Record Group 7-5-3
Records of Daughters of Charity Service in World War I
Administrative History
[From Sr. Daniel Hannefin, D.C., Daughters of the Church: A Popular History of the Daughters of Charity in the United States 18091987 (New York: New City Press, 1989), p. 209-212. The book is available online at http://www.via.library.depaul.edu ; print copies
are available for reference at the Daughters of Charity Province of St. Louise Archives, Emmitsburg, MD.]
When Congress declared war against Germany 2 April 1917, hospitals served by the Daughters of Charity were quick to join the war
effort … Only one group of sisters served with the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. These were ten Daughters of
Charity from the Western Province under the leadership of Sister Chrysostom Moynahan as Chief Nurse. With about one hundred
nurses recruited all over the country from hospitals served by the Daughters, they formed the nursing staff of Base Hospital #102 in
Vicenza, Italy, the closest base hospital operating near the Italian Front.
The Loyola Unit which staffed Base Hospital #102 had been formed by Doctor Joseph A. Danna of the Loyola University Medical
School, New Orleans, and was attached to the 332nd Regiment from Ohio, brigaded with the Italian Armies. Doctor Danna was a
fitting director for the Unit because of his experience at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, his leadership among physicians and
surgeons of Louisiana, and his fluency in Italian. Sister Chrysostom, though past the preferred Red Cross age limit of forty, was wellequipped for her leadership role. She was the first registered nurse to serve in Alabama; her nursing experience included service in
Portsmouth, Virginia, and Fort Thomas, Kentucky, during the Spanish American War. She had also built and administered Saint
Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, and laid the groundwork for Saint Margaret's in Montgomery.
Journals kept sporadically by the ten sisters describe boot camp training at Camp Sheridan, Alabama; drills with gas masks (worn with
difficulty over the cornette); the rescue of survivors from a torpedoed tanker in mid-Atlantic; a fire in the supply room of the hospital,
extinguished by the staff; and watching from the hospital rooftop, in rare off-duty hours, the bursts of shooting from the nearby battle.
Several American volunteer ambulance drivers – who brought in more than sixty-six thousand Italian wounded from Caporetto, where
there was heavy fighting under German and Austrian fire – were decorated as heroes by the Italian government. One of these,
seriously wounded and a patient in the hospital, was Ernest Hemingway.
The Loyola Unit returned home to the States in May 1919.
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Scope and content
The collection includes:
Correspondence of Sister Chrysostom Moynahan
Diaries of Sisters Angela Drendel, Catherine Coleman, and Florence Means (these diaries have been transcribed)
Individual and group photographs of all the Sisters who served in Base Hospital 102
A collection of glass plate negatives showing the Sisters’ departure from the United States, their journey overseas, scenes from the
War and scenes from various locations in Europe during and after the War
Restrictions on access
No restrictions on access
Finding aids
Unpublished finding aid available for reference at the Daughters of Charity Province of St. Louise Archives. Finding aid available
online at: http://dcarchives.wordpress.com/finding-aids/
Location of originals
Daughters of Charity Province of St. Louise Archives
341 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727
301-447-6041
archives@doc.org
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Container Listing
(The World War I records are a subset of RG 7, United States Community History. Boxes 1-7 are on topics other than World War I)
RG
7-5-3
7-5-3
7-5-3
7-5-3
7-5-3
7-5-3
7-5-3
7-5-3
RG
SERIES
NAME
NAME
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
BOX FOLDER
FOLDER DESCRIPTION
8
1
Historical Account of United States Base Hospital Unit 102 - written by Sr. Ignatia
O'Rourke 1942 (original)
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2
Historical Account of United States Base Hospital Unit 102 - written by Sr. Ignatia
O'Rourke 1942 (copy)
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Identification of glass plate negatives (Glass plate negatives have been digitized; a
copy of the inventory for them is at the end of this finding aid. Some of the glass plate
negatives do not concern World War I)
Clippings, general
8
5
Clippings - scrapbook from Hotel Dieu Hospital, El Paso, TX
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6
General correspondence, telegrams, etc.
8
7
Personnel - Sr. Chrysostum Moynahan
8
8
Personnel - Sr. Mary DeSales Loftus
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RG
SERIES
NAME
NAME
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
BOX FOLDER
FOLDER DESCRIPTION
8
9
Personnel - Sr. Valeria Dorn
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1
Diaries - Sr. Chrysostum Moynahan, typed address book
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2
Diaries - Sr. Catherine Coleman (original)
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Diaries - Sr. Catherine Coleman (transcription)
9
4
Diaries - Sr. Angela Drendel (original - 2 volumes)
9
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Diaries - Sr. Angela Drendel (transcriptions of both volumes)
9
6
Diaries - Sr. Florence Means (original)
9
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Diaries - Sr. Florence Means (transcription)
9
8
Nursing Service (1 of 6)
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RG
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RG
SERIES
NAME
NAME
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
US
World
Community War 1
History
BOX FOLDER
FOLDER DESCRIPTION
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9
Nursing Service (2 of 6)
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10
Nursing Service (3 of 6)
9
11
Nursing Service (4 of 6)
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1
Nursing Service (5 of 6)
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2
Nursing Service (6 of 6)
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3
Letters, general
10
4
Photographs
10
5
Artifacts - Crucifix which belonged to Sr. Chrysostum Moynahan
10
6
"On Two Fronts" - Draft of article
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List of Glass Plate Negatives
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Rev. J. J Sullivan, C.M., Director
Col. Danna
Rev. G. P. Hunt, O.F.M.
St. Vincent's Hospital Group
Sisters - Unit 102 A.E.F.
Le Marquis Hotel, N.Y.
Lieutenant McCarthy (drill)
Surgeon Maj. General & Mrs. Gorgas and Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul - Unit 102
Blessing of Unit Flag, St. Stephens Church, New York. By Father McCarty
Unit 102 sailing for the Front August 4th, 1918 on the Umbria (Italian S.S.) Baltimore, Md
Unit 102 rescuing German Sub victims - 15 men from the Oil Tanker Jennings
Sub victims leaving the Umbria, what joy!
Rock of Gibraltar
Unit 102 landing, Aug. 17, 1918 – Genoa, Italy
Soldiers going to Camp – Genoa, Italy
Our Officers leaving boat
Sisters & Nurses assigned to this Hotel awaiting orders for FRONT
Camp Unit 102 (soldiers)
Monument cemetery in Genoa
Nurses Home
Nurses Officers & Sisters in Courtyard of Hospital Vicenza Italy
Chapel in Hospital, Vicenza
Ward ready for the wounded
Cannons
Patients
Nurse and Austrian prisoner (nurse)
Church of Mt. Berico, Vicenza, Italy
Mess at Cantonnement
Mt. Grappa 15 miles from our Hospital Firing Line
Firing Line
Bridge of boats over the Piave River
Bridge Piave River
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Automatic War Guns
Italian Front
Bombarding
Italian Dugout
Italian Officer with Aeroplane
Retreating Germans
Rewarded
Cemetery, Italy
Cemetery at Front
Church Bombarded by Austrians
Verona Arena (exterior view)
Interior of Arena (Verona)
Electric Car taking passengers to see the Vesuvia (Napolio)
Mount Vesuvius. Italy
Mummy man since the eruption of the Vesuvius - Pompeii
Basilica of St. Mark, Venice
Bridge of Sighs, Venice
U.S.S. Birmingham in Venice
Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XV. We had 2 audiences
The Vatican
The Holy Stairs
Room or vault all lined with the bones of the monks
La Via Appia - Rome
Bombardment of Paris
Mother House of the Sisters of Charity, Rue de Bac, Paris
Chapel at Rue de Bac
The three Apparitions of our Bl. Mother to Sr. Catherine
The Chair on which our Bl. Mother sat
Sister Catherine
Madam Bizolen serving Coffee to our American Soldiers in Leon, France
Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France
Unit 102 Coming Home sailing from Genoa, Italy
Unit 102 Returning on S.S. Canopic Landed April 15, 1919 New York
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