ARCHBISHOP HUGHES AND THE SISTERS.
The problem of how to provide the necessary nurses for both the
Union and Confederate Armies. Sisters not able to volunteer
without the approval of their superiors. An interesting epistle
from Archbishop Hughes to Archbishop Kenrick. The New York prelate
appointed by President Lincoln as a peace commissioner to France.
A characteristic letter from the martyred President to the great
Archbishop. Quelling the draft riots in New York city.
[Illustration: LINCOLN.]
Very early in the war the question of providing nurses for the sick and
wounded soldiers of both armies became a serious problem, not only to
the civil authorities, but also to the Church officials. In every great
emergency questions of this kind generally solve themselves. It proved
so in this instance. The first shot had hardly been fired, the first
battle fought and the first improvised hospital put into service, before
volunteers from all sections of the country had placed themselves at the
disposal of generals of the contending armies. These offers came both
from lay women and from members of the various Sisterhoods connected
with the Catholic Church in the United States. The Sisters, of course,
being under certain rules and discipline, were not able to volunteer
until they had obtained the consent and approval of their Superiors.
In the beginning the nurses for the armies were taken from all walks of
life. While they were zealous and entered upon their work with the
desire of alleviating suffering, they did not have the disposition or
training necessary to carry on the work with the ease and thoroughness
essential to complete success. As the war progressed and battles
occurred more frequently, and the number of sick and wounded became
alarmingly large, the medical directors in both the Union and
Confederate armies began to recognize and appreciate the real value of
the Sisters.
The following letter[4], written by Archbishop Hughes, of New York, to
Most Rev. Francis Patrick Kenrick, D. D., Archbishop of the See of
Baltimore, shows that the subject was a live one in Church circles at
that time:
To the Archbishop of Baltimore. May 9, 1861.
Most Reverend and Dear Sir:--
The Superior of the Jesuits here called upon me more than a week
ago to state that their society would be prepared to furnish for
spiritual necessities of the army, North and South, as many as ten
chaplains, speaking all the civilized languages of Europe or
America. I heard him, but did not make any reply. For myself I
have sent but one chaplain with the Sixty-ninth Regiment, and to
him I have already given the faculties which you had the kindness
to confer upon me for such an occasion.
There is also another question growing up, and it is about nurses
for the sick and wounded. Our Sisters of Mercy have volunteered
after the example of their Sisters toiling in the Crimean war. I
have signified to them, not harshly, that they had better mind
their own affairs until their services are needed. I am now
informed indirectly that the Sisters of Charity in the diocese
would be willing to volunteer a force of from fifty to one hundred
nurses. To this last proposition I have very strong objections.
Besides, it would seem to me natural and proper that the Sisters
of Charity in Emmittsburg should occupy the very honorable post of
nursing the sick and wounded. But, on the other hand, Maryland is
a divided community at this moment, whereas New York is understood
to be all on one side. In fact, as the question now stands,
Maryland is in America, for the moment, as Belgium has been the
battlefield of Europe. As I mentioned several days ago, Baltimore
must be destroyed or it must succumb to Northern determination.
On these several points I would like much to know what your Grace
thinks and would advise.
Sincerely your devoted brother and servant in Christ.
JOHN, Archbishop of New York.
While, as the Archbishop stated in his letter, Maryland might have been
a divided community, the same could not be said of the Sisters of
Charity of Emmittsburg. They were united in occupying “the very
honorable post of nursing the sick and wounded” on both sides of the
great conflict. Soon after this the Archbishop changed some of his views
regarding the Sisters, as expressed in the above letter. Both the
Sisters of Charity and the Sisters of Mercy in the Diocese of New York
served in the camps and the hospitals. To begin with, the Archbishop
withdrew his “strong objection” to the one hundred Sisters of Charity
who desired to volunteer in the early stages of the war. After that all
those who were willing to undertake the humane work went into it with
his blessing and best wishes.
The following letter from President Lincoln to Archbishop Hughes is of
interest. It was the beginning of a warm personal friendship between two
strong men--a friendship ended only by death.
Washington, D. C., October 21, 1861.
Archbishop Hughes.
Rt. Rev. Sir:--I am sure you will pardon me if, in my ignorance, I
do not address you with technical correctness.
I find no law authorizing the appointment of chaplains for our
hospitals, and yet the services of chaplains are more needed,
perhaps, in hospitals than with the healthy soldiers in the field.
With this view I have given a sort of quasi appointment (a copy of
which I enclose) to each of three Protestant ministers, who have
accepted and entered upon the duties.
If you perceive no objection I will thank you to give me the name
or names of one or more suitable persons of the Catholic Church to
whom I may with propriety tender the same service.
Many thanks for your kind and judicious letters to Governor
Seward, and which he regularly allows me the pleasure and profit
of perusing.
With the highest respect. Your obedient servant,
A. LINCOLN.
There are conflicting opinions regarding the propriety of the “war
stand” taken by the Archbishop, but it is generally agreed that he was
one of the heroic figures of war times. He had the absolute confidence
of President Lincoln, and on the 21st of October, 1861, was sent abroad
with Thurlow Weed on a “peace commission.” The Archbishop went to
France, while Mr. Weed confined his work to England. At the same time
Messrs. Mason and Slidell were in Europe on a mission in the interests
of the Confederacy. The late Bishop McNierny, of Albany, then a young
priest in New York City, accompanied the Archbishop to France, acting in
the capacity of private secretary.
These two rival “missions” to Europe were covered with all sorts of
honeyed diplomatic terms, but their real purpose was well known. Messrs.
Mason and Slidell went to induce one or more of the powerful nations of
the old world to throw the weight of their influence with the Southern
Confederacy. The mission of the Archbishop and Mr. Weed was to prevent
that result.
A letter written by Archbishop Hughes to Cardinal Barnabo, at the time
of his appointment by President Lincoln, goes to show that the
Archbishop accepted the mission with the very highest motives. After
explaining that he had refused it once and only reconsidered his refusal
at the earnest request of the President, he adds: “My mission was and is
a mission of peace between France and England on the one side, and the
United States on the other. The time was so brief between my visit to
Washington and my departure from New York that I had no opportunity of
writing to your Eminence upon the subject, or of consulting any of the
other Bishops in regard to it. I made it known to the President that if
I should come to Europe it would not be as a partisan of the North more
than of the South; that I should represent the interests of the South as
well as of the North; in short, the interests of all the United States
just the same as if they had not been distracted by the present civil
war. The people of the South know that I am not opposed to their
interests. They have even published that in their papers, and some say
that my coming to Europe is with a view to bringing about a
reconciliation between the two sections of the country. But in fact no
one but myself, either North or South, knows the entire object of my
visit to Europe.”
Archbishop Hughes was one of the great men of his day. He was on terms
of friendship with several of the Presidents who preceded Mr. Lincoln,
and also enjoyed the confidence and respect of the leading statesmen of
the nation. As early as 1847 he preached before Congress upon the
invitation of such men as John Quincy Adams, John C. Calhoun and Thomas
H. Benton. His subject was: “Christianity, the Only Source of Moral,
Social and Political Regeneration.”
In July, 1863, Archbishop Hughes was instrumental in quelling the draft
riots in New York City. The mob was beyond the control of the local
authorities, and the Archbishop finally consented to say a few words in
the interest of law and order. The venerable prelate was fast
approaching his end. He was so weak at this time that he had to be
conveyed to the balcony of his residence in an arm chair. He spoke
briefly, and succeeded in inducing the rioters to return to their homes
for the time being. It was his last public appearance, and soon after
this he peacefully passed away, surrounded by friends and relatives and
the ever faithful Sisters of Charity.
In the chapters that follow it is proposed to deal with the labors of
the Sisters of Charity, taking up first the Cornette or Emmittsburg
Sisters, then the “Sisters of Charity of Nazareth,” and finally the
“black caps” or Mother Seton Sisters. The concluding chapters deal with
the Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Sisters of the
Holy Cross in the order named.