LABORS IN FREDERICK CITY.
The Sisters quartered in a stone barracks that had been occupied
by General Washington during the Revolutionary war. Patients see
no necessity for “tincture of iron” from the doctors. Soldiers
without food for thirteen days. Young scholastics from the Jesuit
Novitiate in the capacity of nurses. Not enemies “except upon the
battlefield.”
[Illustration]
On the 4th of June, 1862, a telegram was received at the Central House,
in Emmittsburg, asking that ten Sisters be detailed for hospital service
in Frederick City, Md. The request came from the medical authorities in
charge of the hospital, and it explained the immediate and imperative
need of the Sisters. There were only three Sisters at liberty in the
main house at the time, but the zeal of the Superiors managed to secure
seven others from the various Catholic schools and academies in the city
of Baltimore.
The ten nurses started upon their journey without any unnecessary delay
and soon reached Frederick City. When they arrived at the hospital they
were received by an orderly, who showed them to their room. It was in
an old stone barracks, that had been occupied by General George
Washington during the Revolutionary War. The room contained ten beds, so
closely jammed together that there was scarcely space to walk about
them. An old rickety table and two or three dilapidated chairs comprised
the only furniture of the room. The chief surgeon called to welcome the
Sisters and expressed the hope that they would be comfortable in their
military quarters. He informed them that they were to call upon the
steward for whatever they needed. The medicine was plentiful, but badly
administered by the nurses, who did not attach much importance to the
time or manner of giving it.
The Sisters’ food consisted of the soldiers’ ration. It was served to
them on broken dishes, with old knives and forks, red with rust. The
patients often amused their nurses by saying:
“There is no necessity for the doctors to order us the tincture of iron
three times a day; don’t you think we get nearly enough of it off our
table service?”
On the Fourth of July an addition to the sick from the field of battle
arrived at the hospital. The newcomers numbered about four hundred, and
the majority were suffering from typhoid fever and dysentery. They came
unexpectedly and no preparations had been made to receive them, so that
many of the men had to lie in the open yard of the hospital for nearly a
whole day exposed to the scorching heat of the sun. The Sisters were
thus doomed to witness a most distressing scene without having it in
their power to alleviate the suffering. Finally the Sister servant, who
could no longer behold such a spectacle, managed to procure some wine,
which, with the aid of water, she multiplied prodigiously, thereby
giving all a refreshing drink. This drew from the lips of the poor
sufferers many a blessing and prayer for the Sisters of Charity.
There were continual skirmishes in the Shenandoah Valley, from whence
large numbers of wounded were frequently brought to the hospital, so
that in a short time it was overcrowded and the chief surgeon was
obliged to occupy two or three public buildings in the city as
hospitals. At the request of the doctors eight additional Sisters were
sent from the Mother House at Emmittsburg, and they were divided among
the various hospitals that were occupied as temporary wards until
accommodations could be made at the general hospital to receive the
worst cases. The sick and slightly wounded men were transferred to
Baltimore.
A young man, a Philadelphian, was brought in one day fearfully crushed,
one hand and arm mangled to a jelly. Opening his eyes he beheld a Sister
of Charity standing near him; a look of light succeeded the heavy
expression of weary pain and he exclaimed: “Oh, I wish I were as good as
the Sisters of Charity, then I would be ready to die.” He begged for
baptism. There was no time to lose. The Sisters hastened to instruct him
in what was necessary for him to believe and then baptized him, after
which he calmly expired.
One of the difficulties with which the Sisters had to contend was the
improper manner in which the food was prepared. One day the chief
surgeon asked for a Sister to superintend the kitchen, and one who was
qualified for the charge was sent for that purpose. Her silence and
gentleness soon quelled the turbulent spirits of the soldiers employed
in her office, so that in a short time they became as docile as
children. On the first day an improvement was noticed in the hospital.
The steward said that for the short time the Sisters had been there
their presence in the barracks had made a wonderful change. He said that
the men were more respectful and were seldom heard to swear or use
profane language. A Sister was unexpectedly accosted one day by a
convalescent patient, whom, she often noticed, viewed her with a surly
countenance and would reluctantly take from her whatever she offered
him. He said:
“Sister, you must have noticed how ugly I have acted towards you and how
unwillingly I have taken anything from you, but I could not help it, as
my feelings were so embittered against you that your presence always
made me worse. I have watched you closely at all times since you came to
the barracks, but when you came in at midnight last night to see the
patient who lay dangerously ill I could not but notice your
self-sacrificing devotion. It was then that my feelings became changed
towards you. I reflected upon the motives which seemed to actuate the
Sisters of Charity and I could not help admiring them. I thank you,
Sister, for all the kindness you have shown me. I am happy to say that
the Sisters of Charity have left impressions on my mind that will not be
easily effaced.”
On the 19th of July, 1862, the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, the Sisters
received quite a treat in the shape of an excellent dinner, sent by the
director of the Jesuit Novitiate and the Superioress of the Visitation
Convent, in Washington. Several ladies also visited them and sent
refreshments for the day.
There were many Germans in the barracks, and the band of Sisters who
were there only spoke the English language. The Superior, however, sent
a German Sister who could speak to these men and interpret for the
other Sisters. At their request one of the clergymen from the
Novitiate, who spoke the German language, heard the confessions of the
German Catholics.
[Illustration: FIRST BATTLE OF BULL RUN.]
On the evening of September 5, 1862, the Sisters were suddenly alarmed
by an unusual beating of the drums. They had all retired to bed except
the Sister servant, who called to them to rise quickly and go to the
barracks; that the Confederate army was in Maryland and would reach the
camp in the morning. They were informed that all the patients who were
able to walk, including the male attendants and men employed about the
hospital, would have to leave the place in about an hour, and that all
the United States army stores in the city must be consigned to the
flames. Imagine their feelings at such news. The hour passed like a
flash. The soldiers all disappeared except a few of the badly wounded,
who could not be removed. The signal was given and in a few moments the
entire city was enveloped in smoke and flames. The conflagration was so
great that it illuminated all the surrounding towns. The Sisters spent
the remaining part of the night with the sick who were left alone in the
wards. The doctors who remained at their posts carried their instruments
and other articles to the Sister servant for safe-keeping, knowing that
whatever the Sisters had in their possession was secure.
The next day dawned bright and beautiful, but what a scene of desolation
and ruin was presented to the view! There was no one on the hospital
grounds but the steward and doctors, about four in number, and the
Sisters, who were going to and from the barracks attending the helpless
soldiers. It was then that these poor, helpless men exclaimed in
astonishment and gratitude:
“Oh, Sisters, did you stay to care of us? We thought you also would have
gone, and then what would have become of us?”
About 9 o’clock in the morning the Confederates were discovered on the
top of a hill advancing rapidly towards the hospital. Suddenly the
advance guards appeared in front of the Sisters’ windows, which were
under the doctor’s office. One of the Confederates demanded without
delay the surrender of the place to the Confederate army, in command of
Generals Jackson and Lee. The officer of the day replied, “I surrender.”
The guards rode off and in about fifteen minutes afterwards the whole
Confederate army entered the hospital grounds. It was then that the
Sisters witnessed a mass of human misery--young and old men, with boys
who seemed like mere children, emaciated with hunger and covered with
tattered rags that gave them more the appearance of dead men than of
living ones. After these skeleton-like forms had been placed in their
respective barracks and tents the sick were brought in, numbering over
400. The majority of these were, however, half-dead from want of food
and drink. They informed the Sisters that they had been without anything
to eat for thirteen days, with the exception of some green corn, which
they were allowed to pluck on their march into Maryland. The Sisters
were delighted to find a field in which to exercise their charity and
zeal on behalf of the suffering men. But, alas! a new trial awaited
them. The United States surgeon called upon the Sister servant and told
her that the Sisters could not at that time give any assistance to the
Confederates, as they, the Sisters, were employed by the Union
Government to take care of their sick and wounded, but he added that the
Union army was daily expected, and as soon as it would reach the city
the Confederate sick would receive the same care and attention as the
Union soldiers.
The citizens were now at liberty to do as they pleased. They flocked in
crowds to the hospital, distributing food and clothing at their own
discretion. This proved fatal in many cases, as the diet furnished the
sick men was contrary to what their condition required. The young
scholastics of the Jesuit Novitiate near-by volunteered to nurse the
sick soldiers, and their services were accepted by the United States
surgeon, who arranged accommodations for them at the barracks. The
Sisters were also allowed to give the scholastics meals in their
refectory. It was truly edifying to see the zeal of those school boys.
Father Sourin, the confessor of the Sisters, was likewise indefatigable
in his labors. He deeply regretted the restrictions the Sisters were
under, at the same time admiring the wonderful ways of God in permitting
the young scholastics to gain admittance into the hospital, to fill the
mission of charity of which the Sisters were so unexpectedly deprived.
On the fifth day of the invasion the Sister servant obtained a passport
from General Lee for two Sisters to Emmittsburg. They were thus enabled
to apprise the Superiors of their situation. These same Sisters returned
to Frederick on September 12, accompanied by the Sister assistant from
Emmittsburg. On re-entering the city their astonishment was great when
they found that the whole Southern army had disappeared. When they
reached the barracks the other Sisters informed them that the
Confederates had left the city the previous night, leaving only their
sick who were unable to be removed.
Frederick City was again in possession of the Union forces and the good
nurses were now at liberty to exercise their duties in behalf of the
sick Confederates who were prisoners at the hospital. The doctors made
no distinction between them and the Union soldiers. They lay side by
side, so that the Sisters had it in their power to give them equal
attention. It was truly edifying to see the patience and harmony that
prevailed among them. They would say: “Sisters, we are not enemies
except on the battlefield.”
General McClellan was at this time in command of the Union army. On one
occasion he visited the barracks and was delighted with the order that
reigned throughout. Before leaving he expressed a desire to have fifty
additional Sisters sent to nurse the sick and wounded, but the scarcity
of Sisters made it impossible to comply with his request.
A reinforcement of Sisters was now required to go to the various places
occupied by the wounded. The Superiors could only send a few on account
of the great demand for them throughout the different parts of the
State. In Frederick City the Sisters had to divide their services
between the barracks and the tents, and even then it was impossible to
do justice to all. They were thus occupied for nearly six weeks without
intermission except a few hours, which they would occasionally take for
repose, and even that was frequently interrupted. They thought little of
fatigue or bodily privation, being happy in the belief that they were
not better served than the sick and wounded.
During the month of September the Sisters were recalled by their
Superiors to the Central House at Emmittsburg, and this for the time
being ended their labors at Frederick City.