July 3: After Gettysburg

Welcome to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Today is July 3rd, and our story is After Gettysburg. At first, the sisters saw only a thin blue line on the horizon, but within minutes, blue was everywhere. The date was June 27, 1863, and the Union Army was coming to St. Joseph's Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

When the soldier's commanding officer finally arrived, he promised that his troops would remain only a short while at the Sisters of Charity's mother house and school. In the meantime, he requested food for his men and urged the sisters to invoke St. Joseph's protection over their house and grounds. The sisters complied on both counts. Three days later, the Union army packed up camp and moved north to Gettysburg. The next day, the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War began. For three days, as guns roared in the distance, the sisters remained in the chapel, praying without ceasing.

The guns fell silent late on July 3, 1863. Soon afterward, the sisters set out for the battlefield. One of the women, Sister Matilda Coskery, described what they found. Houses burnt, dead bodies of both armies strewn here and there, an immense number of slain horses, thousands of bayonets, sabers, wagons, wheels, projectiles of all dimensions, blankets, caps, clothing of every color covered the woods and fields. We were compelled to drive very cautiously to avoid passing over the dead. Our terrified horses drew back or darted forward, reeling from one side to the other.

The farther we advanced, the more harrowing was the scene. We could not restrain our tears. Rain soaked the battlefield, but that didn't prevent the sisters from tending to the wounded. As more help arrived, they moved everyone they could to farmhouses, businesses, churches, any place the women could find to nurse the soldiers.

The sisters spent the following weeks traveling between 113 makeshift hospitals, caring for Union and Confederate soldiers alike. No officer dared refuse their requests for supplies. And by summer's end, thousands of men who otherwise would have perished returned home. All told, nearly 300 Sisters of Charity served as nurses during the American Civil War.

True charity requires courage, sacrifice, and a willingness to enter the suffering of others. By responding to urgent needs without hesitation, the sisters remind us that faith must be lived in action. In moments of crisis, we are called to prioritize mercy, compassion, and selfless service above personal comfort or safety. Find a way that you can offer time, resources, or prayer to someone in urgent need in your community today. Thank you for listening to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Join us tomorrow, July 4th, for another story of faith and courage in America.