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SANITARY COMMISSIONS. 



oners at Richmond, Salisbury, and Anderson- 

 villc, and there undergoing the terrors of cold, 

 nakedness, and starvation. It also sent on 

 every liag-of-truce boat from Fortress Monroe 

 ample stores of clothkig, cordials, nourishing 

 food, medicine, and restoratives, for the poor 

 fellows who were exchanged, and who, but for 

 this timely relief, would have many of them died 

 on the voyage. It has organized a system of 

 furnishing fresh supplies to the hospitals around 

 Washington at prime cost, which it brings 

 from Philadelphia in arctic cars, thus prevent- 

 ing frauds, and the commissions formerly ob- 

 tained by the hospital stewards, and furnishing 

 more and better supplies to the inmates of the 

 hospitals for less money. It has caused reforms 

 to be instituted in our own convalescent and 

 parole camps, and in the prison camps of the 

 rebels, which our Government hold as prisoners, 

 promoting the health and comfort of both in 

 every possible way. Its agents and superin- 

 tendents have often brought off men under fire 

 from the battle-field, and four of them were 

 taken prisoners by the rebels, after Gettysburg, 

 and notwithstanding the kindnesses bestowed 

 by the Commission on rebels, wounded and 

 prisoners, were subjected to the meagre fare and 

 intolerable filth of Libby prison and Castlo 

 Thunder, for months, when two of them were 

 finally released on parole. 



4. The Department of Field Relief. The 

 Commission has maintained a chief inspector 

 for the armies of the East, and another for the 

 military division of the Mississippi, whose duty 

 is to superintend the work of field relief. He 

 has under his command a superintendent and 

 assistant-superintendent of such army, two field 

 storekeepers and two messengers, and one or 

 more relief agents to each army corps. These 

 relief agents are furnished with one or more 

 wagons of supplies and ambulances, and move 

 with their corps in the field, ministering to the 

 wounded on the field, furnishing bandages, cor- 

 dials, and nourishment, and aiding the surgeons 

 a"hd assistant-surgeons in the field hospitals. 

 They also render assistance and supply de- 

 ficiencies in the care of the sick in camp. The 

 expenditure of the Commission for the Field 

 Relief Department has been about $190,000. 



5. Still another department of the Sanitary 

 Commission's work has been its Auxiliary Re- 

 lief Corps. This was first organized in May, 

 1864. Its object was to supply the deficiency 

 of systematic personal attendance and work in 

 the hospitals, or among the wounded on the 

 field. It employed in the Eastern armies (in 

 Virginia and the Department of the South) 

 forty men regularly, and the number was in- 

 creased during the severe battles of May and 

 June, by volunteers, to one hundred and fifty. 

 In all, four hundred different agents were em- 

 ployed, and more than seventy-five thousand 

 patients served with suitable food, delicacies, 

 cordials, clothing, &c., &c., previous to Jan. 1, 

 1S65. Personal ministrations to the sick and 

 wounded, in the way of conversation, writing 



letters, supplying them with stationery, postage 

 stamps, newspapers, magazines, and books, also 

 formed a part of the duties of this corps. 



In these labors it has constantly had the aid 

 and cooperation of the Medical Department, and, 

 where it could be bestowed, that of the Quar- 

 termaster's Department; and the generals and 

 commanding officers in the field have, almost 

 without exception, given it their hearty sanc- 

 tion and assistance. Without these, its work 

 would have been fourfold more expensive than 

 it has ; but even with this assistance, it has ne- 

 cessarily had to incur large expenditures, and 

 has distributed supplies to an immense value. 

 At the commencement of its work, when it was 

 expected that the war would be a brief one, it 

 made its appeals to the public for fifty thousand 

 dollars, a sum which it was thought would suf- 

 fice to accomplish its purposes ; but with the 

 increasing proportions of the war, increasing 

 means were found necessary. While, of most 

 descriptions of supplies, their stock derived from 

 the branches was ample, there were some, such 

 as the best qualities of wines and brandies, 

 quinine, &c., which could only be obtained by 

 CMS! i pr.rchascs. The transportation of their 

 supplies, though much of it was given by rail- 

 road companies, was still very expensive, while 

 the maintenance of their homes, lodges, olEces, 

 and directories, required a heavy outlay. The 

 Commission, as such, received no compensation, 

 and of its officers, the President, Vice-Presi- 

 dent, and Treasurer, received no pay ; while the 

 Associate Secretary for the West, the only other 

 member of the Commission now in service 

 (except the Executive Committee), having left 

 his residence and practice at Cleveland for 

 Louisville in the Commission's service, has a 

 moderate salary. The Commission has regarded 

 it necessary for the proper performance of its 

 extensive, varied, and onerous duties, to employ 

 paid agents, and has in its employ about two 

 hundred. To none of them are salaries paid so 

 large as they could receive in other business, 

 but they remain in the work because they love 

 it. The aggregate salaries, previous to May, 

 1864, was about $15,000 per month, and of 

 other expenses from $30,000 to $35,000 per 

 month, making a total sum of $45,000 to $50,000 

 per month ; but with the progress of the gigan- 

 tic campaigns, and the terrible battles, both East 

 and West, in. the months of May, June, July, 

 and August, 18G4, this expenditure was greatly 

 increased. For the months of May and June 

 alone the outlay was $525,000, and for the sea- 

 son more than $1,000,000. The expenditure 

 of supplies varies with the occurrence of great 

 battles. During, and immediately after, the 

 battles at Gettysburg, supplies to the value ol 

 $75,000 were distributed there. To the army 

 of the Cumberland, within ten days after the 

 disastrous battle of Chickamauga, six thousand 

 packages were sent; and immediately after 

 Chattanooga, five thousand packages and boxes 

 went forward. 



The receipts of the Commission, from its or- 



