in june 1899, dr. anita newcomb mcgee co-founded the order of spanish–american war nurses to (among other things) commemorate the service of contract nurses during the spanish–american war and serve as an advocate for nurses within the u.s. military. at the founding convention on august 7, 1899, order members agreed to sponsor a $10,000 "nurses' monument" ($ in dollars) to military nurses at arlington national cemetery. order dues were 25 cents ($ in dollars), and the organization proposed that any dues money left over after the organization's expenses were paid should go toward the monument. by october 1, an additional $158.75 ($ in dollars) in contributions had been raised.