United States Sanitary Commission records. English Branch archives

1864-1865

The English Branch, which existed from the spring of 1864 to the fall of 1865, was established by Americans living in Britain to gain the support of their compatriots for the work of the USSC, as a means of contributing to the welfare of those fighting at home for the Union cause. The Branch also supported the USSC’s larger mission of sharing with European countries its knowledge of humanitarian practice and sanitary science in wartime, as gained from the practical experience of a democratic government. These goals were largely effected by the outreach of the Branch's secretary and USSC agent in London, E.C. (Edmund Crisp) Fisher, through his correspondence, writing and speaking engagements, and distribution of USSC publications.

Following the example of the USSC’s European Branch, founded in Paris in 1863, a number of prominent Americans met in London on March 3, 1864 to form an organization of Americans living in the United Kingdom as an auxiliary branch to the Sanitary Commission. The resulting Executive Committee consisted of over sixty men and women, many of them from prominent commercial and diplomatic families such as the Adams, Brown, Field, Grinnell, Morgan, Peabody, Stevens, Stokes, and Morse families. The list included the noted British-American actress and abolitionist, Fanny Kemble, and Cyrus W. Field, working in England on his transatlantic telegraph cable project. Field played a leading role in the early days of the London Branch. On June 17, 1864 the USSC Standing Committee in New York appointed E.C. Fisher, a member of the Executive Committee, as acting Secretary of the English Branch, and Agent of the Commission in England.

The Standing Committee intended that the English Branch operate independently of the USSC's European Branch in Paris, while relying on it for advice. William B. Bowles was Secretary and Agent of the European Branch, but his brother and banking partner, Charles S.P. Bowles, also associated with that Branch, was Fisher's principle contact. Because the English Branch was primarily concerned with public relations, and actively solicited funds only from Americans, it was not self-supporting in donations, often relying on ad hoc credit arrangements suggested by Charles S.P. Bowles. Some Americans sent funds to the USSC via their bankers at home.

Fisher’s office at 21 Cockspur Street, Trafalgar Square, well-stocked with American and British papers and USSC publications, served as a reading room and meeting place for Americans and others interested in the USSC's work. In addition to distributing publications, Fisher monitored the British press for mention of the USSC. He facilitated the writing of articles about its work and press reviews of its publications. Occasionally he countered pro-Southern statements in the press, writing letters to the editor under the pseudonym “Bower Wood” or “B.W.”, particularly with reference to the Liverpool Bazaar held in October, 1864 for the benefit of Southern soldiers in Northern prison camps. Fisher gave two notable lectures at the Social Science Congress in York (1864) and at the Royal United Service Institution (1865) in which he acknowledged the legacy of British humanitarian and sanitary work, especially that of Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War.

By the end of 1864, as military successes foretold ultimate Union victory, and the details of Andersonville prison were corroborated by multiple sources, the temper of public opinion sympathizing with the Confederate cause lessened. Lectures, visits and distribution of pamphlets continued. News of Lee's surrender appeared in London papers on April 24. In the weeks following, Fisher distributed as much literature as possible and shipped the remainder home. Fisher closed the English Branch office in September, and made arrangements to sail for New York in October, 1865.