Sanitary Commission, U.S.
Sanitary Commission, U.S. (1861–65).Shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War, New York minister Dr. Henry W. Bellows led a delegation of physicians to Washington, where they lobbied for improved sanitation and medical care in the Union camps. In June 1861, this voluntary group received official status as the United States Sanitary Commission (USSC), charged with inspecting the camps, collecting medical supplies, and advising a somewhat reluctant Medical Bureau. President Abraham Lincoln accepted the plan with skepticism, fearing that the USSC would become the “fifth wheel on the coach.” Before long, the Sanitary Commission's agents were a familiar and welcome sight to Union soldiers. The commission played a crucial role in promoting the appointment in 1862 of a progressive surgeon general, William Hammond, and in breaking army resistance to the use of female...
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