The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-07-24
Monument to ''Nun
of the Battlefield"

A year has elapsed since Mrs. Ellen
Ryan jolly, National President of the
Ladies' Auxiliary to the Ancient Or
der of Hibernians, proposed the erec-
tion of memorial to the Nun of
the Battlefield" by this great national
organization of women.
The proposed site selected was Ar
lington National Cemetery, which lies
across the Potomac on the Virginia
Hills, but the war department has de-
MED the necessary permission for the
erection of the memorial at Arlington,
on the grounds that the nuns were
not in the military service or employ
of the government; that none were
ever inferred in Arlington, and the de-
partment refuses to establish prece-
dent of allowing memorials to be erect
ed where the remains are not in
TERED.
Mrs. jolly has collected some inter-
esting data relative to the history of
the angels of the Battlefield" whose
service Gin the words of Cardinal Glib
bons) was as unique and useful as it
! was rare and exalted"
For the facts contained in the fol-
lowing information, Mrs. Jolly is in
debted to "The Annals of the Sisters
of Mercy" by Mother Mary Austin
Carroll; "The Story of Fifty Years" by
the Sisters of the Holy Cross affiliated
with Notre Dame University, Notre
Dame, Ind; "The Golden Milestone
by the Sisters of Mercy of the Arch
diocese of New York; 1.-The Angels OF
the Battlefield" by Barton; from Of
tlcial and personal correspondence and
interviews with the heads of many of
the religious communities whose men,
bers have immortalized themselves by
deeds to which only the recording an.
gels have done justice, and from the
examination of the archives of many
of these religious communities.
ION April IL, 1861, by the first shot
fired on Fort Sumter, the Civil Wa,
was formally inaugurated in the Unit
ed States. AS result of the nations
fOur-year conflict, it was deprived by
disease and death of 100000 men
2,688,523 men enlisted in the war
some Of whom were mustered in twice
and, as certain percentage deserted
it is estimated that 100000 men &C.
lively participated in the Northern
armies. or the number, $4,000 died on
the field of battle; $4,000 expired in
hospitals and $4,000 perished by dis
ease. Considering the Southern loss
equal to that of the North, the aggre
gate is 100000.
"The task of caring for and nursing
such an army Of wounded was u for
midable one. AS time wore on and il
became alarmingly apparent that the
war was not to consist of few skir
mishes, but was likely to become q
protracted struggle between two bod
les of determined men, the crying nee
essity Of systematic hospital service
made itself felt. To this end the San
itary Commission and Christian Com
mission were organized. and the splen
did nature Of their work is too vel
known by published reports to require
repetition. The story of the battle
| 10
In response to direct and persona
communication with the heads of thu
several orders, there has been receive,
an official list of the sisters who dit
service during the war, such list con
tanning family names and names ii
religion. Distinctively Irish are tn
majority Of those family names, born
by distinguished men and women O
the isle of Saints" While the son
of Ireland did dauntless duty under tn
flag, Ireland's daughters, unafraid, III
dismayed by the terrors that met ther
at every turn, shared that duty by III
flinching service for the wounded, tn
dying and the dead that strewed tn
CORY fields.
"From the meagre data obtainablt
1t appears that four orders took pal
in the merciful work of relief inciden
to those troublous times, but in realit
six orders were represented on tn
field, since there were three separat
and distinct sections or branches t
the Sisters of Charity. namely, tn
Cornette or Emmittsburg sisters; tn
Sisters Of Nazareth and the black-ca
or Mother. Seton sisters; the thre
remaining orders were the Sisters {
st. Joseph, the Sisters of Mercy an
the Sisters of the Holy Cross, eac
contributing it's full quota to ma
velous whole. To the work of carin
for the sick and wounded they broug1
experience, skill, training and disc
pline. Self-denial was a feature ,
their daily life, and their vows of po
erty, chastity and obedience, peculia
ly fitted them for duty that deman
ed personal sacrifice every momel
Of the day and night. ,..ss
. I'm .ths early part Of June,s 1851, D