What is now generally conceded to have been the decisive battle of the Civil War was fought on the 1st, 2d and 3d of July, 1863. It took place in and around Gettysburg, a town located only about ten miles north of Emmittsburg, the mother house of the Sisters of Charity. The union army was under the control of General George G. Meade, and the Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee. Over 140,000 men were engaged in that bloody2 struggle, which lasted until the evening of the third day. The contending armies by their movements advanced more and more toward the Sisters’ house in Maryland. The scene of this historic battle covered an area of over twenty-five square miles. The soldiers were so close to the Sisters’ house that the buildings trembled from the fearful cannonading. 133
On the morning of July 1, as the head of the One Hundred and Seventh Regiment4, Pennsylvania Volunteers, Second Division, First (Reynolds) Corps5 was approaching St. Joseph’s Academy near Emmittsburg the soldiers were greeted with a remarkable6 and impressive sight. A long line of young girls led by several Sisters of Charity took their position along the side of the road and at a word from the Sister in charge all fell upon their knees and with upturned faces toward the vaulted7 skies earnestly prayed for the spiritual and physical safety of the men who were about to go into deadly battle. The sight was at once solemn and inspiring in the extreme. The roughest soldiers ofttimes have the tenderest hearts, and this scene affected8 them more than they cared to confess. In an instant the head of every soldier in the line was bowed and bared, and remained so until the prayer was finished. All instinctively9 felt that the prayers of those self-sacrificing women and innocent children would be answered. To many of the men it was a harbinger of coming victory as certain as the sunshine that smiled upon them on that beautiful July morning. The scene was photographed upon the mind of many a veteran and remained ever afterwards as one of the sweetest memories of the war.10
The night of the third day the rain fell heavily, and it continued raining all the next day. On Sunday morning immediately after Mass, Rev10. James Francis Burlando, with twelve Sisters, left Emmittsburg for the battlefield, taking refreshments11, bandages, sponges and 134 clothing, with the intention of doing all that was possible for the suffering soldiers and then returning home the next evening.11 The roads previous to the rain had been in a bad condition and the two armies had passed over them with difficulty. But with the mighty12 rain the mud became so thick that they were almost impassable. The subdued13 Southerners having retired14, their thousands of dead and wounded were left on the field and in the barns and farmhouses15 in the vicinity. Scouts16 of the North were stationed here and there, prepared to meet and cope with any eleventh hour surprises. One of these bands seeing the Sisters’ carriages was about to fire on them, thinking they were the ambulances of the enemy. The Sisters had reached a double blockade of zigzag17 fence thrown across the road for defensive18 purposes. The visitors wondered whether they dare go around it by turning into the fields, for in the distance they saw soldiers, half hidden in the woods, watching them. Father Burlando put a white handkerchief on a stick and holding it high in the air, walked towards them, while the Sisters alighted and walked about, so that the concealed19 soldiers might see their white head-dress, known as cornettes. The men viewed the priest sharply, for they had resolved to refuse to recognize a flag of truce if it were offered, but the sight of the cornettes reassured20 them. They met the priest and, learning his mission, sent an escort with him to open a passage for the Sisters through the fields. The meek21 messengers of peace and charity soon came in sight of the ravages22 of grim war. 135
It was a sight that once seen was not soon to be forgotten. Thousands of guns and swords, representing the weapons of the living, the wounded and the dead, lay scattered23 about. The downpour from heaven had filled the roads with water, but on this awful battlefield it was red with real blood. The night before the unpitying stars shone down upon the stark24 forms of the flower of American manhood. Hundreds of magnificent horses—man’s best friend to the end—had breathed their last and lay by the sides of their dead masters. Silent sentinels upon horseback, as motionless almost as the dead about them, sat guarding this gruesome open-air charnel.
With the first streak25 of gray dawn the work of interment had begun. Bands of soldiers were engaged in digging graves and others were busy carrying the bodies to them. There was no attempt at system. Vast excavations26 were made and as many bodies as possible placed in them. The dead were generally buried where they fell. In one trench27 at the foot of the slope known as Culp’s Hill sixty Confederates were buried. In that three days’ fight 2834 union soldiers were killed and 14,492 wounded. On the Confederate side there were 5500 killed and 21,500 wounded. Thousands of the slightly wounded cared for themselves without the assistance of either doctor or nurses. Thousands of others were shipped to the Satterlee Hospital, in West Philadelphia, where their wants were looked after by the Sisters of Charity in that institution. The remainder were forced to remain in Gettysburg.
This was the condition of things that confronted the brave Sisters as they rode over the battlefield on that 136 scorching28 July day. Frightful29 as it may seem, their carriage wheels actually rolled through blood. At times the horses could scarcely be induced to proceed on account of the ghastly objects in front of them. The sight of bodies piled two and three high caused the animals to rear up on their hind30 legs and kick over the traces in a most uncomfortable manner. In the midst of the sickening scenes the Sisters discovered one little group sitting about an improvised31 fire trying to cook some meat. The carriage was directed to this point and here again Father Burlando informed the soldiers of his errand. The officers seemed well pleased and told the Sisters to go into the town of Gettysburg, where they would find sufficient employment for their zealous32 charity. Every large building in Gettysburg was being filled as fast as the wounded men could be carried in. Within and around the city one hundred and thirteen hospitals were in operation, besides those located in private houses. On reaching Gettysburg the Sisters were shown to the hospital, where they distributed their little stores and did all they could to relieve and console the wounded soldiers.
Two of the Sisters returned to Emmittsburg that same evening with Father Burlando, for the purpose of sending additional nurses to relieve those already on the ground. On arriving at the first hospital the surgeon in charge took the Sisters to the ladies who had been attending there and said to them: “Ladies, here are the Sisters of Charity come to serve our wounded; they will give all the directions here; you are only required to observe them.” Those addressed cheerfully bowed their assent33.
GENERAL MEADE AT GETTYSBURG. 137
The soldiers seemed to think that the presence of the Sisters softened34 their anguish35. One Sister was giving a drink to a poor dying man with a teaspoon36. It was slow work and a gentleman who entered unobserved at the time stood near by without speaking for some moments. This gentleman was from a distance and was in search of the very person the Sister was serving. Standing37 a moment in silence, he exclaimed in a loud voice: “May God bless the Sisters of Charity,” and repeated it emphatically, adding: “I am a Protestant, but may God bless the Sisters of Charity.”
The Catholic Church in Gettysburg was filled with sick and wounded. The stations of the cross hung around the walls, with a very large oil painting of St. Francis Xavier holding in his hand a crucifix. The first man put in the sanctuary38 was baptized, expressing truly Christian39 sentiments. His pain was excruciating and when sympathy was offered him he said: “Oh, what are the pains I suffer compared with those of my Redeemer.” Thus disposed he died. The soldiers lay on the pew seats, under them and in every aisle40. They were also in the sanctuary and in the gallery, so close together that there was scarcely room to move about. Many of them lay in their own blood and the water used for bathing their wounds, but no word of complaint escaped from their lips. Others were dying with lockjaw, making it very difficult to administer drinks and nourishment41. Numbers of the men had their wounds dressed for the first time by the Sisters, surgeons at that juncture42 being few in number. When the Sisters entered in the morning it was no uncommon43 thing to hear the men cry out: “Oh, come, please 138 dress my wound,” and “Oh, come to me next.” To all the pain suffered by the soldiers was added the deprivations44 of home friends and home comforts, which in such times come so vividly45 to the mind.
Four of the Sisters attended the sick in the Transylvania College building, which for the time being was used as a prison for about six hundred Confederate soldiers. The Sisters dressed their wounds as in other cases. Every morning when they returned, eight or ten dead bodies lay at the entrance of the college awaiting interment. Two youths lay in an outstretched blanket and a little ditch two inches deep was around the earth they lay upon, to prevent the rain from running under them.
There was quite a sensational46 scene in this prison one morning. One of the Sisters hearing a great noise among the patients looked to see the cause. She discovered a group of men with guns aimed at one poor, helpless man. There had been a quarrel, and no one attempted to stop the strife47. The Sister promptly48 and with no thought of personal danger hurried over to the group and placed her hand on the shoulder of the prospective49 corpse50. Then she pushed him back into the surgeon’s room, holding her other arm out to hinder the men from pursuing him. There was a dead silence. The poor man was put safely inside the doctor’s room and his tormentors retired without a word, quietly putting away their guns. The silence continued for some time. The Sister placidly51 resumed her duties in the mess room.
Presently the doctor came to her and said: “Sister, you have surprised me. I shall never forget what I have witnessed. I saw their anger and heard the excitement, but feared that my presence would increase it. I did 139 not know what to do, but you came and everything was all right. Indeed, this will never die in my memory.”
“Well,” replied the Sister calmly, “what did I do more than any other person would have done? You know they were ashamed to resist a woman.”
“A woman!” exclaimed the doctor; “why, all the women in Gettysburg could not have effected what you have. No one but a Sister of Charity could have done this. Truly it would have been well if a company of Sisters of Charity had been in the war, for then it might not have continued so long.”
One young man after being baptized requested the Sister to stay with him until he died. He prayed fervently52 until the last breath, and almost his final words were: “Oh, Lord, bless the Sisters of Charity.” This brought a crowd around him, as his bed was on the floor. The Sister was kneeling by him and continued to pray for him until the last; then she closed his mouth and bandaged his face with a towel, in the usual manner. They who stood near said one to another: “Was this man her relative?”
“No,” was the reply; “but she is a Sister of Charity.”
“Well,” said one of the company, “I have often heard of the Sisters of Charity, and I can now testify that they have been properly named.”
The surgeon remarked to the religious: “Sisters, you must be more punctual at your repast. I see you are often here until 4 o’clock in the afternoon without your dinner, working for others with a two-fold strength. Where it comes from I do not know—forgetting no one but yourselves. You should, however, try to preserve your own health.” 140
A Protestant gentleman remarked to one of the Sisters that “the Sisters of Charity have done more for religion during the war than has ever been done in this country before.”
Both the Catholic church and the Methodist church in Gettysburg were used for hospital purposes. One day a Sister from the Catholic church had ordered her supplies, as usual, from the sanitary53 store. Soon after this a Sister who was nursing the sick in the Methodist church called at the store and as she was about to leave the merchant said:
“Where are these articles to be sent? I believe that you belong to the Catholic church.”
“No, sir,” replied the Sister, with a barely suppressed smile. “I belong to the Methodist church. Send the goods there.”
After the more severely54 wounded had been removed by friends, or had died, the officers began directing the work of transferring the remaining patients from the town hospital to a wood of tents, called the general hospital.
A Sister was passing through the streets of Gettysburg about this time when a Protestant chaplain, running several squares to overtake her, said:
“I see Sisters of Charity everywhere but in our general hospital. Why are they not there?”
The Sister told him that when the wounded men had been removed none of the surgeons or officers had asked them to go there or they would have gone willingly.
“Well,” he said, “I will go immediately to the provost and ask him to have you sent there. I feel sure that he needs you there.” 141
In going over the field encampment one of the Sisters was pleased and saddened to find her own brother, whom she had not seen for nine years. He had been wounded in the chest and ankle and was in one of the hospitals in the town. The meeting under such circumstances was an affecting one. Both were devoted55, loyal souls, each doing duty earnestly according to his or her knowledge of the right. Through the kindness of the officer of the day the wounded man was permitted to be removed to the hospital where his sister was in charge.
A few days after the battle of Gettysburg Father Burlando wrote a letter to one of his reverend colleagues in Maryland. Some of the facts mentioned in this document have already been told in this chapter, but the fact that it was written while the echoes of that famous fight were still fresh makes it of unusual interest. It is as follows:
Emmitsburg, July 8, 1863.
Rev. and Dear Sir:—You have been informed without doubt by the papers that we have been visited by the Army of the Potomac, and that very near us has been fought a terrible battle, the most bloody since the secession. St. Joseph has well taken care of his house, and St. Vincent of his daughters; we have not been troubled, or at least we have escaped with the slight loss of a little forage56 and some wooden palings, which have served for the wants of a portion of the army.
The evening of the 27th of June the troops commenced to appear upon a small hill a little distance from St. Joseph’s. Regiment after regiment, division after division, all advanced with artillery57 and cavalry58, and taking possession of all the heights encamped in order of battle. The 28th, 29th and 30th we were completely surrounded. General Howard and his suite59 took possession 142 of our house in Emmitsburg; General Schultz and his suite were close to St. Joseph’s, in the house which served some time since for an orphanage60; the other Generals took quarters in different houses along the line of army.
For the protection of St. Joseph’s General Schultz gave orders that guards should be posted in its environs, and General Howard did the same for our little place in Emmittsburg. A great number of officers asked permission to visit the house, and all conducted themselves with courtesy, expressing gratitude61 for the services rendered the soldiers in military hospitals by the Sisters.
On Monday this portion of the army departed, and was replaced by another not less numerous, which ranged itself in line of battle as the first. A colonel of artillery, Mr. Latrobiere, with other officers quartered in the orphanage; he also visited the Institution. The Sisters distributed bread, milk and coffee.
On the 1st of July the battle commenced about seven miles from Emmittsburg. Whilst the booming of the cannon3 announced that God was punishing the iniquities62 of man our Sisters were in church praying and imploring63 mercy for all mankind.
On Sunday I accompanied eight Sisters bearing medicaments and provisions for the wounded. At the distance of six miles we were stopped by a barricade64, and at about three hundred yards there was another to intercept65 all communication. At the second was stationed a company of Federal soldiers, who perceived us from afar. I descended66 from the carriage, and raising a white handkerchief advanced to the second barricade, and announced the purpose of our errand. Immediately several soldiers were sent to open the way, and the two vehicles continued their route without danger. At some distance we found ourselves again in face of another barricade, which compelled us to make a long circuit. Behold67 us at last upon the scenes of combat—what a frightful spectacle! Ruins 143 of burned houses; the dead of both armies lying here and there; numbers of dead horses; thousands of guns, swords, vehicles, wheels, projectiles68 of all dimensions, coverings, hats, habiliments of all color, covered the fields and the road. We made circuits to avoid passing over dead bodies; horses, terrified, recoiled69 or sprang from one side to the other. The further we advanced the more abundant were the evidences presented of a terrible combat, and tears could not be restrained in the presence of these objects of horror. At last we halted in the village of Gettysburg. There was found a good portion of the Federal army in possession of the field of battle. The inhabitants had but just issued from the cellars wherein they had sought safety during the engagement. Terror was still painted upon their countenances70. All was in confusion, each temple, each house, the Catholic church, the Court House, the Protestant Seminary were filled with wounded, and still there were many thousands extended upon the field of battle nearly without succor71. I placed two of our Sisters in each one of the three largest improvised hospitals, offered some further consolations72 to the wounded and then returned to St. Joseph’s.
The next day I started with more Sisters and a reinforcement of provisions. Meanwhile provisions had been sent by the Government, and the poor wounded succored73, and the inhabitants having recovered from their terror have given assistance to thousands of suffering and dying. Eleven Sisters were now employed in this town transformed into a hospital. We shall send some Sisters and necessaries to-morrow if possible. Whilst I write you the sound of cannonading re-echoes from the Southwest, where another engagement takes place. My God, when will you give peace to our unhappy country?
Yours, BURLANDO.
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1
truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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6
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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7
vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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8
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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10
rev
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| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
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refreshments
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| n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待 | |
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12
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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14
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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15
farmhouses
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| n.农舍，农场的主要住房( farmhouse的名词复数 ) | |
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scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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17
zigzag
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| n.曲折，之字形；adj.曲折的，锯齿形的；adv.曲折地，成锯齿形地；vt.使曲折；vi.曲折前行 | |
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18
defensive
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| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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21
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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ravages
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| 劫掠后的残迹，破坏的结果，毁坏后的残迹 | |
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23
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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26
excavations
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| n.挖掘( excavation的名词复数 )；开凿；开凿的洞穴（或山路等）；（发掘出来的）古迹 | |
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27
trench
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| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
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scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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30
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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improvised
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| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
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zealous
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| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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35
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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teaspoon
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| n.茶匙 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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40
aisle
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| n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道 | |
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41
nourishment
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| n.食物，营养品；营养情况 | |
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42
juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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43
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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44
deprivations
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| 剥夺( deprivation的名词复数 )； 被夺去； 缺乏； 匮乏 | |
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45
vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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46
sensational
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| adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的 | |
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47
strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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48
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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49
prospective
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| adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的 | |
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50
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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51
placidly
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| adv.平稳地，平静地 | |
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52
fervently
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| adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地 | |
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53
sanitary
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| adj.卫生方面的，卫生的，清洁的，卫生的 | |
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54
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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55
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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56
forage
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| n.(牛马的)饲料，粮草；v.搜寻，翻寻 | |
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57
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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58
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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59
suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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60
orphanage
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| n.孤儿院 | |
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61
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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62
iniquities
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| n.邪恶( iniquity的名词复数 )；极不公正 | |
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63
imploring
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| 恳求的，哀求的 | |
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64
barricade
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| n.路障，栅栏，障碍；vt.设路障挡住 | |
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intercept
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| vt.拦截，截住，截击 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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projectiles
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| n.抛射体( projectile的名词复数 )；（炮弹、子弹等）射弹，（火箭等）自动推进的武器 | |
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recoiled
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| v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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countenances
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| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
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succor
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| n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助 | |
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consolations
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| n.安慰，慰问( consolation的名词复数 )；起安慰作用的人（或事物） | |
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succored
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| v.给予帮助( succor的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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