The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War was a United States Congressional investigating committee created to handle issues surrounding the American Civil War. It was established on December 9, 1861, at the instigation of Senator Zachariah T. Chandler of Ohio and continued until May 1865. Senator Benjamin F. Wade of Ohio served as chairman. Its purpose was to investigate such matters as trade with the Confederate states, medical treatment of wounded soldiers, military contracts, and the causes of Union defeat. The Committee was also involved in supporting the war effort through various means, including endorsing emancipation, the use of black soldiers, and the appointment of actively fighting generals.

During the committee's existence, it held 272 meetings and received testimony in Washington and at other locations, often from military officers. Though the committee met and held hearings in secrecy, the testimony and related exhibits were published in the numerous committee reports of its investigations. The records include the original manuscripts of certain postwar reports that the committee received from general officers. There are also transcripts of testimony and accounting records regarding the military administration of Alexandria, Virginia.

The Committee on the Conduct of the War is considered to be the toughest congressional investigating committee in history.

See also

• U.S. Congress Joint Committee on Reconstruction

Sources

• National Archives Records of Congress (http://www.archives.gov/records_of_congress/house_guide/chapter_23_overview_of_committees.html)
• U.S. Senate (http://www.senate.gov/)