General John F. Reynolds: "Dear Kate"

History: On July 1, 1863, Union Gen. John F. Reynolds traveled the Emmitsburg Road toward Gettysburg, where a sharpshooter killed him. Reynolds was engaged to Catherine Mary (Kate) Hewitt. They planned to announce their engagement at a family party on July 8. Instead, she arrived to view his body, and family members discovered his engagement as he wore a locket and a gold ring inscribed "Dear Kate." Kate had promised Reynolds that if he was killed she would enter religious life. On March 17, 1864, she joined the Daughters of Charity, but withdrew from the community in 1868 before pronouncing her vows.

More to Explore: Just a short drive on Seton Avenue brings you to the campus of the National Fire Academy, which honors the nation's fallen fire service heroes at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial. At the heart of the park, the National Fallen Firefighters Monument is a striking stone monument encircled by plaques listing the names of all members of the fire service who have died in the line-of-duty since 1981. A brick Walk of Honor(R) connects the National Monument to the historic Memorial Chapel, which houses the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s office and gift shop. At the far end of the park stands the 9/11 Memorial, To Lift a Nation.

Photo Credits:

1. "Pen and ink drawing of Union Army officer Major Gen. John F. Reynolds." Print courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
2. "Sister nurses of different congregations."
3. "St. Joseph's Chapel built 1841. This is where Kate Hewitt would be trained as a Daughter of Charity." Prints courtesy of Daughters of Charity Archives, Province of St. Louis Archives, Emmitsburg, Maryland.