Ep. 2. 35: A Confederate Chaplain at Vicksburg

This episode delves deeper into the human cost of the Civil War and the struggle to provide care for thousands of wounded soldiers. Monsignor and Teresa recount the conflict between Dr. Simon Pollack—a Jewish ophthalmologist turned wartime surgeon—and William Greenleaf Elliott, founder of Washington University, over the involvement of Catholic sisters in military hospitals. Despite Elliott’s anti-Catholic prejudice, Pollack championed the Sisters of Mercy and Sisters of Charity as the only professional nurses available, highlighting their indispensable role in saving lives. The episode also follows Father Bannon’s journey to Vicksburg, his ministry to Confederate soldiers, and his acts of courage during relentless Union assaults, setting the stage for the bloodiest year of the war and the decisive battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg.