<P> The hygiene of the camps was poor, especially at the beginning of the war when men who had seldom been far from home were brought together for training with thousands of strangers . First came epidemics of the childhood diseases of chicken pox, mumps, whooping cough, and especially, measles . Operations in the South meant a dangerous and new disease environment, bringing diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid fever, and malaria . There were no antibiotics, so the surgeons prescribed coffee, whiskey, and quinine . Harsh weather, bad water, inadequate shelter in winter quarters, poor policing of camps, and dirty camp hospitals took their toll . This was a common scenario in wars from time immemorial, and conditions faced by the Confederate army were even worse . What was different in the Union was the emergence of skilled, well - funded medical organizers who took proactive action, especially in the much enlarged United States Army Medical Department, and the United States Sanitary Commission, a new private agency . Numerous other new agencies also targeted the medical and morale needs of soldiers, including the United States Christian Commission, as well as smaller private agencies, such as the Women's Central Association of Relief for Sick and Wounded in the Army (WCAR), founded in 1861 by Henry Whitney Bellows, a Unitarian minister, and social reformer Dorothea Dix . Systematic funding appeals raised public consciousness as well as millions of dollars . Many thousands of volunteers worked in the hospitals and rest homes, most famously poet Walt Whitman . Frederick Law Olmsted, a famous landscape architect, was the highly efficient executive director of the Sanitary Commission . </P> <P> States could use their own tax money to support their troops, as Ohio did . Under the energetic leadership of Governor David Tod, a War Democrat who won office on a coalition "Union Party" ticket with Republicans, Ohio acted vigorously . Following the unexpected carnage at the battle of Shiloh in April 1862, Ohio sent three steamboats to the scene as floating hospitals equipped with doctors, nurses, and medical supplies . The state fleet expanded to 11 hospital ships, and the state set up 12 local offices in main transportation nodes, to help Ohio soldiers moving back and forth . </P> <P> The Christian Commission comprised 6,000 volunteers who aided chaplains in many ways . For example, its agents distributed Bibles, delivered sermons, helped with sending letters home, taught men to read and write, and set up camp libraries . </P> <P> The Army learned many lessons and modernized its procedures, and medical science--especially surgery--made many advances . In the long run, the wartime experiences of the numerous Union commissions modernized public welfare, and set the stage for large--scale community philanthropy in America based on fund raising campaigns and private donations . </P>

Who supported the north in the civil war