National Civil War Chaplains Museum

Happy Constitution Day! On this day in 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed. As the country’s legal framework for governance, the Constitution both guarantees the rights of U.S. citizens and limits government involvement in those rights. A model example of this is the provision of military chaplains to U.S. service members.

The first words of the First Amendment to the Constitution set the parameters for military chaplaincy: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...” The government does not dictate the message of chaplains or require servicemembers to participate in religious activities. Instead, chaplains ensure the protection of religious freedom in the nation’s military as they have done for 250 years.

Come visit the Museum’s newly added Chaplains of the American Revolution exhibit, in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary!

Help the Chaplains Museum expand our collection and add new exhibits! Look for the "Donate" section at the link in our bio. 

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We are happy to introduce our new fall student worker, Daniel Franklin!
Daniel is a senior majoring in English with an interest in Classical literature. He enjoys studying great works like Crime and Punishment and Measure for Measure and hopes to pursue a master’s degree in his field. His favorite exhibits in the museum concern chaplains who served on the battlefield such as Father Francis P. Duffy, particularly for their willingness to risk their own lives to serve those in their care.

Visitors can learn more by exploring the Chaplains Museum’s Battlefield exhibit. The exhibit highlights this commitment to ministry through the stories of chaplains who served alongside servicemembers, often placing themselves in harm’s way to provide spiritual care and support.
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Welcome to the Museum Gentry Rose Dowdy. Gentry Rose is a junior majoring in History with a double minor in Professional Writing and Biblical Studies. She is interested in Renaissance/Tudor history as well as the American Revolution, Industrial America and the women’s suffrage. An avid reader and researcher, Gentry Rose is excited to begin working at the Chaplains Museum and to aid in continuing its research. She is currently preparing the Museum’s upcoming National POW/MIA Recognition Day post, researching the experiences of military chaplains through Robert C. Doyle’s Men of God, Men of War: Military Chaplains as Ministers, Warriors, and Prisoners. Be sure to check back later this week for the post to learn more!

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Twenty five years ago, the attacks of September 11, 2001, took the lives of nearly 3,000 people and forever changed the United States. The World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, were attacked, while a fourth hijacked plane, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew fought back.

Among those at the Pentagon that morning was Navy Chaplain Cory Cathcart. At the time, he was assigned to Camp David, but he was taking a morning jog, passing by just as American Airlines Flight 77 struck the building. He rushed to the scene and immediately joined a group of servicemembers in the search for survivors.

He then set about contacting the families of those who were killed or missing. Days later, after the missing were confirmed dead, he had to call those families again.

Reflecting on his experience, Cathcart said, “The country remembers it once a year on the anniversary, but I remember it every day.”

His story is one of countless experiences of service, sacrifice, courage, and loss from that day and its aftermath. In the midst of tragedy, September 11 also brought Americans together. Across the country, first responders, service members, chaplains, volunteers, and ordinary citizens stepped forward to help their neighbors and support those in need.

As we mark the 25th anniversary of September 11, we remember the lives lost, honor those who answered the call to serve, and remember the families who continue to carry the loss of that day.
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