"""That meddlesome body"": The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War"
Created in the 37th session of Congress and reconstituted in the 38th Congress, the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War was authorized to examine all aspects of Union military operations. Its investigations were far-ranging, including most major Union military set-backs, the administration of military departments, the treatment of prisoners of war, and war-related supply contracts. Dominated by a Republican majority, the Committee often became a partisan tool to advance the ideological principles of Republicans in Congress. While motivated by moral principle, the activities of Committee members, nevertheless, detracted from the Union war effort. The Committee harassed the President, created jealous rivalries among Union army officers, helped encourage the revival of political partisanship with its attacks on Democratic generals, and damaged public morale. In addition, the Committee's activities created an unhealthy precedent for future unwarranted and irresponsible congressional interference in executive matters.
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign