The following excerpt from the diary of Brother Martin Whelan, S.J., describes the situation:

During the spring of 1861 several Northern regiments had arrived in the city of Washington and were waiting assignments; some had already gone to the front, while others were on waiting orders. One day a bearer of dispatches rode through the College gate with a packet directed to the President of the College (Rev. John Early, S.J.), the Secretary of War informing whoever it might concern, etc. that the 69th New York regiment, U.S. Volunteers, would be quartered at the College, and directing that provisions should be made (as far as possible) for their accommodation.

An incident took place at the College a short time before, which may have had a bearing on this formal demand from the War Department. One afternoon, after class, about five o'clock, Father James Clark, first prefect of the senior students, learned that the students intended to express their dislike of the war proceedings against the South, and to burn Mr. Lincoln, the President, in effigy. For this purpose they assembled at the west end of the tower building (Old North), where the fun was to take place. Fr. Clark started immediately to prevent such a disgraceful proceeding which might seriously involve the College authorities, when he was met by the captain of the college cadets and several of the officers. They told him that they deplored such a proceeding, had used all their persuasive powers with the members of the company without avail.

Most of the students in the cadet company were from the South; a few only being from the North, among others the Captain (John O'Brien) who hailed from Pennsylvania. Captain O'Brien wished to prevent it but he was powerless to do so against the wish and intentions of the entire command. Fr. Clark commended him for his good will, but thought he could have prevented such a deplorable state of affairs had he been notified in time. However, he started to tear down the sheet on which a coarse caricature of Abraham Lincoln had been drawn; but it was too late, it was already burning, and in a few minutes it was consumed. Some of the day scholars living in Washington were present when the sheet was burned and they failed not to spread the news when they reached Washington. It created quite a stir among the government officials who loudly condemned such a proceeding; friends of the College represented to them that the College authorities made an effort but were powerless to prevent it, explaining at the time that it was done by a few Southern boys who were about to quit the College for their homes, and did not seem to care for results, knowing that they would soon be far away on their journey before any punishment could be imposed. This seemed to satisfy the offcials, yet very soon after, the New York regiment was quartered at the College.

The afternoon that the soldiers marched to the College, one of the Fathers of Trinity Church was standing near the corner of Fayette and Second Streets (35th & O Streets) and as they passed, one and all saluted the priest, for was he not a "soggarth." In return he removed his cap and bowed to them, acknowledging their salute. Arriving at the college they were drawn up in line on the campus. Colonel Corcoran made a short address to the men, reminding them of their duty as citizen soldiers, their conduct as gentlemen, and as Irishmen. There were not many non-Catholics, the colonel and a few of the staff officers; the rest were staunch Catholics, whole-souled fellows. After the address they broke ranks, leaving the muskets stacked in the field; the senior students' hand ball alley was quite near, and thither many of them repaired, a few to play, the others to witness the game.

Before the regiment arrived many of the students had returned to their homes in Dixie, and those who remained were comparatively few in number. The conduct and deportment of the soldiers while at the college, with a few exceptions, was all that could be desired. Brother Roth, who had charge of the small boys' dormitory succeeded in removing most of the furniture and bedding to the Old North building, in order to afford room for the soldiers. Most of the officers roomed in the Infirmary. A few days after they arrived sentinels were posted at the front gate, and at every gateway and avenue leading to or from the college grounds. The Father and Brother Sacristan of Trinity were repeatedly stopped at the College entrance when they came to their meals; each time a different sentry was doing guard duty; at times it was very annoying.

Fr. Mooney, the Chaplain, obtained permission of the Pastor, Fr. Aschwanden, to have mass for the regiment....With the exception of a few of the officers and the men who were on guard duty, the entire regiment marched to the church to hear mass. It was very edifying to witness the real piety and devotion of the men and to note the great reverence they manifested in presence of the Blessed Sacrament, no doubt many of them were praying to the God of battle to bless and protect them in the forthcoming strife, where would be arrayed against each other men of the same nationality, friend against friend, brother against brother, the one trying to dismember the union, the other determined to preserve it; and many of those present were never again to return to their homes.

The 69th had among its members a number of raw recruits. who, at the first call for volunteers, had enlisted as 'three months men' to help put down the rebellion, who in all probability had until then never shouldered a musket. Several of the orderly sergeants were detailed to put the new men through the 'manual', to keep step, to wheel, etc. One day during the squad drill on the college campus, a group of college students were enjoying the scene, and occasionally laughing at the blunders made. The chaplain of the regiment, with more zeal than prudence, ordered one of the corporals to arrest the offenders, when Father James Clark, the first prefect, who was standing apart, conversing with another prefect, hurriedly came forward and interposed, at the same time reproaching the chaplain for what he deemed not in strict accordance with the duties of a regimental chaplain, rather unbecoming the priestly dignity, and then quietly sent the boys away.

Mr. Bernard E. McMahon, S.J., a Jesuit Scholastic at Georgetown, wrote to a fellow Scholastic in Boston May 10, 1861:

In view of the eventful times through which we are passing and which bring surprise and sorrow to our very doors, a word or two again, from below the line may not be unacceptable. I am no politician but I think we are on the verge of a very unholy war. Yielding to none in love for the Union, the whole Union, I strongly deprecate any attempt to coerce the free sons of the soils. "Souls know no conquerors" and any attempt to wring an unwilling submission from our Southern brethren will be one of those deeds which wither the soul of man, and "make the Angels weep." Everybody here is preparing for war, and troops are concentrating in Washington from all sides. Even we at the College have turned soldiers, rise at the reveille and go to bed at the sound of the tattoo. The cause of this? Last Saturday at four o'clock, while engaged in class and elsewhere we were informed that the College was to be occupied at seven by a portion of the N.Y. Volunteers, and that all we people who occupied the small boys' side of the street would have to clear out bag and baggage to the opposite building (Old North). Then you should have seen the tearing up of desks, the pulling out of beds, bed clothes, chairs, etc. In about two hours, the entire building was emptied of everything; a job which at another time would have consumed two or three days labor.

True to the hour, at 7 the baggage wagons of the 69th (Irish) Regiment drew up before the College; shortly after the regiment itself, 1500 strong, began to file through the gateway. Gracious heavens! I thought they would never stop pouring in. They fill at present, the small boy's building, Mt. Rascal (alas), the large boys' study room, chapel, refectory and Fathers' parlor, which by the way is headquarters. They are quite domesticated now and give extremely little trouble, save the general soiling of the establishment. They enjoy themselves hugely with the small boys' gymnasium and alley. A sentinel guards the large boys' gymnasium from everybody except the students. The see-saw for a time was the principal object of attraction. They'd get some green one, coax him onto it and while in the air give it a twitch and dump him off. The poor devil then would join in, very good naturedly, and victimize some other "bowld sojer boy."

They cook for themselves, find their own provisions and mind their own business generally. They are Catholics to a man. The night of their arrival wearied and hungry as they were, after the dismal, rainy weather which preceded it, after arranging themselves on the large playground, they said their beads together, while every now and then Fr. Mooney, their chaplain, would cry out: "keep time down there, at the other end."

The mass scene of last Sunday was very imposing. A small table under the small boys' shed was entemporized as an altar and as the crowd of soldiers knelt around it, with the bright sun glowing brilliantly overhead, and the plaintive notes of the band hushing every other sound was truly affecting and reminded one of the good old warriors of La Vendee or the Irish brigade of France. Fr. Clark remarked that their devotion at mass was quite a censure upon the tepidity and inattention of our boys. Sentinels are stationed every twenty paces from the Observatory to the porter's lodge, and they do their duty faithfully. The famous Mr. Bendig could not get home the other night, because he would not give the countersign. Black Charlie was also intercepted around the walks and sent back by a sentinel who told him: "you damn black nigger if it were not for you we'd be in New York now; go home you sk--k." Charlie vanished from the sight of that New Yorker. They are all big stout fine looking fellows prepared for the worst. The day scholars have to procure passes from the Colonel. We have a regimental drill at three, and company drill all day long.

"Uncle Abe" accompanied by Mr. Seward, Cameron and others, drove up to the College on Wednesday and reviewed the troops. Yesterday Major McDowell, U.S.A., administered the oath of allegiance which was taken by all except twenty; those twenty amid the groans and hisses of the whole multitude, and shouts of traitors from the soldiers, were stripped of their uniforms even to the caps and shoes, placed between a guard and marched out of the gates. Is this a free country? You should have seen the expulsion of some soldiers the other day; they had committed some offense, were detected, placed between the fife and drum and with the mob of soldiery clamoring at their heels were drummed out to the tune of the rogue's march.

A grand union flag was hoisted on a fine flagstaff in the playground. As The Colonel hoisted the flag, the band played "The Star Spangled Banner," "Hail Columbia," "Yankee Doodle," "Garryowen"; and the soldiers cheered lustily the Stars and Stripes, Georgetown College, etc. The flag pole is one of the tallest trees of the 'walks', cut down by orders of the great Peedee (P. Duddy). Artists of the illustrated papers were up here yesterday taking sketches.

A very exciting scene took place last night. The regiment had just returned at 12 o'clock from Washington, whence they had gone to escort Thom. T. Meagher to the College Camp, and wearied after their march were beginning to indulge in a sound sleep when at 1 o'clock the drums beat. To Arms! To Arms! The enemy! the enemy! was shouted from one room to another. such a shouting of orders, girding on of swords, dragging on of overcoats, ramming of cartridges and making pell mell for companies A, B, C, etc., I may never behold again. In about six minutes from the first tap of the drum the Colonel was on his horse and a thousand men on double quick time towards the gate for Washington. The cause of the alarm was this; one of the sentinels (picket No. 10, they call him) descried a large fire in Washington which from its steadiness and brilliancy he took to be a signal fire; adding this to the beating of drums and firing of musketry which had been going on all night, on the Virginia side of the Potomac, he was led to think that an attack on the Capital was in progress.

When the Colonel reached Rock Creek he was informed of the true state of affairs and returned to the College; much to the disappointment of the boys (that's what they call each other) who were "billing over" for a fight. Mr. Meagher commands the Zouaves corps of the Regiment. A company of artillery and lancers will be joined to us in a few days. About a dozen, gentlemanly, dashing West Point cadets came up here to assist the captains in drilling their companies. But I must stop my war news here, or I will never be exhausted. Each day is pregnant with so many incidents that it would require a ream of paper to narrate all of them. The "pet lambs" of Colonel Ellsworth particularly, amuse and harass the Washingtonians.

Large boys and small are now mixed together with all the prefects on duty. I occupy a room in the tower, and although it is not the best in the world yet I console myself with this reflection that English kings have lived there too. Philosophy class graduated some time ago, without any display, and have gone home. The fewness of the students lessens the labor of the teachers a great deal. I have no Latin or French, others no Mathematics or French, and so on. There are at present in the College about sixty boys. Every establishment to which I go seems destined to be smashed up. Some of our friends of the military are quite jovial fellows.

Yesterday one of them had to leave ranks because he had but one shoe, and that was but a shoe in name; someone asked him 'what had become of his shoe,' he said he had sold it; "Well then how much will you take for the other shoe?" The reply: "I won't sell that, I want it to deceive people who will all think that I once had two, but happened to misplace one of them (your argument for the green pantaloons with which you promenaded Chestnut St.) The end of sheet warns me that I must close. So with my kindest love to all of Ours at Boston.

I remain yours in Christ, B.E. McMahon

Continue Part III