{"value"=>"<p>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 through 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), in addition to the work of other staff responsible for USSC Eastern Department or broader operations.</p> <p>Special Relief Department materials 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 Department assisted soldiers in transit to their homes or other destinations, chiefly those who were furloughed, discharged, ill or disabled. It provided lodging,medical care and transportation assistance in a growing system of homes, lodges and relief stations, and helped soldiers and sailors procure back pay, bounty, and other monies due to them. Lodging and other aid was also extended to female relatives of soldiers and hospital nurses in need.</p> <p>Supply Department records document operations in the network of storehouses forming the USSC’s Supply Depot in Washington, D.C., a major center for the receipt and distribution of supplies for general, battlefield and special relief, both locally and for more distant locations.</p> <p>Records of the Agency for the Purchase of Fresh Hospital Supplies document its operations in Washington and Philadelphia, June 1863-April 1864. At Philadelphia it purchased fresh foodstuffs of a greater variety and quality, and at a lower cost, than what was available in Washington, and quickly transported the perishable supplies to Washington for distribution to U.S. Army hospitals. It provided similar services to Army hospitals at Gettysburg, and to Army convalescent camps and USSC homes and lodges in the Washington area.</p> <p>The Department of Special Inspection of the General Hospitals of the Army, initiated by the USSC’s Medical Committee but located at the Central Office, operated from 1862 to 1863. Records document the Department’s efforts to recruit inspectors and perform inspections at general army hospitals, and to report their findings to the Army’s Surgeon General for review and action.</p>"}