As we approach Memorial Day a Pennsylvania newspaper salutes the Daughters of Charity   who served as nurses during the Civil War.

“When the Daughters of Charity awakened June 27, 1863, the pastoral grounds of their Emmitsburg, Md,. property had become a Union Army encampment for thousands of Union Army officers and men destined to fight during the Battle of Gettysburg.

“This would not be the Daughters of Charity’s last encounter with the men. When the cannons at Gettysburg finally fell silent, signaling the end of the bloodiest three-day encounter of the Civil War, the women traveled to Gettysburg and became battlefield “angels.” They nursed men where they had fallen and delivered comfort and aid to those who were in makeshift hospitals all over Gettysburg.

“Their riveting stories, laced with compassion and one touched by a miracle, are highlighted in three ways by the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in “Emmitsburg: A Heritage Days Celebration” June 28- 30, a “Charity Afire” museum exhibit and “Miracles Amid the Fire Storm” walking tours.”

Check out the story: Lehigh Valley Morning Call

For more on their role see the book “Battlefield Angels: The Daughters of Charity Work as Civil War Nurses”