Catholic Medals Found Around Neck of Gettysburg Hero, Protestant General Reynolds

Given the medals by his Catholic fiancee, Katherine May Hewitt, the General and Miss Hewitt made a pact. If the General died in the war, Miss Hewitt would enter a convent. The General did die, holding the hill at Gettysburg; he was one of the battle’s first casualties. And Miss Hewitt? She kept her promise and went to Emmitsburg where she joined the Daughters of Charity.

The American Catholic: Donald McClarey: Hattip to Matthew Schmitz at First Things.  I have been studying the Civil War since 1964.  It is an immense subject and I still find things about it I never knew.  Major General John Reynolds, commander of the I Corps, helped save the Union by his heroic leadership of his Corps in support of Buford’s cavalry division on the First Day, buying time with blood for other corps of the Army of the Potomac to deploy.  He was a Protestant but Matthew Schmitz tells us why he died with  Catholic religious medals around his neck. Read more here.