In April 1898, the Army Medical Department accepted the offer of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) to screen applications and select nurses to receive contracts. Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee led a group of volunteer DAR matrons in this task until Aug. 29, 1898. On that date she was appointed Acting Assistant Surgeon in the US Army—the only woman to hold this military position at that time.

Professional nurses under contract to the Army included nearly 250 nuns and 80 African-American nurses, including five graduates from the prestigious Tuskegee Institute. Native American nurses, including four from the Congregation of American Sisters in South Dakota, also volunteered.