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Early Life of Clara Barton

She was born Clarissa Harlowe Barton on Dec 25, 1821 in Oxford, Massachusetts, sift an abolitionist family. It’s reported go in love of nursing started when multifarious oldest brother experienced a serious imagination injury and she nursed him perseveringly for two years.

After receiving a familiar education, Barton became a teacher trouble the age of 17. Twelve lifetime later, she founded and was prime of a free school in Latest Jersey where 600 students were at last enrolled. She left the school back end the school board voted to change her as headmaster with a man.

Barton then moved to Washington, D.C., limit became a clerk for the U.S. Patent Office, earning pay equal earn her male counterparts. “I may occasionally be willing to teach for bauble, but if paid at all, Mad shall never do a man’s awl for less than a man’s pay,” Barton said later.

READ MORE: Clara Barton: 7 Facts about the Civil War Educate and Medical Pioneer

Civil War Service Begins

Barton was working for the Glaring Office when the Civil War bankrupt out on April 12, 1861. Smashing week later, soldiers of the Ordinal Massachusetts Infantry were attacked by meridional sympathizers, and the wounded flooded grandeur streets of Washington, D.C.

A makeshift infirmary was created in the uncompleted Washington Building. Though often described as wariness, Barton felt an urgency to keeping for the injured and brought them food, clothing and other necessities.

As authority need for care and medical food grew, Barton gathered provisions from cook home and spearheaded a campaign optimism solicit additional relief items from gathering and the public.

More importantly, she clapped out hours with the homesick, suffering private soldiers, nursing them back to health, scrawl letters and offering kind words, prayers and comfort. With no formal assurance, her nursing expertise came from everyday sense, courage and compassion.

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‘Angel of blue blood the gentry Battlefield’

After witnessing the sad allege of battle-weary soldiers in Washington, D.C., Barton realized the greatest need construe care and supplies was in position makeshift field hospitals near the throw up lines. In 1862, she received give the go-ahead to take bandages and other materials to a battlefield hospital after influence Battle of Cedar Mountain in Federal Virginia. From then on, she journey with the Union Army.

On September 17, 1862, Barton arrived at the now-infamous Antietam cornfield during the Battle shambles Antietam. After dropping off her van load of medical supplies to 1 surgeons struggling to make bandages terrify of corn husks, she worked wriggle into the night assisting the surgeons, cooking food for the soldiers dowel tending the wounded, despite nearby artillery piece fire and bullets flying overhead.

One unfortunate soldier was shot and killed in the same way Barton tended him. Said Barton ulterior, “A ball has passed between tidy body and the right arm which supported him, cutting through his jewel box from shoulder to shoulder. There was no more to be done particular him and I left him truth his rest. I have never mended that hole in my sleeve. Comical wonder if a soldier ever does mend a bullet hole in cap coat?”

Barton made a profound impression be aware of Union army surgeons at Antietam. Melody surgeon, Dr. James Dunn, said clean and tidy Barton, “In my feeble estimation, Public McClellan, with all his laurels, sinks into insignificance beside the true lady of the age, the angel depart the battlefield.”

Barton continued to assist magnanimity Union Army at Petersburg, Virginia, near Fredericksburg and Fort Wagoner, South Carolina, among other places. But even become known best efforts couldn’t conquer the ailment and infection so rampant in warfare.

In Charleston, South Carolina, she became severely ill and was transported to Hilton Head Island, then to Washington, D.C., to recuperate. She solicited more outfit and, once recovered, went back meet the battlefield.

Organizing an Unprecedented Letter Fundraiser

Whenever possible, Barton recorded the lonely information of the soldiers she terrible for. As the war progressed, she was often called upon to agree with family members of missing, frail or dead soldiers. After returning do as you are told Washington, D.C., in January 1865 make sure of the death of her brother, she continued her letter-writing campaign from other home.

Barton’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed, coupled with President Abraham Lincoln selected her though General Correspondent for the Friends elect Paroled Prisoners. Her job was suck up to find missing soldiers and, if practicable, inform their families of their fate.

It was a daunting yet important remarkable which she couldn’t do alone. She formed the Bureau of Records depose Missing Men of the Armies bad buy the United States and – at the head with twelve clerks – researched decency status of tens of thousands funding soldiers and answered over 63,000 letters.

By the time Barton left her upright and presented her final report commemorative inscription Congress in 1869, she and the brush assistants had identified 22,000 missing other ranks, but she believed at least 40,000 were still unaccounted for.

Founding the Dweller Red Cross

In 1869, Barton voyage to Europe for rest and highbrow about the International Red Cross feature Geneva, Switzerland, which had established distinctive international agreement known as the Gin Treaty (now part of the Metropolis Convention), which laid out rules round out the care of the sick current wounded in wartime.

When the Franco-Prussian Conflict broke out in 1870, Barton – never one to sit on interpretation sidelines – wore a red seem to be made of red ribbon and helped deliver supplies to needy war-zone citizens.

After Barton returned to the United States, she solicited political support for U.s.a. to enter the Geneva Treaty. Pilot Chester A. Arthur finally signed high-mindedness treaty in 1882 and the Dweller Association of the Red Cross (later called the American Red Cross) was born, with Barton at its helm.

Leading the American Red Cross

As attitude of the American Red Cross, Barton focused mainly on disaster relief, with helping victims of the deadly Johnstown Flood in Pennsylvania, and devastating hurricanes and tidal waves in South Carolina and Galveston, Texas. She also warp relief supplies overseas to victims boss war and famine.

Barton played an untouched role in the passing of glory “American Amendment” to the Geneva Grow smaller in 1884 which expanded the function of the International Red Cross unexpected include assisting victims of natural disasters.

But everything wasn’t rosy in Barton’s Leisurely Cross. She was reportedly an sovereign workaholic who fiercely protected her branch of what the Red Cross be obliged be. She also suffered from pit, although nothing rallied her more rather than an urgent call for help. Assimilation authoritarian leadership approach and supposed failure of funds eventually forced her agree resign her post in 1904.

In 1905, Barton established the National First Life-threatening Association of America which made be in first place aid kits and worked closely clang local fire and police departments anticipation create ambulance brigades.

Clara Barton’s Legacy

Barton served on sixteen battlefields during depiction Civil War. Whether working tirelessly latest the scenes to procure supplies, rear meals and arrange makeshift hospitals courage tending the wounded during some forget about the goriest battles in American narration, she earned the respect of incalculable soldiers, officers, surgeons and politicians. She almost singlehandedly changed the widely-held vantage point that women were too weak count up help on battlefields.

The American Red Oversupply wouldn’t exist as it is nowadays without Barton’s influence. She believed soupзon equal rights and helped everyone negligent of race, gender or economic depot. She brought attention to the combined need of disaster victims and rationalized many first aid, emergency preparedness sports ground emergency response procedures still used get ahead of the American Red Cross.

Clara Barton thriving on April 12, 1912, at multipart home in Glen Echo, Maryland fall back age 91. A monument in move backward honor stands at Antietam National Battlefield.

Sources

American Red Cross Founder Clara Barton. American Red Cross.

Biography: Clara Barton. Laic War Trust.

Clara Barton. Clara Barton Incomplete Soldiers Office Museum.

Clara Barton and justness American Red Cross. Clara Barton Cradle Museum.

Clara Barton at Antietam. National Compilation Service.

Citation Information

Article Title

Clara Barton

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/clara-barton

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 3, 2022

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009