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The United States Sanitary Commission was established during the American Civil War to organize women’s efforts to support the Union Army. It modeled its structure on the British Sanitary Commission and oversaw fundraising and initiatives for soldiers. The organization had a significant impact on the war effort and the role of women in the country. It was structured with a central organization and local chapters, and women provided supportive medical care, set up kitchens in army camps, made uniforms, and served on floating hospitals. After the war, the Sanitary Commission helped Union veterans collect their owed wages and return to civilian life.
Established during the American Civil War, the United States Sanitary Commission was an organization dedicated to organizing the efforts of women in the United States to support the Union Army in a variety of ways. Signed during his lifetime by President Abraham Lincoln on June 18, 1861, the Sanitary Commission modeled its structure on the British Sanitary Commission and oversaw initiatives and fundraising for the benefit of soldiers actively engaged in the fight. While the Health Commission operated for only a few years, the organization’s impact on the war effort and the role of women in the country was significant.
The US Health Commission concept began with a local effort led by the Women’s Central Association of Relief in New York City. While there was great opposition, the idea of a national organization that would mobilize women across the country gained traction and was given official status in 1861. The organization’s first and only president was Henry Whitney Bellows, a clergyman of the state of Massachusetts. It should be noted that the first executive secretary of the organization was Frederick Law Olmsted, responsible for the planning of Central Park in New York City.
Structured with a central organization and a number of local chapters, the Health Association campaigned continuously to collect donations from citizens that could be turned into items that would contribute to the war effort. Under the auspices of the organization, women set up and ran kitchens in army camps, made uniforms from donated fabrics, provided supportive medical care as nurses, and served on vessels designated as floating hospitals that carried the wounded away from the battle. Due to the work of the Sanitary Commission, many soldiers had hot food, warm uniforms, coats, gloves, and even blankets.
For a short time after the end of the war, the Sanitary Commission remained an operating entity. For nearly a year, the organization has worked to help Union veterans collect their owed wages, as well as help them return to civilian life. By May 1866, the general feeling was that the Sanitary Commission had satisfied the rationale for creating the organization and that the volunteers could pursue other initiatives within their own communities.
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