- unitid
-
{"value"=>"18782", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"MssCol 18782", "type"=>"local_call"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1862-1865", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1862/1865"}
- date_inclusive_start
-
1862
- date_inclusive_end
-
1865
- keydate
-
1862
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"United States Sanitary Commission records. Army of the Potomac archives"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"11.44 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear feet"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"29 boxes, 1 oversized folder", "unit"=>"containers"}], "supress_display"=>true}
- repository
-
{"id"=>"MSS", "value"=>"Manuscripts and Archives Division"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"The Army of the Potomac Archives, 1862-1865, document the Sanitary Commission's relief work in support of Union armies on campaign in Virginia, from the winter of 1862-1863 to the closing of the USSC’s base at City Point in June, 1865. The establishment of the USSC’s Field Relief Corps and Auxiliary Relief Corps, and USSC operations during Grant’s Overland Campaign and the siege of Petersburg and Richmond are especially well represented. Earlier relief work at Harrison’s Landing during the 1862 Peninsular Campaign is also documented."}
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"<p>United States Sanitary Commission records. Army of the Potomac archives, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library</p>"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"United States Sanitary Commission", "type"=>"corpname", "role"=>"creator"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Sanitary Commission conducted field relief, battlefield relief, and special relief operations in support of the Army of the Potomac beginning in 1861. In an effort to systematize and develop such work, they established the Field Relief Corps (1863) and Auxiliary Relief Corps (1864) to better meet the needs of the Army on campaign. These relief operations included the Army of the James during the final year of the war.</p> <p>On July 17, 1863, shortly after the battle of Gettysburg, General Secretary Frederick Law Olmsted issued instructions for the operation of the Field Relief Corps (FRC). These were implemented the following day when Lewis H. Steiner, USSC Chief Inspector of the Army of the Potomac, left Boonesboro, Maryland to meet the Army across the Potomac River. The plan resulted from earlier discussions and reorganization of field relief work by Olmsted, Steiner, John H. Douglas and others, in the months following the battle of Antietam. During the winter of 1862-1863, USSC field support of the Army of the Potomac was based at Acquia Creek and along the Rappahannock River, at Falmouth opposite Fredericksburg, and in March, at Belle Plain. Isaac N. Kerlin supervised operations until his resignation in May, when Steiner took charge in the position of Chief Inspector.</p> <p>Steiner was responsible for the efficiency of the Corps and was supported by a field superintendent and an assistant superintendent, J. Warner Johnson and Isaac Harris respectively. Johnson remained in this position until January 1865 and was succeeded by J. Henry Davis.</p> <p>The superintendent and his assistant were aided by relief agents, each assigned to a corps of the Army of the Potomac. To make the supply and relief system more mobile, each agent was placed in charge of a supply wagon stocked from USSC field storehouses, traveling with his designated Army corps so as to become familiar with the needs of its medical officers, field hospitals and troops. The superintendent and his assistant moved throughout the Army, overseeing work and helping as needed. In December, 1863, Steiner was named Chief Inspector for the Armies in Eastern Virginia and Maryland, a position he held until his resignation on July 12, 1864.</p> <p>Whenever the Army of the Potomac moved its support bases in its manoeuvres against southern troops, the USSC moved its base of operations and relief stations accordingly. The FRC set up fixed headquarters on January 14, 1864 at Brandy Station, Virginia, the Army’s winter quarters. This station, known as the Shebang, consisted of a storehouse and tents to lodge USSC staff, visitors, and soldiers in transit, many convalescing. Relief agents visited the nearby Corps on saddle horses, supplying from the storehouse. As the Army prepared to move for what would be the battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania (May 1864) and other battles and skirmishes making up Grant’s Overland Campaign, the USSC left Brandy Station on May 4, 1864 and supplies were next forwarded to Belle Plain, Virginia.</p> <p>In anticipation of the Army of the Potomac’s 1864 spring and summer campaigns, the USSC established the Auxiliary Relief Corps (ARC) in April-May 1864. While the FRC served the needs of the Army in the field, the ARC developed stations at field hospitals associated with particular Army corps, working closely with medical officers. Many staff members were students at northern theological seminaries serving for limited periods of time. The Corps attended to the wounded arriving by ambulance or in large numbers from battlefields, provided feeding stations for soldiers in transit, assisted sick soldiers with letter writing and other personal needs (such as supplying reading matter), provided fresh clothing, ensured that soldiers had proper food and stimulants and that USSC supplies were distributed appropriately, and provided last rites and supervised burials as needed. FRC and ARC staff worked together when circumstances required. Frank B. Fay of Chelsea, Massachusetts was Superintendent of the Corps from its inception until January 1865. A. M. Sperry succeeded Fay, holding the position until the end of the war.</p> <p>Belle Plain served as the next USSC supply base beginning on May 10, 1864. The USSC was busy there and at Fredericksburg with the wounded from the battle at Spotsylvania Court House which began on May 8. Once General Ulysses S. Grant continued his advance to Richmond, Virginia, USSC supplies and relief stations were moved to Aquia Creek on May 21. The USSC continued to support the Army’s needs during events surrounding the battle of Cold Harbor (May 31-June 12), moving to Port Royal, White House, and eventually Fortress Monroe.</p> <p>From mid-June 1864 to May 1865, City Point, on the James River, served as Grant's headquarters and the center of operations for the Union armies there. City Point also became the center for USSC operations with the arrival of the USSC relief corps on June 18, 1864. The USSC was able to utilize elaborate railroad, shipping, and communication facilities, setting up its own relief and transportation networks to support Army hospitals and troops, including the transportation of wounded soldiers to northern hospitals.</p> <p>Grant’s Army of the Potomac and General Benjamin F. Butler’s Army of the James were combined on June 22, 1864, thereby expanding the USSC’s work and operational structure. John H. Douglas, an associate secretary of the USSC, was placed in charge of the entire work of the Commission in Virginia. Douglas oversaw the general direction of field relief at City Point and was responsible for USSC transportation needs by water and land, and coordinating the distribution of USSC supplies. Alexander McDonald was appointed chief inspector of the USSC’s Department of the Peninsula and Norfolk. He was placed in charge of relief activities at the Commission’s stations at Norfolk, Portsmouth, Bermuda Hundred, and Point of Rocks, with a base of operations at Deep Bottom, Virginia supporting the Army of the James.</p> <p>By July 1864, over 200 individuals were employed in the area by the USSC. Douglas continued his role of oversight, with McDonald serving as inspector and executive officer, William F. Swalm as inspector and comptroller of supplies, Charles S. Clampitt as chief storekeeper, James J. Brooks as purveyor, J. Warner Johnson as the superintendent of Field Relief, and Frank B. Fay as superintendent of Auxiliary Relief. W. D. Mosman was the cashier and clerk at City Point and was chiefly responsible for financial affairs. By the end of that month, Joseph Parrish was placed in charge of all USSC operations with the Armies operating against Richmond.</p> <p>The USSC continued to work from City Point and Deep Bottom during the Richmond and Petersburg campaigns throughout June 1864 to March 1865. On April 2-3, 1865, Petersburg and Richmond fell to the Union. By April 12 the USSC had permission from the Army to occupy a large house in Petersburg to serve as a storehouse and soldiers lodge. Relief stations were also established at Richmond and Burkesville, Virginia.</p> <p>Toward the end of April 1865, as soldiers began returning home, the USSC’s relief work in the area drew to a close. April 26, 1865 was McDonald’s last day with the USSC in Virginia, leaving Isaac Harris and J. Warner Johnson in charge until M. D. Benedict was named chief inspector on May 25. Relief stations, lodges, and storehouses began to dispose of supplies and equipment, or forward them to other USSC locations. At City Point, some supplies were prepared for the U.S. Army’s Texas Expedition. By June 25, USSC operations at Petersburg, Richmond and City Point had closed; on that day, remaining City Point staff departed by boat for Washington.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Army of the Potomac Archives, 1862-1865, document the Sanitary Commission's relief work in support of Union armies on campaign in Virginia, from the winter of 1862-1863 to the closing of the USSC’s base at City Point in June, 1865. The establishment of the USSC’s Field Relief Corps and Auxiliary Relief Corps, and USSC operations during Grant’s Overland Campaign and the siege of Petersburg and Richmond are especially well represented. Earlier relief work at Harrison’s Landing during the 1862 Peninsular Campaign is also documented. This record group comprises four series: letters and reports, letters sent, journals and station records.</p> <p>Letters and reports, 1863-1865, consist of a set of letters, telegrams, reports and other items, arranged and numbered by the USSC’s Archive Department (#1-4456), and a small group of unnumbered miscellaneous documents. Most numbered documents are addressed to supervisors of the Field Relief Corps and Auxiliary Relief Corps and inspectors, as well as USSC executive officers working in the field; correspondents include USSC staff reporting on the progress of work at their stationed post, army officers, soldiers, and civilians. Documents typically concern daily operations, supply matters, and inquiries from soldiers and their family members. Also present is a notable oversize plan of Army hospitals, USSC quarters and other locations at City Point as of August 1, 1864 (#4047). The set of numbered documents concludes with a group of letters and reports (#4247-4456), 1864-1865, addressed mostly to John H. Douglas and supervisors of the Field Relief Corps and Auxiliary Relief Corps regarding the daily work of relief agents and supervisors. The majority are from relief agents and supervisors of the Field Relief Corps and Auxiliary Relief Corps as well as USSC executive officers in Washington and New York; also included are testimonials by Army personnel about the USSC, and supply documentation.</p> <p>Letters sent, 1863-1865, are copies of letters sent by USSC personnel, including John A. Anderson, Alexander McDonald, Isaac Harris, J. Foster Jenkins, J. Warner Johnson, Joseph Parrish, Lewis H. Steiner and others. Recipients include USSC staff in Washington and New York, relief agents, army officers, soldiers, and civilians. Letters generally concern the distribution of supplies to various locations and other relief activities, financial accounts, inquiries regarding individual soldiers, and requests for passes to the front from Army Provost Marshals.</p> <p>Journals, 1863-1865, comprise a notable set of operational journals providing a detailed record of USSC activities at its bases at Belle Plain, White House, and City Point while on campaign with the Army of the Potomac and later the Army of the James, 1864 May-1865 Jun; also, several journals maintained by individual USSC staff members, 1863-1864, and journals of USSC inspections of regiments in the field, 1863.</p> <p>Station records, 1862-1865 and undated, document the USSC’s relief work at various locations in Virginia: Aquia Creek, Bealton Station and Culpepper Court House, Belle Plain and Falmouth (late 1862-1863); and Brandy Station, City Point, Deep Bottom and Richmond, Norfolk, Petersburg and Portsmouth (1864-1865). Harrison’s Landing records, consisting of a hospital transport patient register and supply record, date from the earlier 1862 Peninsular Campaign. The bulk of the materials are volumes recording supplies received by USSC depots and ships and issued to military units and hospitals, as well as for special and individual relief. Special relief services at lodges at Aquia Creek, City Point, Deep Bottom and Richmond, Petersburg, and Portsmouth are documented in registers listing soldiers in transit, many of them discharged or furloughed and unwell, who were assisted with lodging, meals, and clothing. Other services include the forwarding of soldiers’ baggage, money and personal effects to the north. Cash accounts are found in a number of station records.</p> <p>Station records are most numerous for City Point, documenting activities of Office staff, the Auxiliary and Field Relief Corps, and Supply staff. In addition to supply and special relief materials mentioned above, City Point documentation includes a record of Hospital Directory inquiries, USSC employment records, morning reports for field hospitals, and burial records (White House, City Point, Fort Ethan Allen). A small number of Field Relief Corps volumes chiefly concern relief work with the Army of the James. Supply records also document the USSC’s extensive use of barges and ships at City Point. An early USSC Archive Department register, circa 1866, is also included.</p> <p>In the USSC Archive Department’s initial arrangement of USSC records, station records formed distinct record groups (e.g., City Point Archives); ultimately the Archive Department combined these and other materials into one record group called the Army of the Potomac Archives.</p> <p> Additional financial records of USSC activities in this area can be found in the USSC Accounts and Vouchers record group.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The United States Sanitary Commission records. Army of the Potomac archives are arranged in four series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/18782#c676312'>I. Letters and reports</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1863-1865</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Financial and supply documents (requisitions, invoices and accounts of stock) which had been arranged in bulk groups are now arranged separately by station or multiple location use; others remain interspersed in numerical sequence.</p> <p>See Archive Department register, USSC New York, N.Y. Archives volume 12 for the complete original inventory of numbered documents in this record group. Archive Department register USSC New York, N.Y. Archives volume 11 only includes items #1-4286.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/18782#c676351'>II. Letters sent</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1863-1865</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Steiner letters are written in his capacity as Chief Inspector of the Army of the Potomac and later for the Armies in Eastern Virginia and Maryland. Steiner letterpress copybooks each contain an additional index prepared by the USSC’s Archive Department. Additional Steiner letterpress copybooks are found in the USSC Washington, D.C. Archives record group.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/18782#c676358'>III. Journals</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1863-1865</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>A set of USSC operational journals document activities from 1864 May 10-1865 Jun 24. Entries typically cover the daily work and observations of USSC staff, including details about shipments and transportation of supplies, staffing changes, military activities and war rumors, and the weather. Starting June 6, 1864, two versions of the journals are found: the bound \"quarto journal\" (originally several paginated volumes, later rebound together as \"Journals in the field\"), and a separate, edited copy on loose sheets (see Journal at White House and City Point below). While the bound volumes are generally more comprehensive, the loose sheets contain communications not found in the volumes, and were apparently created for reporting purposes. The titles, \"journals in the field\" and \"journal at White House and City Point,\" are retained from the USSC’s 19th century arrangements; the June 6, 1864 entry in both versions bears the title, \"Journal. U.S. Sanitary Commission work with the Army of the Potomac.\" Journals kept by individual USSC staff members and journals of USSC inspections are also present.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/18782#c676371'>IV. Station records</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1862-1865</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Records are in alphabetical order by location, with the exception of Culpeper Court House (see Bealton Station) and Richmond (see Deep Bottom). Records documenting activities at multiple and unidentified locations are grouped together at end.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Donated by the United States Sanitary Commission to the Astor Library, 1879</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"type"=>"processing", "value"=>"<p>Compiled by <span class=\"name\">Elizabeth Delmage</span>, <span class=\"date\">2013</span></p>"}
{"value"=>"<p>Revised December 2013</p>"}
- note
-
{"type"=>"sponsor", "value"=>"The conservation, arrangement, and description of the collection was made possible by generous funding from the Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust."}
- sponsor
-
{"value"=>"The conservation, arrangement, and description of the collection was made possible by generous funding from the Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust."}
- dsc_type
-
combined
- extent_statement
-
11.44 linear feet (29 boxes, 1 oversized folder)
- date_start
-
1862
- date_end
-
1865