the capture of the commercial metropolis of the southwest by general butler and admiral farragut. butler’s chivalrous letter to the superior of the convent at donaldsonville. his tribute to the sisters of charity. bishop elder and the panic stricken people of natchez. work of the sisters in other localities.

on the 25th of april, 1862, a fleet under the famous admiral farragut, together with a land force under general benjamin f. butler, captured the city of new orleans. butler assumed charge of the “commercial metropolis of the southwest,” as it was then called, while the gun boats proceeded up the mississippi river, subjugating other cities and towns along its banks. one of these was donaldsonville. in shelling this place admiral farragut injured some of the property under the charge of the sisters of charity. the superior entered a complaint with general butler and in return received the following chivalrous letter:

“headquarters department of the gulf, new orleans, la., september 2, 1862.

“santa maria clara, superior and sister of charity.

“madame: i had no information until the reception of your note that so sad a result to the sisters of your community 120 had happened from the bombardment of donaldsonville.

“i am very, very sorry that rear admiral farragut was unaware that he was injuring your establishment by his shells. any injury must have been entirely accidental. the destruction of that town became a necessity. the inhabitants harbored a gang of cowardly guerrillas, who committed every atrocity, amongst others that of firing upon an unarmed boat crowded with women and children going up the coast, returning to their homes, many of them having been at school in new orleans.

“it is impossible to allow such acts, and i am only sorry that the righteous punishment meted out to them in this instance, as, indeed, in all others, fell quite as heavily upon the innocent and unoffending as upon the guilty.

“no one can appreciate more fully than myself the holy, self-sacrificing labors of the sisters of charity. to them old soldiers are daily indebted for the kindest offices. sisters to all mankind, they know no nation, no kindred, neither war nor peace. their all-pervading charity is like the boundless love of ‘him who died for all,’ whose servants they are and whose pure teachings their love illustrates.

“i repeat my grief that any harm should have befallen your society of sisters and will cheerfully repair it, so far as i may, in the manner you suggest by filling the order you have sent to the city for provisions and medicines.

“your sisters in the city will also further testify to you that my officers and soldiers have never failed to do to them all in our power to aid them in their usefulness and to lighten the burden of their labors.

“with sentiments of the highest respect, believe me your friend,

benj. f. butler.”

some time after this general blanchard, who was in command of the military in monroe, la., made a request 121 for sisters to care for the sick and wounded under his charge. a deputation of sisters was at once sent from st. mary’s asylum in natchez.

the sisters were obliged to leave in the night in consequence of a dispatch announcing the approach of the federal gun boat essex, which might have prevented their departure had they remained until the next day. hence they were compelled to cross the mississippi river shortly before the midnight hour. the good bishop of natchez, now most rev. w. h. elder, archbishop of cincinnati, alarmed for their safety, determined to accompany them to the post to which they were destined, and he did so. the pastor of the church at monroe was also one of the party. the sisters and their friends crossed the river in a skiff, and, reaching the other side, found an ambulance awaiting them. they traveled the remainder of that night and the following two days over a very rough and dangerous road. general blanchard had a matron and nurses employed in the hospital. he dismissed these and arranged with the sisters to take charge the day after their arrival.

sister e—— had in her ward a convalescent patient who, deeming himself of more consequence than the others, was somewhat piqued at her for not showing him special attention. the sister kept him in his place and treated him precisely as she did the others. one day she went as usual to administer the medicines, and as she was passing the ward in which he was located she heard him utter most terrible oaths. she passed on quietly, but on her return showed her displeasure at his disorderly conduct. he made every apology for his misbehavior. the sister proceeded on her way, having a bottle in each hand. at a very short distance from where the man was standing she 122 stopped to say a few words to another patient. she happened to look back and noticed the convalescent man put his hand in his coat pocket, and at the same instant the crack of a pistol shot was heard. the ball passed through the front of the sister’s cornette, within an inch or two of her forehead. the poor man with whom the sister had been talking thought he was wounded again, jumped up and clapped his hands on his old wound, as if to assure himself of its escape from harm. the sister, pale, but with perfect presence of mind, still held her bottles and made her way through the cloud of smoke and the crowd that had gathered at the report of the pistol. the man was arrested and would have been dealt with in a summary manner, but at the request of the sister he was released. he claimed that it was an accident. it was afterwards discovered that he was a gambler and had loaded the pistol to shoot an enrollment officer in town.

in the meantime things were reaching a crisis in the city of natchez. one morning the sound of a shell bursting over the town filled the people with consternation. the scene that followed is beyond description. women and children rushed through the streets screaming with terror. the asylum was thronged by persons of every description, who begged to be admitted within its walls. one of the sisters speaking of this says: “i can never forget the anguish i felt at the sight of mothers with infants in their arms begging us to preserve the lives of their little ones, without a thought about their own safety. at the sound of the first shell our good bishop hastened to the asylum to assist us in placing the children out of danger of the shells. the bishop was surrounded as soon as he appeared and nothing could be heard but cries of ‘oh, 123 father, hear my confession,’ and ‘bishop, baptize me. do not let us be killed without baptism.’ the bishop kindly went into the confessional, but soon perceived that he would be detained there too long; therefore he requested the sisters to assemble all in the chapel and he would give a general absolution, as the danger was so imminent. immediately their cries and sobs were suppressed. the bishop, after a few touching words, bade us remember that no shell could harm the least one among us without the divine permission. he then gave a general absolution to all present.”

shells passed over the building in rapid succession while the sisters were kneeling in the chapel. some of the bombs fell in the adjoining yard, yet not one of those in the asylum was injured. within the silence of death reigned. no sound was heard but the fervent aspirations of the bishop and the suppressed sobs of the smaller children. giving the final blessing the bishop said: “tell the sisters to take the children away as soon as possible.” when all were in readiness each of the orphans, with a bundle of clothing, passed out of the asylum with the thought that they were never again to enter its loved walls. five of the sisters accompanied them, and the others, with two sick children, followed in a market wagon, the only vehicle that could be procured. while the sisters were placing the smaller children in the wagon a shell passed over the horse’s head, so near as to frighten and cause the animal to jump, but it fell some distance away without exploding. the poor children had to go five miles without resting, so great was the danger. after remaining some weeks in the country the authorities compromised, and the gunboat left the city without doing any 124 further damages. the bishop announced the forty hours’ devotion in thanksgiving.

good work was done in the charity hospital, new orleans. the sisters of charity had charge of this hospital and attended many hundreds of the sick and wounded on both sides. it was the same with the marine hospital of new orleans. the first act of one of the sisters on entering a ward in this hospital was to grasp a cup of water from a nurse and baptize a dying soldier.

one sister relates how she endeavored for a long time to get a cot for a very sick patient who lay on the floor reclining on his carpet bag. she finally succeeded, and then persuaded a convalescent soldier to convey the sick man to the cot. the patient was unwilling to go without his carpet bag and his boots, fearing they would be stolen if he left them. he kept a watchful eye on them all the time, and the sister, understanding the reluctant movements of the patient, took up the carpet bag in one hand and the boots in the other and followed. the poor man was very much struck with the humility and charity of the sister, and said:

“the soldiers wonder how the sisters can work so hard without pay.”

the sister replied: “our pay is in a coin more precious than gold; it is laid up in a country more desirable than any that exists on this earth.”