United States Sanitary Commission

Following the First Battle of Bull Run, volunteers from the Women's Central Association of Relief (WCAR) of New York witnessed the government's lack of sanitation and medical supplies. WCAR President Henry W. Bellows had traveled to Washington, D.C., intending to discuss matters regarding his organization. Meeting with Secretary of War Simon Cameron shortly after Bull Run, he instead discussed creating a Washington, D.C. organization that would provide advice and assistance to the Union military regarding medical care and general welfare. The organization would become the U.S. Sanitary Commission, approved by President Abraham Lincoln on June 13, 1861.

The U.S. Sanitary Commission, the only civilian-run organization recognized by the federal government, would serve as the focal point for civilian assistance to the military. U.S. Sanitary Commission volunteers advised on the physical and mental health of the military, assisted in the organization of military hospitals and camps, and aided in the transportation of the wounded. They distributed medical supplies, food, and clothing where needed. All of this was accomplished at no cost to the government, thanks to donations and fundraising activities.

Led by an executive board overseeing inspectors and field agents, U.S. Sanitary Commission branches in larger cities coordinated the efforts of local aid societies. Some existing regional aid societies, including the WCAR, would serve under the U.S. Sanitary Commission. Not everyone liked the idea of taking orders from Washington. Some organizations continued to function more or less independently, such as the U.S. Christian Commission which provided relief to both sides. On July 4, 1865, the U.S. Sanitary Commission ended its work. The last official act was the publication of its history in 1866.

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U.S. Sanitary Commission lodge at Convalescent Camp, Alexandria, Virginia, 1863.

Volunteers in the military trophy booth at the Army Relief Fair in Albany, New York, 1864. Pictured from left to right: Miss Susie Kerney, Miss Bow, Mrs. Benjamin Richards, Mrs. John de P. Townsend, and Miss Thornburn.

The Elizabeth was one of two small steamers chartered by the U.S. Sanitary Commission Hospital Transport Service to carry supplies during the spring of 1862.

Hoge was educated at the Young Ladies' College in Philadelphia. At age twenty, she married A. H. Hoge and lived in Pittsburgh before moving to Chicago. When the Civil War began, two of Hoge's sons enlisted, and Hoge engaged in relief work providing supplies. She was soon appointed as a sanitary agent to visit hospitals at Cairo and Mound City, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri, and report on their conditions to the U.S. Sanitary Commission. Hoge attended the 1862 Women's Council in Washington, D.C., where she and Mary A. Livermore were appointed associate managers of the Northwestern Sanitary Commission, a branch of the U.S. Sanitary Commission in Chicago. The two women worked together to organize the supply effort, traveled to oversee efforts in the field, and gave speeches to encourage the war effort.
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In early 1863, Hoge left Chicago with a large amount of stores intended for Major General William T. Sherman's troops outside of Vicksburg. Instead, her ship, volunteers, and supplies were commandeered by Union Brigadier General Willis A. Gorman for use on his expedition up the White River in Arkansas. Later that spring, Hoge succeeded in taking a ship loaded with supplies to aid to the Union Army at Vicksburg. After the war, Hoge wrote a book, The Boys in Blue, about the everyday experiences of soldiers and also continued her charitable works.