Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War

The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War was a government panel in Washington during the American Civil War, whose most controversial function was to investigate the cause of Union battle losses. This provided a forum for generals to try to deflect blame, at a time when accusations of disloyalty were hard to disprove, and it encouraged an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust. The committee was dominated by Radical Republicans of no military experience, urging rash movements, at odds with Lincoln's more considered strategies.

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, following the embarrassing Union defeat at the Battle of Ball's Bluff, at the instigation of Senator Zachariah T. Chandler of Michigan, and continued until May 1865. Its purpose was to investigate such matters as illicit trade with the Confederate states, medical treatment of wounded soldiers, military contracts, and the causes of Union battle losses. 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 generals who were known to be aggressive fighters. It was chaired throughout by Senator Benjamin Wade of Ohio, and became identified with the Radical Republicans who wanted more aggressive war policies than those of Abraham Lincoln.

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