Sisters of Charity and the Civil War
An account of the work of the Angels of the Battlefield” during the Civil War in the US. In the four years of conflict between these dates, our nation lost by death and disease 600,000 men. The task of caring for so many dying, sick and maimed men was an ordeal. Four Orders of Catholic Sisterhoods participated in caring for the wounded and dying. The orders were: Sisters of Charity, Sisters of St. Joseph, Sisters of Mercy, and the Sisters of the Holy Cross. The work of the Religious Catholic Sisters during the Civil War was commendable . When the war began, the Sisters were the only organized and trained female nurses. The surgeons “liked them because they had been bred to discipline”. Even President Lincoln had a high opinion for the tremendous service of the Catholic Sisters during the Civil War.