United States Sanitary Commission The United States Sanitary Commission was a private relief agency created by federal legislation on June 18 , 1861 , to support sick and wounded soldiers of the U . S . Army during the American Civil War . It operated across the North , raised nearly $ 25 million to support the cause , and enlisted thousands of volunteers . The president was Henry Whitney Bellows , and Frederick Law Olmsted acted as executive secretary . It was modeled on the British Sanitary Commission , set up during the Crimean War . History . Henry Whitney Bellows , a Massachusetts clergyman , planned the USSC and served as its only president . According to " The Wall Street Journal " , " its first executive secretary was Frederick Law Olmsted , the famed landscape architect who designed New York ' s Central Park . " George Templeton Strong , New York lawyer and diarist , helped found the commission and served as treasurer and member of the executive committee . Also active in the association was Col . Leavitt Hunt , a New York lawyer and photographer . In January 1864 , he wrote to President Abraham Lincoln ' s secretary John George Nicolay asking that Nicolay forward him any documents he might have available with the President ' s signature . Hunt ' s mother , the widow of Vermont congressman Jonathan Hunt , planned to attach Lincoln ' s signature to copies of several casts of the President ' s hand , to be sold to raise funds for the war effort . Women in the USSC . Arising from a meeting in New York City of the Women ' s Central Relief Association of New York , the organization was also inspired by the British Sanitary Commission of the Crimean War . The American volunteers raised money ( estimated at $ 25 million ) , collected donations , made uniforms , worked as nurses , ran kitchens in army camps , and administered hospital ship s , soldiers ' homes , lodges , and rests for traveling or disabled soldiers . They organized Sanitary Fairs in numerous cities to support the Federal army with funds and supplies , and to raise funds for the work of the USSC . Women who were prominent in the organization , often traveling great distances , and working in harsh conditions , included Louisa May Alcott , Almira Fales , Eliza Emily Chappell Porter , Katherine Prescott Wormeley , Mary Livermore and many others . Sanitary Fairs . Organizing the Sanitary Fairs offered ways for local communities to be directly part of supporting the war effort of the nation . The first Sanitary Fair during the war was held in Chicago from October 27 to November 7 , 1863 . Called the Northwestern Soldiers ' Fair , it raised almost $ 100 , 000 for the war effort . It included a six - mile - long parade of militiamen , bands , political leaders , delegations from various local organizations , and a contingent of farmers , who presented carts full of their crops . The fairs generally involved large - scale exhibitions , including displays of art , mechanical technology , and period rooms . These sorts of displays called upon ideas of the American past , a history that local communities held in common . Often , different communities competed with each other over their donations to the national cause . People in various cities and towns across the North contributed to the same war effort because they identified as having shared fortunes in their common nation . The USSC leadership sometimes did not approve of the excitement and lavishness of the fairs . They wanted to encourage sacrifice as a component of membership in a nation . Although the fairs were one way to create a national identity which might motivate citizens to perform their duties , the commission leadership did not want the fairs to become the focus of USSC work . In addition to setting up and staffing hospitals , the USSC operated 30 soldiers ' homes , lodges , or rest houses for traveling or disabled Union soldiers . Most of these closed shortly after the war . The government constructed the the Pension Building in Washington , DC to handle all the staff to process the pension requests and administer them . It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places . After the war , the USSC volunteers continued to work with Union Army veterans to secure their bounties , back pay , and apply for pensions . It supported the " health and hygiene " of the veterans . They had a Department of General Relief which accepted donations for veterans , too . The USSC organization was finally disbanded in May 1866 . Notable Members . States could use their own tax money to supplement the Commission ' s work , as Ohio did . Under the energetic leadership of Governor David Tod , a War Democrat who won office on a coalition " Union Party " ticket with Republicans , Ohio acted vigorously . Following the unexpected carnage at the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862 , it sent three steamboats to the scene as floating hospitals with doctors , nurses and medical supplies . The state fleet expanded to eleven hospital ships . The state also set up 12 local offices in main transportation nodes to help Ohio soldiers moving back and forth . Legacy . The U . S Sanitary Commission is memorialized by a group of re - enactors who portray The Boston Branch of the commission at various civic events , educational programs , and Civil War re - enactments . The group is based out of the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts .