Relief Work

 

            The relief work carried on by the Commission is of the greatest interest, since it was with this phase of the work that Iowa was connected. When the Commission first began operations there was a feeling that the assumption on its part of any of the burdens of relief work would tend to weaken the responsibility of the government in that work. But when it soon became evident that many of the needs of the soldiers would not be supplied without assistance from the Commission, that organization did not hesitate to enter upon the task of gathering and distributing stores and supplies of all kinds. So strong was the desire of the people to aid the soldiers that this desire was sure to find expression in many and valuable donations; and realizing this fact, the Commission undertook to direct and control the nature of the supplies and their distribution.28

 

Notes

28 Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, pp. 167, 174, 175, 176.

 

 

System of Collecting Stores

 

            The perfection of a system for collecting and controlling public contributions was at once begun. Depots to which supplies could be sent and from which they could be forwarded to the places of need were established in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Chicago, and Louisville, and came to be known as branches of the United States Sanitary Commission. Men in various sections of the country were appointed as associate members of the Commission, their duties being “to promote the establishment of auxiliary associations and so to direct the labors of those already formed, for the aid and relief of the army, that they might strengthen and support those of the Commission.” The associate members also took charge of the supply depots and managed them on behalf of the Commission.29

            The burden of raising supplies fell largely upon the women. They were urged to form societies in every neighborhood, to solicit donations, and to hold weekly meetings for the purpose of preparing articles for the use of the men in service. As a result, during the war more than seven thousand local Aid Societies were organized, composed solely of women who devoted much of their time and energy to work for the cause of the Commission, and who were responsible, in a large measure, for the success of the whole movement. Many Aid Societies had been organized before the Commission began its campaign and although the majority of them were eventually included in the national organization, this consolidation did not come about without a certain amount of strife.

            Each community felt, at first, that its duty was to care for its own soldiers. To send supplies by friends and townsmen “who should see these comforts put upon the very backs, or into the very mouths, they were designed for, was the most natural plan in the world”. “Nothing had been more difficult, at first, than to divert the warm impulses of the hearts of the women from efforts to minister to the necessities of those, who, going from their own households, seemed to have peculiar and special claims upon their sympathy.” Many of the States undertook to care for their own troops, no matter where they might be;30 and as “South Carolina said she could take better care of her own commerce and her own forensic interests than the United States government, so Iowa and Missouri and Connecticut and Ohio insisted that they could each take better care of their own soldiers, after they were merged in the general Union army, than could any central or federal or United States commission, whatever its resources or its organization.”31

            The position taken by the Commission was that since all the men were fighting for a single purpose and represented, not single Stats, but the entire Union, they should all be accorded the same treatment regardless of the State from which they might have enlisted. This stand by the Commission and the great difficulties that faced those States which tried to care for their own troops after they once became widely scattered, served to hasten the abandonment of independent State action. 32. By January, 1864, Missouri was the only State which had failed to unite and cooperate with the United States Sanitary Commission.

            When the Aid Societies had been organized and put into operation contributions began  to pour into the headquarters in large amounts. To stimulate and maintain interest among the Aid Societies, the Commission established a system of canvassing by agents, who frequently visited the local societies, presenting to them the needs of the army and keeping their enthusiasm aroused by descriptions of the Commission’s work and its gratifying results. Bulletins and letters were regularly issued and served to keep all parts of the organization in close touch and fully informed of the progress being made. As the war progressed it was rather expected that the women’s interest in the movement would gradually decline, but time proved that such was not the case. Instead of decreasing, the number of Aid Societies and the amount of supplies which they forwarded increased and large quantities of stores continued to pour in until the close of the war. It is estimated that three-fourths of the total supplies received by the Commission were collected by women in this manner.34

           

Notes

29 The Sanitary Commission Bulletin, Vol. I, No. 1, 1863, p. 2; Stille´’s History of the United

States Sanitary Commission, p. 180; Associate members of the United States Sanitary Commission in Iowa, as listed in the Documents of the U. S. Sanitary Commission, Vol. II, No. 74, pp. 1-22, were Dr. Charles Clark, Robert L. Collier, and John B. Elbert.

30 Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, pp. 169, 172, 180, 186, 189,

190; Reed’s The Heroic Story of the United States Sanitary Commission, 1861-1865, p. 11.

31 The United States Sanitary Commission in The North American Review, Vol. XCVIII, pp. 

 181, 183.

32 Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, pp. 189, 190.

33 The United States Sanitary Commission in The North American Review, Vol. XCVIII, pp.

183, 184. The reason why the people of Missouri did not cooperate with  the United States Sanitary Commission was because the headquarters of the Western Sanitary Commission were at St. Louis, and this Commission had charge of all the work in the State. That the people of Missouri did their share in relief work will be seen in the account of the Western Sanitary Commission in the following section.

34 Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, pp. 187, 188.

 

General Relief

 

            Relief as administered by the Commission was of two types—general relief and special relief. General relief had to do with the work in the hospitals, in the camps, on marches, or upon the battlefield, and was administered according to definite rules, which were always closely followed. All work was carried on through the army surgeons or other officers, nothing being undertaken without their knowledge and consent. This course, it was realized, was necessary in order to maintain the proper army discipline. Before any supplies were issued the Commission made sure that a real need existed for them, and even then a written statement or voucher was required of the surgeon applying for assistance. All the general, field and regimental hospitals were supplied with visitors representing the Commission, who had access to supplies and sanitary stores. When there was need for their assistance, which was almost constantly, they did all in their power to furnish both the things needed and the necessary personal service.35

            To each army sent on distant expeditions, and usually to each column of the main armies, was assigned an inspector, who was always a medical man, and a staff of assistants called relief agents. Connected with each of these units was a depot of supplies, and wagons or boats were provided  to transport such stores as might be required on the marches. A moderate compensation was paid to these and other agents of the Commission.36 There were many who opposed the policy of paid agents, believing that voluntary service should be used exclusively, but the Commission soon learned that the work which agents were forced to undertake was a “hard, continuous and prosaic one”, which demanded patience and, above all, permanent service. Experiments showed that volunteer helpers did not meet these requirements, and since the aim of the Commission was to secure the best possible service, they decided to pay their agents and thus increase the probability that they would remain in the work. Moreover, with paid agents it was possible to maintain a discipline that could not be hoped for with volunteers.37

            As has already been noted, supplies were forwarded by the local Aid Societies to a sub-depot in one of the larger cities. Here the stores were sorted and repacked, and held subject to the requisitions of the persons in charge of the two central depots at Washington and Louisville, where the reserve stores were held until needed. From these central depots the inspectors in the field secured the necessary supplies; and whenever they needed anything it was immediately forwarded to hem. In cases of a demand for articles not on hand, they were purchased or special appeals to the people were issued. For example, when scurvy began to invade the armies, appeals known as “Onion Circulars” and “Potato Circulars” were sent out, and in response thousands of barrels of onions and potatoes were secured from the farmers of the Northwest and quickly dispatched to the places of need. A military officer of high rank declared that the Sanitary Commission, by this means, had saved the army engaged in the siege of Vicksburg.38

            One of the most interesting departments of general relief was that known as Battle Field Relief. Immediately after a battle the agents of the Commission rushed supplies to the field, and all that was possible was done to relieve the wants and sufferings of the soldiers. Special groups of men, known as the Relief Corps, were trained fort his task, which proved to be difficult. An account of the Commission’s activities after the battle of Gettysburg shows the nature of battlefields relief. Within tow weeks after the battle, according to an estimate of Mr. Bellows, the sum of $75,000 was devoted to relief work at that particular place. Much of this money went to purchase supplies which were hurried to the army by express-cars and independent wagon trains. Sixty tons of fresh vegetables were carried forward in refrigerating cars, and vast amounts of clothing food, fruits, and many other things which would promote the welfare and comfort of the sick and wounded were distributed.39

            Included in the items of food and delicacies distributed were 11,000 pounds of fresh poultry and mutton, 6430 pounds of fresh butter, 8500 dozen eggs, 675 bushels of fresh garden vegetables, 48 bushels of fresh berries, 12,900 loaves of bread, 20,000 pounds of ice, 3,800 pounds of concentrated beef soup, 12,500 pounds of concentrated milk, 7,000 pounds of prepared farinaceous foods, 3,500 pounds of dried fruits, 2,000 jars of jellies and conserves, 750 gallons of tamarinds, 116 boxes of oranges, 850 pounds of coffee, 831 pounds of chocolate, 426 pounds of tea, 6,800 pounds of white sugar, 785 bottles of syrup, 1,250 bottles of brandy, 1,168 bottles of whiskey, 1,148 bottles of wine, 600 gallons of ale, 134 barrels of crackers, 500 pounds of preserved meats, 3,600 pounds of preserved fish, 400 gallons of pickles, 42 jars of catsup, 24 bottles of vinegar, 43 jars of Jamaica ginger, 100 pounds of tobacco, 1,000 tobacco pipes, 1,621 pounds of codfish, 582 cans of canned fruit, 72 cans of oysters, and 302 jars of brandied peaches. In the list of clothing and hospital supplies were 7,143 drawers, 10,424 shirts, 2,144 pillows, 264 pillow cases, 1,630 bed sacks, 1,007 blankets, 275 sheets, 508 wrappers, 2,659 handkerchiefs, 5,818 pairs of stockings, 728 bed pans, 10,000 towels and napkins, 2,300 sponges, 1,500 combs, 200 buckets, 250 pounds of castile soap, 300 yards of oiled silk, 7,000 tin basins and cups, 110 barrels of oil linen, 7 water tanks, 46 water coolers, 225 bottles of bay rum and cologne, 3,500 fans, 11 barrels of chloride of lime, 4,000 pairs of shoes and slippers, 1,200 pairs of crutches, 180 lanterns, 350 candles, 300 square yards of canvas, 648 pieces of netting, 237 quires of paper, 189 pieces of clothing, and 16 rolls of plaster.40

            Even greater was the battlefield relief administered after the Battle of the Wilderness in Virginia in 1864. At that time two seam barges and four hundred and forty wagons carried tot eh field over two hundred tons of stores, which were distributed by two hundred of the Commission’s agents.41

            The following description of the general relief work, as given by Stille´, shows the remarkable possibilities of the Commission’s organization:

            Whether the wants of the Army of the Potomac were confined to suitable Hospital diet, whether General Rosecrans’ army before Chattanooga, or that of General Grant before Vicksburg was wasting away from the terrible effects of scurvy, whether General Gilmore’s army on Morris Island was perishing of disease aggravated by the use of brackish water, or that of Generals Leitzel in Texas was suffering from a total deprivation of vegetable food, the stores of the Commission were always found abundant for supplying the particular necessity, and were conveyed to the sufferers with a promptness and with an abundance, which never failed speedily to restore their shattered strength. It seemed indeed just as easy with the means at the disposal of the Commission, and with the thorough organization of its system to forward cargoes of ice and anti-scorbutics to South Carolina or Texas, or to transport thousands of barrels of onions and potatoes from the distant Northwest to the Armies of General Rosecrans or General Grant, as to send a few cases of shirts and drawers, and of Hospital delicacies form Washington to the Army of Potomac.42

                   

Notes

35 Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, pp. 244, 246, 249.

36 The Report of the United States Sanitary Commission for 1864-1865, p. 807, states that the

Commission employed two hundred agents at an average of two dollars per day or a total of $12,000 per month.

37 Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, pp. 250, 251, 258, 259.

38 Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, pp. 191, 249, 250.

39 Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, pp. 260, 261, 262; The United

States Sanitary Commission in The North American Review, Vol. XCVIII, pp. 403, 404.

40 Fites’ Social and Industrial Conditions in the North During the Civil War, pp. 277, 278.

41 Fites’ Social and Industrial Conditions in the North During the Civil War,p. 278.

42 Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, p. 252.

 

 

Special Relief

 

            The other type of relief—that is, special relief—was provided for “the care of sick and needy soldiers in the vicinity of military depôts, discharged men, paroled prisoners, and that vast class of sufferers known as soldiers in ‘irregular circumstances’ or, in other words, those that had no legal claim upon the ordinary provisions of the government for assistance.” Homes for the men formed one of the greatest items in this branch of the work. Here care was given to soldiers who were not sick enough fort he hospitals and who were not well enough to return to service, and to those who needed aid in many other ways. Forty such homes, from Washington to Brownsville, Texas, were maintained by the Commission, in which over four and a half million meals were served, and a million lodgings given to deserving soldiers.43

            Another kind of special relief took the form of feeding stations conducted for the benefit of soldiers going from the battlefields to the hospitals. Owing to the great number of wounded men and the difficulties of travel. Convalescent camps, where men might recuperate their strength after leaving the hospitals and before returning to service, were also established, more than two hundred thousand men passing through a single one of these camps in 1863 and 1864.44

            Under a special bureau there was conducted a hospital directory, with headquarters at Washington and branch offices at Philadelphia, Louisville, and New York, by means of which there was kept a complete record of the names of men in hospitals. In these four offices were contained the names of over six hundred thousand men, with the latest procurable information in regard to the position and condition of each man, which furnished an invaluable service in keeping the people informed of the whereabouts and condition of relatives and friends. Through a Pension Bureau and War Claim Agency the sum of over two and a half million dollars was secured for soldiers by examining and perfecting the papers which represented their claims upon the government.45 The branches of this agency in Iowa were at Dubuque, Davenport, Des Moines, and Burlington.46 This department continued to operate for some time after the war and helped to collect back pay and pension money due to the soldiers.47

            Other forms of special relief consisted of providing homes at the military centers where the wives and mothers of sick and wounded soldiers could be cared for while visiting their kin. Detectives were also employed to protect soldiers from sharpers; and couriers were provided on the trains to minister to traveling soldiers who might be in need of, or could be aided by, their services.48 The many phases of the relief work show upon what a large scale the Commission was operating, and what a wide field of activities it embraced. As expressed by a writer in an English periodical, the principle upon which the Commission proceeded seems to have been “never to find a want of any kind without striving to supply it.”49

 

Notes  

43 Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, pp. 244, 294, 295.

44 Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, pp. 298-303.

45 Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, pp. 307-314.

46 The Sanitary Commission Bulletin, No. 40, 1865, pp. 1277, 1278.

47 Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, pp. 310-314

48 Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, pp. 314, 315.

49 Cobbe’s The American Sanitary  Commission and Its Lesson in Fraser’s Magazine, Vol.

SXXV, p. 405.

 

 

Value of Relief Work

 

            The total value of the supplies collected and distributed by the Commission was estimated to be $15,000,000. The cash receipts were $4,962,014. These totals, it must be remembered, were fort he goods and money actually handled by the central body. In addition each local Aid Society raised money for local work which never passed through the hands of the Commission. After an unsuccessful attempt to obtain a statement from all the local societies concerning their work, the Commission estimated their aggregate contributions to be more than half of that of the Commission and its branches. Many of the railroads, telegraph, and express companies gave their services free of charge or at greatly reduced rates. At least three-fourths of the cost of transportation of all supplies was given free of charge. The newspapers printed advertisements for the Commission without charge, and many stores and companies from which goods were purchased lowered their prices so as to barely cover the cost to themselves. All these services were of great money value, and an estimate of all of the services of the Commission, which includes the supplies, the cash, and other items, places the total at not less than $25,000,000.50  The efficiency with which this vast supply of stores was handled is suggested by the report of the western department for the two years ending September 1,1863, during which time this department distributed stores of an estimated value of $2,250,000, at an expense of $35,000, or one and one-half per cent of their valuation.51

           

Notes

50 Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, pp. 487-490.

51 The United States Sanitary Commission in The North American Review, Vol.

XCVIII, p. 194; Cobbe’s and Its Lesson The American Sanitary Commission in Fraser’s Magazine, Vol. LXXV, p. 409; Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, pp. 185, 255.

 

Conclusion

 

            The great success of the United States Sanitary Commission has been attributed to the genuineness with which it carried out its pledge to act strictly as a subordinate and auxiliary body to the medical staff. It was always “loyal to the Medical Department,--its fearless critic, but never its rival or supplanter,--its watchful spur, but never its sly traducer of its disguised enemy.” After the Commission had been in operation for some time, the officers of the Medical Bureau realized that it was possible for it “really to aid and not embarrass them” and they entered with hearty cooperation into the work. The relief work under taken by the Commission is also generally considered to have been a great factor in its success, and historians have questioned whether it would even have succeeded without it. The material aid rendered appealed to the public; it aroused popular interest and brought funds into the treasury which could be used for preventive service.52

            When the Commission was organized its members “had nobody to help them and everybody to thwart them. Before they had done, they had imitators without number, eager to do their work, and glad to take their name.”53 An English writer speaks of the United States Sanitary Commission as “worthy of the closer study of English philanthropists” and affirms that “the Sanitary Commission effected a greater amount of good than had ever before been done in time of war”.54

 

Notes

52 The United States Sanitary Commission in The North American Review, Vol. XCVIII, p.

194; Cobbe’s The American Sanitary Commission and Its Lesson in Fraser’s Magazine, Vol. LXXV, p. 409; Stille´’s History of the United States Sanitary Commission, pp. 185, 255.

53  The United States Sanitary Commission in The Atlantic Monthly, Vol. XIX, p. 418.

54 Cobbe’s The American Sanitary Commission and Its Lessons in Fraser’s Magazine, Vol.

LXXV, pp. 401, 405.

 

 

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