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Livermore's appeals brought in a wealth
of
donations. To make order of the "chaos
of
benevolence," the U.S. Sanitary
Commission was established, and
Livermore became
one of the national directors. Livermore
and Jane
Hoge also conceived
of the idea of the sanitary fair, which
raised a
great deal of money for Union fighting
men.
After the Civil War, Livermore wrote
My Story of
the War, which accurately depicts
hospitals and
nursing during
the conflict.
Mary Ashton Rice was born in Boston,
Mass.,
and educated at a New England female
seminary. When
the Civil War
broke out Livermore directed her
energies toward
soldier relief work. She wrote articles
that
encouraged women to ease
the plight of their Union soldiers by
donating
supplies and time. She was intolerant of
conditions
some of the wounded
soldiers faced and wrote exposes
bringing the
military's deficiencies to the attention
of
civilians who could at least
help relieve the shortages.