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Collections United States Sanitary Commission records. Washington, D.C. archives
 

United States Sanitary Commission records. Washington, D.C. archives

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Collection Data

Description
The Washington DC Archives, 1861-1866, consist of records of the following Sanitary Commission offices and departments based in Washington: the Central Office, the Special Relief Department, and the Supply Department, as well as the records of two departments which operated for limited periods of time: the Agency for the Purchase of Fresh Hospital Supplies, and the Department of Special Inspection of the General Hospitals of the Army. Records of the USSC’s Statistical Bureau and Hospital Directory, located at 244 F Street, are arranged separately.
Names
United States Sanitary Commission (Creator)
Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1861 - 1866
Library locations
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Shelf locator: MssCol 22261
Genres
Manuscripts
Documents
Notes
Content: The Washington DC Archives, 1861-1866, consist of records of the following Sanitary Commission offices and departments based in Washington: the Central Office, the Special Relief Department, and the Supply Department, as well as the records of two departments which operated for limited periods of time: the Agency for the Purchase of Fresh Hospital Supplies, and the Department of Special Inspection of the General Hospitals of the Army. Records of the USSC’s Statistical Bureau and Hospital Directory, located at 244 F Street, are arranged separately. The USSC’s Central Office at 244 F Street was an important operational hub for USSC activities from 1861-1865, serving as a base for the General Secretary, the USSC’s chief executive officer, for much of the war. With its proximity to government and military departments, and closeness to military operations in Virginia, Maryland and elsewhere, it was a major administrative, relief and supply center, especially for the east. Materials document the activities of the USSC’s general secretary (successively: Frederick Law Olmsted, J. Foster Jenkins, and John S. Blatchford) who directed all working departments and reported to the Standing Committee, and the work of the associate and assistant secretaries who, with their staff, were responsible for USSC Eastern Department and broader operations. The associate secretary for the Western Department, John S. Newberry, also reported to the General Secretary. (The term "working departments" generally referred to the USSC's administrative and geographically-based departments responsible for work in the field or other services, relying primarily on hired staff.) These activities, detailed in correspondence, reports, office journals, staffing records, scrapbooks and other items, include the shaping and direction of USSC policies and operations; interaction with the government, Army and civilians to promote the health, comfort and efficiency of Union forces; monitoring and advising on sanitary conditions and medical care in the Army; directing the work of USSC personnel, including relief agents reporting on conditions in war zones; coordinating relief work and managing supply resources, especially during major military campaigns; working with USSC agencies, branches and aid societies to support supply and relief efforts; providing information and other assistance to servicemen, their families and the public; managing correspondence and other communications; and financial administration. Special Relief Department materials, including correspondence, reports, registers and other items, 1861-1866, document the variety of aid provided to soldiers, sailors, and civilians passing through Washington and its environs by Department superintendent Frederick N. Knapp and his staff. The bulk of the records concern the work of the Special Relief Office, where J.B. Abbott and staff managed requests for assistance and processed claims for back pay and bounty, naval, prisoner of war and other government reimbursements; and the operation of several USSC homes and lodges for soldiers in Washington and Alexandria, including lodging and other assistance for female relatives of soldiers and hospital nurses. Also represented are Knapp’s planning for the care of discharged disabled soldiers in their communities as seen in questionnaires used to interview thousands of soldiers at USSC lodges; and transportation services, including a hospital car transport system for sick soldiers heading home from Washington, documented in courier records. Financial records concern transmittal of claim monies, office operations, and loans or gifts of money to soldiers and civilians in need, for travel and other necessities. . The Supply Department consisted of a network of several storehouses forming the USSC’s Supply Depot in Washington, D.C., the two largest being the Receiving Storehouse and the Local Storehouse. It served as a major center for the receipt and distribution of supplies for all types of relief work, both locally and for more distant locations. Some storehouses also stored and forwarded personal baggage for USSC staff, military personnel, and others. Supply activities are documented in record books maintained by storehouse and Central Office staff; tabular storekeepers’ statements summarizing issues to area hospitals and other locations; baggage records, miscellaneous supply volumes, and an Army broadside identifying provisions for general hospital diet. The Agency for the Purchase of Fresh Hospital Supplies was a relief and supply service directed by Frederick N. Knapp in Washington from late June 1863 through April 1864, with staff in Washington and Philadelphia. It was established to provide fresh foodstuffs of a greater variety and quality, and at a lower cost, than what was currently available to U.S. Army hospitals in the Washington, D.C. area. The USSC, working as an unpaid agent for the Army, purchased market supplies (fresh produce, meat, poultry, and dairy products) at wholesale prices in Philadelphia, for which it was reimbursed, and shipped such perishables to Washington for distribution. Army hospitals at Gettysburg, Army convalescent camps, and USSC homes and lodges in the Washington area also benefitted from these services. These activities are documented in correspondence of the Washington and Philadelphia offices, as well as the market order and freight records of the Washington office, and the account books of the Philadelphia office. Additional records are found in the Pennsylvania Archives record group, MssCol 18781, and in the Accounts and Vouchers record group, MssCol 18820. The USSC’s Department of Special Inspection of the General Hospitals of the Army operated from September 1862 to May 1863. It was located at the Central Office in Washington under the superintendency of Henry G. Clark, M.D., but was initiated and directed by the USSC's Medical Committee in New York. Working with the approval of U.S. Army Surgeon General William A. Hammond, it sought to determine the condition and needs of Army general hospital by recruiting physicians to inspect them during a limited period of time. The USSC forwarded their reports to the Army for review and action, thus hoping to improve hospital treatment for sick and wounded soldiers. Materials, including correspondence, inspection reports, lists and printed matter, document the Department’s recruiting efforts; the performance of inspections by physicians; and communication with the Medical Committee, the Surgeon General, and USSC staff concerning the employment of physicians and inspection work.
Physical Description
Extent: 97.93 linear feet (228 boxes, 23 volumes, 5 oversized folders)
Type of Resource
Text
Identifiers
MSS Unit ID: 22261
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b11660964
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 8b3009e0-67ad-013c-3005-0242ac110002
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