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[438] all soldiers who had been at any time, even for the briefest period, under the care of the medical department. These offices enabled families to find out, almost without fail, those among their relatives who seemed lost in the midst of these immense bodies of armed men, and thus relieved much suffering and put an end to a great deal of anxiety. The figures we have given demonstrate more eloquently than any comment that could be made what private charity can accomplish when properly directed. We shall only add one instance, by way of conclusion, in anticipation of the chronological order of this history. In the month of October, 1864, the society whose organization and achievements we have just related had already received $5,000,000 in cash, one-third of which was contributed by the Pacific States, although very remote from the seat of war. The other societies having the same object in view are only entitled to a brief notice, for the role they played was of secondary importance. We can only mention the Western Sanitary Commission, which, being entirely independent of the former, though equally national—that is to say, intended for the relief of soldiers of all the States without distinction—had but a limited field of action. Created on the 5th of September, 1861, by General Fremont, and reconstituted by the Secretary of War on the 16th of December, 1862, its special mission was to carry relief into hospitals. It would be impossible for us to give the names of the local independent societies, all of which were of more or less service, especially in assisting the sick and wounded soldiers in the interior, but whose unfortunate partiality we have already mentioned wherever they penetrated into army-centres. Before resuming the recital of military events, which we have interrupted, let us cast another rapid glance over the interior situation of the Southern States at the period we have now reached. No military measure of importance having marked the session of Congress, which lasted about four months from the 12th of January, 1863, and the consideration of the Confederate finances having brought us down to the second volume, closing with the end of the said session, in order to complete this
Philadelphia, Jos. H. Coates and co., 1883.
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