied for their papers, and then sent them into Washington on
the way to their homes."
* * * * * * * *
" In order to guard against misapplication of the stores, Miss
Bradley prepased cards to be used as requisitions upon her
Store-house, and plaoed them in, the hands of a selected soldier
in each division in the camp. This soldier or wardmaster ex
amined the knapsacks of the men in his division, and thus ac
quired a knowledge of the real wants of all. Having ascer
tained the actual wants ofthe men, he sent themto the quarter
master to ascertain whether he would issue clothing on Govern
ment account. If not, they were then sent to Miss Bradley to
obtain clothing or other necessaries from the Commission store
house. By constant daily personal inspection, Miss Bradley
rendered herself familiar with the wants of the soldiers, and sup
plied them quickly and fully. She says that from May 1st,
1863, to December 31st, 1863, with few exceptions, all the sol
diers discharged from service in this camp were conveyed by
her to the Commission Lodges at Washington. The number

236

of such, beneficiaries was over two thousand. When it is re
membered that the vast majority of these men were suffering
from incurable disease, prostrated in strength, and rendered
excessively sensitive to all the trials and exposures of transporta
tion, the value of Miss Bradley's services may be in some sense
appreciated. They were conveyed to Washington in ambul
ances, and transferred to the comfortable Lodges of the Com
mission to await, in comparative ease and comfort, the comple
tion, through Commission agents, of their discharge papers.
Many lives were thus saved and incalculable suffering pre
vented."

Similar labors are being carried on, upon a smaller scale, in
connection with other places of rendezvous and at the various
great centres where convalescents are gathered, but it is seldom
that a woman has found such a field of labor as that which is
occupied by Miss Bradley. Her peculiar fitness for the duties
of " lady superintendent " of hospital nursing and administra
tion were proved in the Hospital Transports during the Penin
sular campaign, and in her place at the Bendezvous of Distribu
tion her labors have been above all praise. Becently, she has
started a weekly paper entitled " The Soldiers' Journal," of
which she is the Editress, and which is published for the moral
benefit of the convalescents and for the peeuniary benefit of the
children of deceased and disabled soldiers.
Fresh supplies for the General Hospitals. — The exhausted
and barren market of Washington being really incapable of
furnishing suitable supplies daily for the extra diet of the great
hospitals in that district, the proper method of meeting so great
a want was regarded as a sanitary question, and it was settled
by establishing, in Philadelphia, a purchasing and forwarding
agency for the needed fresh supplies for those hospitals. The
business was commenced in June, 1863, by an official order
from the Medical Director to the officers of all the hospitals,
directing them to accept this voluntary channel of the Sanitary

237

Commission as tha -regular source of supply, and that as far as
practicable the hospital fund should be applied to the payment
of the cost of the articles thus furnished, thereby re-imbursing
the Commission as far as possible.
Thus the best of all the fresh supplies of vegetables, meats,
dairy products, fruits and delicacies that can be fonnd in the
markets of Philadelphia, are furnished in the most perfect con
dition every morning, by refrigerating cars, at the Depot in
Washington.* Of course, the results of this system of supplies
are eminently satisfactory to the Medical Officers and patients
in the hospitals. This self-supporting branch of Sanitary aid to
the hospitals is still continued with entire satisfaction. The
total weight of the fresh supplies that have thus been furnished
by this agency to the hospitals in the vicinity of Washington,
from June 24th, 1863, to April 1st, 1864, amounts to more than

* "Ihe object of the Commission, in undertaking this work, was to secure to
the soldiers in the hospitals a greater amount, with larger variety, and better
quality of food than could otherwise be purchased by the hospital fund ; for pre
viously all supplies had to be bought at the Washington markets, which are ex
travagantly high, and limited in variety. Most of the purchases had to be made
on credit instead of at cash prices; for the hospital fund by which supplies are
bought is not credited to the hospital until the end of the month, when it is
known how many of the rations due to that hospital have not been drawn from
the Commissary."
* * * * * * * * * *
"These ends were secured first by purchasing all supplies at wholesale prices
at Philadelphia, where the whole State is a garden, by means of our agents, who
had no single interest but to obtain the very best materials possible at the most
reasonable cost, at cash prices ; for the Commission advances the money day by
day, and at the end of the month receives it from the Commissary, upon orders
from the several hospitals.
"These supplies are brought to Washington by Adams' Express Company, in
arctic cars, which run daily. These cars are refrigerators, lined with zinc, and
carry ice. . .„,.,,,,.
"The supplies for the day, bought the afternoon previous in Philadelphia, nre
ready for delivery at five o'clock in the morning, when the wagons are sent from
the hospitals, each for its invoice, as ordered, leaving the order for the day follow
ing. Thus, with perfect system, all wants are met, and every article in its sea
son which the best market in the country affords, is furnished to the soldiers in
hospital. , ... ,
' " The hospitals say that their men were never before so well fed, with so good
a variety and at such reasonable cost. The average money-saving to the hospitels
by this agency is estimated at about fifteen or eighteen per cent with a corres
ponding increase of food for the soldiers."— Sanitary Commission Bulletin.

238

a ilwusand and thirty tons (exactly 1,030 tons, 1,174 lbs.) ; and
the total cost of this vast amount of material has been $139,-
271 44.
Practically this system of supplies is in operation in all the
great centres of military hospitals remote from Northern mar
kets, as at Nashville, Murfreesboro', Chattanooga, Vicksburg
and Beaufort, although at those places the accumulations of
the " hospital found " are not expected to re-imburse1 the Com
mission as the Washington hospitals do.
The Sanitary Commissions Aid to the Sick and Wounded in
the Navy. — The opportunities for rendering assistance to the
Sanitary service of our Navy have been comparatively infre
quent, but whenever any wants of the sick and wounded upon
gunboats and ships of war have come to the knowledge of the
Commission, its agents have rendered all the rehef in their
power. The gunboats upon the Mississippi and other rivers
have received from the Sanitary depots and Sanitary steamers
considerable quantities of hospital supplies, delicacies for the
sick, &c. The facts relating to this subject are so well stated
by Dr. Jenkins, the General Secretary, in the following corre
spondence, that his letter is here introduced entire :

" IT. S. Sanitaey Commission, )
" 823 Broadwav, \
" New York, February 9th, 1864. )
" Madam, — I have received from Mr. Strong your note of
yesterday, drawing attention to a statement that alleged neglect
by the U. S. Sanitary Commission of the claims of the Navy on
its regard, is alienating friends who are not informed as to the
facts of the Commission's past and present relations to that arm
of the public service.
"Though you do not need to be again told what you know so
well, that the Commission has, from the first, sought to exercise
its functions impartially, as a ' Commission of Inquiry and Ad
vice in respect to the Sanitary Interests of the United States

239

Forces? whether afloat or ashore, you will perhaps allow me to
present to you such facts pertinent to the matter as now occur
to me, for the information of any of your correspondents who
may be less familiar with our work than you are.
. "Soon after the organization of the Commission in 1861,
its good offices were officially tendered to the Hon. the Se
cretary of the Navy, and its practice has ever since been to
renew to the Chief of the Medical Bureau of the Navy and to
commanders of squadrons, as occasion has arisen, its offers of
service and assistance. At its last quarterly meeting in Janu
ary, the Commission appointed a committee to confer with Dr.
Whelan, the Chief of the Naval Medical Bureau, concerning the
present sanitary condition and wants of the Navy. That its op
portunities have been vastly fewer to serve the navy than the
sister service in the field, detract not from its disposition to min
ister equitably to all the national forces, whenever it may be
privileged to serve them. The Commission's view of equity, in
assisting the two branches of the service, is to give aid in pro
portion to the need of each.
" The Navy, from its compact organization, its adequate sys
tem of supply vessels, which, besides the ordinary stores of food,
clothing, and medicine, regularly take to each of the blockading
squadrons, ice, fresh meat, and vegetables, and bring home its
sick men to its well-provided Marine Hospitals ; and its small
percentage of casualties in its peculiar blockade duty, has much
less frequently than the army afforded to the Commission the
opportunity of supplying any lack of Governmental service. The
fact, too, that every sailor is at home on shipboard, receives
regularly his food and clothing, and generally secures his sleep,
insures for the Navy an average sanitary condition far higher
than the army often attains.
" And yet the occasions are, though relatively, not really few,
in which the Commission has been able to supplement for the
the havy the provision which the best-orded bureaux cannot in
time of extended operations secure against occasional defi-
ciences. '' Without referring to our records, I may mention some of
the facts of which I am personally cognizant, which illustrate
the above statement.
" During the early summer of 1862, the gunboats in the Pa-
munkey Biver guarding the supply depot of the Army of the
Potomac, at White House, Va., received not unfrequently ice,
and wine, and delicate food, for the comfort of their sick. So in
the James Biver, for a month after the memorable " seven days,"
the naval flotilla shared to the extent of its needs the attention

240

of the Commission, required fortunately far less by it than by
the land forces.
" In July the Commission communicated to Commodore
Wilkes its willingness to send semi-weekly a steamboat from
Hampton Boads to the uppermost station- of the James Eiver
Flotilla, which should visit each gunboat and naval vessel, re
ceive its sick, and care for them while in transit to the hospital
at Portsmouth, or elsewhere, at the pleasure of the Commodore.
" The Blockading Squadron before Charleston, and the com
mands of Admirals Farragut and Porter on the Mississippi, have,
on many an occasion, had reason to bless the kind hearts at
home who projected and sustain the U. S. Sanitary Commission,
whose open hand is never withheld from the sufferers of either
service, when once their wants are known.
" You recollect the occasion when, during the bombardment
of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, below vNew Orleans, the Medi
cal Officers of the navy were enabled, by the assistance of Dr.
Blake, the Commission's Inspector, to establish at Pilot Town,
in the Southwest Passage, a hospital for the fleet, and to fur
nish it liberally with sponges, chloroform, oiled silk, adhesive
plasters, bandages, lint, sheets, &c, &c, at a time when the desti
tution of the fleet as regards these articles, were most complete.
"I pick up the 'Sanitary Reporter ' of January 1st, and read
that on a recent trip of the Sanitary steamer Clara Bell down
the Mississippi, the Commission's agent made provision of fresh
vegetables to supply the wants of the IT. S. gunboats about
Vicksburg ; and between Natchez and New Orleans furnished
similar supplies to five others, the Osage, Chilicothe, Choctaw,
Lafayette, and Champion.
" While I am writing this letter a report comes in from a
Belief Agent of the Commission, who has recently visited the
naval stations at and about Key West, Florida.
" I make a brief extract : ' We also found at Tortugas the gun
boat  , Capt.  , commander, no surgeon on board, number
of men sixty-five. Capt.  stated that there has been no vege
tables on board during the past six weeks. Consequently, I
thought it proper to issue to the men a limited supply, which
was very gratefully received.'
" I have frequent reason to know that the officers of the navy
themselves do not share the opinions of those who think that the
Commission neglects the navy. That some of them at least feel
differently, is shown by the fact that on the first day of National
Thanksgiving the officers of the sloop-of-war Saratoga made a gen
erous offering in aid of the Treasury of the Commission, of whose
impartial beneficence they had been witnesses ; and by the other
fact that at the late Fair in aid of the Cincinnati Branch of the

241
Commission, both officers and crews ofthe Northern Mississippi
flotilla, from the Admiral to the powder boys, cheerfully gave a
day's pay to swell the funds, which were to return in part to
them converted into the material of relief for their future ne
cessities. " Desiring to enable you to set right your correspondents, I
have not waited to seek evidence from our archives, but hope
that I have been able to show that the U. S. Sanitary Commis
sion has ever desired to lend its helping hand to any portion of
the national forees, East, West, or South, afloat or ashore, that
requires its ministry. " I am, Madam, very truly yours,
" J. Fostee Jenkins,
" General Sec'y of the IT. S. Sanitary Com.
" Miss Louisa Lee Schuyler, New York."

The Treasury and Financial Resources of the Sanitary Com
mission. — The financial history of the Sanitary Commission yet
remains unwritten, but we are enabled to present the following
brief sketch of the resources and administration of the Central
Treasury, upon which the life and progress of the Commission's
plans have depended.
Immediately upon the organization of the Board, in the
month of June, 1861, the Commissioners took counsel with a
few discreet and patriotic gentlemen connected with Life In
surance and with other great corporate interests in our cities,
and having received assurances of approval and necessary aid,
i'sufficient funds for immediate requirements were soon forwarded
to the Treasury, in response to a single appeal, in which the
Commission said : *" We look to the Life Insurance Companies,
whose intelligent acquaintance with vital statistics constitutes
them the proper and the readiest judges of the necessities of such
a Commission, to give the first endorsement to our enterprise by
generous donations— the best proof they can afford the public of
thejsolid claim we have on the liberality of the rich, the patri
otic, and the humane."
16

242

The promptitude, heartiness, and the encouraging words, with
which the leading Life Insurance Companies responded helped
the Commission at once to inaugurate its plans of practical
labors in camps and hospitals. The leading merchants of New
York had, immediately upon the organisation of the Commis
sion, started its Treasury, and their preliminary aid was followed
by contributions from the New England f He Insurance Com
pany amounting to $1,000 ; from the New York Life Insurance
Company, $5,000 ; the Mutual Benefit Company $'2,000 ; and
the Mutual Life* Insurance Company of New York, $'1,000,
which has since been swelled to $9,000.* Other classes of busi
ness men offered their counsel and aid at the bo-inning of the
Commission's work, and having-, in July, 1S61, organ i-x-d a
Central Finance Committee, they bade the Comissioncrs go on
vigorously with their plans. f

* Various corporations have at times made very liberal contributions to the
Sanitary Treasury. The Banks in the city of New York made a contribution of
$10,900 in the summer of 1863; the Pacific Mail Steamship Company has given
v 4,500, the Erie P. P.. Company has given $5,000, and the Hudson Kiwi- R. 11.
Company has contributed $5,000, to the Motiopolitan Fair. These are worthy.
examples. \ The following extract from that Financial Committee's first appeal, illustrates
the spirit of its spontaneous offer of aid and co-opuration:
* * * * " Xover before, in th.-- history of human benevolence, did a pn-
cious Providence vouchscf' an opportunity for doing good on sin-h n scale; to so
great a number; in no short a tune; and with comparatively so little money; Of
the immense array of three hundred thousand men umv in arms in our defence — to
be swelled, if necessary, to fivn hundred thousand — tho cxpeiienoed military and
medical members of llio Sanitary Commission declaro that oueffth, if not one-
fourth, who must otherwise perish, may bo saved by proper care.
* ' * * * * * * ,
" Men and Women of New York I We beg you to awake to instant action.
Death is already in the breeze. Disease, insidious and inevitable, is now stealing
through tho camps, on scorching; plain, in midnight damp, menacing our dearest
treasure — the very flower of our nation's youth. You surely w ill not permit them
{bus inglorious]}- to perish. In the name of humanity and patriotism — in the nnmo
alike of justice and manly generosity, bidding us save ilu-in who stake their lives
in saving us — in the name of tho honored alienator-*, who fought for the land we
live in — in the name ofthe Blessed Being, the friend on eaith of the sick ami tho
Buffering, we now commit this holy oause to your willing hearts, your helping

243

The financial embarrassments of the times, during the first
year of the war, rendered it necessary for the Commission to
arrange its methods of operation and the rate of expenditures
- upon a very guarded and economical scale ; and that circum
stance, as well as the large experience and business habits of
several members of the Commission, led to the introduction of a
most rigid system of accountability and economy in the use of
the funds of the Central Treasury. The Treasurer, George T.
Strong, Esq., was unanimously elected to his position in the
Board, no less on account of special experience and fitness for
such a trust, than for his acknowledged ability in counsel and
philanthropic labors, and it is known that the financial concerns
and prospective wants of the Commission have received his un
remitting care. The popular support and success of the Sani
tary Treasury, upon which such vast interests have continually
depended, have been worthy of the faithful care and effort that
have been bestowed upon the Commission's financial affairs by
the Treasurer, and by those associates whose business habits have
justly constituted them the trusted advisers of the Board in all
matters pertaining to the safe and economical management
of funds.
Though the immense quantities of material supplies that are
received and disbursed through the sanitary Commission's chan-

hands ; with our earnest assurance that whatever you do will be doubly welcome
if done at once. " Samuel B. Ruggles,
" Christopher R. Robert,
" Robert B. Minturn,
" George Opdyke,
" Jonathan Sturges,
" Morris Ketchum,
" William A. Boora,
" David Hoadlet,
" J. P. Giraud Foster,
" Charlis E. Strong,
" Members of the Executive Committee of the Central Financial
" Committee TJ. S. Sanitary Association.
"New York, July 13, 1861."

244
nels are mainly the home offerings of the people and the pro
ducts of accumulation or purchase by the Branches of aid, the
maintainance of a Central Treasury, always adequate to the de
mands for systematic efforts in every field, by Prevention and
Belief, has from the first been a paramount necessity. To its
funds California and the gold-mining districts have contributed
most naturally and liberally, as it has been almost the only way
in' which the people of those regions could directly render aid to
the national cause* The spirit, the manner, and the amount of
their <riving, are golden ties that add new strength to the Federal
unity and fraternal sympathies of all the loyal States, from the
Atlantic to the Pacific.
Perhaps it would be invidious to designate the amount which
each State and city has contributed to the Central Treasury, for
in a particular State or city all, or nearly all, the contributions
may have flowed into the local treasury of a Branch of Supply,
to be employed by it in purchase of " sanitary stores," as has
^been the case in the States of Ohio, Illinois, and Pennsylvania,
and in the cities of Buffalo and Philadelphia. The Branch of
Supply in the latter city received, in cash, during the two years
ending the first of January, 1864, the sum of $119,682 04, nearly
all of which have been expended by the excellent Managers of
that Branch in purchase of supplies at Philadelphia, and directly
in the Belief service ofthe Commission in that city and elsewhere.
The total amount of money that, has been received into the
Central Treasury of the Commission, to March 4th, 1864, is —
At the Treasurer's Office in New York  $1,112,877 61
« « « " "Washington  12,32105
u « « " " Louisville  8,487 62
Total receipts of Central Treasury  $1,133,628 28

* For some particulars respecting the rich contributions from California and the
Mining regions, see pages 73, li and 104.

245

The total amount of disbursements by the Treasurer up to the
date of the above footings is nine hundred and eighty-five thou
sand four hundred and fifty-seven and T46V dollars [$985,457 41].
The "aggregate of the sums which have been expended by
the numerous Branches and Aid Societies in the purchase of
" sanitary stores," &c, would amount to a much larger sum
than the total receipts of the Central Treasury. Over such ex
penditures the Sanitary Commission exercises but little authority;
but acts as the accredited adviser. Yet the more successful
Branches, like those of Philadelphia,* Boston, Cleaveland, and
elsewhere, practically hold their funds, as well as their stock of
supplies, subject to official orders from the Commission. This
is manifestly the true theory of effective and economical admin
istration of such auxiliary aid. The Women's Central Associa
tion of Belief, which was established in New York as a model
for such Branches of supply, furnishes a perfect example in this
respect.f The management of all details in the current expenditures of
the Commission, is conducted with the same rigid exactness and
rules of accountability that prevail in commercial life, and in

* The following statement, which we copy from a recent report of the " Phila
delphia Branch," very clearly sets forth the facts relating to the practical relations
of that flourishing auxiliary to the Sanitary Commission :
***** " It will be observed thstt the large sum of $82,000
has been expended by the Philadelphia Agency, mainly for supplies. It is proper
to remark, in explanation, that the supplies purchased with this money, have been
bought by order of the Officers of the Commission at Washington, and have been
forwarded to points designated by them. . The Philadelphia Branch has always
been regarded by its Officers as an Agency of the Central Commission, in the
strictest sense of the term. With the exeption of certain comparatively small
sums .expended for local relief, they have considered all the funds collected by them
as subject to tbe order and control of the Central Office, for the general purposes
of the Commission.
********
***** "From the beginning, the Philadelphia Agency has
maintained the policy he holding all its funds, except those required for local pur
poses, at the disposal of those Officers of the Commission whose duty it is to as
certain where the greatest need exists."
f See Appendix A.

246

the legal care of financial concerns. Proper vouchers and speci
fications show precisely how all funds have been expended, and
these, after having been critically examined, are audited at each
stated session of the Board, while the requisitions, estimates, and
daily record of the various agents and employes of the Commis
sion are under constant revision by the Standing Committee and
other responsible officers. The rate of remuneration in the several
branches of active service under the Commission is considerably
below the average cost of similar work in ordinary avocations ;
and, as has been recently stated by the President of the Board,*
" these two hnndred men receive, on an average, $2 per day for
labor, which is, say half of it, highly skilled, sometimes of pro
fessional eminence, and worth from five to ten times that
amount. Few of these men could be had for the money, but
they work for love and patriotism, and are content with a bare
support. The Board (all included, twenty-one in number) —
President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Medical Committee, Stand
ing Committee — give their services and their time gratuitously.
They receive nothing. Their traveling expenses alone are partly
refunded them, and these are trifling, excepting the case of one
or two ioho go frequently on tours of observation."
The Sanitary Commission's Relations with the " Christian
Commission " in ihe Army. — During the Peninsula campaign
and subsequently in the field hospitals at Antietam, the officers
and agents of the Sanitary Commission found " Christian dele
gates" laboring with much zeal and self-sacrifice for moral
welfare of the wounded and the sick. Consequently, after
proper counsel upon the subject of fraternal relations, and op
portunities for co-operation with such " Delegates," the General

* See Dr. Bellows' Letter to Rev. H. W. Beecher, in Sanitary Commission
Bulletin, Feb. 15th, 1864.

247

Secretary of the Commission issued the following official circular
of instructions to the Sanitary Inspectors :
" Central Office, Sanitary Commission, )
" Washington, Dec. 16th, 1863. j
" To each Inspector of the Sanitary Commission :
* -:•:- * ' * -is- * *
" You are instructed, whenever the delegates of the Christian
Commission offer to give you their aid for battle-field relief
operations, or in other emergencies, to accept it gratefully ; and,
for the time being,, you will deal with them, as far as possible, in
the same manner as you would if each individual had been sent
to you for special battle-field duty by officers of the Com
mission. " You are also instructed at all times to give special attention
to the representations of the accredited agents of the Christian
Commission with regard to the wants of the hospitals, and will
meet those wants to the extent of the means at your control as
far as' possible, consistently with a just prospective regard for the
wants of others. (Signed) " Fred. Law Olmsted,
" General Secretary."
The respective objects and methods of the two organizations
are and should be so distinct as well as harmonious, as to permit
only the most effective co-working in the same camps and
hospitals. The following statements from an esteemed " dele
gate of the Christian Commission," illustrates the happy result
of such cordial co- working :
" U S. Christian Commission, Branch Office, )
" Nashville, July 23, 1863. j
" Dr. J. S. Newberry,
Sec'y West'n Dep't TJ. S. Sanitary Commission, Louisvillle :
" My Dear Sir, — I desire, on behalf of the Christian Commis
sion, to render grateful acknowledgment for the uniform,
generous and cordial co-operation of yourself and the agents of
your Commission in our work of bringing spiritual comforts and
blessings to the soldiers. But for your assistance at the first,
and its continuance all along, our work would have been greatly
impeded in the army of the Cumberland.

248

" Also in my recent trip to Yicksburg, in the service of the
Christian Commission, I was at all points kindly received and
materially aided by the Sanitary Commission. My own feel
ings—that the work of both Commissions, though wrought in
different departments, should be entirely co-operative— were
fully reciprocated by your,agents at Cairo, Memphis, and on the
Barge on Yazoo Biver.
" My observations of your work on that Barge were very
pleasant. I saw stores dispensed to needy applicants most
freely, and in surprising quantity and variety ; and when I got
back to the Bluffs, where the sick and wounded were coming
into the division hospitals, I found bedding with your mark,
dried and canned fruit, and lemons and chickens, which could
have been furnished from no other source. I knew that, with
out the timely help of the Sanitary Commission, there would
have been destitution, and consequent suffering, in many of
those hospitals.
" I want to bear testimony to the noble Christian philanthropy
of the men in charge of your Commission in that department.
I am persuaded they could not do that work from unworthy
motives. Money could not procure such services as you are
receiving, for instance, from Dr. Warriner at Vicksburg.
" Every week's experience in my army work, bringing me
among the camps and through the hospitals, and giving an
opportunity, which I always improve, to look in at the different
quarters of your Commission, leads me to a continually higher
estimate of the work you have on hand. I am satisfied that
your system of distributing hospital supphes is the correct one.
Such large contributions as -the people are making cannot be
handed over to the army on any volunteer system, unless it be
for a few days amid the emergencies of a severe battle. A
business involving such expenditure would be intrusted by a
business man only to permanent and responsible agents.
" That among all your employes there should be no unworthy
man, is more than a reasonable mind can ask. The Christian
Commission and the Christian Church would go down under
that test.
" Let me close this letter of thanks, my dear brother, with my
daily prayer — a prayer which I learned in your Soldiers' Home
in Louisville, and have often repeated since in the Soldiers'
Best at Memphis, on the Barge in Yazoo Biver, in the Division
Hospitals under the guns of Vicksburg, in the Nashville Home
and Storeroom, and in the camps and hospitals at Murfrees-
borough ; a prayer fresh on my lips, as I have just come from
seeing wounded and typhoid patients at Tullahoma and Win
chester hfted from rough blankets and undressed from the soiled

249
clothes of march and battle, and laid, in your clean sheets and
Shirts, upon your comfortable quilts and pillows— a prayer in
which every Christian heart in the land will yet join— God bless
ipe Sanitary Commission. " Most cordially yours,
(Signed) "Edw. P. Smith,
Field Agent, U. S. Christian Commission.".
Most of the supporters pf the " Christian Commission " are also
friends ofthe Sanitary Commission, and it is manifestly desirable
that there should never be any misconception of the fact that
the Sanitary Commission has officially instructed its agents to
offer to the delegates ofthe Christian Commission such fraternal
and material aid as would tend to facilitate their work and
benefit the patients in hospital. A scheme of philanthropy that,
like the Sanitary Commission, has undertaken to diminish the
., sickness and mortality in our armies to a fraction of that which
would occur without such interposition, should be aided by labors
that judiciously bring religious instruction and consolation to
the patients, jn the hospitals, and to the wounded in the field,
and such philanthropic co-operation continues to be a rule of the
Sanitary Commission.
The International aspects and influence of the United States
Sanitary Commission's work and purposes. — In responding to
' the claims of our common humanity, however humble or how
ever imposing the demand for aid, we influence in greater or
less degree the welfare of our fellow-men throughout the world.
In our day is not every word and every effort that is deliber
ately and earnestly put forth in behalf of human welfare, sure to
take root wherever the progress of Christian civilization has pre
pared the mind of men for sympathy in such humane pur
poses and efforts'?
During the autumn of 1863, a spontaneous movement was
made in Paris in aid of the work of the United States Sanitary

250

Commission, and already the work of the European Branch has
become well organized, and its agent has shipped most valuable
supplies to the Commission from the vineyards and storehouses
of Europe.* It has opened correspondence with the prominent
American residents in the various cities of the continent, and
also with the leading philanthropists of Europe, who, in becom
ing interested in the progress of such an enterprise for humanity,
also become interested in the great results of our national
struggle. American residents in Great Britain have likewise given
similar expression to their sympathy and aid for their fellow-
countrymen, and noble minded Englishmen have already sent
some munficient contributions to the Sanitary Treasury for our
sick and wounded soldiers. A British Branch of Supply in aid
of the United States Sanitary Commission, has been organized
upon a most promising basis ; and, like the Continental or Euro
pean Branch, this movement has been at once spontaneous and
business-like. f And while these foreign Branches correspond
in many respects with those that have sprung into existence in
our loyal States at home, they cannot fail, while directly aiding
to succor the- sick and wounded of the Federal army, at the same
time also to awaken increased regard for the welfare of our
country, and likewise engage the fraternal interests ofthe phil
anthropic minds in all nations. Indeed there is good reason to
believe that the spirit and purposes ofthe United States Sanitary
Commission as well as its intelligence and example in the prac
tical applications of sanitary science and humane succor in
armies, are already widely felt in Europe.
The proceedings and spirit of the International Sanitary Con
ference which was recently convened at Geneva, prove how
readily the progressive civilization and Christianity of our day
* See Appendix B. f See Appendix B.

251
accepts and puts in practice the grand problems upon which
the Sanitary Commis-ion is working, and there is gratifying
evidence that the spirit and purposes of this American work are
already largely shared by many leading minds in Europe.*
Influence of the Commission's labors iipon Sanitary Science,
and upon the popular estimat'on ofthe Sacred ness of Human
Life. — The art of preserving health depends upon a definite
knowledge of the laws of health. It is a branch of medical art,
and is properly termed "preventive medicine." In armies it
has not been customary to give any other attention to Sanitary
Eegulations than that wliich is connected simply with military
discipline. The Army Begulations, as such, do not make any
provisions for the preservation and care of the health of the sol
dier, nor is the subject so much as mentioned even in the Be-
vised Begulations of our Army. But there are many points
connected with the order, regularity, and discipline of soldier-
life, which incidentally promote and protect the health of men
in camp, in quarters, or on the march. To collate and explain
all such passages contained in our Army Begulations was one of
the very first duties performed by the Sanitary Commission. f
A medical member of the Commission, long familiar with army
life, prepared this little manual, and very large editions have
continued to be published and gratuitously distributed among
officers and soldiers.
A highly practical "Report upon Military Hygiene and Thera
peutics" as prepared and authorized by a competent committee
of the New York Academy of Medicine, immediately followed
the little manual of Rules, etc. ; and of that valuable report
many editions have been printed and furnished to military sur
geons.

* See Appendix C.
f See Medical " Document C," " Rules for preserving the health of soldiers."

252

A great number of specially prepared essays or monographs
upon the most important subjects in army hygiene and medicine
have been put forth by the Commission, with the design to aid
the Medical Officers ofthe army in a way that would be at once
the most acceptable and most effective.* The interest and ac
tive inquiry that have been awakened by these twenty mono
graphs have helped powerfully to keep up a constant watchful
ness against the causes of preventible disease and mortality.
This is one of the unseen agencies of which the Sanitary Com
mission has been enabled to increase and perpetuate Sanitary
information, together with the most practical and advanced
knowledge in the art of medical care and healing. No other
army has ever enjoyed the influence of such an agency.
But aside from the .influence thus exerted by means of pub
hshed monographs on hygiene and the care of sickness and
wounds, the general effect of maijy ofthe Commission's ordinary
reports and circulars has been to awaken thoughtful attention
to the great principles and means of preserving health ; while
every branch of sanitary work for the soldiers, has strongly
tended to keep alive a proper estimation and consciousness of
the value of life and health, and of the skill and care required
by those who suffer wounds and sickness. In this way the
popular appreciation of Health and the means of preserving it
has been rapidly increasing among all classes ; and while the
carnage of our terrible war has naturally been weakening the
common estimate of life's value. and sacredness — an effect in
separable from the bloody strife of continued battles — the varied
appliances and earnest purposes of the Sanitary Commission and
its branches of aid, have been continually and everywhere taught
in an impressive manner that life is sacred, and that human
* See Appendix D.

253
suffering and human sympathies are insignia of human brother
hood which command universal regard and affectionate care.
Sanitary science and its more common precepts are rapidly
becoming household words. The vital importance of fresh air,
cleanliness, cheerfulness, proper food, and self-care, are daily be
coming understood, both in our armies and in our homes ; and
the imperative duty of intelligent care and provision for suffer
ing fellow beings is more universally and more deeply felt
among us than when the war began. And, says a leading
critical review, "it will yet be seen in the history of our repub
lic, and in the records of human progress, that the United
States Sanitary Commission's works and purposes of relief and
mercy have had an important mission in hastening the day
when " ' Man to man the world o'er
Shall brothers be, and a! that.' "
The woes of wounds and sickness, -and the deepest griefs that
follow in the bloody pathway of our great war, have served to
hasten the practical development of a higher civilization and a
broader application ofthe Golden Bule of Christianity. Unlike
all previous wars, the present relentless contest of arms in the
struggle for our national birth-right has given new life to the
spirit of philanthropy. The soldier is no longer regarded merely
as a mechanical agent in the war, but as a brother ; while to
our foe when fallen and in need, our sympathies and care are
spontaneous and unstinted. Not only has the Sanitary Com
mission endeavored practically to establish the doctrine of neu
trality for the enemy's wounded and sick, andfor their attendants,
but the progress of Federal forces in the insurgent States, is pro
videntially opening a vast field for the extension of sanitary aid
and succor to multitudes of the enemy's invalids that are now
languishing and dying for want of such relief as the sick and
wounded in our own hospitals receive. To aid in the sanitary

254

protection and care of our loyal forces, while they are pressing for
ward upon the rebellion, through malarious and wasted regions to
the Gulf ; to aid our conquered enemy in the relief of his destitute
and wounded ; and to follow up the sanitary care of our invalid
soldiers until all practicable means of recovery and comfort are
fully enjoyed by all of them, must continue to be the duty of
the Sanitary Commission acting as the aid to the Medical De:
partment of the army, and as the agent of the people's humane
and patriotic desires.
Sanitary condition of the Federal Army ; present rate of
¦ Sickness and" Mortality.- — Military considerations that must be
respected in the. time of active campaigns debar the full publica
tion of recent statistics of sickness and mortality in the forces.
The ifew statistics we have given in the first sections of this
narrative., relate wholly to periods and events that are past. The
vast aggregates of patients reported in military hospitals, and
of losses by death, as occasionally published in our daily news
papers, sometimes may awaken deep anxieties in philanthrophic
minds; but the Sanitary Commission has its own watchful
Bureau of Statistics, and is faithfully informed of the sanitary
condition of every division ofthe forces, and its principal mission
is to to aid in preventing disease, and to have and supply before
hand all needed supplementary means of succor for the men
who fall by wounds and sickness.* It is true that more than a

* 1 he following extracts from a recently published letter from the Medical Di
rector of the 15th corps d'armh, illustrates the view that is taken ofthe Sanitary
Commi.-sion's work. The statements here given of the rates of sickness aud mor
tality are similar to the reports that have been coming in from all .departments of
the army during the period here-mentioned :
" Headquarters 15th Army Corps, )
Medical Director's Office, >•
Huntsville, Ala., Feb. 22, 1S64. J
"My Dear Sir:
********** * * «• I cannot refrain from expressing my thanks and obliga-

25c

hundred thousand graves of our soldiers' who have died in
hospital or on battle-fields, tell what sacrifices have sealed

tions to the United States Sanitary Commission, the immediate and active agen
cies, which have been, under Providence, largely instrumental in preserving the
health of the troops, and thus maintaining a state of efficiency rarely equalled,
-and perhaps never surpassed.
" Coming to the present location from the long march of nearly eit:ht hundred
miles from Memphis to Knoxville, and so far back, and fighting"at Colliersville,
Cherokee, Xtiscumbia, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, and Ringgold, and
losing throughout in killed, wounded, and missing, nearly two thousand men, the
gratification of the gallant corps could hardly shape itself into words, when, on
reaching at last a* resting place, weary, worn, ragged, foot-sore, and hungry, it
found the inevitable Sanitary Commission with its supplies of vegetables, delicacies,
hospital supplies of food and clothing, and experienced once more the benefits of
that active and loving sympathy, whieh, in its organization and results, challenges
history for a parallel, and which, in its never-varying love, labor, sacrifice, hope
fulness, broad catholic charity and courage — inspiring words of cheer, corresponds
fittingly with, and is a glorious pendant to the patriotism, valor, endurance, and
high-heat tedness of the noble army, braving disease and death, enduring all things
in the present, and hoping all things in the future, fighting for those altars and
fires at and around which they are daily made to feel they are perpetually re
membered. *******
* * * * * * * * *
"I am satisfied from this long and familiar intercourse with the army in active
ser.vice, that men are brave and fearless, both because ofthe knowledge that they
are watched by loving eyes that fill with proud and happy tears when they do
nobly, and because they are 'sustained and soothed by an unfaltering trust,' that
happen what may, preparation aud provision have been made for the emergency,
even against their hour and manner of suffering.
"The soldiers look with confidence to the Commission for prophylactics also,
and the liberal distribution of vegetables has been productive of incalculable good,
by preventing that deterioration and deprivation of the system, which is the pre
cursor of Typhus, Scurvy, and all those formidable evils which arise in the army
from derangement of the nutritive function. The Medical Department of the
army supplies bountifully now what is needed in the way of medicines and hos
pital stores; those medical officers whose ideas of service and administration were
found incompatible with the needs of the emergency and the spirit of the times,
having been forced to yield their notions or be pushed aside altogether.
"So far, then, as this portion of the army is concerned, it seems to me that the
greatest amount of good may be done in the way of prevention, and I would re
spectfully urge, as my opinion of the method of bringing the greatest good to the
greatest number, that the Commission should diieet the large-hearted liberality
cf the soldiers' friends towards gathering and forwarding to the army those vege
tables which are the most difficult to procure on the part of the Commissary
Department, or which are not in the army ration, and which have proved so valu
able hitherto in the prevention of disease arising from the derangement of the
function of nutrition and the depraved condition of system, which is nearly cer
tain to follow confinement to one class of food. The occupancy for a long time
past of this part of the country by both armies has stripped it of supplies, and
many of the inhabitants are forced to apply to the Army Commissary for subsist
ence. "The health of our troops is now so excellent, that the greatest expectations
may be based upon their efficiency in tho coming campaign, and if the articles
mentioned can be furnished, I have'no fearthat the number of'sick will exceed the
four per cent, now reported, although the months of February and March are

256

the faith and loyalty of our people. Every town and neighbor-
hood in the land has borne a share in this sacrifice, and the
voice of mourning for the fallen brave and loved ones has min
gled with new vows of devotion to the national cause in every
community at the North. This has occurred in an army whose
death-rate from disease has been less than was ever before known
in the annals of great campaigns,* and actually less than one-
third the percentage of mortality from sickness in our volun
teer forces in the Mexican war. And it may safely be stated
that had the rates of sickness and mortality which prevailed in
our Mexican campaign, and that have characterized all great
wars, been experienced in this protracted struggle of our nation,
the present catalogue of the dead for whom we mourn, would
have contained more than thrice its present number of names ;
the voice of wailing would have ascended from almost every
family in the land, and the number of invalids languishing in

most trying to troops who are allowed to deteriorate during the change from
winter to spring.
" I should remark that only four per cent, are excused from duty, and only two
per cent, are really so illas to need medical attendance. In many regiments there
is not an inmate of a regimental hospital. We have not sent a man to the General
Hospital since leaving Bridgeport, on Christmas, and have at this place a Post
Hospital, mainly for the care of sick belonging to the Provost Guard, on duty in
town, Quartermaster and citizen employees, &e., less than twenty in all, being
reported as " remaining sick." I know that this information will be gratifying to
those who bear in remembrance the patriotic citizen who has become a soldier,
and to you, the representatives of those Sanitary Commissions, whose bounties I
have witnessed during so long a period, and under so many trjing and desperate
circumstances, and it is with a warm and grateful feeling at my heart that I de
clare that in a service of nearly three years, performed in the States of Maryland,
Tennessee, Virginia, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, I
have never been in circumstances, however trying, in positions, however desperate
and hopeless, or in places of danger, however great and imminent, but either
preceding us, close by our side, or following in our very footsteps, were to be
found the active, self-sacrificing, ubiquitous agents of the Sanitary Commission,
braving disease, and danger, and death, in the pursuit and exercise of a noble
philanthropy. ******* " I am, sincerely and truly, your friend,
Chas. McMillaw,
Surg. D. S. Vols., Med. Director 15th A. 0.
Dr. A. TS. Bead, Inspector, TJ. S. San. Com.
* See Appendix K.

257

hospitals or in our homes incapable of service, would have been
very far greater than that which now exists.
The unprecedented success of medical and surgical treatment
in our military hospitals has brought lasting honor to the Medi
cal Department of the army, and it is a proper subject for grati
tude and devout thanksgiving ; while throughout the lines of
our armies in the field, there is such health and manly vigor as
never before was enjoyed by volunteer soldiers in long cam
paigns. Under the good Brovidence that holds the destiny of
our national cause, these unspeakably great blessings are due to
the skillful care, the timely succor, and the sanitary service which
a liberal Government, and a patriotic, loving, and intelligent
people have provided for their armies.

APPENDIX.

APPENDIX A.

THE BRANCHES OP SUPPLY.

The origin and objects of the first two " Branches " of Supply to tho
Sanitary Commission, are mentioned upon pages 59 and 60 in this
volume. A summary statement of the aid rendered by those and other
leading " Branches " of the Commission will here be given, so far as the
facts relating to their respective operations are at present in hand.*

* The First Soldiers' Aid Society. — At one of the meetings of the U. S. Sani
tary Commission, soon after its organization, one of the Commissioners presented
as a souvenir of Revolutionary days, an autograph copy of a letter from General
Washington to Mrs. Bache (Daughter of Benj. Franklin) :
" Head-Quabters in Bergen, N. J.,
" 14th of July, 1780.
"Madam: I have received with much pleasure — but not till last night — your
favor of the 4th, specifying the amount of the subscriptions already collected for
the use of the American soldiery.
"Tbis fresh mark of the patriotism of the Ladies entitles them to the highest
applause of the country. It is impossible for the army not to feel a superior
gratitude on such an instance of goodness. If I am happy in having the concur
rence of the Ladies, I would propose the purchasing of coarse linen, to be made
into shirts, with the whole amount of their subscription. A shirt extraordinary to
the soldier will be of more service to him than any other thing that could be pro
cured him ; while it is not intended to, nor Bhall exclude him from the usual supply
which he draws from the public.
" This appears to me to be the best mode for its application, provided it is ap
proved by the Ladies. I am happy to find you have been good enough to give us
a claim on your endeavors to complete the execution of the design. An example
so laudable will certainly be nurtured, and must be productive of a favorable issue
in the bosoms of the fair, in the sister States.
"Let me congratulate our benefactors on the arrival of the French fleet off the
harbor of Newport, on the afternoon of the 10th. It is this moment announced,
but without any particulars, as an interchange of signals had only taken
place. " I pray the Ladies of your family to receive, with my compliments, my liveliest
thanks for the interest they take in my favor.
" With the most perfect respect and esteem, I have the honor to be, madam,
" Your obedient and humble servant,
"GEO. WASHINGTON."

262

" The Woman's Central Association of Relief" New Yokk. — This
Association was organized April 29, 1861, at a meeting of nearly three
thousand ladies. Its oflScers at the present time [March, 1864] are —
President  Valentine Mott, M. D.
Secretary  Samuel W. Bridgham.
Treasurer  .Howard Potter,
of the firm of Brown, Brothers & Co.,
59 Wall street.
Executive Committee.
Miss L. L. Schuyler,
Mrs. George Curtis,
Miss A. Post,
Mr. George Wm. Curtis,
Mr. E. L. Godkin,
H. W. Bellows, D. D.,
Miss Ellen Collins,
Mrs. T. cI'Oremieulx,
Miss Gertrude Stevens,
Mrs. C. E. Lowell, > . and forwarding Sup-
Mr. Samuel W. Bridgham,
Mr. John Crosby Brown,

Sub. Com. on Correspond
ence and Diffusion of
Information.

Sub. Com. on Receiving
and
plies.

Special Melief Committee.
Mrs. W. P. Griffin, Mr. Howard Potter,
Mrs. H. Baylis, Wm. H. Draper, M. D.,
Mrs. Cyrus W. Field, Elisha Harris, M. D.,
Miss A. H. Nevins, E. D. Hitchcock, D. D.
Purchasing Committee.
Mrs. J. A. Swett, Mrs. Hamilton Fish.
ASSOCIATE MANAGERS.
CONNECTICUT.
Miss Lydia E. Ward  Bridgeport, Fairfield Co.
Mrs. C. E. Bacon  Danbury, Fairfield Co.
Mrs. John Olmsted  Hartford, Hartford Co.
Mrs. T. G. Taloott  Hartford, Hartford Co.
Mrs. Benjamin Douglas  Middletown, Middlesex Co.
Mrs. Thomas B. Butler  Norfolk, Fairfield Co.
Miss Helen Evertson Smith  Sharon, Litchfield Co.

263

NEW JERSEY.
Mrs. Eliza Howard Powers  Paterson, Passaic Co.
NEW YORK.
Mrs. Emily W. Barnes  Albany, Albany Co.
Mrs. George Letchworth  Auburn, Cayuga Co-
Mrs. Henry Mather  Binghampton, Broome Co.
Mrs. Henry S. Randall  Cortlandvillage, Cortland Co.
Miss G. B. Schuyler  Dobbs' Ferry, Westchester Co-
Mrs. Charles B. Stuart  Elmira, Chemung Co.
Mrs. Harrirt N. Wing  Glen's Falls, Warren Co.
Mrs. Eliza A. Redfield  Goshen, Orange Co.
Miss Jane L. Hardy  Ithaca, Tompkins Co.
Mrs. Elizabeth Saunders  Newburgh, Orange Co.
Mrs. A. B. James  Ogdensburgb, St. Lawrence Co.
Miss C. M. Brooks  Owego, Tioga Co.
Mrs. Morris Brown  Penn Yan, Yates Co.
Mrs. W. B. Williams  Rochester, Monroe Co.
Miss R. B. Long  Rochester, Monroe Co.
Mrs, Edward Huntington  Rome, Oneida Co.
Miss E. Washington  Schenectady, Schenectady Co.
Mrs. Pierre Van Cortlandt  Sing Sing, Westchester Co.
Mrs. Lydia Walla ce  Syracuse, Onondaga Co.
Mrs. W. D. Hamlin  Utica, Oneida Co.
Mrs. W. V. V. Rosa  Watertown, Jefferson Co.
RHODE ISLAND.
Mrs. G. H. Thorndike  Newport.
Miss Fanny M. Green.  Providence.
Total Receipts of the Woman's Central Association of Relief,
from May 1, 1861, to Feb. 1, 1864.
Articles of Hospital Clothing, &c.

Flannel shirts  58,969
Cotton "  121,739
Flannel drawers  42,234
Cotton "  52,350
Socks  99,400
Slippers  22,389
Dressing gowns  13,644
Coats  3,169
Pantaloons  4,203
Handkerchiefs  < 88,468

Quilts  21,429
Blankets  7,043
Sheets  45,593
Bedsacks  13,045
Pillows  28,850
" cases  59,425
" sacks  7,592
Cushions.  16,884
Towels..  99,891
Musquito nets.  3,100

264

Articles of Hospital Clothing, &c.

Lint, bbls  563
Bandages, bbls  1,053
Old cotton, "  476
Dried fruit, "  1,245
Vegetables, "  446
Fresh fruit, boxes  233
Fans  10,088

Jelly, jars  17,937
Wine, bottles  13,247
Condensed milk, lbs  11,491
Beef-stock, lbs  7,15
Groceries  17,676
Pickles, gals  7,781
Lemonade, lbs  3,072

The total estimated value [at wholesale and cost prices] is $655,337 00.
The amount of money received has been $36,805 71, all of which has
been expended in purchasing hospital supplies, and in " special relief."
These articles were received from more than twelve hundred towns and
villages with whose Aid Societies the Central Association had established
correspondence. At page 59 in this volume, the origin and purpose of
this Association have been mentioned, and no higher praise could be
awarded to its management than to state the fact that the original purpose
of aiding in the organization, methodizing, and most effectual application
of woman's help in this war, has been steadily pursued and successfully car
ried out in every particular. The abstract of receipts and shipments and the
catalogue of auxiliary Aid Societies, on the preceding page, present but an
imperfect idea of the arduous labor that has been performed in this Asso
ciation. The correspondence, and the hard work of re-packing, assorting
and forwarding, which constitute the daily duties of its lady managers, at
their central office, have for nearly three years past presented scenes of
cheerful industry, intelligent care, and jigidly business-like system that
have won universal admiration and respect.
The Association has made but little effort to contribute pecuniary aid,
as the Sanitary Commission treasury is kept in New York. It has chosen
rather to become a direct and reliable channel and main artery to the
Commission's department of Relief. Its services have been of untold value
to that department. The spirit in which its labors are pursued may be
judged by the following extract from the last published report of its Ex
ecutive Committee :
"When the time comes that we may rightfully lay aside the needle and
the pen, we shall be told it, and not until then bring this work to a close,
which it is our privilege as well as our duty to be engaged in.
"There is one result of the work of the Commission, not to be found iu
any of the reports, not to be counted, nor weighed, nor measured, nor
seen. For two and a half years, while we have been filling the boxes and
forwarding them, enrolling ourselves as workers of the order of the " brown-

265

linen apron," and busy with the needle, the hammer, and the pen, this
mighty work has been silently gaining strength and gaining ground. Be
fore resuming our work, let us clear our eyes for a moment from the dust
of these welcome bales and boxes ; let us free our ears from the whirr of
the sewing machine, and consider what part our work is taking in a
national, in a patriotic point of view. A wounded rebel, from South Caro
lina, not along ago, asked our inspector, " What is the meaning of this
stamp, ' TJ. S. Sanitary Commission,' on my shirt?" It was explained to
him. "What," said he, "do you have women, in your army ?" "The
women are the back-bone of our army," was the reply ; " we have ten
thousand of them working for it all the time." I never mean to fight
against those women again," was the rejoinder. It was a low estimate —
ten thousand women — only one division of the grand army scattered
throughout the loyal States, representatives merely of the many hundred
thousands banded together in one common sympathy, united in one na
tional cause. In the spring of '61 every village was busy fitting off its own
dearly loved soldier boys — the best, the bravest, the flower of tbe flock.
How gladly would we have followed these sons and brothers to the field to
shield them from danger, to nurse them when sick or wounded — but it
might not be. They voluntarily gave up their own identity, as soldiers of vil
lage, or county, or State, and enrolled themselves as soldiers of the Union.
They had given their lives to their country, and to the principles which
that country represents — they had sworn to support the Government ; and
turning to those at home, anxiously endeavoring to follow the loved ones with
home comforts to the field, they say : " The Government is our best friend,
you can only help us by helping it, by working with it and through it —
it cares for all alike, it does for us the best it can, but it cannot do every
thing — help us by helping it." And so we are no longer working alone
for our own sons and brothers, but for the sons and brothers of the Union.
The spirit of rivalry and jealousy, the false pride, the taunt of " Our com
pany so much better taken care of than yours," has given place to some
thing far higher and holier. What are these but the germs of that spirit
which rankles at the root of secession . When we think that this state of
things might have existed all through our country, does this ideal work of
the Commission, this ' merging of the domestic interests of the people in
the army,' seem so unimportant because it is not to be estimated in
figures ?
" Friends, sisters, let us think serionsly of the responsibility of rightly
using this mighty influence which rests with us. Shall it be brought to
bear upon nothing higher than the alleviation of present suffering — is
there nothing nobler in our work than this? While we bind up the
wounds may we not also strengthen the hands and the hearts of those who
are fighting for principles on the battle field, by fighting for those princi
ples at home ? Is not this consecration of ourselves to the right as much
Our duty — more so — than anything else ? Let us, then, in the security
and happiness of our own homes, as " Soldiers of Christ," fight the good
fight ol humanity, of patriotism, of Christianity— fight it through all re
verses, knowing no discouragements, nor compromises, nor defeats, but
believing and knowing that the right mnst triumph in the ecd. Hence
forth may our watchword be Union and Liberty, and then shall the bond

266

which has bound us so closely together, as lovers ofthe soldiers of the
Union, Shine out in its true light of a loyal, national league — a league of
no written articles, requiring no signatures, but none the less known and
felt to be binding."
In the report from which we quote, it is stated, after reviewing the pro
gress of the battle and siege work of the army, that —
" In looking back at our own work during the same time, it will be
noticed, that no appeals have been made in behalf of our sick and wounded
soldiers for any of these special occasions.
" They were unnecessary. Our friends know that it is too late to pre
pare for a battle after it is over, and wounded men cannot wait a fortnight
for clothing and bedding to be made and forwarded to them. In Mr.
Olmsted's last circular, written just after the battle of Gettysburg, he says :
' Hundreds will owe their lives this week to those who did not hold their
hand when there was no special public excitement, by which the Commis
sion had stores ready at Frederick, Baltimore, and Washington, and
reserves at Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. Those who wish to
cordially co-operate with the Commission will now go to work as if we
were just entering upon a long war, and with no thought of its ending.
A momentary enthusiasm is not desired, but the Commission offers its
agency to all who wish to steadily contribute to the relief of the sick and
wounded, and to the comfort of the army. *****
Let those who have not begun to work systematically for the army begin
now. Let those who have been working steadily become more steadfast
and orderly in their work.'
" And to those steady workers — women who have made the weekly
meeting at the Soldier's Aid Society as much a part of their business as
any other duty in life — to those steady workers, uniting with our Govern
ment, is due the fact that in no country in the world, in time of war, have
the sick and wounded received such tender care, stich, loving-kindness, as
to-day with us."

" The New England Women's Auxiliary Association :" Boston Branch.
Officers for 1864.
Henry B. Rogers, ....... President.
S. G. Howe, ....... Vice-President.
Rufus Ellis, ........ Secretary.
George Higginson, ...... Treasurer.
Executive Committee. — Mrs. D. "Buck, Mrs. G. S. Curtis, Mrs. Otto
Dresel, Miss Isa E. Gray, Miss Grace Heath, Miss Mary G. Loring, Miss
Abby W. May, Miss Annette P. Rogers, Miss Martha C. Stevenson, Miss
Sarah C. Williams.
Industrial Committee. — Mrs. F. W. Andrews, Miss Caroline A. Brewer,
Miss Isabella P. Curtis, Mrs. Wm. Glidden, Mrs. Sarah S. Hunt, Miss
Anna P. Loring.

267

Financial Committee.— ma. C. B. F. Adams, Frank W. Andrews
James M. Beebe, J. Ingersoll Bowditch, John C. Dalton, Mrs. Wm. Endi-
cott, Jun., Edward Jackson, Mrs. J. C. Johnson, Arthur T. Lyman Mrs
Lyman Nichols, Mrs. G. H. Shaw, Geo. W. Wales.

Associate Managers.
Maine. — Augusta, Miss Burton. Bangor, Mrs. H. Bowman. Belfast
Mrs. J. G. Dickerson. Calais, Miss M. I. Cooper. Castine, Mrs. Dr.'
Stevens. Dover, Miss L. M. Johnson. Eastport, Mrs. Aaron Hayden.
Ellsworth, Mrs. Lucy T. Phelps. Farming ton, Mrs. Charles Alexander.
Gardiner, Miss E. H. Gardiner. Hallowell, Miss L. M. Emmons. Houlton,
Mrs. J. Donnell. Kennebunk, Mrs. J. A. Swan. Lewiston, Mrs. E. S.'
Davis. Machias, Miss TJ. M. Penniman. Orono, Mrs. Israel Wash
burn. Rockland, Mrs. C. N. Germaine. Saco, Mrs. J. T. G. Nichols.
South Berwick, Miss M. O. Hayes. Waterford, Miss C. M. Douglass.
Wiscassett, Mrs. Alex. Johnston.
New Hampshire. — Amherst, Mrs., H. Eaton. Charlestovm, Mrs.
Richd. Hubbard. Claremont, Mrs. E. L. Goddard. Concord, Mrs. Ira
Perley. Derry, Mrs. L. T. Morris. Dover, Mrs. A. S. Whidden. Exeter,
Mrs. E. S. Cobbs. Fitzwilliam, Mrs. W. L. Gaylord. Hanover, Mrs. C.
A. Aikin, Mrs. W. P. Abbott. Keene, Mrs. TK. Leverett. Lancaster,
Miss E. M. Weeks. Manchester, Mrs. M. Currier, Mrs. E. H. Hawkes,
Miss M. 0. A. Hunt. Meredith, Mrs. E. Stevens, Nashua, Mrs. J. A.
Baldwin. Plymouth, Miss M. E. Mc-Questin. Portsmouth, Mrs. Eliz.
C> Tilton. Winchester, Mrs. S. W. Buffum.
Vermont. — Brattleboro ', Mrs. Hampden Cutts, Mrs. M. G. Daven
port. Burlington, Mrs. J. M. Pomeroy. Chelsea, Miss L. H. Dicken
son. Coventry, Mrs. E. D. White. Johnson, Mrs. R. M. Forrest.
Manchester, Mrs. D. S. Boudinott. Middlebury, Mrs. A. F., Bascom.
Newbury, Miss H. M. Hazen. Rutland, Mrs. Wm. Y. Ripley. St. Albans,
Mrs. Emily B. Safford. St. Johnsbury, Miss A. M. W. Lee. South
Hero, Miss Landon. Waterbury, Miss Jenny Griswold. West Concord,
Mrs. L. H. Tabor. Windsor, Miss-M. A. Phelps. Woodstock, Mrs. N.
Williams. Massachusetts. — Abington, Mrs. Mary T. Powers. Andover, Miss H.
K. Webb. Ailleboro, Mrs. G. W. Shephardson. Barnstable, Mrs. S. B.
Phinney. Barre, Mrs. J. H. Goddard. Beverly, Miss H. L. Rantoul.
Brookline, Miss .Griggs, Miss Winsor. Cambridge, Mrs. Lewis Stack-
pole, Miss M.G.Washburn. Charlestown, Mrs. Henry -Lyon. Chelsea,
Mrs. F. B. Fay, Mrs. James Hovey. Concord, Mrs. G. Reynolds. Dan-
vers, Mrs. Lydia M. Fletcher. . Dedham, Miss H. B. Chickering. Deer-
field, Mrs. Mary W. Fogg. Dorchester, Mrs. Walter Baker. Dor
chester, Mrs. N. Hall. E. Bridge-water, Miss M. E. Sheldon. Fall
River, Mrs. R. Borden. ' FitcKbnrg, Mrs. E. Torrey. Framingham,
Mrs. C. Upham. Gloucester, Mrs. R. P. Rogers. Great Barrington,
Mrs. I. Sumner. Greenfield, Mrs. J. F. Moors, Mrs. W. D. Osgood.

268

Hingham, Mrs. R. T. P. Fiske. Ipswich, Mrs. Robert Southgate. Lan
caster, Miss E. P. Russell. Lawrence, Mrs. G. A. Walton. Lexington,
Mrs. L. J. Livermore. Lowell, Mrs. G Herrick. Lynn, Miss M. L.
Newhall. Maiden, Mrs. G. Wilson. Medford, Mrs. Eliza H. Carret.
Milton, Mis. F. Cunningham. Nantucket, Miss A. W. Gardner. New
Bedfurd, Mrs. Matt. Howland. Newburyporl, Mrs.. J. C. Marsh, Mrs A.
W. Miltimore, Mrs. Eben F. Stone. Newton, Mrs. Dr. Bigelow. North
ampton, Miss M. Cochran, Mrs. E. M. Daniels, Miss E. Ljman. N.
Bridgewater, Mrs, G Wilbour. North field, Mrs. John Mattoon. Pepperell,
Mrs. Hannah F. Wallace, Mrs. John Buckingham. Plymouth, Mrs. C.
G. Davis. Quincy, Mrs. Wm. Whitney. Roxbury, Mrs. A. D. Hodges,
Miss A. C. Lowell. Salem, Mrs. A. Huntington, Miss H. R. Lee.
Sheffield, Miss J. 0. Ensign. Somerville, Mrs. Charles Lowe. Taunton,
Mrs. S. Southgate. Wareham, Mrs. A. C. Fish. Watertown, Mrs. L W.
Titcomb. W Brookfield, Mrs. H. Barnes. West field, Mrs. James
Fowler. West Tisbury, Miss Julia A. Coffin. Winchester, Mrs. C. P.
Curtis, jun. Woburn, Mrs. S. E. Davis. Worcester, Mrs. T. K. Earle,
Mrs. G. W. Richardson.
Rhode Island. — Newport, Miss K. P. Wormley.
Connecticut. — Hartford, Mrs. S. J. Cowen.
This great Association was founded upon the basis which had been laid
"by the Boston Branch," early in the history of the war, and like that
" Branch" this larger body has proved to be a most munificent and faith
ful auxiliary to the Commission's department of Rtlief. The following
statement exhibits the amount and nature of supplies contributed during
the year 1863: Total of
Distributions.
Cotton shirts  '  31,761
Cotton drawers  ,  19,904
Flannel shirts  17,709
Flannel drawers  10,624
Cotton-flannel shirts  2,551
Cotton flannel drawers  8,560
Stockings  31,887
Slippers  14,946
Handkerchiefs  28,276
Mittens  1,564
Wrappers  3,650
Caps  2,197
Slings  2,294
Body-bandages  S69
Ration and work-bags  649
Towels  20,1 41
Cushions  5,1 28
Sheets  12^105

269

Quilts  5,459
Blankets  3^03
Bed-sacks  4,680
Pillow sacks  757
Pillow cases  14,493
Pillows  2,134
Fans  ,  2,231
Crutches, &c  144
Old clothing, cases  18
Lint bandages, cases  175
Books and pamphlets, cases  66
Cologne, baywater, &c, "  91
Medicines, " .-  6.
Wines and spirits, "  580
Syrups, shrubs, &c, "  386
Jellies and preserves, "  230
Farinaceous, "  415
Pickles, "  310
Tea, coffee, chocolate, &c, cases  329
Beef-stock, &c , lbs  1,820
Condensed milk, cases  229
Dried fruits, "  396
Tamarinds, "  230
Saltfish, "  124
Sugar, "  63
Crackers, "  217
Fresh and canned fruits, and vegetables, bbls  «  212
Herbs, cases  10
Ale aud cider, "  37
Extract of ginger, "  10
Chloroform, "  '• • • • 2
Soap and tallow, "  I5
Hospital furniture, "  I3
Miscellaneous, viz., "  39
Games, Stationery, Spices, Combs, Cravats, Netting, Splints, Sponges, Cheese,
Pipes, and Tobacco. ^
Special cases to various addresses  170
The "Industrial Committee" of this auxiliary reported that during their
first year they "spent for materials, $22,081 71, as follows: For flannel,
$14,900 27; for buttons, tape, thread, &c, $559 47; forsilecia, $524 63;
for paper for patterns, $28 22 ; for cotton, $2,564 94 ; and for ticking for
bed and pillow-sacks, $3,498 18." Also, that they had cut and prepared,
"during the year, 34,142 articles, consisting of 5,709 flannel drawers;
8,787 flannel shirts; 227 pairs slippers; 5,353 bed-sacks; 167 pillow-
sacks; 65 woolen caps; 1,176 cotton shirts; 425 cotton-flannel drawers;
9,504 cotton drawers, etc., etc."
During the last year (1863) the Society expended upwards of $67,000 ;

270

and -during the two years, the total amount of expenditures for materials,
etc., was upwards of $98,000. The spirit of this excellent auxiliary is well
illustrated by their very complete system of effort throughout the town,s
and villages of New England, and the sacred spirit of patriotism and hu
manity that animates these mothers and daughters is beautifully expressed
in the concluding paragraph of the Society's last Annual Report :
* * * * « Has not God given it to us, as a solemn
and a daily duty, »to take care of His 'sick and in prison,' 'hungry,'
' thirsty,' and ' poor ?' There is but one answer. The responsibility is
plain. A large portion of our daily lives belongs to our country, in this
time of war. Let us freely offer such amount of physical power, working
for the common weal, as wo deeply owe. Let us add to this our wisest
thought, our moral strength, and our tenderest sympathies, all consecrated
and harmonized by a deep religious purpose. Let us remember that every
one can do a share, larger or smaller, towards bringing the war to an end,
as well as; in tbe immediate work of carrying it on."
The Sanitary Fair that was held by this New England Auxiliary brought
into its treasury $156,000, and nearly a third part of that sum was gener
ously made over to the Central Treasury. Its office at Boston has become
the centre of a very complete and extended scheme of Special Relief for
the benefit of invalid and destitute soldiers in that city, or in transitu. It
also maintains the daily service for attendance upon the railway ambulances
between New York and Boston.
j

" Women's Relief Association of the City of Brooklyn." — This ex
cellent association was organized during the autumn of 1862, and was
regarded as auxiliary to the Sanitary Committee of the Brooklyn War
Fund Committee, and practically it has proved to be one of the most valu
able branches of supply to the Sanitary Commission. Its contributions
have been made through the depots of the Woman's Central Association
in New York ; consequently, its abundant gifts have been included in the
aggregate statements of receipts by the latter. During the first five months
of its operations, viz., to May 1st, 1863, the Brooklyn Association expended
$10,637 53 for materials for hospital clothing alone.
In no other city has greater harmony and success marked the history of
an association of this kind. At the date of its organization thirty churches
were represented by lady delegates, and soon nearly every religious con
gregation in that city was thus represented. The fruits of such hearty and
intelligent co-operation have been beautiful and surpassingly rich. The
Brooklyn Sanitary Fair was a marvel of success, and after sending to the
Sanitary Commission's Treasury three hundred thousand dollars, the As
sociation had a reserved fund of a hundred thousand dollars for the pur
chase of materials to.be worked into hospital supplies.

271

The soft flannel garments and the superior delicacies which this Associa
tion has contributed for the use of the sick and wounded will never be for
gotten by them, nor by the medical officers who have witnessed the bene
ficial effects of such aid.
Officers of the Woman's Relief Association of Brooklyn.
Mrs. J. S. T. Stranahan, President.
Miss Kate Waterbury, Secretary.
Executive Committee,— Mrs. W. I. Buddington, Mrs. E. Shapter, Mrs.
J. W. Harper, Mrs. J. D. Sparkman, Mrs. James Eells, Mrs. Henry Shel
don, Mrs. Jeremiah Johnson, Jr., Mrs. J. L. Duffin, Mrs. Henry E. Pierre
pont, Mrs. Luke Harrington, Mrs. H. Waters.
Sanitary Committee of Brooklyn. — Dwight Johnson, Henry Et Pierre
pont, Samuel B. Caldwell, James H. Frothingham, James D. Sparkman.
The Phladelphia Branch, U. S. Sanitary Commission— -The noble
part that the city of Philadelphia has" borne in the philanthropic labors
which the events of the war have called forth is worthy of her ancient
reputation, and her high social culture. The men who wept as they read
the bulletin announcing the rebel attack upon Fort Sumpter, and the
women who then dedicated their sons and brothers to the defense of the
nation, have ever since been active in works of aid and succor for the sol
dier. Immediately after the organization of the Sanitary Commission a
supply depot was spontaneously established in that city by the gentlemen
who had beconie Associate Members. This continued in good service in
connection with a branch office for aiding the work and purposes of the
Commission. Horace Binney, Jr., a member of the Commission, was
President, and Wm. Piatt. Jr., was the General Agent of the Branch.
During the winter of 1863 the Branch became more effectively organ
ized, and its methods of operation were greatly enlarged. Mr. Piatt, whose
labors had been of unspeakable value to the' work, had been called from
his works of love and mercy on earth. He died from the effects of ex
cessive labors and exposure he took upon himself in the Commission's ser
vice after the battle of Antietam.* His associates have carried out the
* In St. Thomas' Church, Philadelphia, a tablet, erected by the members of the
Philadelphia Branch of the Commission, commemorates the deceased laborer, and
the cause in which he sacrificed his life. A report of that branch says :
"All the services of Mr. Piatt were rendered gratuitously. When the battles
in Maryland wei e impending in September, 186S, Mr. Piatt hastened to Washington,
and volunteered to take charge of a wagon train of hospital stores, for use in the
field. Visiting and supplying the hospitals at Rockville, Frederick and Middle-
town, and reinforced with other supplies forwarded by the Commission, he left

272

labors and spirit in which he so nobly worked. A system of special re
lief adapted to the wants of soldiers in transitu, or in the great military
hospitals at Philadelphia, was put in operation ; a Hospital Directory es
tablished, a Pension Agency and War Claim Office established, and a
very complete system of auxiliary organizations carried into effect through
out a vast district of which that city is the centre.
With all its methods and purposes perfectly harmonious with those of
the Sanitary Commission, it aids all departments of sanitary work with
peculiar effectiveness and economy. The Branch is composed of the As
sociate Members of the Commission, and comprises many of the leading .
physicians and philanthropic citizens, not a few of whom have rendered
signal aid as infirmiers volontaires at the battle fields. The names of
Piatt, Furness, Stille, Johnson, and Clement Barclay, will forever be re
membered in connection with such labors.
The women of Philadelphia have organized very effectively, under the
general system proposed by the Branch, and have adopted the title of
" The Women's Pennsylvania Branch of the U. S. Sanitary Commission."
This branch reports that it now has auxiliaries as follows :
Constantly contributing Societies  209
Occasionally do. do  22
Organized Aid do  63
Corresponding Associations  93
• 
In all  ,  394
The " sanitary stores " supplied through the agency of these co-opera
tive associations, have been immense — exceeding $200,000 in value.
Officers of the Women's Branch : Mr. Caleb Cope, President and
Treasurer ; Mr. R. M. Lewis, Secretary.

Middletown at eleven o'clock at night, on the 17th of September, and proceeded
with his train of wagons to Boonsborough, and thence to Keedysville, and arrived
at i.he headquarters of the army at nine o'clock the next morning. His own modest
officiid report of his services omits mention of the fact that, as he came within
sound of the canaou, he quickened his speed, driving the leading wagon himself,
and when darkness threatened to delay the train, he left it and walked m advance
carrying a lantern, aud compelling the reluctant drivers to follow.
" But Mr. Piatt's earnestness was not satisfied with mere direction and supervi
sion. On the 20th of September, as the ambulances appeared bringing the sutferera
from the bloody field of Antietam, but unaccompanied by competent assistance for
their removal, Mr. Piatt gave himself up for a long time to this arduous service
carrying the wounded in his arms to places of shelter, and there rendering thern
the tenderest offices of a nurse. Thus engrossed, he overtasked himself and
through fatigue and exposure contracted the disease which, on the 22d November
brought to a close, in his 37th year, his short but well-spent life."

273

Executive Committee. — Mrs. M. B. Grier, Chairman ; Mrs. Bloomfield
H. Moore, Corresponding Secretary ; Mrs. George Plitt, Recording Secre
tary ; Mrs. B. Griffith, Mrs. Wm. H. Furness, Mrs. D. Samnel, Mrs. J.
Edgar Thomson, Mrs. Joseph R. Chandler, Miss S. Dunlap, Mrs. Lathrop,
Mrs. C. J. Stille, Mrs. T. A. Budd, Mrs. R. M. Lewis, Miss M. M. Duane,
Mr. Philip P. Randolph.
Sub- Committee on Correspondence. — Mrs. M. B. Grier, Chairman, Mrs,
B. H. Moore, Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. George Plitt, Recording
Secretary, Mrs. S. H. Clapp, Assistant Corresponding Secretary, Ex-officio ;
Miss M. M. Duane, Mrs. Lathrop, Mrs. Furness.
Officers of ihe Branch of Associate Members of the U. S. Sanitary
Commission in Philadelphia :
Executive Committee. — Horace Binney, Jr., Chairman ; M. W. Bald
win, Rev. H. A. Boardman, D. D., John C. Ciesson, J. I. Clark Hare,
John F. Meigs, M. D., Samuel Powel, Thomas T. Tasker,* Edward Harts-
home, M. D., Secretary ; Caleb Cope, Treasurer. I
The Pittsburg Branch of the ZL S. Sanitary Commission. — After
nearly two years of continual effort to render effective aid to the sick, the
wounded, and the way-worn, by means of Relief Societies and a local
"Subsistence Committee," the people of the "Iron City" organized a
branch for aid to the U. S. Sanitary Commission.
The energy and liberality that had, during the early period of the war
given food and comfort to 100,000 soldiers passing through their city,
besides contributing large supplies for relief, &c, at the battle of Shiloh,
furnishing at once two steam-boat loads of such supplies and returning
them with precious loads of the wounded, have been exhibited in their
work as a Branch of the Commission. Dr. Newberry says, " Nowhere,
indeed, so far as I know, since the war commenced, has any similar
society accomplished so much in so short a time after its organization."
Officers of the Pittsburg Branch :
Mr. Thomas Bakewell, President, and Mr. J. R. Hunter, Secretary of
the Gentlemen's Committee ; Miss Rachel McFadden, President, and Miss
Mary Bissell, Secretary of the Committee of Ladies.

The General Aid Society of Buffalo. — This hard-working Branch, is a
most efficient and successfully managed tribuary to the Commission's
Western Department of Relief. The amount of its contributions of su p.
plies during the first two years of its operations reached nearly 140,000
articles. During the year 1803, the number of articles forwarded to the
supply dep&ts was 72,601, and these were appraised at $50,000. In

274
its " cutting department," upwards of 25,500 yards of material have been
cut and worked up.
This model Society, after having instituted a Bazaar during the sum
mer of 1863, which brought nearly $8,000 to the treasury, established a
Fair during the subsequent winter, and by that means added about
$40,000 more to its means.
Officers of the Buffalo Branch :
Mrs. Horatio Seymour, President ; Mrs. Henry R. Seymour, Vice-
President ; Mrs. J. R. Lothrop, Vice-President ; Mis. James P. White,
Treasurer ; Miss Grace E. Bird, Secretary ; Miss Emily W. Babcock,
Assistant Secretary ; Miss Josephine L. Saltar, Directress of Cutting De
partment. Executive Committee. — Mrs, Cyrus Abeam, Mrs. D. B. Waterman,
Mrs. Chas. A. Hopkins, Mrs. James Brayley, Mrs. Isaac A. Jones, Mrs. F.
A. McKnight, Miss Susan E. Kimberly.

The Cleveland Branch : "Soldiers' Aid Society of Northern Ohio." —
Organized the 20th of April, 1861, for immediate aid and relief to volun
teers that were hurrying to the first places of military rendezvous, the his
tory of this Society has continued to be that of a pioneer among its kindred
associations. Its system, efficiency, and harmony of operation, have
from the beginning been the subject of admiration, and of very extensive
imitation and influence throughout the West. It became a Branch of
Supply to the Sanitary Commission in October, 1861. Its officers then
were —
President, Mrs. B. Rouse ; Vice-Presidents, Mrs. John Shelley, Mrs.
Wm. Melhinch ; Secretary, Mary Clark Brayton ; Treasurer, Ellen F.
Terry. The great intelligence and ardent patriotism of the people of Northern
Ohio everywhere responded to the suggestion and plan of this model Aid
Society for the institution of minor auxiliaries in every town and village.
And in the Society's first report they offer their " grateful tribute to the
energy and devotion of Dr. J. S. Newberry, the well-known and most
worthy representative of the Western Department of the U. S. Sanitary
Commission." And it is stated that " to his exertions are owing the enter
prise that has marked the action of the Commission in the Southwest, in
following closely upon the track of our advancing army, establishing agen
cies in every Southern city, almost simultaneously with the raising of the
Stars and Strips, and thus opening wide the door for the influx of the stores
that are poured in exhaustless streams from the loyal North."
Previous to September, 1863, this Branch had furnished 10,000 pack-

275
ages of "sanitary stores," and had given local aid to nearly 12,000 needy
soldiers in transitu at the Cleveland " Home." During the month of
February, 1864, this Branch held a Fair for the purpose of replenishing its
means for the purchase of " sanitary stores." Over $100,000 in cash was
realized, thus enabling its excellent Managers to carry out their cherished
purposes of greater aid to the Sanitary Commission. And, says the West
ern Secretary : " We cannot but think that the good results of such Fairs
as have been held in Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and other cities, are
not to rest with the contributions to the soldiers' comfort alone ; are not
to be estimated in so many dollars for socks, sour-krout, onions, and pota
toes. To promote their comfort, to be able to buy these essentials for the
army, is an incalculable good. But this charity is ' twice blessed.' A rich
and subtle blessing must lie in the wide sympathies called out, the new re
lations of acquaintance, friendship, and intimacy formed, and in the sur
prising revelation of talent and worth in remote and unexplored localities.
Neighbors and neighborhoods must come to respect each other more, to
depend upon each other more, and wonder that they have missed finding
each other out so long. Prejudice must be softened ; artificial barriers
must give way to a freer intercourse, and tenderness of feeling and judg
ment must take the place of sour suspicion. After so complete a flooding
of all the field of life with the resistless tide x>f a sweet and noble enthu
siasm, we cannot but look for a new bloom and unexampled harvests."
Cincinnati Branch of the XI. S. Sanitary Commission.' — In the autumn
of 1861, Dr. Newberry reported to the Commission the organization and
promising labors of the Branch at Cincinnati, with R. W. Burnett, Esq.,
as its President. The history of relief work and sanitary aid, through
the agency of this Branch, has been worthy the Queen City of the West.
And, previously to the organization of the Branch, there had been an im
mense and spontaneous stream of aid poured forth from every church and
soldiers' aid society. That stream had been wisely guided in its applications
at Camp Dennison, at the wayside stations for soldiers in the city, and par
ticularly at the " Marine Hospital," which the Secretary of the Treasury had
given up to the purposes of hospital care for soldiers. This work was
directed by Dr. Mussey and Messrs. Burnett, Anderson, Geoffrey, B. P.
Baker, C. J. Wright, Pearce, Burton, and others.
The matchless energy and munificence of the Cincinnati Branch in its
offerings of whole steamboat-loads of " sanitary stores," and corps of in-
firmiers voiuntaires and surgeons, at the battle-fields of Fort Donelson,
Pittsburg Landing, and elsewhere, can never be forgotten.
As we have not at hand the requisite material for a complete sketch of

276

the work performed by this Branch, the reader will gain some idea of its
nature and extent from the following extracts from the Commission's pub
lications. In document No. 75, the Western Secretary states that this
Branch had distributed, previously to September, 1863, "over twelve thou
sand packages of stores, and is still as active and prosperous as at any former
period of its history. In addition to the contribution of materials to which
I have referred, the Cincinnati Commission has expended large sums of
money, and a vast amount of labor, of thought, of sympathy and kindness, in
the care of the sick in the hospitals of that city ; in the equipment and man
agement of hospital steamers ; in the care of troops passing through or
quartered in the city ; and in sustaining its admirable ' Home,' which has
now accommodated forty thousand soldiers. So great and varied are the
charities which it has dispensed, that I can do no more here than allude,
in a general way, to that which it would take volumes to describe — that
which has served to make the Cincinnati Branch of the Sanitary Commis
sion known and blessed in every department and division of our Western
armies." This Branch issues a monthly Bulletin to its tributaries of aid, acknowl
edging supplies received, and publishing advice, extracts from letters re
ceived from the armies, etc. The following is a specimen of such inform
ation given in the Bulletin of March 1st, 1864.
" Chattanooga, February 16, 1864.
" Executive Committee and Gentlemen :
* * * * "Every one we meet — officers in tbe army, from staff
down, as well as men, and tbe surgeons— concur in saying that scurvy, in
its incipient stages, is manifest in the Army of the Cumberland; and think
an effort should be made to send anti-scorbutics to the regiments in front.
One man, well qualified to judge, made the remark, that one barrel of
potatoes to the armynawis equal to one man for the spring campaign." —
(Letter from Messri. Bailey and Butler.}
-x * # * * * * *
"But little change seems to have taken place in the hygienic condition
of the Western Army since the publication of our last Bulletin, the most
pressing demands being still for warm under clothing and healthful diet,
vegetables, and such other articles as will aid the surgeons in combatting
those dangerous foes, diarrhoea and scurvy. * *
Chas. F. Wilstach, -i
Thos. G. Odiouxe, | Executive Committee,
E. O Baldwin, J- Cincinnati Branch
L- B. Harrison, U. S. San. Com.
Chas. E. Cist, J
Jqhn B. Heicii, General Secretary.
The Sanitary Fair which was held in Cincinnati, during the winter
(1864), brought into the Treasury of this Branch' upwards of $220,000.

277
The Kentucky Branch, Louisville.— .Under the inspiring examples of
devotedly loyal men and women in Louisville and its vicinity, the work of
sanitary and humane relief became organized in that city early in the war.
Rev. J. H. Heywood and others led in this service, and although they
treated friend and foe with equal charity in the hospitals, their work re
ceived no sympathy from the disloyal families. Says the western Secre
tary of the Commission :
" I look back with a kind of horror to those dark days in the history of
this rebellion, when the theatre of war was at the very doors ofthe citizens
of Louisville; when camps were in her suburbs and troops thronged her
Btreets ; when the hastily improvized hospitals, including all the public
school edifices, were crowded with sick, so imperfectly supplied with care
and comforts, that every loyal family felt impelled to contribute a tithe
of its domestic treasures, and send its delicately-reared ladies to minister,
by their own personal efforts, to the suffering and destitute in the hospitals
of the wards in which they lived. No similar scenes had been witnessed
in our previous history, unless in the epidemics of yellow fever at Norfolk
and Philadelphia, in which the same paralyzing gloom pervaded these
cities, on which dark back-ground were illuminated similar bright exam
ples of christian charity. In the works of love and mercy of those days,
our Louisville associates bore a conspicuous part ; and from that period to
the present, they have never ceased to devote a large part of their time
and thought to the great number of objects of pity and charity which mer
ciless war has thrown upon their hands. When the armies were further
removed, and the central office was transferred to this point, all the general
busiuess of the Sanitary Commission was relinquished to this office, while
the members of the Kentucky Branch, by a division of labor, assumed the
responsibility of all the local work, the care of the city hospitals, twenty-
two in number, and addressed themselves to devise new measures of re
lief for soldiers passing through the city, who were the proper objects of
our charity. The " Home," with ali its cares, was entrusted to their man
agement; was largely extended, at an expense of several thousand dollars,
paid from the local treasury, and was made capable of accommodating one
thousand men at a time. It is now the most extensive and complete
establishment of the kind which exists in the country."
Previous to September, 1863, the Kentucky Branch had issued upwards
of 6,000 large packages of sanitary supplies.
The Northwestern Branch of the Sanitary Commission. — The head
quarters of this Branch are in the city of Chicago, and its tributaries are
scattered throughout the States of Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minne
sota. This happy co-ordination of auxiliary work in aid of the Sanitary
Commission throughout the Northwest, was one of the incidental results
of the great Fair that was held at Chicago during the autumn of 1863.

278
Previous to that period the Chicago Branch had nobly represented the
spirit and resources of aid in Northern Illinois. The steadiness and intrin
sic value of its stream of supplies have not been exceeded by aid received
from any similar population.
During the three months of summer the Branch purchased and sent
forward to the Commission's agents in the field over $100,000 worth of
supplies, a large portion of which consisted of anti-scorbutics. The " Sol
diers' Fair " brought into the treasury of the Northwestern Branch, $80,-
000. This money is being judiciously expended by its own officers, for
such supplies as the Commission requires in camp and hospital. During
the last three months of the year 1863, this Branch " sent to Western
Hospitals, 7,450 boxes and barrels, including 8,000 pounds codfish, 11,595
pounds butter, 317 pounds tea, 5,000 bushels onions, 5,000 bushels pota
toes, 500 pounds condensed beef, 347 barrels and 80 boxes pickles, 3,620
shirts, 1,683 pairs drawers, 8,000 pounds crushed sugar, 2,688 pounds
condensed milk, 783 comfortables. Average these boxes at $10,00 each,
and the amount will be $74,500. Average them at $8,00 and they will
amount to $59,000."
This Branch has also been very successful in works of local relief to the
needy families of volunteers. Soldiers in the hospitals have besought their
attention and charity for their poor families, and it is a notorious fact that
many a poor fellow's illness in the hospitals proceeds as much from anxiety
for the helpless ones left behind, as from bodily disease. Consequently, the
ladies connected with the Commission organized a "Ladies' Association for
the Relief of Soldiers' Families," which was wisely made auxiliary to the
" Young Men's Christian Association," which is organized for general char
itable work. " The city has been divided into districts by this Association,
each one of which is under the personal visitation of one or more ladies,
who relieve the suffering of the n,eedy, and solicit donations to the Associ
ation of those whose circumstances allow them to give it."
The people ofthe Northwest have acquired most practical ideas respect
ing sanitary measures and life-saving. Their " Onion Circulars" and " Po
tato Circulars " have produced practical results, which, as Inspector War
riner has said, have modified history. The following extract from the last
[April, 1863,] report of the Branch illustrates the spirit of their appeals :
" An urgent appeal is again made to the people of the Northwest for
vegetables, pickles, dried and canned fruit, and other anti-scorbutics, for
the army of Gen. Grant. Already scurvy has extensively manifested
itself among those war-worn veterans, who only know defeat when attacked
by the fearful diseases of army life, and speedy and abundant shipments of
vegetables can alone save them from alarming sickness and mortality.

279
Theyara encamped. hundreds of miles from their base of supplies — tho
country around them is literally laid waste, and furnishes no vegetable diet,
and no variety even to their daily rations, so that the dreaded appearance
of scurvy has been almost inevitable.
"The Sanitary Commission has moved immediately to remedy this evil.
From Louisville, Cincinnati, and Chicago, large shipments of vegetables
have already been forwarded, and these are to be followed by others, as
fast as circumstances will allow. We have sent Circulars to our auxiliaries
throughout the Northwest, calling earnestly for large donations of anti
scorbutics, to which we hope generous responses will be given. Wiscon
sin has promptly answered the appeal by large' shipments of pickles, sour-
krout, vegetables, and dried fruit, sent through the Milwaukee Aid Society,
and we are notified that larger quantities are forthcoming. We hear also
of shipments on the way from Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa, while in Chi
cago, the ever-generous Board of Trade has moved in the matter by a
subscription to be exclusively applied to tbe purchase of anti-scorbutics."
"The success of our arms depends largely on the way in which this ap
peal is answered. We stand listening for the distant clash of arms, and
shiver with dread as tidings of battles, with their hundreds slain, are flashed
over the wires, but we forget that the diseases of camp and army life are
more fatal to our brave fellows than the bullets of their Southern foes.
They are now called to cope with one of the most formidable of these dis
eases, and it is for the people of the Northwest to reinforce them, largely
snd speedily, that they may not suffer overwhelming defeat in the unequal
contest. Let not this appeal be unheeded, but send forward without de
lay, in quantities commensurate with the fearful need, every variety of
vegetable that can be collected, and every species of pickle that can be
manufactured, as remedies for the sick, and preventives to illness for the
well." This appeal is accompanied by, and seems to be based upon, a very
practical report of a Medical Director in the Army of the Mississippi.
Officers of the Northwestern Branch. — E. B. McCagg, President ; Rev.
Wm. W. Patton, Vice President ; H. E. Seelye, Recording Secretary ;
Cyrus Bentley, Corresponding Secretary; E. W. Blatchford, Treasurer;
Wesley Munger, B. F. Raymond, J. K. Botsford.
Associate Managers. — Mrs. A. H. Hoge, Mrs. D. P. Livermore, Chicago;
Mrs. E. C. Henshaw, Ottawa, 111. ; Mrs! J. S. Colt, Milwaukee, Wis.
This history of the good works of this fruitful Branch of the Commission
would fill a volume by itself. But a brief notice of its great Fair is all we
will add to this notice of those works of patriotism and love.
On the 1st of September last (1863), a preliminary meeting of delegates
from Soldiers' Aid Societies and Union Leagues of the four Northwestern
States convened at Chicago, to consider plans for a great Fair that had
been proposed by the Governors of those States, and the chief officers of
twenty-two of the leading Societies and Leagues. It was immediately de
cided by the delegates in convention, that the Sanitary Fair be opened on

2S0

the 27th of October, and that, if possible, $25,000 shonld be realized from
its sales. It was a novel experiment, but the hearts of the people were
quickly aroused with sympathy for its humane objects, so that when the
Fair bad closed it was found that not $25,000, but nearly $90,000, had
been received in cash, besides much valuable property remaining unsold I
The history of that marvellous and significant union of the hearts of the
Northwest in the pioneer of the Sanitary Fairs, cannot be given in these
pages, but the following simple incidents will well illustrate how deeply the
spirit of the Fair and of home-love for the soldier and the flag, permeated
the popular mind :
" The contributions to the Fair, to be sold for the benefit of our sick and
wounded soldiers, were large, were munificent, but it was this tore of
deep-seated earnestness which was largest. It was not merely what men
and women said and did, but the way the the thing was done, which car
ried with it this impression of wholesale generosity of spirit. Delicately
wrought articles, such as usually adorn the tables of Fairs, the work of
ladies' hands, were not wanting ; but then the farmers from miles and miles
around, kept coming in with their wagons by twenties, and fifties, and hun
dreds, loaded down with their bulky farm produce ; others came leading
horses, or driving before them cows, or oxen, or mules, which they con
tributed instead of money, of which, perhaps, tbey had none ; others
brought live poultry which had been fed for months by the poor man's
door; they brought this because they must bring something, and this was
all they had. Some wagons were loaded from rich dairies, with butter
and cheese by the ton. Then came great loads of hay from some distant
farm, followed by others just as large from farms farther off. The mechanics
brought their machines, and gave them in, one after another; — mowing
machines, reapers, threshing machines, planters, pumps, fanningmills —
until a new building, a great storehouse, had to be erected to reeeive them ;
and here were ploughs, and stoves, and furnaces, and mill-stones, and nails
by the hundred kegs, and wagons, and carriage springs, — ard axes, and
plate glass, and huge plates of wrought iron, (one the largest that was ever
rolled from any rolling-mill in the world,) block tin and enameled leather,
hides, boxes of stationery, and cases of boots, cologne by the barrel, native
wine in casks, purified coal-oil by the thousand gallons — a mountain how
itzer, a steel breech-loading cannon, a steam-engine made by the working
men in one of manufactories of engines in Chicago.
" Then loaded wagons came in long processions, toiling into -the city from
far-off country places, bearing marks of frontier service, and the horses or
mules, together with the drivers themselves, most of them told of wear.
Many of them were sun-burnt men, with hard hands and rigid features ;
and a careless observer would have said that there was surely nothing in
tho3e wagons, as they passed, to awaken any sentiment. Yet something
there was about it all, which brought tears to tbe eyes of hundreds, as the
old farmers with their heavy loads toiled by. Among the crowd of spec
tators there was noticed a broad-shouldered Dutchman, with a face expres-

281
sive of anything but thought or feeling; he gazed at this singular proces
sion as it passed, — the sun- burnt farmers, and the long, narrow wagons, and
the endless vaiiety of vegetables and farm produce, — he gazed there as
these men, with their sober faces and their homely gifts, passed one by one,
until- when, finally, the last wagon had moved by, tbis stolid, lethargic-
looking man " broke down " with a flood of tears, and could say nothing
and do nothing but seize upon the little child whom he held by the hand,
and hug her to his heart, trying to hide his manly tears behind her floating
curls." •
The sons of such a people will triumph, or die in the battles they fight.
Such earnestness and unity of purpose in their homes, gives strength to
the soldiers in the field.

Other Auxilary Associations. — In New Haven, Hartford, Albany, Troy,
Utica, Syracuse, Elmira, Rochester, Newark, N. J., Columbus, Ohio ; Balti
more, Md. ; Washington ; New Orleans, and other central places, active
aid is rendered to the Sanitary Commission's Supply Department by
means of well organized Auxiliary Societies of Aid. Indeed, the net-
,'work of these Auxiliaries and their primary tributaries now extends to
almost every town and neighborhood in all the loyal States.*

* The " Western Sanitary Commission,'' St. Louis. — This organization, though in
dependent of the National Commission, has continued to be an important auxiliary
in the great work of relief. It sprang into existence under the philanthropic and
loyal leadership of Rev. Wm. G. Eliot, Mr. J. E. Yeatman, and other patriotic
citizens of St. Louis, during dark days in the autumn of 1861, when, as a popular
writer has said, "one-half the cannon planted on the forts for defence of the city
were pointed at the city, to keep in awe the enemies within, and when the Ladies'
Union Aid Society was almost a secret movement."
The noble-hearted men and women who braved"' the obloquy of the hour, and
when the wounded arrived from Springfield and Rolla, famished, and in their gore,
fed, nursed, and provided hospitals and care for them, at once became the trusted
friends of the military authorities, and received a special commission from Gen.
Fremont to continue and systematize such work.
The Commission consists of the foUowing persons : James E. Yeatman, Presi
dent; C. S. Greely, Treasurer; J. B. Johnson, George Partridge, Rev. W. G. Eliot,
J. G. Foreman, Secretary.
At present it is devoting much attention to the relief of freedmen and refugees.
It also continues its general work of relief in the hospitals of Missouri, and at
Vicksburg, Helena, Memphis, and elsewhere. Up to July, 1863, it had expended.
in cash, $146,464 SO, and had distributed "Sanitary Stores" valued at $398,-

282

Though the brief sketches that have here been presented are designed
particularly to illustrate the plan by which the Commission's Depart
ment of Relief is sustained, the record of the works of any one of the prin
cipal branches that have been mentioned present something more. They
illustrate the affections, thoughtfulness, patriotism, and undenying sym
pathies of the mothers, wives, and daughters of the Republic. By these
things are our homes sanctified in the war that is raging, and by these
the battle-worn veteran finds his home made doubly endearing.
The prevention of sickness, and of all causes of unnecessary suffering, has
been from the first the chief design of the Sanitary Commission's efforts
but the requisite means for succor and aid to the sick and wounded have
flown in so abundantly and so systematically from the branches and
Auxiliaries of Supply, that the Commission has been enabled to carry out
pkns of Relief which otherwise would have been impossible. The whole
sj'stem of this co-operative yet spontaneous aid is so simple that school
girls readily comprehend it when tbey form their " busy-bee circles." Is
it not a work in which the band of Providence marks the way of duty ?*

835 96. Its expenses for distribution are estimated in the last Report at 1-g- per
cent , which corresponds with the estimates of the XS. S. San. Com. [See p. 167.]
This humane labor of the St. Louis Commission has truly been " loyal work,"
and, as has recently been said by a prominent leader in that work, " ns things now
stand, we can see no reason why the two commissions should not harmonize into
one." The work of the St. Louis Commission is spontaneous aDd fervent, and its
advantages to the army and to the world may be increased by the uuity that has
now become practicable and highly desirable.
* The cause of humanity needs no defence, yet its claims are not well under
stood by those persons who fail to see and commend the object and necessity of
voluntary assistance and even of woman's aid in the care of the sick and wounded
in the war. Let the simple eloquence of the following statements defend such work.
At the opening of the Sanitary Fair in Washington, President Lincoln, in a
brief speech, said :
"The extraordinary war in which we are engaged falls heavily upon all classes
of people, but tbe most heavily upon the soldier. For it has been said, all that a
man hath will he give for his life; and while all contribute of their substauce, the
soldier puts his life at stake, and often yields it up in his country's cause. The
highest merit, then, is due the soldier.
"In this extraordinary war, extraordinary developments have manifested them
selves, such as have not been seen in former wars, and among these manifestations
nothing has been more remarkable than these Fairs, for the relief of suffering
soldiers and their families. And the chief agents in these Fairs are the women of
America. " I am not accustomed to the use of language of eulogy ; I have never studied
the art of paying compliments to women ; but I must aay that if all that has been
said by orators and poets since the creation of the world in praise of women, were
applied to the women of America, it would not do them justice for their conduct
during this war. I will close by saying, God bless the women of America 1"

283

The system of Aid throughout the land is now essentially one ; and the
more harmoniously and steadily it is kept in operation the more good will
be done by the spontaneous offerings from our homes. The great Sanitary
Fairs — the marvel of the hour — have not only supplied means to meet the
great demands for succor when the impending battles are fought, but they
have proved how easy it is for warm hearts and ready hands to work in
harmony. " Headquarters, Army of the Potomac, )
" Friday, April 8, 1864. j"
" L. Montgomery Bond, Esq. :
" Dear Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication
of the 6th instant enclosing circulars of the 'Committee on Labor, Incomes, and
Revenues' of the Great Central Fair for the United States Sanitary Commission.
" It is hardly necessary for me to assure you that I am with you heart and soul
in the great work of benevolence and charity which you have entered on.
" It has been my duty to make inquiry as to the practical working aud benefit
of the United States Sanitary Commission, and it affords me great pleasure to be
able to bear testimony, so far as this army is concerned, to the inestimable benefits
and blessings conferred by this noble association on the suffering, sick, and wounded
soldiers. " A few facta in connection with this point may be of use to you.
"At the battle of Gettysburg the number of wounded of our own army alone
amounted, by official reports, to thirteen thousand seven hundred and thirteen
(13,7 13) ; those of the enemy left on the field were estimated by our medical officers
as amounting to eight thousand. This would make in all nearly twenty-two thou
sand suffering beings requiring immediate attention to save life.
" Few people can realize such large numbers, but if you tell them that should
they fill and pack your Academy of Music in Philadelphia (which holds, I believe,
some thirty-five hundred people) six times, and then imagine every soul in this im
mense crowd wounded, they will have a chance idea of the great work for human
ity on the field of Gettysburg.
"Now, although tbe Government is most liberal and generous in all its provisions
for the sick and wounded, yet it is impossible to keep constantly on hand either the
personnel or supplies required in an emergency of this kind.
"In addition to this difficulty at Gettysburg, I was compelled to pursue the re
treating foe, and as I expected in a few days to have another battle at some dis
tant point, it was absolutely necessary I should carry away the greater portion of
our surgeons and medical supplies, so that the wounded at Gettysburg were in
a measure dependant upon such extra assistance as the Government could hastily
collect, and upon the generous aid so cheerfully and promptly afforded by the
Sanitary and Christian Commissions and the various State and Soldiers' Aid So
cieties. All the additional aid from every source was here most urgently needed,
and it gives me great pleasure to say that, from the reports of my medical officers,
I am satisfied the United States Sanitary Commission, as well as the others
above mentioned, were fully up to the work before them. _
" What has occurred in the past may occur in the future. There is no nobler
or holieik work of Christian love or charity, and if the voices of the brave sol
diers are of any influence, you may rest assured you have their hearty wishes
and earnest prayers. " Most respectfully and truly yours, " George G. Meade,
"Major-General, Commanding Army of the Potomac."

APPENDIX B.

The European Branch of the XT. S. Sanitary Commission.

A meeting of American gentlemen was held at the American Consulate ,
Paris, November 30th, 1863, for the purpose of organizing-a Paris Branch
of the United States Sanitary Commission.
The Rev. John McClintock, D. D., was duly appointed President, and
Mr. James W. Brooks, Vice-Consul of the United States, Secretary pro
tern. An Executive Committee was appointed, consisting of the following
named gentlemen ;
Rev. John McClintock, D. D., (Pastor of the American Chapel, Paris) ;
Mr. John Bigelow, U. S. Consul ; Mr. Chas. S. P. Bowles, Boston ; Mr.
Edward Brooks, Boston ; Dr. T. W. Evans, Paris ; Mr. Robt. M. Mason,
Boston , Mr. Geo. T. Richards, Paris ; Mr. J. Phalen, New YoTk ; Mr.
Wm. H. Thomson, New York ; Mr. Henry Wood, Boston.
Such Committee to have general supervision of the action of the Paris
Branch, subject to the approval of the Central Board of the Commission,
with power to fill its own vacancies.
At a subsequent meeting Dr. McClintock was, on motion, duly elected
Chairman of the Committee, and Mr. Wm. B. Bowles Secretary.
It was resolved that the Secretary open a correspondence with American
Consuls, and with prominent American citizens residing in Europe, with a
view to the extension and increased efficiency of this Branch of the Com
mission. Resolved, — That the title of the Branch be "The European Branch
of the United States Sanitary Commission."
Mr. Wm. S. Thompson offered his name as one often to subscribe five
thousand francs each for the objects of the European Branch.

285
The European Branch has established its headquarters at No. 2 Rue
Martel, Paris, and has raised a considerable amount of funds, and shipped
to the Sanitary Commission large quantities of hospital supplies.
AUXILIARY SOCIETY ORGANIZED IN LONDON.
(From the London Star, March 4, 18G4.)
A meeting of Americans was held at the London Tavern yesterday for
the furtherance of the interests of the United States Sanitary Commission.
Tbe Hon. William M. Evarts, of New York, occupied the chair.
The Chairman said he had great pleasure in taking any part in aid of
the organization now to be commenced. He hoped it would be tbe means
of materially assisting the great Sanitary Commission of the United States,
and that it would take an important share in its benevolent and charitable
labors. The object of the meeting, as they no doubt were made aware
through the notice that had been circulated, was tbe establishment of an
auxiliary amongst the Americans of the United Kingdom, so thatby con
centrated efforts they might take part in the charitable work of alleviating
the wants and sufferings of their wounded, sick and dying brethren in
America. There was no other claim to its bounty and to its services than
the misfortune of the recipients, making no distinction between friend and
foe in the administration of its aids. It was natural tbat the Americans of
the United Kingdom should feel a deep interest in such a movement, and
that they should not alone continue the assistance they had heretofore given
as private individuals, but that they should also desire to make a combined
effort to swell the contributions in aid of this important and continued
need. To establish an organization for the effecting of that combined effort
was the object of the meeting.
Mr. Stevens moved than an organization of Americans in the United
Kingdom, as an auxiliary to the United States Sanitary Commission be
established, and that an executive committee be appointed with power
to fill vacancies and add to their number; with power also to elect officers,
appoint sub-committees, and to transact all business in aid of of the San
itary Commission.
An Executive Committee, consisting of between sixty and seventy well-
known American residents in England was appointed; and at a meeting
of the Executive Committee of the Organization of Americans in the Uni
ted Kingdom as an Auxiliary to the United States Sanitary Commission,
held at the Palace Hotel, in London, on Saturday, the 5th of March, 1864,
the following Officers and Standing Committee were chosen ;
President.— Mr. Joshua Bates, 21 Arlington street, W.
Vice-Presidents.— Mr. George Peabody, 22 Old Broad street, E. C. ;
Mr. C. M. Lampson, 64 Queen street, E, C. ; Mr. Alexander Duncan, 7
Prince's Gate, S. W.

286

Standing Committee. — Mr. C. M. Lampson, 64 Queen street, E. C. ;
Mr. Russell Sturgis, 8 Bishopsgate street, E. C. ; Mr. J. S. Morgan, 22
Old Broad street, E. C. ; Mr. E. L. S. Benzon, 32 Nicholas Lane ,»E. C. ;
Mr. Henry Stevens, 4 Trafalgar Square, W. C.
Treasurer. — Mr. Henry Starr, 150 Cheapside.
Secretary, pro tern. — Mr. E. C. Fisher, 150 Cheapside.
Bankers. — Messrs. Baring, Bros. & Co., 8 Bishopsgate street ; Messrs.
George Peabody & Co., 22 Old Broad street ; Messrs. Brown, Shipley &
Co., Liverpool.

APPENDIX 0.

The International Sanitary Conference, and Voluntary Aid in the
Sanitary Service of European Armies. — On the 1st of September,
1863, the " Society of Public Usefulness, of Geneva," in Switzerland, issued
a circular to the several Governments of Europe, and to leading philan
thropists, as well as to chief military authorities, inviting their co-operation
at an International Conference, and particularly requesting the representa
tion of the different Governments by delegates, to convene at Geneva the
26th of October. The object of the Conference was, " to consider the means
of providing for the insufficiency of the Sanitary Service of Armies in the
Field." The " Geneva Society of Public Usefulness" some time ago appointed a
Committee, consisting of General Dufour, M. Moynier, Doctors Appia and
Mallnoir, and M. Henri Dunant, to consider the subject, and to prepare
the way for such a Conference. Accordingly, the principal governments
sent delegates in response of the Committee's invitation, and the last week
of October was spent by them in discussing the subject that had so appro
priately been brought forward in the leading philanthropic association
of central Europe.
The nations of Europe were represented as follows :
M. le Docteur Unger, from Austria (Surgeon-in-Chief of the Austrian
.Army) ; Surgeon in-Chief Steiner, from Baden ; Surgeon-in-Chief Theodore
Dompierre, from Bavaria; Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Loeffler, from Prussia;
Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Basting, from Holland; Surgeon-in Chief Don N. A.
C. Landa, from Spain; Surgeon-in-Chief Boudier, from France; M. de
Preval, from France ; M. Chevalier (Consul), from France ; Dr. Rutherford
(Inspector-General of Hospitals), from England ; Mr. Mackenzie, from Eng
land ; Dr. Oelker, from Hanover; Major Brodruck, from Hesse; M. Ca-
pello, from Italy ; Prince Henry XIIL, from Prussia ; Dr. G. Housiselle,
from Prussia ; Capt. Van de Velde, from Holland ; Dr. Gunther, from
Saxony; Capt. Alex. Kirriew, from Russia; M. E. Essakoff, from Russia;
Dr. Schceldberg, from Sweden ; Dr. Edling, from Sweden ; Dr. Hahn,
from Wurtemberg; Dr. Wagner, from Wurtemberg; M. F. De Mont-

288

mollin, from Switzerland ; Dr. Lehmann, from Switzerland ; Dr. Briere,
from Switzerland; M. F. De G. Monlmollin, from Switzerland; Professor
Landoz, from Switzerland ; M. Moratel, from Switzerland; Dr. Engelhardt,
from Switzerland; M. M. General Dufour, President; Henri Dunant,
Secretary. The questions submitted to the Conference had reference mainly to battle
field relief, by means of Voluntary Aid, and notwithstanding the full
presentation of military considerations, that have until now prevented the
recognition of such supplementary assistance, the Conference unanimously
very strongly sustained all the claims wbich had been put forward by the
philanthropic men who invited the meeting.
The two leading questions discussed were :
1st. Is Voluntary Aid for the succor of the wounded in battles practi
cable, and is ,t desirable ?
2d. Shall neutrality and full military protection be asked from all na
tions, in time of war, for the wounded, their surgeons, and all persons and
things employed for their succor ?
These questions were not new, but they were put forth and discussed by
men familiar with war and battle-scenes; and all the subordinate and
most practical questions relating to the required improvements of ambu
lance systems, and the more immediate means for relieving the wounded,
were discussed under the influence of truly humane and patriotic senti
ments. Said General Dufour: "Noble and generous is the purpose of
those Governments which have not hesitated to respond to the appeals
wbich have been addressed to them in the name of suffering humanity.
Too long have the shouts of triumph stifled the groans of those who had
purchased it with their blood ; the roaring of tbe cannon which announced
the victory has drowned the plaintive cry of those who, after having fought
for it, ask as their only reward a litter to bear them from tbe scene of car
nage, and the joyous ringing of the bells has deadened the heroes' funeral
knell of agony. Tbe Surgeon and the Sister of Charity were the only wit
nesses of their suffering. Such scenes possess but few attractions for ama
teurs, and the multitude pursue with their applauses those who return with
their brows crowned with laurels, without giving one thought or regret to
those unfortunate ones whose casualties are summed up in a brief announce
ment appended to the last line of the bulletin of the battle."

289
All the propositions which the Committee of the Geneva Society had
submitted having been fully discussed by the Conference, the following
conclusions were reached and adopted, on the fourth day of the session :
" The International Conference, desirous to render aid to the wounded
in those cases where the army sanitary service is insufficient, adopted the
following resolutions:
" 1. That in each country there be a committee whose mission is to
assist in time of war, if it is required, in providing, by all means in its
power, for the sanitary wants of the armies. The committee will organize
itself in such manner as shall seem most useful and convenient.
" 2. Sections, without limit in number, may be formed for the purpose
of aiding this committee, and which shall act under its general direction.
"3. It shall bo the duty of the committee to place itself en rapport with,
the government of its own country, in order that its service may be re
ceived, if there is need.
"4. In time of peace, the committees and the sections shall look for the
best means for rendering1 themselves really useful in time of war, especially
in preparing material help of all kinds (secours materiels de tout genre),
and in endeavoring to organize and instruct volunteer nurses (infirmiers
Volontaires). " 5. In the event of war, the committees of the belligerent nations
shall furnish, according to their means, relief (secours) to the respective
armies; their particular duty is to organize and set at work the volunteer
nurses (infirmiers volontaires), and to prepare, in accordance with the mili
tary authority, the places in which the wounded shall be attended.
" They may solicit the co-operation of the committee of neutral nations.
" 6. Upon application and with consent of the military authorities, the
committees shall send the infirmiers volontaires upon the battle-field : they
shall, at such times, be under the direction of the chief military com
mander. " 7. The infirmiers volontaires who follow the army must be provided
by their respective committees with all necessary means for their susten
ance. " 8. That, in every country, they wear, as uniform, a white band upon
the arm, with a red cross.
" 9. The committees and sections ofthe various countries may assemble
an International Congress to communicate tbe results of their experience,
and to consult upon the measures to be pursued in the interest ofthe work.
" 10. The exchange of communications between the committees of the
several nations shall be provisionally made through the committee at
Geneva. "Besides the above resolutions, the Conference promulgates the follow
ing recommendations :
"A. Let the governments grant their highest protection to the commit
tees of relief which shall be formed, and facilitate, as much as possible, the
fulfillment of their mission.
"B. Let neutrality be proclaimed in time of war, by belligerent nations,
19

290
for the ambulances and the hospitals, and let it be equally admitted, in
the most complete manner, for the personnel of the sanitary staff (personnel
sanitaire officiel), for the infirmiers volontaires, for tbe country people who
may go to assist the wounded, and for the wounded themselves.
" C. Let a uniform distinctive badge (signe) be recognized for the sani
tary corps of all armies, or at least for the persons of the same army who
are attached to that service. Let a uniform flag (un drapeau identique)
be also adopted for ambulances and hospitals in all countries."
These conclusions, and the debates that preceded them in the Confer
ence, have awakened profound interest throughout Europe.
It appears that it was no part ofthe design ofthe Geneva Conference to
take up any of the great questions relating to the sanitary care of armies
excepting those leading points that relate to the succor of the men who
fall in battle — the humane and sanitary provision for the ambulance and
field-hospital service ; and upon the questions that were raised respecting
the necessity or duty of great improvements in that service, the delegates
expressed most decided and harmonious sentiments. The presence of such
veteran campaigners and military surgeons as MM. Boudier, Unger, Bas
ting, and Lceffler, enabled the most experienced class of delegates to pre
sent in a strong, but true, light all the essential difficulties that stand in
the way of successfully utilizing the offering — personal and material — of
voluntary aid for the relief and care ofthe wounded in active armies. The
positions taken by the ablest and most'experienced members of the Geneva
Conference, strongly corroborate and sustain the established policy and
works of the United States Sanitary Commission.
Henri Dunant, a citizen of Geneva, who was travelling as a tourist in
the regions occupied by the vast armies that met at Solferino and Ma
genta, had his soul so stirred by the scenes of carnage and woe that he
witnessed there immediately upon the cessation of the conflict, that he
deemed it a duty to humanity to offer such volunteered aid as he was
able to organize and put into operation upon the spur of the occasion. The
record of that timely and merciful work is in the hearts of the multi
tude of mutilated sufferers who, but for the succor which that noble man
and bis obedient helpers rendered, would not now be able to recount
the scenes of the terrible battle-field of Solferino.
Thus, naturally, this noble-hearted and earnest man, M. Dunant, was
led, by his brief and thrilling experience, to reflect upon the practica
bility of calling into existence an organized national and international
scheme for applying the services of trained corps of voluntary nurses, so as
to eejuie a uniform system, rendered by study and experience superior, if
possible, to the hastily extemporized band of voluntary attendants, organ-

291
ized and led by him at Solferino. The unanimous approval was given, in
the deliberations of the Conference, to the proposed plan for encouraging
the timely preparation of materiel for the succor of the wounded, ,and
especially for effectually organizing the humane endeavors and charities
of the people. Said the distinguished representative of the Government
and Army of Prussia : " Behold, gentlemen, the great field of activity for
permanent ' Societies of Relief,' organized in time of peace, and prepared
beforehand with all suitable means to supply the work of official authori
ties, and to satisfy the wishes of a truly religious philanthropy."
The medical delegates at the Geneva Conference joined heartily with.
the non-medical delegates in all the debates and purposes of the Confer
ences. Their sentiments in reference to such works of live-saving are hap
pily expressed by a French physician, Dr. Henri Favre, who, as a public
journalist, has earnestly advocated the objects of the Conference. He
writes : " The physician has science ; let him confer with the benevolent
and sympathetic ; let him encourage them with his approbation, and en
lighten them with his counsels. Knowledge will thus heighten the value
of benevolence, and the result will be beautiful." And justly does that
eloquent physician ask ; " Is it not the highest mission of the true physi
cian to aid with his professional knowledge the endeavors of the benevolent
and self sacrificing ?" Such appears to have been the spirit not only of the
medical delegates at the International Conference, but of the various Sov
ereigns and Ministers of War who sent messages of counsel and encour
agement. The effort to secure absolute neutrality and a fraternal recognition for
the wounded and for all who are legitimately engaged in providing for
them among belligerents, will lead to most important results. Some ofthe
arguments presented on this point in the Conference the reader will peruse
with interest. Dr. Landa, Surgeon-Major, and delegate from the sanitary
corps of the Spanish army, said :
" I congratulate the Conference that they have included the wounded
among those for whom neutrality is demanded. As a sanitary officer of a
permanent army," Dr. Landa, as far as he was concerned, " could never have
accepted this exemption of the person of military surgeons from risks, by
neutrality, if the wounded were not also allowed the same exemption, for
it is their duty to share the fate of those under their care. It is undoubt
edly a principle which has been generally admitted in time of war, that
everything remaining upon the ground occupied by the conqueror, belongs
to the conqueror, still, as a wounded man is properly committed to the
care of the surgeon alone, hostile generals have not unfrequently mutually
agreed to restore the wounded to liberty. During the session of this
Conference, the diplomatic treaty made during the last century between
Prussia and France, for the neutrality of sanitary service, has been cited

292
upon this point. This treaty is not an isolated case, since examples may
be found in the history of more remote times. In the '¦order of St. John
of Jerusalem,' there exist analogous souvenirs of the Sultan Saiadin, and
may we not reasonably expect that in this civilized age, the sovereigns of
Europe would not willingly appear less humane and generous, than many
centuries ago was a Saracen Sultan of the desert."
An experienced surgeon of the Austrian army, said he would call at
tention to the fact that —
" Those persons who comprise the sanitary corps in the field, are mili
tary persons and bear arms, which they only lay aside during the execu
tion of their mission to the sick and wounded. They may be taken
prisoners wherever they are found, since this is the right of war, and as
injury is inflicted upon a hostile army by depriving it of its stores of sup
plies and provisions, so also it may be made to suffer if deprived of the
whole or a part of its sanitary corps. Upon the field of battle, however,
those places where they deposit their arms to take care of the wounded,
should be considered by the enemy as sacred ; and to effect this, an inter
national flag of a particular color should be raised ; and since this Confer
ence has proposed a white badge with a red cross to designate the voluntary
nurses, let all places where the wounded and their attendant surgeons are
found be also indicated by a flag of this color. All nations have now
adopted a flag for their ambulances, but each has a flag of a different color.
It is white in Austria, red in France, yellow in Spain, in other countries it
is black, and tbe soldiers composing the armies are only familiar with the
color of their own ambulances. This difficulty would be remedied if a
white flag with a red cross should float over the ambulances- of all the
armies of Europe. In his [Dr. Unger's] opinion, the enemy must retain
the right to make prisoners of military surgeons ; but he must respect tlieir
persons, and the places of asylum and succor upon the field of battle, the
ambulance, and the hospital iu the rear, indicated by tbe national flag,
shall be considered neutral.
Dr. Mannoir said he could not appreciate the motive which induces
Dr. Unger to suppose that the neutrality of sanitary corps cannot be ac
cepted. The history of war has never demonstrated that an army has
been destroyed, or a sovereign compelled to make peace, because such
army or sovereign had lost its sanitary corps. The only result of the loss
of the sanitary staff and supplies is, that -the wounded cannot receive
proper care. It is the soldier who suffers, and tbis is of no advantage to
the hostile army, as no general has ever hesitated to engage in battle from
such a motive. Moreover, Dr. Mannoir objected to what can only be con
sidered a mere hypothesis on tbe part of Dr. Unger, for unfortunately
neither this Conference nor military surgeons possess tbe authority to de
cide this question, and M, Mannoir affirms, as bis personal opinion, the
entire innocence of the neutrality of the sanitary service. He would, there
fore, propose the following amendment ;
" Conference, before adjourning, unanimously recommends :
"That the several States of Europe co-operate in urging the neutrality
of persons who compose tbe sanitary staff of armies in the field, including
in this neutrality not only the staff actually in service, but the corps of

293
¦voluntary nurses, civilians who may go to assist in the care of the wounded,
and the wounded themselves. Conference believes that this decision,
while it does not modify the results of war, would be worthy of this age
of progress and humanity. "
The humane labors of the Order of " St. John of Jerusalem," the ex
ample of M. Dunant's hastily improvised corps of infirmiers and voluntaires,
and the beautiful illustration of woman's sympathies and timely methods
of succor under the guidance of Lady Helena Paulowna, during the Rus
sian campaign in the Crimea, and more recently in Poland, were happily
quoted as examples of the nature and practicability of the voluntary aid
which should be given to the sick and wounded in time of war.* And
the Russian Minister of War, Lieut.-General Milutin, in an official com
munication to the Conference when in Session, states that special committees
or "Commissions are now organized and at work in St. Petersburg, for the
introduction into the Sanitary service ofthe army, of all the improvements
(ameliorations) that modern science can seek out in time of peace against
the time of War."
The Sovereigns of Europe are becoming aware of the economical value
of the life and health of their people, and particularly in their armies, and
while the war-clouds have been gathering on the Continent, the people

* The ancient order of St. John, here mentioned, is at present doing much for
the mitigation of human suffering. During the month of March, 1864, it has esta
blished and fully furnished a large military hospital at Altonia, for the wounded
of all classes of the belligerents in the Danish war. The order also has the eutire
care of eight hospitals iu Prussia, seven in Germany, and one in Beirour.
The system of Field and Hospital succor that was founded by the GraDd
Duchess Helena Paulowna during the Crimean campaign, has done immense ser
vice for humanity, and has been everywhere favored by the Russian military au
thorities. More than two hundred of its trained women-nurses were on duty in
tbe Crimea, where, says an eminent surgeon in that war, "They were indefatiga
ble in nursing the wounded, not only in the hospitals of Sebastopol and Simphero-
pol and in the ambulances, but also close to the batteries in the midst of most
appaling scenes, actually exposed to shot and shell." They also attended the
wounded and sick in the land transports to the rear, and back to Moscow and St.
Petersburg. The distinguished Professor Perigoff describes the services of those
devoted women as beiDg above all praise, their heroism, and endurance, and dis
cretion, as marvellous, and their assistance to the medical officers of priceless value.
The " Letter of Instructions " under which these women enter this service of Relief
opens as follows: "In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, in perfect charity and
self-devotion, zealously to assist the medical authorities in the care of the sick and.
wounded, and also to strengthen the patients under their sufferings by Christian
consolation." , , .
In this spirit these persons have continued their labors since their organization,
and, after large numbers of them had died from fevers and hardships in the Crimea
and the Russian hospitals, they entered upon a similar field of labors in St. Peters
burg, among the needy classes ; and more recently their aid has been successfully
given to the sick and wounded belligerents of both parties in the Polish war.

294:
have humanely undertaken to mitigate the woes they fear. And while it
has fallen to the lot of the United States Sanitary Commission to pre
sent the first complete example of voluntary means applied " to provide for
the insufficiency of the Sanitary service in armies," the development and
progress of similar work in Europe is a subject in which all philanthrophic
minds feel mutually interested. The present state of tbis good work in
other nations will be best stated in this place by quoting the following brief
extracts from recent European journals :
In " La Nation Suisse," a daily journal in Geneva, of February 7th,
(1864,) it is stated that "the recommendations of the International Con
ference have already been officially adopted by many European govern
ments, the Federal Council of tbe Swiss Confederacy being first on the list."
" Prussia treats the question of neutrality diplomatically, and Denmark
is disposed to favor an international convention for the consideration of this
subject. In Germany the suggestions of M. Dunant have everywhere en
listed the warmest sympathies of the people, and the same is true in Swe
den, where committees of ladies have been formed to prepare, collect and
forward woolen socks and other warm garments for the Danish soldiers.
" In anticipation of the war which threatens so many portions of Europe ,
it becomes tbe duty of everyone to disseminate as widely as possible the
humane suggestions contained in the work entitled, souvenir de Soferino.
" Let us still, however, indulge the hope that the time will come when
the blood of tbe soldier shall no longer moisten the earth which the sweat
from the brow of the laborer should alone moisten."

In " Le Moniteur de VArmSe," a leading military journal in France, of
February 11th, 1864, we find the following statement, including the copy
of a letter from tbe French Emperor to M. Dunant :
" Sir, — The Emperor has acquainted himself with the resolutions adopted
by the International Conference recently convened at Geneva, under the
presidency of General Dcpour, for the purpose of considering the ques
tion of international efforts for the relief of soldiers wounded upon the field
of battle." His Majesty heartily approves of the object of ihe Conference and
the resolutions adopted for its accomplishment. He desires to co-ope
rate with you in your work by authorizing the formation of the relief com
mittee wbich you propose to appoint at Paris, and wishes you to be assured
of all the sympathy with which he regards this effort.
" The Emperor has, moreover, commissioned me to communicate to the
Marshal Minister of War his desire that he should authorize the appoint
ment of some officers of high rank to a place upon the committee that you
propose to organize. '
" I pray you to accept my assurances of devotion,
" The Colonel Aid-de-Camp,
Favre."

295
"His Majesty, the Emperor of Russia, has authorized His Imperial
Highness the Grand Duke Constantine to assume the direction of the com
mittee under the patronage of their Imperial Majesties.
" In Saxony, His Majesty the King and his Ministers, and many influ-
encial citizens, have enlisted heartily in the work.
"In Wurtemburg the committee which has been organized at Stuttgart,
under the patronage of the royal family, has succeeding in forming auxili
ary committees of ladies throughout the country.
"In Spain, His Royal Highness, the Most Serene Infant Don Sebastian
of Bourbon and Braganza, Grand Prior of the Order of Saint John of Jeru
salem, in the language of Castile, enthusiastically favors the idea, and has
solicited authority from Her Majesty the Queen to accomplish for Spain
(out of respect for the resolutions of the Conference of Geneva) what His
Eoyal Highness Prince Charles of Prussia has done for this work at Ber
lin, for the Bailiwick of Brandenburg. The Spanish Marshals and Gene
rals heartily approve of this proposal.
"The Minister of War of the Kingdom of Denmark has officially in
formed the committee at Geneva that his government cordially approved
the resolutions adopted at the International Conference of October.
_ "On the other hand, His Majesty the King of Prussia, who takes the
liveliest interest in everything relating to this subject, has, by his Ministers,
recently put to a practical use the question of neutrality. The Knights of
Saint John of Jerusalem have already erected at Altona a large hospital
for the soldiers who may be wounded during the war with Denmark."
The Danish Ministers and the King of Prussia having officially ap
proved the resolutions of the Conference at Geneva, M. Henri Dunant as
secretary of the International Committee, has solicited Denmark and the
German Powers to conclude a mutual agreement upon this important ques
tion of humanity.
In the " Cologne Gazette? in January, 1864, we find the following
statement :
"It is very desirable that without delay voluntary associations should be
made by the public to furnish the German troops, now in arms against
Denmark, with clothing suited to the cold weather. Their supply is not
enough to protect them against this enemy. The subjoined letter from
the Prussian Minister of War is a confession, and a very significant one too,
although not nearly broad enough in its statements. The association in
Halle to supply the Prussian troops sent to Holstein with warm winter
clothing, asked the Minister of War whether he thought their purpose
commendable and useful. He answered : ' It is true that it is the duty of
this department to give our troops clothing suited for winter ; but it is
equally true that owing to the suddenness with which we have been ob
liged to move our army, it will be difficult to give the men a full supply
of proper clothing, unless we receive the patriotic help of all good citizens. '
For these reasons I shall be very grateful to your association for a full and

296
prompt supply of woolen socks, gloves, under-shirts and drawers, and for
articles for hospital use ; and tbose who have money to give, can direct it
in no way better than through your society.' "
The following is a copy of the official call, here alluded to, for such, aid
by the Prussian Government :
" Our columns are now moving towards Lubeck, to be ready to enter
Holstein. In consequence of excessive cold weather the men suffer terri
bly for want of warm clothing. Many of the soldiers have no woolen
socks, and only a little straw or a few rags with which to fill their shoes,
and are in great danger of having their toes frost-bitten. Very few of them
have shirts of any kind, or nearly enough under-clothing to protect them
from the cold. I propose collecting articles of this kind, and money to
purchase and have made others as fast as possible, to be forwarded to
the army. I therefore appeal to all who are friends of our soldiers.
" Breitenbach, Royal Commissioner."
These events are just now transpiring in one of the richest and most
complete military Governments in the world. Who, then, will doubt that
the United States Sanitary Commission is an essential Aid to our
National Cause as a beneficient agency, which, under Divine Providencej
is a saver of precious lives ?

APPENDIX D.

THE SANITARY COMMISSION'S PUBLICATIONS.

Three classes of publications are comprised in the Commission's printed
documents :
I. Reports and Essays relating to Military Hygiene, Medicine, and
Surgery. •
II. Special Reports upon the regular labors ofthe Commission relating;
to Sanitary work, and to the business of Relief.
III. Circulars, and various Public Statements; also two semi-monthly
periodicals. 1. The Sanitary and Medical Publications. — Medical Monographs. — This
series now numbers twenty monographs upon the most important subjects
in military hygiene, medicine, and surgery. Several of them have passed
through many editions, and they all possess permanent and acknowledged
value, as being among the most practical and reliable contributions to the
literature of the medical profession ; and to the ever-changing, ever-enlarg
ing, medical staff of the volunteer forces, they are of inestimable value-
The following catalogue of the titles of this class of the Sanitary Papers-
will best explain their purpose. These Medical Essays are designated by
letters, and have been published with the following titles ;
Medical Monographs.
An Introductory Paper on Employment of Anaesthetics in Military
Surgery. A. Report on Military Hygiene and Therapeutics.
B. Directions to Army Surgeons on Field of Battle.
C. Rules for Preserving the Health of the Soldier.
D. Report on the Use of Quinine as a Prophylactic.
E. Report on Vaccination in Armies.

298
F. Report on Amputations.
G. Report on Amputations through the Foot and at the Ankle-joint.
H. Report on Venereal Diseases, with special reference to Practice in
the Army and Navy.
J. Report on Pneumonia.
K. Report on Continued Fevers.
L. Excision of Joints for Traumatic Causes.
M. Report on Dysentery.
N. Report on Scurvy.
O. Report on Nature and Treatment of Fractures in Military Surgery.
P. Report on Nature and Treatment of Miasmatic Fevers.
Q. Report on Nature and Treatment of Yellow Fever.
R. Hemorrhage from Wounds.
S. Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases in Camps, Transports,
and Hospitals.
To the great number of medical officers who have entered upon service
in the field, this well-considered gift of a portable professional Library
has been of inestimable benefit ; and there can be no doubt that it has
been the means of greatly improving the medical and hygienic service in
our armies. The fact should here be mentioned, that the Medical Bureau has
adopted a liberal plan for supplying to every military surgeon a larger and
better assortment of standard medical books than was formerly allowed.
But the Sanitary Commission's Monographs are indispensable to the in
experienced and to the overtasked medical officer, and their intrinsic merits
have already won very high encomiums from the medical press at home,
and in foreign countries.
We have not space in this place for the catalogue of the current publi
cations which the Commission has continued to issue, upon the ordinary
business, results, and plans of the various branches of the work, as it pro
gresses. These publications are numbered, usually, according to the
dates of issue, and may be regarded as constituting a kind of record in out
line of the progress of the Commission's work. The publications of the 2d
Class are numbered as permanent documents, and several of them have
passed through large editions. These now number between 70 and 80.
The Sd Ctass of publications comprises all the ordinary and transient
printing that is found necessary in management of the affairs of the Com
mission. Uuder this head may also be included the publication of the
" Sanitary Reporter" and the Sanitary Commission Bulletin.

APPENDIX E.

A complete Example of Sanitary Science practically applied in Camps
and Hospitals. — " That the prevention of disease is possible, but its sup
pression difficult and uncertain,"* was the very first postulate laid down
by the United States Sanitary Commission at the commencement of its
labors. Acting upon this principle by most practical methods, and with
an unflinching determination not to be thwarted in the purpose to insure
for the soldier in camp and in hospital all the means of Sanitary protec
tion which the combined intelligence and liberality of the government and
the people could apply, the results are such as will forever be remembered
with gratitude by our people and by the philanthropic minds of every
country. The first complete example of practical application oi sanitary science in
camps and hospitals during a long war, is now being' wrought out in our
Federal army. But Great Britain, in the recent campaign of its army in
China, has furnished a very instructive illustration of the life-3aving power
of the improved sanitary system that has been established in the British
forces since the Crimean campaign, and we cannot more forcibly illustrate
the practical value of that improved system than by quoting tbe following
statements from Miss Nightengale's tribute to Sir Silney Herbert's
administration and the reform that he officially ordered. She presents

* General Instructions for Camp Inspectors ; Sanitary Commission, Document
61. A writer in the North American Review states that, " In the Mexican war,
our volunteer forces lost, from disease alone, at the rate of 152 per 1,000 per an
num, and the regulars at the rate of 81, from the same cause. In Wellington's en
tire campaign in the Peninsula, his losses from disease were 113 per 1,000 strength.
In times of peace, our regular army lost annually at th e rate of 26 per 1,000 strength ;
and the British infantry, serving at home, annually lost about 18 per 1,000
from disease, until Lord' Herbert's great reforms were instituted ; but by those re
forms, which mainly consist in supplying fresh air and an improved diet, the an
nual I033 is reduced to about 8fr per 1,000 strength; and the entire loss in the
British army during the past four years, from all diseases, is less than the annual
loss previously from disease of the lungs only."— (Bee North American Review,
April, 1864.)

300
the statistical evidence that even during the first three years experience of
that reform, viz., 1859, 1860 and 1861, the mortality among the "in
fantry of the line serving at home" was diminished from 17.90 deaths to
1,000 living, to 8.56 to the 1,000, which is less than half the standard
death-rate previous to the reform.* Truly does Miss Nightingale re
mark that the "faithful records of all wars are records of preventable suf
fering, disease and death. It is needless to illustrate this truth, for we all
know it. But it is only from our latest sorrow, the Crimean catastrophe,
that dates the rise of any sanitary administration in this country," (Great
Britain.) The latest returns of sickness and mortality in the British forces at those
permanent stations abroad where the losses have always been quite uni
form, present to us the most remarkable results, confirming all that Lord
Herbert, Miss Nightingale, and the advocates of Sanitary reform ever
claimed, and proving that the work and purpose of the Sanitary Commis
sion of our own army are based upon soundest reasoning and the most
philanthropic designs. We quote the following illustration of the latest
results of life-saving in the British army by means of simple sanitary im
provements in camps, barracks, hospitals, and the care of troops.
" The last official returns of sickness and mortality among the British
forces present the best argument upon this subject. In Jamaica, the death
rate from disease has fallen, since the recent reform was carried into effect,
from 260 per 1,000 to 20 ; in Trinidad, from 106 to 0 (in 1860) ; in Bar-
badoes, from 58 to 6; in St. Lucia, from 122 to 1 ; in British Guiana,
from 74 to 6 ; in Canada, from 16 to 10; in Nova Scotia, from 15 to 7 ;
in Newfoundland, from 11 to 4 ; in Bermuda, from 28 to 8; in Gibraltar,
from 11 to 7 ; in Malta, from 15 to 10 ; in Ionia, from 15 to 7."*
Here we see the mortality reduced at ten military stations from 70.5 to
the 1,000 living, to 6.9. Let us now look at a summary of the results of
the British Sanitary Commission's work in the Crimea during the years
1855-6. For the following brief synopsis of the results of the operations of the
British Sanitary Commission in the Crimea, we are indebted to a member
of the U. S. Sanitary Commission.
The following tables exhibit the total and comparative statistics of sick
ness and mortality in the British Army in the Crimean campaign, and the
rate per cent, of the diseases and deaths of all the forces, for, 1st. -A period
of six months just previous to and at the commencement of the works of

* See North American Re/view, April, 1864.

301

the Sanitary Commission, viz.: from January to June, 1855 ; and, 2d. A
period of six months, from January to June, 1856, after those works for
Sanitary improvement had produced their legitimate results. [All sickness
and deaths in tbe Medical Staff, among Commissioned Officers, the Land
Transport, and the Mounted Corps, as well as all martial wounds or
deaths in battle, are excluded from these tables; also nearly 5,000 cases
of sickness that failed to be properly registered during the early period of
the campaign.]

Retv/rn, showing total sickness and mortality from
'Disease in the British army in the Mast, from
April IMh, 1854, ,0 July let, 1856.

NUMBER OF CASES OP SICKNESS.

SYomFevers 
" Piseases of the Lungs. . .
" " " Bowels..
" Cholera 
" Scurvy 
" Ophthalmia  , 
" Tjiceis and Boils 
" AU other diseases 

Total number of oases  162,473

31,236 12,88-255,765 7,574 2,096
3,301
12,542
37,533

3,452 644
5,950
4,502 178

•¦-;.

18,058

The rate per cent, of the entire Army —
side ana dying from disease — during
two periods of six months each, as
above stated.

1855.

January 
February ....
March 
April 
May 
June 
Total 

\:%

84.823.019.3 14.316.228.8
135.9

a °

9.7S8.164. 1.1. 2.05

28.82

1856.

9.3
7.7 S.l7.- 6.-
3.6

-.18 -.08
-.09 -.07
-.06 -.02

-.5 *

* This ( — .5) shows that tbe mortality during ihose last six months was only half of one per cent.,
or, at tie rate of exactly one per cent, per annum, — which would give ten deaths to ev^ry 1,000

men in service.

Thus the fa?t is demonstrated, by the most unerring statistics, that dur
ing the period beginning eight months after tbe commencement of re
forms by the Sanitary Commission in the Crimea, the rate of sickness in
the army was reduced to less than one-third of that which prevailed until
those reforms were inaugurated, the exact ratio of that decrease being as
1359 to 4 17, or iff 1 While the mortality — wbich is the more significant test
of the utility of Sanitary improvements — presents the marvelous contrast of
28.82 to — .5, or 5764 to 100 1 ! i. e., the rate of mortality from disease
in the army, after tbe work of Sanitary reform had been fully inaugurated,
was less than one fifty-seventh ofthe rate of mortality that prevailed dur
ing the same length of time preceding the reform.
It is worthy of remark that, while the statistics show that considerable
sickness continued to prevail during tbe latter or improved period, the re
cords of the Army Hospitals exhibit the fact that the particular diseases
that were most remarkably diminished were those which Sanitary mea
sures are known to prevent or greatly diminish, viz., the Zymotic diseases,
such as fevers, and those maladies that are so largely represented in the
list given in tbe foregoing table.

302
That this wonderful improvement in health, which was the salvation o
the British forces in tbe Crimea, was directly and positively dependent upon
Sanitary works and preventive hygienic measures, is a fact confessed alike
by the military and medical officers of those forces.
And in further corroboration of that fact, it should be stated that while
the British troops were thus being rescued from the fatal diseases that had
threatened to make their encampment a Golgotha, the French camps,
though located more favorably, and within a rifle's range of the British,
continued to grow more and more sickly during all the time of the grand
improvement in the camps of their allies. In the latter, the best Sanitary
regulations were introduced and rigidly enforced by a Sanitary Board,
while in the former (the. French camps) such regulations were utterly
neglected, "until," as a distinguished historian of the war has said, "with
the French army, peace become a military necessity."
The Crimean Sanitary Commission consisted of three gentlemen, viz.,
Dr. Sutherland, Dr. Milroy, and Mr. Rawlenson, a civil enginneer.
Each of these Commissioners had, for several years, made Sanitary Science
and its applications, a special study. They proceeded to the Crimea in
April, 1855, taking with them upwards of thirty skilled assistants and
laborers, together with such implements and apparatus as they knew would
be required in the ventilation and sewerage of hospitals and barracks, the
cleansing and drainage of encampments, and the purification or disinfec
tion of transports and ships. Among these means were pipe tubing, drain
age-pipes, filters, ten thousand square feet of perforated zinc plates for
ventilation, hinges, pulleys, window fixtures, a ship load of peat charcoal,
etc., etc. Immediately upon arrival on the Bosphorus and in the Crimea,
the Sanitary works were commenced ; first by thorough cleansing, both
within and without, the hospitals, barracks, and tents, and in these works
nearly one hundred men were employed for many months ; old sewers
were cleaned and flushed ; new drains were made ; surface filth, refuse, and
decaying materials, by thousands of cartloads, were removed, and such
sources of offence as could not be removed were deeply covered with dry
earth aud peat charcoal. Water courses, springs, and the water supply
were cleansed and controlled ; the tents and camping grounds were rigidly
inspected and purified, and an abundant supply of fresh air and pure water
was everywhere sec ured in hospital aDd in campvand, so far as practicable
the diet and general comfort of the soldiers were improved.
The results of tbis simple and inexpensive labor astonished the world,
though Sanitary science has always promised, and its advocates prophesied,
just such results.

303
Says Miss Nightingale, " It is the whole experiment of Sanitary im
provement upon a colossal scale. * * * We had,
in the first seven months of the Crimean campaign, a mortality of 60 per
cent, per annum among the ti oops from disease alone ; * * *
we had in the last six months a mortality not much greater than among1
our healthy Guards at home."

APPENDIX F.

THE PLAN AND DISTRIBUTION OF PERSONAL SERVICE
IN THE
SANITARY COMMISSION'S WOP-K-
JExplanation of the Diagram.
Tbe larger circles represent Departments and Branches of labor.
The lines represent lines of Responsibility ; each centre from which lines
divero-e is responsible for the right management of the several Departments
and Branches radiating from it.
The duties that are distinctly Medical and Sanitary are associated- with the
work of Inspectors ; but it will be observed that the lines of such duty finally
meet the lines of Relief, &c, tbat flow from other centres of responsibility.
jji. B. — The smaller circles, as well as the lines, represent Branches and
Subdivisions, — not individuals, — and, in most instances, several individual
officers and assistants are thus represented on a single line, or at a single
ultimate circle of duty.

Hie Number of Sanitary Officers, Melief Agents, and
Assistants.
The average numerical force of the several corps of Inspectors, Relief
Agents, and Assistants, under pay by the Commission, has, during the second
and third years of the war, been about two hundred. But in addition to
these men, there is a considerable number of volunteer helpers in the various
branches of labor. Men, from the ranks of the army, are also • detailed oc
casionally, by their commanding officers, to aid the officers of the Commission
in the field. Without such voluntary and military aid the expenditure for
labor would be considerably greater than it has been hitherto.

CONTE NTS.

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VIII.

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IX.

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X.

11

XI.

11

XII.

II

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XIV.

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XV.

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XVI.

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XVII.

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XVIII.

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XIX.

ii

XX.

PiQEa
Introduction, ---.-.. iii-vi
The Origin and Organization of the Sanitary
Commission, -_--.- 3-52
The Department of Relief .... 53-64
Battle-field Relief System, - 65-74
Battle-field Relief early in the War, - - 75-83
Progress and Purposes in Dark Days of 1862, 83-86
Field Relief Corps,'- ----- 86-90
Special Relief, ------ 90-97
Hospital Directory, ----- 98-104
Death and Burial Records, - 105-106
Hospital-Cars, or R. R. Ambulances, - - 107-110
Warfare against Scurvy, in 1863, - - 111-116
Anti- Scorbutic Supplies, etc., in the Southwest, 116-144
Sanitary Work in the Army of the Potomac,
in 1863,  14^-166
Sanitary Work at Chickamaugua, Chattanooga
and Knoxville, ----- 166-202
Sanitary Work on the Mississippi and West
ward,  203-214
Sanitary Work in North Carolina, - - 214-216
The Sanitary Commission in the Department of
the South,  216-230
Latest Aspects of the Work of Special Relief, 230-236
Fresh Supplies for the General Hospitals, - 236-238

308 Faqss
Section XXI. The Sanitary Commission's Aid to the Siok and
Wounded in the Navy, - 238-241
" XXII. The Treasury and Financial Resources of the
Sanitary Commission, ----- 241-246
" XXIII. The Sanitary Commission's Relations to the
Christian Commission in the Army, - - 246-249
" XXIV. The International Aspects of the Sanitary
Commission's Work, ----- 249-250
" XXV. Influence of the Commission's Labors upon Sani
tary Science, - - - - 251-254
" XXVI. Sanitary Condition of the Federal Army : Pres
ent rate of Sickness and Mortality, - - 254-257

APPENDIX,

A. Branches of Supply, -
B. The European Branch,
C The International Sanitary Conference
and Voluntary Aid in the Sanitary
Service of European Armies, -
D. Publications of the Sanitary Com
mission, -
E. A Complete Example of Sanitary Work
in Camps and Hospitals, -
F. Plan and Distribution of Personal
Service, -----

Contents,
Index,

259-305
261-283 284-286

287-296297-298
299-303304-305
307-308 309-318

INDEX.

PAOS
Acquia Creek, Lodge and relief at  148
Sanitary depot, etc  145, 147
Agnew, Dr. C. R., in Northern Maryland  40
in Hospital Committee  45
at Gettysburg and Boonsboro'  154, 161
Aigner, Dr., sanitary work at the west  79
Ambulance System, its defects, etc  43
improvements urged  78
defective in all armies  77, 78
. Andrew, Dr  67, 170
Antietam, battle of and sanitary relief  40, 71
Anti-Scorbutics, importance of  Ill, 115
Army of the Potomac   26, 144, 161
its departure to the Peninsula  26, 27
its movement on Yorktown and Williamsburg  27
movements towards Richmond  28
of the Cumberland, in 1863  119, 126, 166, 180
of the Tennessee, in 1863  128, 143
ofthe Gulf  209
ofthe South  217
Armies, the cause of humanity identified with their strength  iii.
Baehe, Prof. A. D., reports, graduates of West Point  13
" Mrs., General Washington's Letter to  261
Back pay, agencies for  231
Baker, Mr. B. P., his work at Cincinnati  276
Banks, General  203
Barber, one employed for the patients in hospitals  15
Barnum, Dr. J. P., reports on hospital-train  110
Battle of Balls' Bluff  75
Belmont  *9
Blackburn's Ford  9
1st Bull Run  9, 11, 15
Chancellorsville  '  145. 1*7. 148
Champion Hill  12fl
Corinth and Iuka  *1

310 PAGB
Battle of Fair Oaks  31?, 108
Fredericksburg  145, 146
Fort Donelson.--  26, 77, 80
Fort Henry  79
Gen. Pope with Gen. Lee  40
Gettysburg  149, 1 62
Grand Gulf  125
Manassas  84, 89
Mills Spring  26
New Berne  26
Pittsburg Landing  26
Port Gibson  129
Roanoke Island  26
Stone's River and Murfreesboro  116
Vicksburg  *.  129, 141
on the Yazoo  130
Battle-field Relief, nature and methods of  65, 69, 71, 72
during earlier period of the war  75, 83
during dark days in 1862.  83, 86
Battles, a year of  83
percentage of wounded in  79
supplies at Terryville  41,42
Beecher, H. W., Dr. Bellows' Letter to  230
Bellows, Rev. H. W., report of Western troops, in 1861  10
in committee, to Washington  6
at Gettysburg  154
Binney, Horace, Jr., work of aid by  271
Blankets  147
Bowne, Mr. J., in the Directory Bureau  101
Bradley, Miss., labors at "Camp Misery"  235, 236
Boonsboro', Sanitary depot at  67, 161
Branches of the Sanitary Commission, origin  53
European  249, 284, 286
in Great Britain  250, 285
Woman's Central  262
New England Women's Auxiliary .. . 266
Women's of Brooklyn  270
the Philadelphia  271
the Pittsburg  273
Buffalo General Aid  273
Northern Ohio Soldiers' Aid  274
Cincinnati  27s
the Kentucky  277
Northwestern  277, 281
Brintion, Dr. D. G., Med. Director, Report on Scurvy  197, 200
Bull Run, disasters of  11, 12
Burnett, Hon. R. W  275
Burnside, Gen., special order for the Commission  '  128

311

FACE
e, in currie, in the South  227
California, the first contributions from  Jtff
California, effect of aid from  104
aid to Central Treasury  ,  244
Camp Police, character of in 1 861  20
recommended by resolution in Commission  13
in rebel camps  168
Canandaigua, corps of assistants from  , 166
Chancellorsville, battle of  148
Chattanooga, Sanitary work commenced  166
battle of  183, 193
Ohickamauga, battle of  168
relief, &c, there  168, 183
Chidlaw, Rev. B. W., his appeal for vegetables  130
Christian Commission  147
Sanitary Commissions relations with  249
Clark, Dr. H. G, Inspector of Hospitals  45, 46, 146
Cleaveland, " Sanitary stores" from  21, 274, 275
Colored troops, Sanitary care of  206, 209
Coolidge, Dr. R. H., letter on vegetables and scurvy  195
Congress, medical bills before it in 1861, '62  24, 25
Convalescent Camp, Sanitary aid there  96
reform of  234, 235
Sanitary work in   235, 236
Corinth and luka, Dr. Warriner's Reports from, in 1862  42
Crane, Dr. E. A  212
Cullum, Gen. G. W., report on military graduates  13
Cumberland, army of.  116, 126
Day, Mr., Relief Agent, at Olustee  228
Death and Burial Records, description of  22, 105, 106
General Order concerning  105, 107
the form of Record  106
Department of relief  61, 66, 67, 230, 237
Directory, Hospital  98, 104
statistics of.  99
cases to illustrate the methods of  ,  99, 100
scenes in Louisville office  100
experience in Washington  104
Donelson, Fort, battle of  79
hospital boats and Sanitary stores for  80
Douglas, Dr. J. H., at St Louis and Shiloh  80, 81
at Gettysburg  154
Dunleith, Sanitary steamer  l35i 139» li0
Eddy, Chaplain H. J., letter from  133
Elizabeth, Sanitary store-boat  145
Elliott, Mr. E. B., Actuary,  «¦ • ,49
Eliot, Rev, Wm, G., voluntary work  ¦ 208, 281

312

PAGB
Fair Oaks, Sanitary work at  81, 32, 37
Field Relief Corps in camps and marches  86, 89
of Army of the Potomac  89
Finance, Committee of, in New York  10, 242
Financial Basis of Sanitary Commission  22
resources and treasury  241, 246
Fredericksburg, battle of  145
Furness, Mr., H. H., voluntary aid,  146, 156
Gardens, for the hospitals  121, 194, 202
in North Carolina  214, 215
General Secretary, his first labors  9
first report  16, 19„ 22
on the Peninsula  34
Gettysburg, battle of  149, 155
system of relief there  150
Gibbs, Prof. Wolcott, Commissioner  8, 45
Gilmore, General, aids Sanitary work  222
Grant, General, IT. S.
his movement up the Cumberland in 1862  79
his order in favor of the Commission  127
movement on Vicksburg  129, 131
Hammond, Dr. William A., nominated Surgeon-General  25
his early reports on hospitals and camps. ...... 26
Surgeon-General. -  26
improves military hospitals  46, 48
reforms "Camp Misery"  234
Hamilton, Dr. Frank H., report on Seurvy  Ill, 112, 117, 118
Harris, Dr. E., in the Sanitary Committee at Washington  6, 8
at battle of Antietam  40
Harrison's Landing, Va., Sanitary works there.  38
Harsen, Dr. J., in committee to Washington..  6
Health, popular appreciation of.  252
Rules for Preserving — a tract for soldiers  251
Hill, Surgeon E. L., letter to Dr. Warriner  133
Homes, for invalid soldiers when orgauized  93, 97, 98
for nurses  95
at Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, and Cairo  9-8
at New Orleans  230
Hooker, General, march pursuing Lee  148
at Chattanooga  181
Hospitals, Committee's report of  15
wants of  15, 16, 47
the erection of pavilions recommended  16, 21
number supplied by commission in 1861  21
giumber of patients in, in summer of 1861  28
over-crowded in 1862  43

313

PAO»
Hospitals, population of near Washington in 1862  44
at Louisville and Nashville  44
new pavilions, 45 — special inspection of.  45, 41
great want at the West  48
Report of Inspector- in-Chief of.  46
history of in wars  41
Miss Nightingale's remarks on  47, 302
Surgeon Hammond's reports on  47, 48
the Hospital Directory  98
" Van Buren," at Milliken's Bend  134
fresh supplies for, at Washington  236, 238
Hospital cars (railway ambulances)  107, 110
Howe, Dr., S. G  8, 256
Ice, at Vicksburg  136, 141
furnished on Morris Island  227
Infirmiers Volontaires, at Solferino  ,  66
recommended by International Conference  289
International, Sanitary Conference  77
some account of  288
Invalids, to be provided for  232-234
action of the Commission upon  234, 255
Inspector, first labors of  17
their professional character  19
Inspection, sanitary in camps  9
first reports of  17
why not given up  44
Jenkins, Dr. J. Foster, General Secretary  241
Knapp, Rev. F. N., report on Special Relief.  ,  91
commencement of Relief-work. ..  56
Labors of Voluntary Relief  55
at Acquia Creek  147
at Gettysburg  155
Knoxville, siege of, and its relief  190-192
Lemons, contributed by Metropolitan Police  138, 189
Letterman, Camp, at Gettysburg  161
Lodge, for soldiers, described  91-95
on the Yazoo  •¦ • • 187
at Gettysburg  156
in the Cumberland Mountains  176
convalescents, transferred to  236
Loomis, Rev. W. F., labors at Chattanooga  1S6, 188
Lucas, Dr. G. L., letter from  134
Marsh, Dr. M. M., his labors and report  217-230

314

PAG!
McMillan, Surgeon C, letter from  255, 256
McClellan, General, urged to enforce discipline  14
McDonald, Dr., Inspector, captured and imprisoned  149
Meade, Gen. G. G., pursuing Gen. Lee  67
his letter on the Sanitary Commission  283
Medical Department, the Commission, the friend and ally of.  22
perpetual succession by seniority in  23
defects and wants of  23-25
improved condition of  44
it adopts improvements  50-51
excellent organization of, at Falmouth  145
faithfulness and success of  257
Medical Bureau, the pressure upon, in 1861  3
of the Navy  289
Medical Cadets, when appointed  25
Medical Inspectors, Corps of. . . »  25, 27
Monographs on hygiene, distributed to surgeons  20
list of, (See Appendix D.)
New Act in 1861  25, 27
Medicine, prophylactic furnished  138, 204
preventive taught by Sanitary Commission. ¦ .,  261, 264
Military discipline, its sanitary importance  IS
Military Hospitals, character of in 1861  15, 20
Dr. Hammond's report on  47
Mortality  254
Murfreesboro  288
Mussey, Dr., his Sanitary work  275
Navy, sanitary aid to its sick and wounded  238-240
Nashville, Sanitary stores distributed  124
fresh supplies to its Hospitals  238
Newberry, Dr. J. S., at Pittsburgh Landing, &c  80-81
reports, influence of Sanitary work  96-98
report of battle of Chattanooga  183-189
Neutrality, in respect of wounded and surgeons  232
Commissions endeavor to establish doctrine of  263
New Orleans, salubrious condition of  214
Sanitary supplies sent  143
Nightingale, Miss Florence, at Scutari  47, 68
her remark concerning soldier's wants  64
Olmsted, F. L., his work in the Peninsula Campaign  29-84
advises thorough work  39
Letter to Surgeon-General  87
Letter to Dr. Newberry  89

315 /

PAGB

Olmsted, F. L., Resignation of Secretaryship  168
Resolutions upon "  164
<Ordronaux, Dr. J., his Inquiries on Pensioning  234
Peninsula, Early Sanitary Work upon  27-29
Increase in the Sickness-rate upon  28
Paris, Branch of Aid Organized in  250
Parrish, Dr., Reports from  215
Perryville, Ky., Sanitary Relief at  41
Pension and Pensioners  232, 231
Perkins, Mr. S. H., in Europe Reporting  234
Philadelphia, its Branch and Contributions  245
Piatt, Mr. Wm., Jr., his Labors and Death  271, 272
Port Hudson, Sanitary Work at  211
Potatoes, Contributed by the People in 1863  122
President of the United States Approves and orders a Commission  8
Commends Sanitary Fairs  283
Prisoners, Federal Soldiers Aided  231
Confederate, Ministered to  231
Prophylactics Furnished by the Sanitary Commission  1 38, 204
Reid, Dr. A. N., Inspector, Letter from  112
Letter from Chattanooga  169
Eeid, Mr. M. C, Relief Agent  171,174
on Hospital Gardens  201
Relief, its Methods mentioned  12, 22
the Department of, described  52-60
Special, after Bull Run  55-56
Woman's Plan for Organizing  59-60
Miss Nightingale's, in the Crimea  63
Battle-field, described  65
In ternational Conferences, approval of.  66
California's Aid to  74
in Early Period of the War  76
Gen. Dufour's approval of  77, 78
Present Aspects of  230-236
Report, Commission's, to Secretary of War.  19
on Military Hygiene and Therapeutics  251
Resolutions of the Commission after first Bull Run  13
Rosecrans' General, Order in Favor of the Commission  42
Circular Letter Commending the Sanitary Commission 117
Sanderson, Mr., his Instructions in Camp-cooking  •  17
Sanitary Commission, When and How Proposed  3-6
Original Scheme of its Organization  6-7
Objects Sought by  6
Membership of  8
First Reports by  9-15
its Early Councils  12-17

316

PAGB
Sanitary Commission, Resolutions of, concerning Discipline  13-14
its First Working Camps and Hospitals  14-16
in the Crimean and Indian Wars  6
Relations with Christian Commission  246-249
its Influence upon Civilization  253
Public Interest in its History  iii-
Sanitary Inspection, when Commenced  12
Sanitary Steamers, at the West, Names and Cargoes of  139, 140
the Elizabeth  145
the Polar Star  181
on the Mississippi  203, 209
" Sanitary Stores," Origin of the Term  63
distribution of, at Battle-fields  68
massed in Tennessee  80
great demands for, in Virginia and Maryland  84, 85
massed at Boonsboro'  87
Camp Depots of  88
invoice of, from Dr. Steiner  89, 90
Flying Depots of.  89
at Nashville  124
requisitions for, at Vicksburg  138
disbursements from Vicksburg Depot  141-142
in Banks' Expedition  143
at Fredericksbure;  147
at Harrisburg and Southern Penn  149
at Frederick City  149
at Gettysburg  160-161
disbursements of, at the West  165-167
at Stevenson, Ala  170
destruction of Train, by Raiders  174
disbursements of, from Nashville  178-180
to Knoxville  191-193
to Arkansas  204
in Department of the South  223-225
forwarded from Cincinnati  275, 276
Scurvy, on the Peninsula  38
Warfare against,  111-113
affects the Potatoe-market  113
in the Army of tbe Cumberland  114
Dr. Hammond's Essay upon.  115
the Scorbutic Taint in Hospitals  117
Dr. Hamilton's testimony  118
Dr. Warriner's Appeal  120
Surgeons suffering from  125
Secretary of War, Sanitary Committee's Address to  4
Plan and Powers for a Commission presented to  5
Commission's Report to  28-24

317

PAOB
Secretary of War, Commission's statement to  76
orders Commission's system of Burial-records  105-106
Schuyler, Miss Louisa Lee  241
Smith, Rev. Edw. P., for Christian Commission  247-248
Soldiers, Journal for, by Miss Bradley  236
Special Relief, (see Relief,)  90-116
Statistical Bureau of the Commission  12, 49
progress and illustrations  48-60
of British Medical Department  51
Steiner, Dr. L. H  73, 89
Steuben, Baron, bis Inspectorial work and " Examples,"  18
Stille, Mr. C. J., Voluntary work  157
Stevens, J., Jr., report  213
Stockings, 5,000 pairs to men in camp at Falmouth,  148
Strong, Geo. T., labors as Treasurer,  243
St. Louis, Sanitary work there  97, 281
Surgeons, number and classification of, in 1862  43
Tactics, Volunteers studying  11
Testimonials, from Gen. Rosecrans  116
" Surgeon Griffith  125
" Gen. Sheridan  ,  125
" " McCook  126
" " R.W.Johnson  126
" Surgeon Vaiian  126
" Gen. Palmer,  126
" General Meade  283
Thurston, Medical Director, letter on Hospital Train,  209
Treasury of the Commission, when founded  22, 254
necessities of  69
popular support of  70
how and when exhausted  71
history and administration of.  241-246
Transports — hospital up the Peniosula, 29-33 , Daniel Webster, 29, 30, 33 ;
Wilson Small, 29 ; Vanderbilt, 81, 33 ; the Elm City, 31, 32, 33 ;
the Knickerbocker, 32, 3ri ; classification and capacity of tbe
fleet, 33 ; Lancaster No. 4, 34, 35 ; on Western Rivers, 36; City
of Memphis, 81 ; compared with Hospital Cars, 109 ; the Nash
ville, 133 ; the City of Alton, 135 ; the Dunleith, 135, 139 ; the
Alice Dean, 139; the Laurel Hill, 209; the Cosmopolitan, 218.
Trowbridge, Surgeon W. H., letter from  211
Turchin, Col. F. B., asks for anti-scorbutics  196
Van Buren, W. H., in committee at Washington.  6
in hospital committee  45
Vicksburg, Siege of  129, 131, 133, 141
"sanitary stores" at  141, 142

318

PAGB
Wadsworth, General, flag of truce at Bull Run  12
Water-beds for the wounded in 1861  14
Warriner, Dr., his appeal for Vegetables  119, 120
reports from Milliken's Bend and Vicksburg  131-138
letter from Vicksburg  203
Weeks, Dr. G. R, letter from  134
Westminster, Md., Sanitary dep6t, iStc  137, 152, 163
Wheeling, Va., its Sanitary depot, &c  22
Williamsport, preparations for Battle  161
Winslow, Dr. G., at Gettysburg  168-160
Wood, Dr. R. C, prepares the way for a Commission  4
Writing-tables for patients in bed, <Src  14
Woman's Central Association of Relief  68, 59, 262, 264
meeting for organization at Cooper Institute  69
Women, early organization of in New York  69
Aid Society of Northern Ohio  60, 274, 275
her helping approved by President Lincoln  282
Yeatman, Mr. James E, voluntary work  208, 281
Young's Point and Milliken's Bend, work at  120, 131

3 9002 00464 2402

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