Civil War History

The sisters played a prominent role during the Civil War as nurses and human service workers, providing compassion in an otherwise violent and painful epoch. Some worked in the cities where they were missioned whereas others traveled from battlefield to battlefield, north and south. They continued Mother Seton’s ministry of charity, bringing solace and healing to the wounded of both armies, sometimes at their own peril.

The war came to Emmitsburg in late July 1863, with the armies of the Potomac and Northern Virginia succeeding each other at St. Joseph’s.

On the Maryland Civil War Trail

On your visit to the Daughters of Charity and Seton Shrine, you may walk the Maryland Civil War Trail to visit identified landmarks and gain added insight into the scale of events that took place here on Hallowed Ground. Several informative markers are present on the grounds to guide you regarding the Gettysburg Campaign:

• Daughters of Charity
  "O, it was beyond description.... This picture of human
  beings slaughtered down by their fellow men in
  a cruel civil war was perfectly awful...."
• St. Joseph's Valley Camp
  About 80,000 Union troops settled here in Saint
  Joseph’s Valley as June 1863 drew to a close, "until the grounds around were actually covered with Soldiers." Emmitsburg was placed under martial law....
• General John F. Reynolds
  Commanding the left wing of the Army of the Potomac, Union Gen. John F. Reynolds arrived as I Corps came into Emmitsburg to obtain needed supplies....This place has another connection to Reynolds....

For More Information

For detailed information on our archival resources, please visit our Library of Congress web page.

Access to the Archives

At this time, the Archives is undergoing extensive upgrades, so we are unable to accommodate requests and visitors. We apologize for any inconvenience.