OLLI course on Civil War offered

This grave marker in the Sisters of Providence Cemetery marks the final resting place
of Sister Athanasius Forgarty, a sister-nurse during the Civil War.

The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, have a unique connection with the Civil War. The sisters served as sister-nurses at Military Hospital in Indianapolis as well as at a hospital in Vincennes, Ind. You can learn more about this history by participating in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Indiana State University course, “Lest We Forget: The Civil War Service of the Sisters of Providence.” This class will be offered on the beautiful motherhouse grounds of the Congregation on Tuesday and Thursday, Aug. 14 and 16, from 2 to 4 p.m. (EDT) in the Community Room of Providence Hall. The course will be presented by Congregation staff member Connie McCammon.

You do not have to be an OLLI member to attend this class. You may register online or call 812-237-8707 for more information. Please register by Monday, Aug. 13.

We look forward to seeing you on Aug. 14 and 16!

Video explores Civil War service of Sisters of Providence

Mother Mary Cecilia Bailly, general superior from 1856 to 1868

Shortly after the firing on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, Oliver Perry Morton, Indiana governor, asked for the assistance of the Sisters of Providence in the administration of City Hospital in Indianapolis. After inspecting the facility, Mother Mary Cecilia Bailly, general superior of the Congregation, agreed to send sisters to what would become known as Military Hospital.

A new video illustrates how the sisters responded to this call for nurses. First of all, the hospital was in terrible disarray. According to the Community diary of the Congregation, “They [the sisters] found the new hospital in a miserable state of filth and disorder, and the sick in a wretched condition. The Sisters labored very hard to put the hospital in proper condition; their exertions were crowned with the greatest success. The change they soon effected in making it a clean, comfortable house for the sick soldiers, filled the people with admiration and inspired great confidence in them.”

Learn more about the heroic service of the Sisters of Providence during the Civil War on the Congregation’s website for fourth- through eighth-grade students, WoodsUp.

The Sisters of Providence and the Civil War: a presentation in Sullivan

Sister Henrietta MacKenzie served as a nurse during the Civil War.

“Cloistered by the majestic forest, the Convent and the Academy at St. Mary-of-the-Woods in 1860 would seem to have been too remote, too securely enclosed, to hear the rumblings of the approaching national disturbance. Echoes of trouble, however, reached even to this secluded spot,” wrote Sister Mary Theodosia Mug in her 1931 monograph of the Civil War, “Lest We Forget: The Sisters of Providence of St. Mary-of-the-Woods in Civil War Service.”

And those rumblings would eventually lead the Sisters of Providence to serve the Union as sister-nurses in Indianapolis and Vincennes, Ind.

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 105 E. Jackson Street, Sullivan, Ind., Connie McCammon, a communications staff member in the Office of Congregational Advancement of the Sisters of Providence, will present “Lest We Forget: The Civil War Service of the Sisters of Providence.” Connie will share the story of Mother Mary Cecilia Bailly and the courageous sisters who answered a call to service during a turbulent time in the nation’s history.

Connie will also include information about the Wabash Valley Civil War Sesquicentennial Project, a special collection of Wabash Valley Visions & Voices (WV3). Other partners include Indiana State University’s Cunningham Memorial Library, the Vigo County Public Library, the Vigo County Historical Society, the Sullivan County Public Library, the Sullivan County Historical Society and the Sullivan County Clerk’s and Recorder’s Offices.

The public is invited to attend this presentation. For more information about the service of the Sisters of Providence during the Civil War, check out the Congregation’s children’s website, WoodsUp.com.

Learn more about Sister Henrietta MacKenzie, who is pictured above.

Nicholas Filbeck of Company E

Many people in both the North and the South believed that the Civil War would be over in a matter of months. Little did they realize that the war would last four terribly long years. Some of those caught up in the romanticizing were young boys who weren’t even shaving yet. Take, for example, Nicholas Filbeck of Terre Haute, Ind.

In 1861, Nicholas fudged about his age in order to serve in the 32nd Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment. During the war Nicholas was wounded and captured. He was finally returned to Terre Haute. At some point, Nicholas was presented with the medal shown at right.

This medal and a portrait of Nicholas are part of the collection of the Vigo County Historical Society.

These artifacts are part of the Indiana Civil War Sesquicentennial Project. See more artifacts and images from this project.

Sparks from chimney start fire at Military Hospital

Indiana Governor Oliver Morton asked the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., to provide assistance in the administration of City Hospital in Indianapolis right after the April 12, 1861 attack on Fort Sumter. The Congregation graciously responded to the request and served soldiers — Union and Confederate — for the duration of the Civil War at Military (formerly City) Hospital (pictured).

In the Archives of the Sisters of Providence are several transcripts of two Indianapolis newspapers. The transcripts give one a glimpse into the daily life of the sister-nurses and their charges. The Indianapolis Daily Journal relates the following article about a fire in the hospital in its Monday, Jan. 16, 1865, issue:

“Yesterday morning about eight o’clock, the City Hospital was discovered to be on fire in the roof, having caught from the sparks from the chimney. Through the exertions of the attaches, however, who cut a hole in the roof in another place, and applied a wholesome quantity of water, the fire was extinguished with slight damage. The water occasioned some inconvenience in some of the rooms, but the energy of Drs. Kitchen and Wishard soon made all comfortable again. The Hospital is full of sick and wounded and we shudder at the bare contemplation of the consequences had the fire got a fair headway. It was the wooden addition that was on fire, and owing to its combustible nature, it would have been speedily consumed.”

This transcript is part of the collection of the Sisters of Providence in the Vigo County Indiana Civil War Sesquicentennial Project. See more documents and artifacts in the Sisters of Providence collection.

‘On the eve of a great battle’

“My dear Mother:

“On the eve of a great battle I have a few minutes, and with my saddle as a desk, will write a few words to the loved ones at home.

“General Hill of the rebel army has crossed the Potomac about this point and is marching upon the capital with a large army. Our forces are detailed to give him battle on all points of our position.”

So begins an 1863 letter from John Blinn to his mother in Terre Haute, Ind.

Blinn continues:

“What ever may be my fate in the coming contest you may rely with confidence in the persuasion that it will be one of which my friends and family may not feel dishonored.

“Should I be spared again to fight under the same glorious banner for which I have fought, it will be with God’s will. If I should fall, remember that I died in a cause for which many have died. Let His will, whose knowledge surpasseth all understanding, be done.”

This letter is part of the collection of the Vigo County Historical Society in the Indiana Civil War Sesquicentennial Project. See more documents and artifacts in the Vigo County Historical Society’s collection.

Check out this Civil War brass cartridge box

There’s a plethora of artifacts waiting to be discovered on the Vigo County Indiana Civil War Sesquicentennial Project website. Take, for instance, this solid brass cartridge box that is part of the Vigo County Historical Society’s collection. It was used by John T. Merry during the Civil War. This particular artifact has multiple photographs for better viewing.

Also participating in this special 150th anniversary Civil War website are the Vigo County Public Library and the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, in conjunction with Indiana State University’s Cunningham Memorial Library.

The project has been funded by a Library Services Technology Act Digitization Grant (LSTA).

Sisters of Providence answer a call to duty

On May 17, 1861, the Civil War touched the lives of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind. On that date, the sisters were placed in charge of all “domestic arrangements” like washing, cooking and cleaning at City Hospital, soon to be known as Military Hospital, in Indianapolis. Their services were not limited to these duties, as Sisters of Providence also served as nurses.

The Sisters of Providence certainly weren’t the only women’s religious congregation to answer the call to duty during the Civil War. “Nuns of the Battlefield,” written by Ellen Ryan Jolly and originally published in 1927, tells the story of other religious congregations that aided Union and Confederate soldiers. This monograph highlights the women’s religious congregations that ministered to soldiers during the Civil War.

To learn more about the service of the Sisters of Providence, take a look at “Lest We Forget,” a short history of the service provided by the Sisters of Providence during the Civil War. This book was published in 1931 by Providence Press and was written by Sister Mary Theodosia Mug. This book may be small, but it is filled with excellent information about the service of the sisters at Military Hospital in Indianapolis.

Be sure to visit our Vigo County Indiana Civil War Sesquicentennial Project!

GAR applications galore

If you’re interested in Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) applications, then you’ll want to visit the Vigo County Indiana Civil War Sesquicentennial Project website. In particular, you’ll want to visit the Vigo County Public Library’s portion of this Civil War collection.

The image at right is a Jan. 20, 1901, GAR Transfer Card for William A. Waterman. Waterman enlisted on Aug. 2, 1862, as a private in Company A 37th Regiment of the Massachusetts Infantry. Get a closer look at this transfer card.

Test your Civil War knowledge with one of our quizzes!

Lest We Forget: A presentation in Marshall, Illinois

Less than a month after the April 12, 1861, attack on Fort Sumter, Indiana Gov. Oliver Perry Morton requested that the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., provide assistance in the administration of City Hospital in Indianapolis, which had been turned over to the federal government for the care of soldiers. This hospital soon became known as Military Hospital and the Sisters of Providence became “Angels of Mercy” to Union and Confederate soldiers alike.

On Thursday, April 14, at 6:30 p.m. (CDT) at the Marshall Public Library, 612 Archer Avenue, Marshall, Ill., Connie McCammon, a communications staff member in the Office of Congregational Advancement of the Sisters of Providence, will present “Lest We Forget: The Civil War Service of the Sisters of Providence.” The event is free and open to the public. Connie will share the story of Mother Mary Cecilia Bailly and the courageous sisters who answered a call to service during a turbulent time in the nation’s history.

With the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War this year, the Sisters of Providence are proud to be a part of the Vigo County Indiana Civil War Sesquicentennial Project, a special collection of Wabash Valley Visions & Voices (WV3), a digital memory project. Other partners include Indiana State University’s Cunningham Memorial Library, the Vigo County Public Library and the Vigo County Historical Society. All digitized items are fully searchable online. A Library Services and Technology Act Mini-Digitization Grant from the Indiana State Library provided funding for this project.

To learn more about the service of the Sisters of Providence during the Civil War, visit the Congregation’s children’s website.

Letters from the battlefield

As we rapidly approach the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, Wabash Valley Visions & Voices is putting the final touches on a special collection celebrating and remembering the War Between the States or the War of the Rebellion. Many of the items in this collection are personal letters of soldiers. These letters provide a “ground level” view of the war — the hardships, sickness, death and, yes, the simple joys of life.

One such letter [a transcript] is from Confederate soldier Joseph Thompson to his wife, Mary, written near Corinth, Miss., April 27-29, 1862. It is part of the Vigo County Historical Society’s collection. Part of this letter reads:

“At dress parade, an order from [P.G.T.] Beauregard [Confederate general] was read commanding us to cook five days[’] rations and always keep that much ahead. Our boys were very much excited last evening as it was thought that the enemy would attack us this morning. They are surely advancing upon us. Yesterday, our advance guard had a bloody skirmish with them. Quite a number of our men was lost. Indeed, there is not a day but what there is a skirmish.

“The conscript law is, I fear, going to do much more harm than good. Our Volunteers are greatly excited. While regiments and companies whose time expired last week are now under arrest for stacking arms and declaring they would go home. The Soldiers feel that this law takes away their liberties and robs them of all the honor and patriotism of volunteering. With compulsory feeling in their breasts, they never will fight as they have done.

“They say that they will pay us today and, as soon as I get the money, I will close this letter. O, how I wish I could take the money to you my Self! Although my time is now so short, God only knows, in these critical times what may happen [h]ere then. But some how, I am bouyed up by hope, and hope bids me be of good cheer. What a blessed thing is hope.”

To view this transcript more closely, click here. To learn more about the Vigo County Indiana Civil War Sesquicentennial Project, visit here.

The digitization of Civil War memorabilia is made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act Mini-Digitization Grant from the Indiana State Library. Partners in the project include Indiana State University’s Cunningham Memorial Library, the Vigo County Public Library, the Vigo County Historical Society and the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind.