The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-08-08
Property is a lie!

Speech"
ANGELS OF THE BATTLEFIELD,
The following letter was written
to the Ladies Auxiliary of the An
cient Order of Hibernians by the
National President. Ellen Ryan
Jolly. The history OF the "angcls
of the battlefield has been written
by Mrs. jolly in her appeal for funds
for monument to the memory of
the heroic Sisters. Mrs. Jolly
writes:
Dear Sisters: History has done
scant justice to the Irish Soldi srs
whose swords and bayonets helped
to establish and preserve this great
nation. and whose blood has, sancti-
fie'! every battlefield since Lexing-
ton, a; which Capt. James Parker,
the son of an IRISH mother from
County Claire, YVES i'll command. lie
was wounded at the first fire, and,
continuing to discharge his gun, was
bayoneted to death by the English
Barrett, in command at Concord. Thi
This record of Irish loyalty and
bravery has been repeated million
times, and recently again in the
death of the young Irish Catholic,
Daniel Haggerty, the first to fall in
the present Mexican difficulty. I
hope future writer's may do justice
to his memory. In the Civil War
our Irish soldiers sustained the
glory of their ancient and brave
race, and again is history almost sill
ent, or else its voice is so low and
indistinct that the true story re-
mains buried in the soil of forget
fulness, awaiting some resurrective
force. This is our own fault. At
least our own children should have
in their hands histories written by
those who will give honor to whom
honor is DUE Ask the children Of
our race to-day who was Meagher?
What is his war record? Ask abou.
Shields, Meade, Sheridan, Mulligan,
Case. Kelly, Kernev aad others of
our race. and note the reply. Again
we are to blame. Ask them about
Barry. Moylan, Fitzgerald, Carroll
and other Catholic patriots, and then
blush for having allowed this con-
dition to exist so long. In our mil
lions we have strength, and If we de-
mand for proper historical recogni-
ton were made, conditions would
improve and our children would be
given an opportunity to learn the
history of the Irish race in Americas
establishment and development.
All honor to Mary A. Livermore
and Clara Barton and their glorious
bands of heroic women, who braved
death in a thousand ways in their
womanly and tender devotion to the
sick and the wounded of our Civil
War. History has been generous in
its praise of them, and Justly so, and
we rejoice. A statue of Florence
Willard occupies a well-deserved
place in Statuary Hall in the Capitol
at Washington. When shall we be
able to do similar honor to the Nun
of the Battlefield? It should be soon.
Here let me ask question. Have
you ever read in any school history
any reference to the heroic bands of
Catholic nuns who in hundreds, too,
did noble duty as army nurses? Who
shall tell to future generations the
history of the gentle "Angel of the
Battlefield whose very identity was
concealed by her religious name?
The sisters left their quiet convent
for the field of battle. and their
tenderness and sweetest womanly
sympathy have been the admiration
of even Protestant gentlemen who
were eye-witnesses of sacrifices.
These gentle souls knew no North,
no South; blue and gray shared
their attention alike. They received
again and again the official recogni-
ton and thanks of President Lin
coin and thanks of Jefferson Davis.
president of the Confederate states
The men Of the South still hold in
hottest and grateful reverence the
memory Of the gentle nun, for whom
no task was too mental. no duty too
heavy. II poor soldier lad. either In
blue or gray. might be comforted.