By Thomas J. Craughwell

Grant shows appreciation for sisters' Civil War Service

President included them in the unveiling of Lincoln statue in Illinois

In October 1874, a distinguished party of government officials, led by President Ulysses S. Grant and his comrade-in-arms from the Civil War, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, traveled to Springfield, Ill., for the dedication of the newly completed tomb of Abraham Lincoln.

The day before the ceremony Grant, Sherman and Father P.J. Mackin, the pastor of the Church of Our Savior in Jacksonville, Ill., were reminiscing about their experiences during the war. The president and the general told Father Mackin of the fearlessness, the selflessness of the nuns they met in the field hospitals. (Approximately 500 sisters from 20 communities representing more than a dozen religious orders had volunteered as nurses during the war.) As they chatted, Grant had an inspiration: As a token of thanks to the nuns of North and South who nursed the wounded, the sick and the dying during the Civil War, he wanted two sisters to unveil the bronze sculpture of Lincoln at the dedication ceremony. There was a convent in Springfield, but it was cloistered; Father Mackin explained that the nuns could not come out for a public event.

Sherman, who had been especially impressed by the dedication of the Dominicans he had met in the military hospitals in Memphis, Tenn., said, "If I had my Sisters of St. Dominic near they would not disappoint me."

"Why, I have Sisters of St. Dominic from Kentucky teaching at my school," Father Mackin said, "but they are in Jacksonville[Ill.]. I am sure they would come with the permission of Bishop Baltes."

"We'll get permission," Grant said. "Sherman, order a special train while I wire the bishop."

Moment in the spotlight

After recovering from the surprise of receiving a telegram from the president, Bishop Peter Baltes authorized Sister Josephine Meagher, superior of the school in Jacksonville, to choose a companion and travel to Springfield for the dedication of the Lincoln tomb. Sister Josephine asked Sister Rachel Conway to accompany her; Sister Rachel was an ideal choice -- she had served as a battlefield nurse during the war. Early in the morning of Oct. 15, 1874, the bishop's representative, Father P.J. Burke, came to the Dominican convent to escort the nuns to the depot where the special presidential train stood waiting for them.

Grant and Sherman were delighted to meet the nuns, and asked Sister Josephine and Sister Rachel to occupy the second carriage, just behind their own, in the parade out to Oak Ridge Cemetery. During the ceremony the sisters were seated on the dais with the president's party. The former governor of Illinois, Richard Oglesby, would deliver the dedication address, and he and the nuns agreed upon a cue: when he said, "Behold the image of the man," the sisters would unveil the statue.

As the governor spoke Sister Josephine and Sister Rachel left their seats, taking their places on either side the pedestal. At the phrase, "Behold the image of the man," the sisters each pulled a silken cord, the silk veil parted, and the statue of Lincoln was revealed. In the excitement and applause that followed, Sister Josephine and Sister Rachel quietly left the dais, found their carriage and returned to the railway station where their train was waiting to take them back to their convent.

Thomas J. Craughwell is the author of "Stealing Lincoln's Body" (Harvard University Press, $24.95).