Chapters 4-6

Millions of soldiers were sent to hospitals around the country during the Civil War from diseases due to camp conditions or from battle wounds. Most of these soldiers had never been to a hospital before, since at that time hospitals were for travelers or poorer people. They had always been cared for by their families, mainly the women of their families, until they were well enough. So, when soldiers started to pour in from distant battlefields or from camping armies, they were in for a surprise when the hospital was nothing like what they were used to. The doctors, who were mostly male, had no clue that a good environment and morale among the sick and wounded helped them recover faster and improved mortality rates. Women, on the other hand, knew this, since they had spent their entire lives caring for men when they became sick. Women wanted to help these men recover, and they sought out ways in order to accomplish that. Through the United States Sanitary Commission, created to send supplies out to armies and hospitals that were desperately needed, women began to send needed materials to the men that helped many recover from their wounds. These included blankets, clothing, bedding, bandages, and other critical materials that made their lives easier. However, the organization that they worked through, the United States Sanitary Commission, was not without its critics. Many believed that they took the materials and donations they received for themselves through corrupt agents and doctors. This was mostly untrue, and without the efforts of this organization, many more lives would have been lost due to diseases, camp conditions, hospital conditions, and the lack of materials needed by almost every army and hospital that existed during the war.