In April 1861 the Lady Managers of the New York Infirmary for Women and Children, the first hospital run for and by women, formed the Woman's Central Relief Association to train nurses and send them, as well as food and clothing, to Union army hospitals. The organization attracted a sizable group of wealthy female reformers, along with a small cadre of male leaders. Out of it emerged the Commission of Inquiry and Advice in Respect of the Sanitary Interests of the United States Forces, or the United States Sanitary Commission. The venture was modeled after the British Sanitary Commission, which had been created during the Crimean War to promote cleaner, healthier hospital conditions.

Official Recognition of the Sanitary Commission.

The creation of the United States Sanitary Commission attracted the interest of men and women in the medical field, and on 15 May 1861 a...