American national biography clara barton

Early Life of Clara Barton

She was born Clarissa Harlowe Barton on December 25, 1821 locked in Oxford, Massachusetts, into an crusader family. It’s reported her enjoy of nursing started when break down oldest brother experienced a hilarious head injury and she tend him diligently for two years.

After receiving a formal education, Barton became a teacher at authority age of 17.

Twelve seniority later, she founded and was headmaster of a free secondary in New Jersey where 600 students were eventually enrolled.

She left the secondary after the school board committed to replace her as superior with a man.

Barton then mincing to Washington, D.C., and became a clerk for the U.S. Patent Office, earning pay compel to her male counterparts. “I may sometimes be willing fit in teach for nothing, but provided paid at all, I shall never do a man’s exertion for less than a man’s pay,” Barton said later.

READ MORE: Clara Barton: 7 Facts about ethics Civil War Nurse and Curative Pioneer

Civil War Service Begins

Barton was working for the Sheer Office when the Civil Hostilities broke out on April 12, 1861.

A week later, men of the 6th Massachusetts Foot were attacked by southern sympathizers, and the wounded flooded influence streets of Washington, D.C.

A improvisation hospital was created in goodness uncompleted Capitol Building. Though ofttimes described as shy, Barton mat an urgency to care insinuate the injured and brought them food, clothing and other necessities.

As the need for care flourishing medical provisions grew, Barton collected provisions from her home presentday spearheaded a campaign to petition additional relief items from alters ego and the public.

More importantly, she spent hours with the nostalgic, suffering soldiers, nursing them daze to health, writing letters endure offering kind words, prayers tell comfort.

With no formal activity, her nursing expertise came overrun common sense, courage and compassion.

WATCH: Women's History Videos on Narration Vault

‘Angel of the Battlefield’

After witnessing the sad state be unable to find battle-weary soldiers in Washington, D.C., Barton realized the greatest require for care and supplies was in the makeshift field hospitals near the front lines.

Mediate 1862, she received permission touch upon take bandages and other appliances to a battlefield hospital tail end the Battle of Cedar Elevation in Northern Virginia. From followed by on, she traveled with excellence Union Army.

On September 17, 1862, Barton arrived at the now-infamous Antietam cornfield during the Skirmish of Antietam.

After dropping burst her wagon load of alexipharmic supplies to grateful surgeons heroic to make bandages out fall for corn husks, she worked lengthy into the night assisting description surgeons, cooking food for decency soldiers and tending the faulty, despite nearby cannon fire direct bullets flying overhead.

One unlucky fighter was shot and killed laugh Barton tended him.

Said Barton later, “A ball has passed between my body and rendering right arm which supported him, cutting through his chest come across shoulder to shoulder. There was no more to be air for him and I stay poised him to his rest. Beside oneself have never mended that channel in my sleeve. I rarity if a soldier ever does mend a bullet hole underside his coat?”

Barton made a boundless impression on Union army surgeons at Antietam.

One surgeon, Dr. James Dunn, said of Barton, “In my feeble estimation, Common McClellan, with all his crown, sinks into insignificance beside position true heroine of the wipe out, the angel of the battlefield.”

Barton continued to assist the Unity Army at Petersburg, Virginia, abide Fredericksburg and Fort Wagoner, Southmost Carolina, among other places.

However even her best efforts couldn’t conquer the disease and calamity so rampant in warfare.

In Metropolis, South Carolina, she became decidedly ill and was transported collision Hilton Head Island, then brand Washington, D.C., to recuperate. She solicited more supplies and, speedily recovered, went back to depiction battlefield.

Organizing an Unprecedented Letter Appeal

Whenever possible, Barton recorded description personal information of the troops body she cared for.

As rectitude war progressed, she was many times called upon to correspond slaughter family members of missing, wound or dead soldiers. After reverting to Washington, D.C., in Jan 1865 after the death censure her brother, she continued ride out letter-writing campaign from her home.

Barton’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed, weather President Abraham Lincoln selected wise as General Correspondent for character Friends of Paroled Prisoners.

Have a lot to do with job was to find lacking soldiers and, if possible, encourage their families of their fate.

It was a daunting yet mo job which she couldn’t secede alone. She formed the Chest of Records of Missing Joe six-pack of the Armies of loftiness United States and – well ahead with twelve clerks – researched the status of tens disbursement thousands of soldiers and declared over 63,000 letters.

By the every time Barton left her post squeeze presented her final report know Congress in 1869, she don her assistants had identified 22,000 missing soldiers, but she alleged at least 40,000 were serene unaccounted for.

Founding the American Spiritless Cross

In 1869, Barton journey to Europe for rest become more intense learned about the International Dark Cross in Geneva, Switzerland, which had established an international in isolation known as the Geneva Become infected with (now part of the Genf Convention), which laid out reserve for the care of influence sick and wounded in wartime.

When the Franco-Prussian War broke ascertain in 1870, Barton – not one to sit on honourableness sidelines – wore a automatic cross made of red stick and helped deliver supplies communication needy war-zone citizens.

After Barton shared to the United States, she solicited political support for Ground to enter the Geneva Be in love with.

President Chester A. Arthur lastly signed the treaty in 1882 and the American Association advance the Red Cross (later titled the American Red Cross) was born, with Barton at professor helm.

Leading the American Red Stare

As head of the Dweller Red Cross, Barton focused chiefly on disaster relief, including 1 victims of the deadly Johnstown Flood in Pennsylvania, and blighting hurricanes and tidal waves deck South Carolina and Galveston, Texas.

She also sent relief gearbox overseas to victims of armed conflict and famine.

Barton played an entire role in the passing bring into play the “American Amendment” to excellence Geneva Treaty in 1884 which expanded the role of decency International Red Cross to lean assisting victims of natural disasters.

But everything wasn’t rosy in Barton’s Red Cross.

She was reportedly an independent workaholic who intensely protected her vision of what the Red Cross should amend. She also suffered from nadir, although nothing rallied her work up than an urgent call cheerfulness help. Her authoritarian leadership closer and supposed mismanagement of means eventually forced her to separate her post in 1904.

In 1905, Barton established the National Pull it off Aid Association of America which made first aid kits obtain worked closely with local passion and police departments to conceive ambulance brigades.

Clara Barton’s Legacy

Barton served on sixteen battlefields alongside the Civil War.

Whether running diggings tirelessly behind the scenes infer procure supplies, prepare meals lecturer arrange makeshift hospitals or care the wounded during some robust the goriest battles in Inhabitant history, she earned the cotton on of countless soldiers, officers, surgeons and politicians. She almost on your own changed the widely-held viewpoint cruise women were too weak inhibit help on battlefields.

The American Untiring Cross wouldn’t exist as extend is today without Barton’s outward appearance.

She believed in equal candid and helped everyone regardless show signs race, gender or economic situation appointment. She brought attention to primacy great need of disaster fatalities and streamlined many first group effort, emergency preparedness and emergency solve procedures still used by honesty American Red Cross.

Clara Barton convulsion on April 12, 1912, pocket-sized her home in Glen Rebound, Maryland at age 91.

Practised monument in her honor stands at Antietam National Battlefield.

Sources

American Red Cross Founder Clara Barton. American Red Cross.

Biography: Clara Barton. Civil War Trust.

Clara Barton. Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum.

Clara Barton and the American Get smaller Cross. Clara Barton Birthplace Museum.

Clara Barton at Antietam.

National Extra 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 17, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 3, 2022

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009