"…that the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad bridge spanning the Potomac at Harper’s Ferry was destroyed and rebuilt five times during the Civil War?"
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Finding Aid to the United States Sanitary Commission Photograph Collection, ca. 1861-1865, PP279
Finding Aid to the United States Sanitary Commission Photograph Collection, ca. 1861-1865, PP279
H. Furlong Baldwin Library, Maryland Historical Society
Collection summary
Title | United States Sanitary Commission Photograph Collection |
Creator | Amy and Richard Steiner |
Call number | PP279 |
Inclusive dates | ca. 1861-1865 |
Bulk dates | ca. 1861-1865 |
Extent | 1 box, 23 items. |
Abstract | The collection contains photographs related to the United States Sanitary Commission. |
Administrative summary
Repository | H. Furlong Baldwin Library Maryland Historical Society 201 W. Monument St. Baltimore, MD 21201 |
Access restrictions | Open to the public without restrictions. |
Use restrictions | Permission to quote must be received in writing from the Special Collections Librarian. |
Provenance | Gift of Amy and Richard Steiner, December, 1977 |
Accession number | 51211, 51706, 53662 |
Processing note | Lara Westwood, November, 2013 |
Historical Note
The United States Sanitary Commission (USSC), founded in 1861, formed to combat unsanitary conditions in the Union Army camps and provide medical supplies during the Civil War. The commission, authorized by the federal government, organized civilian support of the war effort in donating medicine, food and other supplies to the Union Army. Medical inspectors, employed by USSC, would visit hospitals and camps to ensure that a clean environment was provided to the soldiers. The USSC also set up and staffed hospitals and lodges for Union soldiers.
Scope and Content
The collection contains photographs related to the United States Sanitary Commission. The photographs depict Commission buildings in Washington, D.C. and Virginia, as well as Camp Letterman, the battlefield hospital at Gettysburg. Dr. Gordon Winslow is featured in many of the Gettysburg photographs. Most of the images are cartes de visite and cabinet cards widely sold during and after the Civil War.
The photographs were grouped together by size and divided into series based on their accession numbers. The photographs were donated at separate times by Amy and Richard Steiner, and therefore given multiple accession numbers. Series I pertains to the photographs labeled accession number 51211, series II to 51706, and series III to 53662. The photograph in series IV was not assigned an accession number. Series IA contains photographs donated with 51211. These items were owned by Dr. Lewis H. Steiner, U. S. Sanitary Commission Chief Inspector, Army of the Potomac.
Container List
Image ID # | Description | Artist | Dates | Size | Box | Folder |
Series I |
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PP279.01 | Lt. Col. A. H. Toten. 7th Regmt. Div. Corps, U.S.A. Relief Agent U.S. San. Com. of the Dept. West Virginia | E. E. Miller. Photographer, Camp Chase, O. | ca.1861-1865 | 2 ½” x 4” | 1 | 1 |
PP279.02 | General Meade’s headquarters, Gettysburg | Tyson Brothers, Gettysburg, PA. | Aug. 1863 | 2 ½” x 4” | 1 | 1 |
PP279.03 | Camp Letterman general hospital near Gettysburg, PA | Tyson Brothers, Gettysburg, PA. | 1863 | 2 ½” x 4” | 1 | 1 |
PP279.04 | Camp Letterman general hospital near Gettysburg, PA? |
| 1863 | 2 ½” x 4” | 1 | 1 |
PP279.05 | Surgeons Retreat, Battlefield of Gettysburg. [Dr. Gordon Winslow and two men seated in front of tents.] | Tyson Brothers, Gettysburg, PA. | 1863 | 2 ½” x 4” | 1 | 1 |
PP279.06 | U.S. Sanitary Commission headquarters |
| ca.1861-1865 | 2 ½” x 4” | 1 | 1 |
Series IA |
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PP279.07 | Head Sanitary Commission at General Hospital, Gettysburg | P. S. & H. E. Weaver, Hanover, York Co., PA. | 1863 | 2 ½” x 4” | 1 | 2 |
PP279.08 | Headquarters of U. S. Sanitary Commission rear view, Battlefield of Gettysburg. [Dr. Gordon Winslow seated in front of open tent.] | Tyson Brothers, Gettysburg, PA | 1863 | 2 ½” x 4” | 1 | 2 |
PP279.09 | Camp Letterman general hospital near Gettysburg, PA? | Tyson Brothers, Gettysburg, PA | 1863 | 2 ½” x 4” | 1 | 2 |
PP279.10 | U. S. Sanitary Commission headquarters near Gettysburg, PA? | Tyson Brothers, Gettysburg, PA | 1863 | 2½” x 4” | 1 | 2 |
Series II |
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PP279.11 | Head of U.S. Sanitary Commission and nurse [Dr. Gordon Winslow?] | P. S. Weaver, Hanover, Pa. |
| 2½” x 4” | 1 | 3 |
PP279.12 | Quarters of the U. S. Sanitary Commission | Mathew Brady | ca.1861-1865 | 2½” x 4” | 1 | 3 |
PP279.13 | Headquarters of the U. S. Sanitary Commission front view, Battlefield of Gettysburg [Dr. Gordon Winslow, seated] | Tyson Brothers, Gettysburg, PA | 1863 | 2 ½” x 4” | 1 | 3 |
PP279.14 | U. S. Sanitary Commission Lodge, For Invalid Soldiers, Alexandria, VA. | Gardner & Gibson | 1862 | 4 ½” x 6” | 1 | 4 |
PP279.15 | Relief Station at Convalescent Camp, Alexandria, VA. U. S. Sanitary Commission | Gardner & Gibson | 1862 | 4 ½” x 6” | 1 | 4 |
PP279.16 | Distributing Store House, Gettysburg, PA. July, 1863. U. S. Sanitary Commission. | Gardner & Gibson | 1863 | 4½” x 6” | 1 | 4 |
PP279.17 | Propeller “Elizabeth,” Store Boat of U. S. Sanitary Commission. | Gardner & Gibson | 1862 | 4 ½” x 6” | 1 | 4 |
PP279.18 | Central Office of U. S. Sanitary Commission, 244 F Street, Washington, D.C. | Alexander Gardner | 1862 | 4 ½” x 6” | 1 | 4 |
PP279.19 | Lodge No. 4, for Invalid Soldiers, U. S. Sanitary Commission, Washington. | Gardner & Gibson | 1862 | 4 ½” x 6” | 1 | 4 |
PP279.20 | Lodge No. 5, for Invalid Soldiers, U. S. Sanitary Commission, Washington. | Gardner & Gibson | 1862 | 4½”x 6” | 1 | 4 |
PP279.21 | The Home, U. S. Sanitary Commission, 374 North Capitol Street, Washington, D.C. | Gardner & Gibson | 1862 | 4½” x 6” | 1 | 4 |
Series III |
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PP279.22 | Central Office of U. S. Sanitary Commission, 244 F Street, Washington, D.C. | Alexander Gardner | 1862 | 9” x 7” | 1 | 5 |
Series IV |
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PP279.23 | Libby Prison During the War | Beverly Gray | ca.1861-1865 | 6½”x4¼” | 1 | 6 |
